Corporate F*ckery

Your ambition was never the problem.The system you’ve been applying it in? That’s where things get expensive.In this episode, Lauren sits down with Stefanie O'Connell, personal finance expert, author, and founder of Too Ambitious, to break down the real economics of ambition.This isn’t theory. This is data-backed reality on how success actually plays out.We get into:Why ambition isn’t rewarded equally (and what the data actually shows)The hidden penalties tied to performance, efficiency, and leadershipHow hustle culture quietly reinforces inequalityThe difference between individual success… and systemic changeWhy community—not just self-optimization—is the real power moveBottom line:You’re not doing it wrong. You’ve been operating inside a system that was never designed to fully support you.Links & Resources:Explore Stefanie’s work: https://tooambitious.com/Pre-order The Ambition PenaltyWork With Lauren:If you’re ready to rethink your relationship with success and stop overpaying for a version of ambition that doesn’t fit, apply to work together here.Subscribe & Review:If this episode hit, send it to someone who needs to hear it and leave a review so more people can find the conversation.

The Truth About Internet Magic: Why Intuition Requires ActionThis week on Corporate F*ckery, Lauren goes solo and breaks down one of the most misunderstood ideas in personal and professional growth: intuition.After years of operating in survival mode, chasing logic, and trying everything from corporate hustle to backyard full-moon manifestation rituals (yes, really), Lauren shares what she’s learned about the difference between waiting for magic and actually creating momentum.The episode also includes the story behind a bold new idea she recently followed—an unexpected attempt to explore a female-led ownership bid for the Seattle Seahawks—and what it taught her about intuition, courage, and taking aligned action even when the outcome is uncertain.This conversation isn’t about blind faith or spiritual bypassing. It’s about something far more practical: learning to recognize the signals inside you that point toward your next move.In this episode, Lauren explores:Why high-performing people often ignore their intuitionThe trap of waiting for manifestation instead of taking actionWhat it actually looks like to follow a “crazy” ideaHow intuitive hits can lead to unexpected opportunitiesWhy detaching from outcomes can unlock real momentumIf you’ve ever felt a pull toward something bigger, but talked yourself out of it, this episode is your reminder that inspiration is rarely convenient, but it’s often worth following.Sometimes the boldest move isn’t having the perfect plan.It’s trusting the nudge and taking the first step to let go of what isn’t working.

The Sledgehammer of the Universe: When Stress Forces the Truth with Carole MurkoThis season, we’re rewriting the rules.And today’s rule is simple: trust yourself before it costs you.In this episode of Corporate F*ckery: Stories of Survival, Psychological Warfare, and Choosing What’s Best for You*, Lauren sits down with Carole Murko, founder of Love. Eat. Heal. and certified consultant with NeuroChangeSolutions.Carole shares how decades in finance and corporate leadership, combined with suppressed anger, people-pleasing, and chronic stress, culminated in a rare eye disease that threatened her vision.The wake-up call? What she calls the “sledgehammer of the universe.”Together, Lauren and Carole unpack:How corporate conditioning teaches women to override their intuitionWhy unprocessed emotion doesn’t disappear — it storesThe difference between external achievement and self-masteryHow to observe the signals your body is giving you before they escalateWhy you don’t have to burn your life down to start telling the truthThis conversation isn’t about quitting your job.It’s about reclaiming your authority, internally first. Because sometimes stress isn’t random. It’s redirection.Connect with Carole Murko🌿 Website: https://www.loveeatheal.com/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loveeatheal/ 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carole-murko-2b310b/

Season 3 opens with a hard reset.In this episode, Lauren sits down with Lynda Harvey (aka @Lynda.Leads) to dismantle one of the most persistent, and profitable, patterns in corporate life: imposter syndrome. Not as a personal flaw, but as a systemic conditioning tool designed to keep high-performing women compliant, underpaid, and constantly self-questioning.This conversation sets the tone for the season: clear eyes, clean boundaries, and new rules.In this episode, we cover:Why imposter syndrome isn’t a diagnosis, it’s a learned responseHow women are conditioned to equate humility with worth and likability with safetyThe hidden cost of “being grateful” instead of being compensatedWhy lightning does strike twice and what makes us pretend it doesn’tThe difference between what you deserve and what you’ve earnedHow corporate systems quietly reward self-abandonmentWhy settling “temporarily” often becomes a long-term identity taxNaming the voice at the boardroom table of your mind—and asking it to leaveHow to turn imposter syndrome into usable data instead of self-sabotageWho this episode is for:Powerhouse women navigating leadership, promotion, or reinventionCorporate leaders questioning whether the system still fitsWomen who know they’re capable but still find themselves negotiating against themselvesAnyone ready to stop performing gratitude and start claiming leverageAbout the Guest:Lynda Harvey, known online as Lynda Leads, has built and scaled high-performing teams, led cross-functional decision-making at the executive level, and built a platform rooted in corporate truth, not corporate fantasy.Her work centers on self-advocacy, compensation, boundaries, and the reminder that your company is not your family, it’s a business.

This week, economist and Wharton professor Dr. Corinne Low hands us the data-backed truth about why powerhouse women feel overextended, under-supported, and blamed for systems they didn’t design.We break down two game-changing concepts:• Utility FunctionYour utility function is the economist’s version of your life scorecard, the sum total of joy, meaning, fulfillment, and alignment across your lifetime.Not your boss’s profit.Not comparison culture.Not the invisible rules handed to women.You’re maximizing your utility, not the company’s.• Your Job as TechnologyYour job is simply a tool that converts time → money.Once you see it as technology, not identity, you unlock the power to redesign your career around better ROI, more time freedom, and the life Future You actually wants to live.We also hit the hard truths: unpaid labor, sexual harassment as an economic crime, why even top-performing women earn less, and why “leaning in” was never the solution.If you’re ready to reclaim your levers, time, money, agency, this conversation is a reset.Share this episode with a powerhouse woman who needs the reminder: she’s not broken. The system is.Links:Follow Dr. Low on LinkedInFollow Dr. Low on InstagramGet Dr. Corinne Low's book: Having it All, What Data Tells Us About Women's Lives and Getting the Most Out of Yours.Unlock Your Moon Sign (Aka, Emotional Advantage)Follow Lauren on LinkedInFollow Lauren on InstagramBook a Complimentary Consult with Lauren

In today’s episode, we sit down with Raena Boston, HR leader, writer, and the powerhouse behind The Working Momtras, a movement created to dismantle some of the biggest scams women are sold inside modern work and motherhood.Raena brings her trademark clarity, humor, and no-nonsense wisdom to a conversation that cuts through the noise with surgical precision. From the corporate gaslighting around AI layoffs to the quiet reemergence of girlboss culture, to the emotional whiplash of choosing yourself inside systems built on overwork, nothing is off the table in this conversation.Together, we dig into:The scam of “having it all” and why the pursuit keeps women exhausted and under-resourcedWhy AI is the convenient scapegoat for leadership failuresHow fear-based overwork is resurging inside corporate environmentsThe subtle ways women recreate the very systems that harm them, even inside advocacy spacesIdentity grief: what happens when the title, the mission, or the movement becomes youThe rise (again) of the girlboss and the class privilege hiding beneath itWhy micro-pushbacks are the new rebellionHow HR should be operating in 2025, and how Raena models people-first leadershipWhat real support between women at work actually looks likeDeprogramming over-functioning and reclaiming your agency without blowing up your lifeRaena also shares the deeply personal story of walking away from an organization she co-founded, the grief, the clarity, and the line she refused to cross in the name of her own integrity.This episode is a must-listen for any powerhouse woman navigating toxic workplaces, identity shifts, leadership pressure, or the weight of doing it all.If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re the problem (you’re not), whether you’re allowed to slow down (you are), or whether using your agency actually matters (it does, more than you think)… Raena will give you the words, the perspective, and the permission to take your power back.ALLLL of the links to connect with Raena and Lauren are included below 👇

🎙️ Episode 5: Redefining Wealth Without Losing Yourself with Heather BoneparthWhat happens when the woman who has it all realizes the cost was her own sense of self?This week on Corporate F*ckery, we sit down with Heather Boneparth, corporate lawyer turned Director of Business and Legal Affairs at Bonafide Wealth, co-author of Money Together, and the powerhouse redefining what equity really looks like inside modern partnership.After a decade climbing the corporate ladder, Heather found herself at a crossroads between ambition, motherhood, and marriage. What began as a story about money became a reckoning with identity, worth, and the invisible economics shaping every decision we make.Together, we unpack how to: ✨ Untangle money stories that start long before your paycheck ✨ Build partnerships rooted in fairness instead of financial imbalance ✨ Redefine success beyond income, titles, and handbags ✨ Detach self-worth from salary and reconnect to what truly mattersHeather reminds us that money isn’t math, it’s meaning. And the real currency of success is time, alignment, and self-trust.If you’ve ever wondered how to build wealth without losing yourself, this conversation is your permission slip to start rewriting the rules.Connect with Heather Boneparth: 📘 Money Together, available now wherever books are sold 💌 @averagejoelle on Instagram or Bonefide Wealth Management 💼 thejointaccount.substack.com Connect with Lauren DeGolia: 💼 LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTokBook a complimentary consult with LaurenLove the show? Leave a review or follow along with the show on LinkedIn

🎙️ Owning Your Value and Choosing Your Freedom — with Christie HoffmanWhat does it really take to walk away from a life that looks perfect on paper and build one that actually feels good?In this episode of Corporate F*ckery, Lauren sits down with Christie Hoffman, the powerhouse behind Corporate Christie, a former marketing executive turned speaker, author, and corporate comedian who’s helping women trade burnout for boundaries and chaos for clarity.After surviving a corporate collapse, a divorce, and what she calls a “spiritual ego death,” Christie turned her pain into punchlines and her healing into frameworks that help others do the same. Together, Lauren and Christie dive deep into the parallels between corporate trauma and family patterns, how to protect your peace in high-pressure spaces, and why letting go of what’s no longer aligned is the most powerful move you can make.This conversation is equal parts therapy session, stand-up set, and soul activation. It’s for the women who’ve done everything “right,” only to realize that freedom, not perfection, is the real measure of success.In This Episode:The emotional aftermath of leaving corporate life and how to trust what comes nextBreaking toxic cycles at work and at home (and how they mirror each other)How humor and healing can coexist in leadershipReclaiming your identity after burnout, divorce, or reinventionWhy choosing yourself isn’t selfish, it’s strategyConnect with Christie:Follow @corporatechristie on TikTok and LinkedInGrab her book The Family Cycle Breaker Listen to The Corporate Christie Podcast wherever you tune inJoin the Movement:If this episode resonated, join The Pivot Club, a gathering for powerhouse women navigating change, career transitions, and big life pivots with clarity and calm. Learn more. You're ready to make shift happen in your career, aren't you? Book a complimentary consult with Lauren here.

Episode 1: The Anatomy of a Powerhouse WomanWhat does it really mean to be a powerhouse woman?We love the word. We wear it like armor. It sounds sexy, unstoppable, unshakable. But behind the label is a deeper truth: powerhouse women are often carrying more than they were ever designed to hold.In this season opener, Lauren DeGolia breaks down the anatomy of a powerhouse woman, her grit, her resilience, her softness, and the invisible power she’s still learning to claim on her own terms.You’ll also hear from powerhouse women themselves as they share their personal definitions of power:On being both the house and the current that keeps it alive.On discovering that true power is found in softness, not sacrifice.On nervous system regulation as the foundation of lasting power.On reclaiming the messy, imperfect right to dream again.This episode lays the foundation for Season 2: a journey into the lives of women rewriting power, legacy, and success beyond the limits of corporate systems and societal expectations.Resources & LinksLearn more about today’s contributing guests:Abbey Acevedo, Business + Being → LinkedIn  | TikTokDaphny Lauren Bravo → website | Grab Her New Book, Back to Brilliance | TikTok & IG: @daphnylaurenbravoLindsay Hite → Photography Website | Coaching Website | IG: @show.your.sparkLauren Baker → Elle Chatelle Wellness  Explore The Pivot Club → a brand new, free hub and coaching spot for powerhouse women navigating change: [Join Here]Ready to make massive shifts, book a free consult with Lauren to explore the tools and modalities she uses to help meaningful, lasting change in your life. Let’s ConnectSubscribe to Corporate F*ckery wherever you get your podcasts.Share this episode with a powerhouse woman in your life who needs to hear it.Leave a review, it helps more women find this conversation!

🎧 Episode 9 Show Notes: Seduced by Corporate Success (and the Golden Handcuff Trap)Episode Summary What happens when the success you worked so hard for becomes your safety net and then your cage? In this episode of Corporate F*ckery, I pull back the curtain on the invisible contracts we sign with our careers, the grief of realizing corporate life won’t love you back, and the identity unraveling that comes when you’re no longer sure who you are without the title, the bonuses, or the praise.This is for the woman who’s done it all right; built the resume, earned the accolades, climbed the ladder, and still feels like she’s quietly drowning inside a life that was supposed to prove she made it.Together, we’ll explore:The invisible contract most high-achievers sign with their careers without realizing it.Why what you’re experiencing might not be burnout, it’s grief and identity loss.My personal story of being seduced by success, and how it became both my protection and my prison.The truth about golden handcuffs, perks as psychological levers, not generosity.The tipping point: when your nervous system screams louder than your résumé.The reframe: safety is an inside job, and how resilience (not grit) creates real freedom.Three ways to start building nervous system safety now:Track your emotional patterns.Audit your energy like currency.Ask your future self how she defines success.Newsflash: success that costs you your safety isn’t success. It’s survival. And you don’t have to stay here.✨ When you learn how to regulate your nervous system and reprogram your subconscious stories, you stop living life as a performance review and start living from a place of permission. That’s where the options multiply, whether you keep the corner office or build something entirely your own.Resources & Links Mentioned in This EpisodeForbes Article: A Psychologist Reveals The Hidden Cost of Jobs with Golden Handcuffs, by Mark Travers🔮 Emotional Advantage Calculator  🌙 Cosmic Cheat Code — 7-Day Private Podcast📅 Book a complimentary consult with Lauren: 

🎙️ Episode 7: Return to Office or Return to Self? How high-achievers keep feeding the burnout beast and why it’s time to choose peace instead of proximity.They’re calling it a “return to normal.” But for many high-achievers, women, men, caregivers, and anyone who built a life around flexibility it feels more like “Rigged to Overwork.”In this episode, I’m breaking down the truth behind RTO mandates the data, the corporate gaslighting, and the real emotional cost that the headlines aren’t talking about. You’ll hear:The Time article stats proving this isn’t about productivity, it’s about control.A real-life look at the toll of commuting, mom guilt, and identity erosion.The three biggest corporate f*ckery tactics at play in RTO mandates.Why your nervous system reacts the way it does and how to use regulation, identity work, and subconscious reprogramming to find your third option.💭 Five power questions to help you choose peace over proximity and create a future that actually fits you.What feels heaviest in my day and if nothing changes, what will this cost me in 3 months? In a year?What’s one thing I can stop doing this week that frees energy without sacrificing the quality of my work or life?If I believed I had nothing to prove and nothing to lose, what’s the first change I’d make today, not “someday”?Which version of me has outlived her purpose and who am I ready to become instead?What would I need to believe, deep in my bones, to consistently choose what’s best for me, even when it’s inconvenient or uncomfortable?Whether you’re a leader deciding how to advocate for your team, or you’re in the trenches trying to decide what’s next for you, this conversation will remind you: you have more than two choices.[ Book your complimentary consult here ] Welcome to the intersection of power and freedom.

🎙️ Episode 5: The Cost of Corporate F*ckeryWelcome to Corporate F*ckery stories of survival, psychological warfare, and choosing what’s best for you. I’m Lauren DeGolia; certified success coach, subconscious strategist, astrologer, and former corporate insider turned truth-teller.This episode is for the high-achieving woman who’s starting to wonder if the life she built… is actually costing her the one she wants.We’re talking about the hidden cost of corporate life, not just your time, but your presence, your peace, your power.In this episode:A powerful listener story that exposes the guilt of slowing downSurvival mode vs. burnout and how we confuse the twoWhat your 6-figure salary is really worth (and what it’s stealing)The soul cost of pinky promises and self-abandonmentWhy mindset isn’t enough when your nervous system is in survival10+ tools to untangle your calendar from your conditioningThis isn’t about quitting your job. It’s about waking up to what’s no longer sustainable and choosing something better.Because when you choose what’s best for you, you don’t just change your life, you change the whole damn system.🔧 The Untangling Toolkit: 10 Tools to Reclaim Your Time, Energy & Peace1. Track your hours Start auditing your reality. Where is your time actually going? Awareness is step one.2. Micro-sabotage the machine End meetings 10 minutes early. Don’t answer that Slack immediately. Disrupt the default patterns you’ve been trained into.3. Rebellious rest Put “nervous system reset” in your calendar and treat it like it’s your boss’s birthday. Rest on purpose.4. Flip your calendar Schedule your life first. Then fit work around it. Even if it’s just one personal thing per week, start there.5. Reverse ROI Ask: “Is this giving me peace or points? Presence or panic?” Let that guide your yeses and nos.6. The Jane Protocol Before saying yes, ask: If I just received a life-altering diagnosis, would this still matter?7. 5-minute ritual break Music. Movement. Breath. Clear your energy like you clear your inbox. Try EFT tapping, a walk, or a guided meditation.8. Don’t let this harden you Let it show you where your choices need to change. Self-preservation is leadership.9. Fantasize on repeat Imagine how you’d love your day to feel, from start to finish. Then gamify it. Practice living it, not just surviving it.10. Talk to your future self She already figured this out. Ask her what she knows. Need help connecting? That’s my specialty.Explore my universe: Discover your Moon Sign: your emotional GPS system: moon.beyondyourhoroscope.comThe Cosmic Cheat Code: the 7-day audio reset to decode your emotional landscape and reconnect with clarity, calm, and your inner truth: Get the guideBook a free 20-minute consult: Let’s talk about what’s keeping you stuck in high-functioning survival and how to get your nervous system on board with a new reality: [Book here]

Welcome to Corporate F*ckery: stories of survival, psychological warfare, and choosing what’s best for you. I’m Lauren DeGolia: certified success coach, subconscious strategist, astrologer, and former corporate insider turned truth-teller.This episode? It’s personal. (Aren’t they all?)We’re talking burnout, adrenal crisis, and the unexpected lifelines that helped me reconstruct my identity after corporate collapse. Spoiler: the answers weren’t in a self-help book or a strategy deck… they were in the stars and in my nervous system.In this episode, I share:✨ The difference between burnout and adrenal crisis and why it matters ✨ The Burnout Cascade Framework from the NIH that finally explained what was happening to my body and brain ✨ Why your moon sign might just be the map to emotional regulation no therapist ever gave you ✨ The four-hour sob session that changed everything ✨ How a random Akashic Records reading rerouted my entire purpose (woo alert: explained inside) ✨ What I wish I knew about identity, empathy, and how corporate systems eat humanity for breakfast ✨ Why you don’t need to blow up your life to come back home to yourselfThis isn’t just about astrology or anti-capitalism. It’s about learning to decode your own patterns so you can stop surviving and start reclaiming your peace, power, and purpose.References:Read the NIH study on burnout and adrenal fatigue: Burnout Cascade Framework🎧 Listen in and then come explore the tools that helped me reclaim my life:Discover your moon sign (free, instant, custom report): 👉 moon.beyondyourhoroscope.comJoin my free private community, Pivot: our next live call is July 24: 👉 Register hereBook a free 20-minute consult:  let’s talk about where you are, where you’re headed, and what’s been keeping you from making the shift: 👉 Calendly linkGrab The Cosmic Cheat Code: the 7-day audio experience that helps you decodes your Moon Sign so clarity & calm become your new normal and your next step feels like home, instead of hustle. 👉 www.beyondyourhoroscope.com/cheatcode