2B Bolder Podcast : Career Growth and Insights from Women in Business, Tech & Sports

Networking gets a bad reputation. And honestly? It's earned it. For most people, the word conjures images of awkward small talk, business cards nobody keeps, and conversations that feel more like auditions than actual human connection. It feels transactional. It feels fake. And for a lot of women, especially, it feels like a game they were never taught how to play. But what if the problem isn't networking itself — it's the way we've been taught to think about it? On the 2B Bolder Podcast, hos...

Your career doesn’t grow in isolation, and neither does your confidence. When we feel overlooked, stuck, or burned out, we often blame skills, strategy, or a lack of a personal brand. But what if the real lever is connection and community and the quality of the relationships around us? On episode #158 of the 2B Bolder podcast, I sat down with Dr. Tracy Brower, a sociologist, author, and the VP for Workplace Insights at Steelcase, and got practical about what makes work and life feel meaningf...

Most people don’t fail at sales because they’re “bad at sales.” They fail because fear hijacks their brain at the exact moment they need clarity. That’s why I loved talking with Maggie Pounds, co-founder of Salescoach Pro, an AI-powered sales training platform that helps sales reps practice real conversations before they ever get on the phone with a real customer. If you’ve ever frozen, rambled, or felt your heart rate spike during an objection, you’ll recognize what she describes: even simul...

You can spend your whole career waiting to feel “ready,” or you can do what Kellen Gorman did: jump in, learn fast, and let results speak. Kellen is an engineer and advocate at Redgate Software with nearly three decades across databases, cloud, and AI, plus experience at Microsoft, Oracle, and Delphix. Her path into tech starts with a brutal curveball, recovering from five strokes and rebuilding her work life from the ground up, then turning the hardest, least popular tasks into standout oppo...

On episode #155 of the 2B Bolder Podcast, I got to sit down with someone I could have honestly talked to for hours — Dr. Fern Halper. And if you've been feeling overwhelmed by all the AI noise out there, this one is for you. Fern has been working in data and AI for over 30 years — long before it was a headline — and she is the real deal. What struck me most wasn't just her brilliance or depth of knowledge; it was her warmth, her wisdom, and the genuine human kindness she brings to everything ...

Curiosity is a gift—but it only turns into momentum when it’s tied to impact. Host of the 2B Bolder Podcast, Mary Killelea, sits down with Carol Wilder, a strategic operator who helped launch the Alexa Skills Kit at Amazon, led generative AI partnerships at Dell, and now advises companies and municipalities on pragmatic AI adoption. Carol shares how aligning questions to concrete outcomes reshaped her career—and how that same shift can turn AI from a buzzword into a lever that reduces cycle t...

What happens when the career you’ve chased for years stops fitting the life you’re building? We sit down with attorney and founder Miriam Airington-Fisher to explore how she transformed a courtroom-centered path into a thriving, family-first immigration practice without abandoning ambition or impact. Miriam traces her journey from legal aid and criminal defense to launching a firm as a new single mom. She breaks down the scrappy early days, the power of a 90-day startup plan, and the mindset...

What if the straightest line to a bigger career is choosing the uncomfortable zones? On episode #141, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Tracy Nolan, Fortune 100 executive, transformation leader, and champion of women in leadership, to unpack the choices and mindsets that turned discomfort into momentum. From retail floors to the front lines of telecom, from global negotiations to a mission-driven role in healthcare, Tracy shows how to trust your instincts, claim your seat, and bring oth...

When Rene Madden turned 60, everyone expected her to retire. Instead, she launched her own business, pursued a master's degree, and wrote a book. "I am not retiring," she declares. "I could work till I'm 70 or 80. I am just beginning." Renee's remarkable journey spans four decades in financial services, from her humble beginnings as a secretary who described herself as "the office butterfly" to leading transformation teams at industry giants like JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, and Schroeders. Alo...