What do you do when your manager asks you to be their reference and the nicest thing you can honestly say is... fine?

This week on Not All Business, it's Casual Friday with Heather, Blakely, and Clay. No guest, no filter, and definitely no shortage of opinions. Two listener sticky situations: one is a workplace reference dilemma with no clean exit, and the other is from an educator asking a question that applies to every workplace: how do you hold people accountable when accountability doesn't actually exist at the top?

Then rapid fire gets spicy. Hot takes on friending your boss, mandatory fun (Heather has strong evidence in favor), and the surprisingly divisive topic of whether to tell someone they have food in their teeth.

Also: Heather has been failing her eye test at the DMV for years. Strategically.

Key Takeaways:

• How to Give a Reference You Can Stand Behind (Without Lying)

• A Trick for Getting Your Manager to Write Their Own Reference Soundbites

• When to Be the Change vs. When to Protect Your Energy

• Hot Take: Should You Friend Your Boss on Social Media?

• Why Mandatory Fun Is Actually Just... Fun, With Waivers

  
  

Please consider sharing this episode and subscribing to the show for more unfiltered conversations about leadership, growth, and the messy human side of business.

Submit Your Sticky Situations & Workplace Dilemmas:

• Write a note: https://notall.biz

• Leave a voice memo: https://notall.biz/home#situations

• Send an email: podcast@notall.biz

  
  

Thank You to Our Sponsors:

• The Trade Agent — AI-Powered Bidding & Invoicing for GCs and Subs

• https://www.thetradeagent.com/

  
  

Keep exploring the stories that power Not All Business. Every episode opens the door to fresh insights on what it really means to be a Female Executive or Female CEO, navigating the highs, lows, and unexpected turns of leadership. From real-world workplace dilemmas to candid conversations about breaking barriers, this podcast gives you the tools, inspiration, and perspective to thrive in your own career. So don’t stop here, dive into more episodes, learn from other women in business, and stay connected to the conversations shaping the future of work. Your next breakthrough might be just one episode away. Subscribe for more unfiltered conversations about the messy reality of leadership, professional growth strategies, and the real talk about work with new episodes every week.

#Female CEOs, #Female CEO Podcast, #Female Executive, #Female Executive Podcast, #Women in Business, #Women in Business Podcast, #Women Entrepreneurs, #Business Podcast, #Real Talk about Work, #Workplace Dilemmas, #Heather Cooper, #Blakely Graham, #Sticky Situations, #Accountability, #WorkplaceCulture, #Leadership, #MandatoryFun, #CasualFriday

Everyone's talking about GLP-1s. But do they know how they actually work?

This week on Not All Business, we sit down with Dr. Linda Shapiro Manning, a physician with both an MD and a PhD who has been working in obesity medicine since before GLP-1s were a household name. She was in the room when the first GLP-1 drugs were being developed and has watched them go from a clinical tool to a cultural phenomenon.

Dr. Linda doesn't just explain how these drugs work. She takes on the hard questions: the body positivity backlash, the shame around weight, the rise of compounding pharmacies, and whether society is just trading one quick fix for another.

Key Takeaways:

• How GLP-1s Actually Work (And What They're Really Doing in Your Body)

• Why Hollywood's Use of These Drugs Is Setting Back the Body Positivity Movement

• The Compounding Pharmacy Risk

• Do You Have to Stay on GLP-1s Forever? The Honest Answer

• How GLP-1s May Impact Alcohol, Addiction, and Dopamine-Driven Behaviors

Please consider sharing this episode & subscribing to the show for more unfiltered conversations about leadership, growth, and the messy human side of business.

Follow Dr. Linda:

• Dr. Linda Shapiro Manning on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-shapiro-md-phd

  
  

Submit Your Sticky Situations & Workplace Dilemmas:

• Write a note: https://notall.biz

• Leave a voice memo: https://notall.biz/home#situations

• Send an email: podcast@notall.biz

  
  

Thank You to Our Sponsors:

• The Trade Agent — AI-Powered Bidding & Invoicing for GCs and Subs

• https://www.thetradeagent.com/

  
  

Keep exploring the stories that power Not All Business. Every episode opens the door to fresh insights on what it really means to be a Female Executive or Female CEO, navigating the highs, lows, and unexpected turns of leadership. From real-world workplace dilemmas to candid conversations about breaking barriers, this podcast gives you the tools, inspiration, and perspective to thrive in your own career. So don’t stop here, dive into more episodes, learn from other women in business, and stay connected to the conversations shaping the future of work. Your next breakthrough might be just one episode away. Subscribe for more unfiltered conversations about the messy reality of leadership, professional growth strategies, and the real talk about work with new episodes every week.

#Female CEOs, #Female CEO Podcast, #Female Executive, #Female Executive Podcast, #Women in Business, #Women in Business Podcast, #Women Entrepreneurs, #Business Podcast, #Real Talk about Work, #Workplace Dilemmas, #Heather Cooper, #Blakely Graham, #Sticky Situations, #GLP1 #Ozempic #Wegovy #Obesity Medicine #Body Positivity #Womens Health #Dr Linda Shapiro Manning

AI is reshaping hiring faster than most people realize, and if you're job searching right now, you need to know the rules of the new game.

This week on Not All Business, we sit down with Jessica Titko, CEO of StaffPad, a recruiting firm on the front lines of how AI is transforming the hiring process. Jessica has seen it all: candidates using AI earpieces to get through interviews, bots submitting fake resumes, and algorithms rejecting strong candidates for not checking every box.

Key Takeaways:

• The AI Red Flags Recruiters Are Actually Watching For

• How to Show AI Proficiency Without Getting Yourself Rejected

• Why Employers' Own AI Is Filtering Out Good Candidates

• The Job Search Move That Still Beats Everything Else

Please consider sharing this episode & subscribing to the show for more unfiltered conversations about leadership, growth, and the messy human side of business.

Follow Jessica:

• Jessica on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-titko-20b43157/

• StaffPad: www.thestaffpad.com

Links & Mentions:

• LinkedIn's New AI Interview Screening Tool: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/linkedin-tests-out-ai-powered-interview-screening/814636/

Submit Your Sticky Situations & Workplace Dilemmas:

• Write a note: https://notall.biz

• Leave a voice memo: https://notall.biz/home#situations

• Send an email: podcast@notall.biz

Thank You to Our Sponsors:

• The Trade Agent — AI-Powered Bidding & Invoicing for GCs and Subs

• https://www.thetradeagent.com/

Keep exploring the stories that power Not All Business. Every episode opens the door to fresh insights on what it really means to be a Female Executive or Female CEO, navigating the highs, lows, and unexpected turns of leadership. From real-world workplace dilemmas to candid conversations about breaking barriers, this podcast gives you the tools, inspiration, and perspective to thrive in your own career. So don’t stop here, dive into more episodes, learn from other women in business, and stay connected to the conversations shaping the future of work. Your next breakthrough might be just one episode away. Subscribe for more unfiltered conversations about the messy reality of leadership, professional growth strategies, and the real talk about work with new episodes every week.

#Female CEOs, #Female CEO Podcast, #Female Executive, #Female Executive Podcast, #Women in Business, #Women in Business Podcast, #Women Entrepreneurs, #Business Podcast, #Real Talk about Work, #Workplace Dilemmas, #Heather Cooper, #Blakely Graham, #Sticky Situations, #AI, #Job Search, #Recruiting, #Career, #Career Growth #Jessica Titko

Three new sticky situations. Zero corporate spin.

This week on Not All Business, it's Casual Friday — which means Clay's running the show and Heather and Blakely are back in the hot seat.

Sticky Situations:

• A senior manager at a major tech company just turned down 18 months of severance. Smart or not ready to let go?

• A founder is moonlighting in his first corporate cubicle while keeping a patent off his dream board.

• A listener tells us what it felt like to have the CEO of her first job tell her that her religion was terrible — two weeks in.

Plus: rapid fire. Have you ever? Yes or no. We're not holding back.

Please consider sharing this episode & subscribing to the show for more unfiltered conversations about leadership, growth, and the messy human side of business.

Links & Mentions:

• Episode 23 with Baily Hancock (networking): https://youtu.be/tg93JO2UfXs?si=n_VZ8hAxBSwH-P4J

• Episode with Sam Yarborough (networking): https://youtu.be/nyWpMGYTd8k?si=nyyGBEI2ozhUI8FC

• Episode with Michele Lando (resume writing & branding): https://youtu.be/1HEpid3e66c?si=C0R4YI2A_7WZoiLB

Submit Your Sticky Situations & Workplace Dilemmas:

• Write a note: https://notall.biz

• Leave a voice memo: https://notall.biz/home#situations

• Send an email: podcast@notall.biz

Thank You to Our Sponsors:

• The Trade Agent — AI-Powered Bidding & Invoicing for GCs and Subs

• https://www.thetradeagent.com/

Keep exploring the stories that power Not All Business. Every episode opens the door to fresh insights on what it really means to be a Female Executive or Female CEO, navigating the highs, lows, and unexpected turns of leadership. From real-world workplace dilemmas to candid conversations about breaking barriers, this podcast gives you the tools, inspiration, and perspective to thrive in your own career. So don’t stop here, dive into more episodes, learn from other women in business, and stay connected to the conversations shaping the future of work. Your next breakthrough might be just one episode away. Subscribe for more unfiltered conversations about the messy reality of leadership, professional growth strategies, and the real talk about work with new episodes every week.

#Female CEOs, #Female CEO Podcast, #Female Executive, #Female Executive Podcast, #Women in Business, #Real Talk about Work, #Workplace Dilemmas, #Heather Cooper, #Blakely Graham, #Sticky Situations, #layoffs #techcareers #careerstrategy #moonlighting #womeninbusiness #workplacediscrimination #casualfriday #notallbusiness

Are you waking up at 3am and can't explain why? You're not alone — and it's not random.

This week on Not All Business, we welcome Kristie Steinbock, traditional Chinese medicine practitioner and acupuncturist with 35 years in practice. Since early 2026, Kristie has seen an unprecedented surge of clients arriving with the same complaint: anxiety and insomnia. Her take? It's collective fear — and our nervous systems are paying the price.

Kristie walks us through her three-step framework — Pause, Feel, Decide — for breaking the reactive cycle whether it's 3am or the middle of a meeting that's gone sideways. She also weighs in on screens, sleep aids, hormones, mushrooms, and why your body's messages are louder at night when the veil gets a little thinner.

Plus: my van life debut (91 sleep score, naked RV park I fled), an update on #PIP4PUP, and a surprisingly deep dive into noetic science courtesy of Dan Brown.

Key Takeaways:

• Why anxiety and insomnia are spiking — and what's actually driving it

• The Pause, Feel, Decide framework for nervous system reset

• What waking up at 3am really means (and how to stop panicking about it)

• Screen time, sleep aids, mushrooms, and the two-hour rule

• How busyness culture is making us sick — and what leaders can do about it

Please consider sharing this episode & subscribing to the show for more unfiltered conversations about leadership, growth, and the messy human side of business.

Follow Kristie:

• Kristie on Substack: Red Dragon Writes - https://reddragon.substack.com/

• Kristie's Podcast (Coming Soon): Red Dragon Speaks

Links & Mentions:

• Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker: https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144324

• Crafted Leadership — Nancy Kepner's leadership training company: https://craftedleadership.com/about/meet-nancy-kepner/

• #PIP4PUP: Follow Heather's fitness journey on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/heathercooper.nab/

• Polymarket — prediction markets platform: https://polymarket.com

  
  

Submit Your Sticky Situations & Workplace Dilemmas:

• Write a note: https://notall.biz

• Leave a voice memo: https://notall.biz/home#situations

• Send an email: podcast@notall.biz

Thank You to Our Sponsors:

• The Trade Agent — AI-Powered Bidding & Invoicing for GCs and Subs

• https://www.thetradeagent.com/

Keep exploring the stories that power Not All Business. Every episode opens the door to fresh insights on what it really means to be a Female Executive or Female CEO, navigating the highs, lows, and unexpected turns of leadership. From real-world workplace dilemmas to candid conversations about breaking barriers, this podcast gives you the tools, inspiration, and perspective to thrive in your own career. So don’t stop here, dive into more episodes, learn from other women in business, and stay connected to the conversations shaping the future of work. Your next breakthrough might be just one episode away. Subscribe for more unfiltered conversations about the messy reality of leadership, professional growth strategies, and the real talk about work with new episodes every week.

#Female CEOs, #Female CEO Podcast, #Female Executive, #Female Executive Podcast, #Women in Business, #Real Talk about Work, #Workplace Dilemmas, #Heather Cooper, #Blakely Graham, #Sticky Situations, #Anxiety, #Sleep, #TCM, #Kristie Steinbock

What does "business casual" actually mean? Apparently, nobody knows — and that's only the beginning.

On this Casual Friday episode of Not All Business, Blakely and Heather tackle three of the messiest workplace questions out there:

• Is using dating apps to land job interviews genius or deeply creepy?

• What does "business casual" actually mean when you're a curvy woman in a world of inconsistent dress codes?

• How do you fire someone without losing sleep for three nights straight — or ending up in the ER with a panic attack?

They cap it off with a Rapid Fire round of Agree or Disagree — from two-week notices to salary transparency to office romances — and Blakely finally wins one.

Please consider sharing this episode & subscribing to the show for more unfiltered conversations about leadership, growth, and the messy human side of business.

Links & Mentions:

• Bloomberg: "Tough Job Market Has People Using Dating Apps to Get Interviews" https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-29/tough-job-market-has-people-using-dating-apps-to-get-interviews-mjqzm1bo

• After School by Casey Lewis (Substack — Gen Z trends newsletter Blakely references) https://afterschool.substack.com/

• Call Her Daddy: Michelle Obama — "We Still Go High" (episode referenced in the dress code conversation) https://open.spotify.com/episode/0upwE3EgwAmK9RxqeJeMZp

• Dr. Bronner's 5-to-1 CEO Pay Ratio (mentioned by Clay during salary transparency discussion) https://www.drbronner.com/blogs/our-employees/progressive-business-practices

Submit Your Sticky Situations & Workplace Dilemmas:

• Write a note: https://notall.biz

• Leave a voice memo: https://notall.biz/home#situations

• Send an email: podcast@notall.biz

Thank You to Our Sponsors:

• Your Audience is Waiting podcast by Eleisha Everett

• YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmpKI9-4ly78GOjDoAGsDAb6eIHIy2WbL&si=yjyU2AG3t3WQ3B6D

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5W4srWNqYNE1e4T71wvrMX?si=32effdf1c7e74af9

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/your-audience-is-waiting/id1818965302

Keep exploring the stories that power Not All Business. Every episode opens the door to fresh insights on what it really means to be a Female Executive or Female CEO, navigating the highs, lows, and unexpected turns of leadership. From real-world workplace dilemmas to candid conversations about breaking barriers, this podcast gives you the tools, inspiration, and perspective to thrive in your own career. So don’t stop here, dive into more episodes, learn from other women in business, and stay connected to the conversations shaping the future of work. Your next breakthrough might be just one episode away. Subscribe for more unfiltered conversations about the messy reality of leadership, professional growth strategies, and the real talk about work with new episodes every week.

#Female CEOs, #Female CEO Podcast, #Female Executive, #Female Executive Podcast, #Women in Business, #Real Talk about Work, #Workplace Dilemmas, #Heather Cooper, #Blakely Graham, #Sticky Situations, #DressCode, #Firing, #Networking, #SalaryTransparency, #CasualFriday