What if the ultimate key to professional success and unlocking your full potential isn't external competition, but the internal wisdom gained from managing your mind and emotions?

In this episode of Glass Ceilings and Sticky Floors, host Erica Rooney sits down with Meredith Haberfield, CEO and Founder of Think Human. With a unique background blending molecular biochemistry, executive leadership, and even Whitewater River guiding, Meredith proves that igniting transformational change in innovative companies requires blending social, psychological, and neurological science.

Join them as they explore why focusing on internal growth is the only way to overcome the "sticky floors" of people-pleasing and self-doubt, and how to use the science of your brain to make courageous leadership feel less scary.

Inside the Episode:

• From Biochemistry to CEO: Meredith shares her fascinating journey, explaining how her early experiences as a Whitewater River guide and her research on stress hormones and the immune system shaped her understanding that human behavior isn't dictated by logic.
• The People-Pleasing Trap: The most common "sticky floor" Meredith sees with high-achieving women: using external validation (like a boss's approval) as a food source, and how to disconnect from that need to author your own path.
• Time-Bound Sacrifices: Powerful advice for women making sacrifices for their team: why you must put a time boundary around those sacrifices to prevent them from becoming an ugly, permanent reality.
• Intentionality Over Anxiety: A discussion on the difference between intention (which speaks in statements) and anxiety (which speaks in questions), and how to create a clear picture of what you're aiming for to mobilize the subconscious brain.
• Blind Spot Hunting: A counter-intuitive approach to uncovering your hidden flaws. Learn why you must get "excited about seeing the ugly stuff" and approach your self-judgments with compassion and curiosity, much like a detective.
• The Stretch Zone Advantage: The scientific reason (apoptosis) why operating in your stretch zone—just outside your comfort zone—is not only beneficial for mental growth but actively optimizes your physical immune system.
• The Fire-Fueling Reaction: What to do immediately after a professional failure or rejection: commit to a "boatload of action"—do 10 small things right now—to spark new possibilities and avoid the narrative of failure.

If you're ready to stop waiting for external validation and unlock the internal capabilities needed to lead with unparalleled clarity and courage, this episode is your scientific playbook.

🔗 Resources:

• Learn more about Meredith Haberfield and her leadership development programs at think-human.com.
• Connect with Erica Rooney on LinkedIn.

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What if the secret to building an authentic, successful career isn't a linear path, but embracing the chaos of a playground model and leveraging your most human qualities?

In this episode of Glass Ceilings and Sticky Floors, Erica Rooney sits down with Ashley Faus, Head of Lifecycle Management at Atlassian and author of the upcoming book, Human-Centered Marketing, How to Connect with Audiences in the Age of AI. Ashley brings a fresh perspective, blending her deep expertise in marketing and technology with her background in musical theater and vocal performance.

Join them as they explore how the empathy skills of a theater kid translate directly into high-level business strategy, and how women can build true trust, authority, and influence using Ashley's four pillars of thought leadership.

Inside the Episode:

• The Theater Kid to Tech Leader Pipeline: Ashley reveals the surprising synergy between musical theater and marketing, explaining how stepping into a character's shoes directly translates into high-level audience empathy and strategic business connection.
• The Problem with "Bright Girls": A discussion on why the linear structure of traditional education is a disservice to high-achieving women, leading them to believe that career snags mean they're "not smart."
• The Career as a Playground: Why the traditional career funnel doesn't work and how to view your professional journey as a playground where you can climb the slide or use skills in "the wrong way" (e.g., a lateral move) for massive long-term growth.
• The Checkers vs. Chess Promotion Rule: Critical advice for ambitious women on how to play the "smart game of checkers" for 12 months after a promotion, avoiding the frustration of unrealistic growth expectations in large companies.
• The Four Pillars of Thought Leadership: Ashley breaks down her framework for building influence: Credibility, Profile, Being Prolific, and Depth of Ideas. Learn which pillar is likely your weakest point and how to strengthen it.
• Building Trust in the Age of AI: The three essential human elements (Logic, Empathy, and Authenticity) that are critical for building genuine trust and authority when the digital world is flooded with AI-generated content.
• The Minimum Viable Action (MVA): A practical strategy for managing your energy and relationships, maintaining a "warm" baseline (e.g., a quick text) so you don't always have to start from zero.

If you're ready to embrace a non-linear career path and use your innate human connection skills to build lasting influence and authority, this episode is your strategic guide.

🔗 Resources:

• Connect with Ashley Faus on LinkedIn to continue the conversation.
• Find her book, Human-Centered Marketing, How to Connect with Audiences in the Age of AI, wherever books are sold.
• Connect with Erica Rooney on LinkedIn.

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What if the secret to conquering the mental load and preventing burnout lies in using technology to center your core values—not just to boost productivity?

In this fireside chat, Erica Rooney is joined by Tara Ryan, a technology leader, certified Fair Play facilitator, and founder of Confidant AI. Tara shares her powerful journey from scaling corporate software teams and navigating infertility to building a women-centric AI tool that tackles the unseen labor that plagues high-achieving women.

Join them as they dive into the challenges of the invisible labor gap, the guilt of delegation, and how to harness emerging technology like Confidant AI to pause, self-regulate, and make values-based decisions every day.

Inside the Episode:

• The Invisible Labor Crisis: Tara breaks down the stark reality of the 35,000 small decisions women make daily and how this constant cognitive load leads to burnout and career barriers.
• Fair Play Explained: A breakdown of the Fair Play method and why it’s essential for creating a fair, not necessarily equal, division of unpaid labor and emotional management in the home.
• The Guilt of Delegation: How to overcome the guilt of redistributing labor by establishing a "minimum standard of care" with your partner, ensuring tasks are handled to a mutually agreed-upon level.
• The Systemic Barrier: Erica and Tara discuss how the lack of paid parental leave creates a "path dependency," preventing couples from renegotiating duties and locking women into the role of the default caregiver.
• Building Mother-Centric AI: A look inside Confidant AI and the groundbreaking concept of Vibe Coding—using creativity and language to build technology—to create tools that actually support women instead of just disconnecting them.
• Pre-Baby Conversations: Tara shares how her journey through infertility gave her and her partner the unique opportunity to have deep, intentional conversations about their core family values before their first child arrived.
• Revisiting Your Rules: The powerful advice Tara would give her younger self: to examine the unwritten rules and external expectations governing her life to ensure they align with her true, deeply held belief system.

If you’re ready to stop shouldering the entire mental load and explore how to use technology to live a more regulated, values-driven life, this conversation is your next step.

🔗 Resources:

• Learn more about Tara Ryan and her work at Confidant AI.
• Fair Play: Explore the book and methodology by Eve Rodsky (Tara is a certified facilitator).
• Vibe Coding: Look up resources on how to prompt AI to generate code.
• Connect with Erica Rooney on LinkedIn.

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