In this episode, Mary Sullivan, co-founder of Sweet but Fearless, talks with Meghan French Dunbar, founder of Conscious Company Magazine and author of This Isn't Working, for an honest conversation about burnout, identity, and defining success on your own terms.

After founding and scaling a nationally recognized media company, and serving as CEO for years, Meghan found herself exhausted, disconnected, and questioning the very definition of success she had worked so hard to achieve. What followed was a period of deep reflection that transformed how she approaches leadership and personal fulfillment.

Meghan explores how traditional leadership models have been shaped by masculine ideals and how many women have been conditioned to believe they must adopt these traits to succeed. Meghan shares insights on what she calls the "half-leadership trap", the tendency to value only one side of leadership while overlooking the strengths that qualities often viewed as feminine bring to the table. She discusses why the most effective leaders embrace both masculine and feminine traits, blending decisiveness and ambition with empathy, collaboration, and intuition to create a more balanced and authentic approach to leadership.

ABOUT MEGHAN FRENCH DUNBAR:
LinkedIn – Meghan French Dunbar
Website – Meghan French Dunbar
Book – "This Isn't Working: How Working Women Can Overcome Stress, Guilt, and Overload to Find True Success"
Podcast – Unbehaved
Instagram - Meghan French Dunbar
Tedx – Why Success Isn't Making You Have & How to Fix It

ABOUT SWEET BUT FEARLESS:
Website - Sweet but Fearless
LinkedIn - Sweet but Fearless

In this episode, Mary Sullivan, co-founder of Sweet but Fearless, talks with Jinesha Jain, Senior Analyst and TEDx Speaker, to explore the hidden pressures that often accompany ambition and achievement. Despite advancing quickly in her personal and professional life, Jinesha realized that success had come with an invisible cost when her mother observed that she no longer carried the same smile she once had. That moment became a turning point, prompting Jinesha to reevaluate what true success and well-being really mean.

That realization led Jinesha to discover Bhramari pranayama, or "humming bee breath," a yogic breathing practice that helped her reduce stress, improve focus, and reconnect with herself. Together, Mary and Jinesha explore the importance of internal growth alongside external success, reminding women that sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is pause, realign with what matters most, and care for ourselves while pursuing our goals.

ABOUT JINESHA JAIN:
LinkedIn – Jinesha Jain
Instagram – Jinesha Jain
TEDx – The Power of Stillness: How One Breath Can Break Burnout

ABOUT SWEET BUT FEARLESS:
Website - Sweet but Fearless
LinkedIn - Sweet but Fearless

In this episode, Mary Sullivan, co-founder of Sweet but Fearless, talks with Dr. Alicia Newsome, functional medicine doctor, author, speaker, and advocate for helping women reclaim their health and their lives.

Dr. Newsome shares why taking time to pause and center yourself in truth can create the clarity needed to move forward with confidence. She introduces her Integrated Leadership Framework, a holistic approach that aligns your business, body, and beliefs/being so that every part of your life works together rather than competing for your attention.

Together, Mary and Dr. Newsome explore the importance of intentionally designing a life that supports both success and well-being, the challenges women face when they constantly feel the need to be strong, and how rest can become a leadership strategy rather than a luxury.

They also discuss Dr. Newsome's upcoming book, "Worthy of Rest," a Faith-Rooted Guide for the Woman Who's Tired of Being the Strong One and Ready to Lead Without Self-Sacrifice.

ABOUT DR. ALICIA NEWSOME:
LinkedIn – Dr. Alicia Newsome
Website – Dr. Alicia Newsome
Book – "Worthy of Rest" (coming 2026)
YouTube – Dr. Alicia Newsome

ABOUT SWEET BUT FEARLESS:
Website - Sweet but Fearless
LinkedIn - Sweet but Fearless