Libsyn Directory

278: How She Went from Super Shy to Boldly Brave with Jennifer Pestikas

Release Date: 03/04/2025

305: Micro Motivator: How to Handle Your Neurotic Boss Before a Board Meeting

b Cause Work Doesn't Have to Suck

Do you work for a neurotic boss? You are capable. You know your numbers. You’ve done this before. But the moment there is a board meeting or executive presentation, your boss spirals and catapults into weeks of prep and endless rehearsals. In this episode, Erin shares an executive coaching story about a seasoned P&L leader reporting to the COO whose boss demanded over-preparation and fully scripted talking points before presenting to the board. The problem? No executive wants to be read to. Erin breaks down three strategies to...

304: How to Be Yourself When You’ve Been Told You’re Too Much with Drew Sullivan

b Cause Work Doesn't Have to Suck

In this episode, Erin sits down with her friend Drew Sullivan for a deeply honest conversation about addiction, recovery, and what it’s like to grow up feeling misunderstood. Drew shares how being labeled “too much,” navigating ADHD, and never being asked why shaped the way he moved through the world and how those early experiences quietly laid the groundwork for addiction long before substances entered the picture. This isn’t a polished redemption story or a neat recovery arc. It’s a human conversation about loss, self-awareness, and what finally made change unavoidable. If...

303: How to Break Your Toxic Attachment to Work

b Cause Work Doesn't Have to Suck

This episode is for anyone who swears they’re “fine” while secretly letting work run their entire nervous system. Erin and Nicole get honest about toxic attachment to jobs, the martyr complex disguised as responsibility, and why being the most dependable person in the room isn’t the flex you think it is. If you’ve ever said “I’ll just do it,” treated every email like a five-alarm fire, or confused being needed with being valuable, this one might hit close to home. Here’s what you’ll hear: Why a toxic job isn’t always...

302: How to Think Like a Futurist (Especially in a Hot Mess World) with Cecily Sommers

b Cause Work Doesn't Have to Suck

What does a futurist actually do, and how can understanding change make leadership and life feel less overwhelming? In this episode, Erin talks with futurist Cecily Sommers about how change really works, why uncertainty feels so intense right now, and how leaders can stay grounded when planning horizons keep shrinking. Here’s what you’ll hear: -A futurist studies change, not to predict outcomes, but to understand patterns. -The future is not figure-out-able. It is followable. -All change moves in cycles of order, disorder, and re-order....

301: Micro Motivator: How Do I Build Trust as a New Leader?

b Cause Work Doesn't Have to Suck

In this micro-motivator episode, Erin shares the one strategy every new leader underestimates: using real stories of failure to build trust. Whether you’re stepping into a new role or trying to earn trust with a team that already knows you, this episode gives you a simple habit that makes people think, “I can be myself around this leader.” If you’d like quick tangible tips and practical corporate career advice to level up your authentic leadership, download the 10 simple “plays” to stop selling out and start standing out at <a...

300: Behind the Scenes on the Road to 300 Episodes

b Cause Work Doesn't Have to Suck

Seven years, 300 episodes, and more stories, meltdowns, breakthroughs, and belly laughs than anyone could’ve planned for. In this monumental milestone episode, Erin and Nicole pull back the curtain and celebrate the journey that started on a couch in New Haven and somehow turned into a community of thousands navigating work, life, leadership, burnout, and everything in between. And in this episode, they’re not alone. They invited some of their most loyal listeners to join in the discussion and episode! <a...

299: Micro Motivator: How to Make Your Resume Impossible to Ignore

b Cause Work Doesn't Have to Suck

Most resumes read like brag sheets no one asked for. Big words, boring buzzwords and mile-long bullet points that hiring managers will never read. In this episode, Erin breaks down what actually gets attention. If you’re tired of blending in and ready to get noticed by real people scanning hundreds of resumes, this episode shows you the exact shift to make. If you’re tired of blending in and ready to get noticed by real people scanning hundreds of resumes, this episode shows you the exact shift to make. Here’s what you’ll hear:...

298: How to Be a More Relatable Leader (Without Losing Respect) with Rachel DeAlto

b Cause Work Doesn't Have to Suck

If you’ve ever wondered how to lead with more humanity without losing authority, this episode is for you. Rachel DeAlto, keynote speaker, communication and leadership expert and author joins Erin to unpack what it really means to be a relatable leader-one who’s respected, trusted, and real even when the pressure’s high. Here’s what you’ll hear: The one thing teams say they crave most and most bosses forget to give What it really takes to rebuild confidence after ego-driven leadership How to use her “Me-You-We”...

297: How Boundaries Can Be Your Brain Fuel with Sheri Jacobs

b Cause Work Doesn't Have to Suck

In this episode, Erin sits down with author, researcher, and keynote speaker Sheri Jacobs, whose new book The Unexpected Power of Boundaries flips the traditional idea of creativity on its head. Sheri argues that innovation doesn’t thrive in limitless freedom, it thrives inside clear constraints. From playground fences to corporate experiments, from polar bears in the Arctic to the diagnosis that changed her life, Sheri shares powerful stories that prove boundaries aren’t barriers, they’re catalysts. Here’s what you’ll hear: 1.) How boundaries...

296: Micro Motivator: How to Use a Humility Moment to Build Trust (Fast)

b Cause Work Doesn't Have to Suck

In this micro episode, Erin shares one of the most powerful (and wildly overlooked) tools for building trust as a new leader: the humility moment. Not just “I suck at Excel” level vulnerability, but a real, human story that opens the door for connection, honesty, and trust. She also tells the story of failing seven actuarial exams, how that shaped her leadership style, and why ditching the old-school success rubric is actually the smartest move you can make. Here’s what you’ll hear: -Why trying to be perfect is killing your leadership credibility ...

More Episodes

Ever wondered what it really means to be brave at work? Jennifer Pestikas, SVP of Business Development and founder of Brave Women at Work, shares her journey from a shy bank teller to a bold leader, proving that confidence isn’t something you’re born with—it’s something you build.

In this episode, Jennifer and Erin chat about:

1.) The seemingly simple but bold "ask" that changed her career trajectory

2.) Her greatest leadership challenge and how she took control when things didn’t go as planned

3.) The difference between post-traumatic stress and post-traumatic growth—and how challenges can lead to unexpected success

4.) Real-life examples of being brave at work—from speaking up in meetings to making bold career moves

5.) The Greek concept of Chronos (bending time)—how to make space for your passions without burning out

If you've ever felt stuck, struggled with self-doubt, or wondered how to make courageous career moves, this episode is packed with lessons that will inspire you to take action.

LinkedIn: @Jennifer Pestikas

  <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bravewomenatwork/">Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bravewomenatwork/ </a> 

 <a href="https://bravewomenatwork.com/author/jpestikas/">

Website: https://bravewomenatwork.com/author/jpestikas/

</a> 

 <a href="https://thrive-in25.com/">Find out more about Thrive in 2025 here: https://thrive-in25.com/ </a> 

If you’d like quick tangible tips and practical corporate career advice to level up your authentic leadership, download the 10 simple “plays” to stop selling out and start standing out at <a href="https://bauthenticinc.mykajabi.com/freebie">https://bauthenticinc.mykajabi.com/freebie </a> 

To connect with Erin and/or Nicole, email: hello@bauthenticinc.com 

 

If you like jammin' with us on the podcast, b sure to join us for more fun and inspiration! 

 

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<li> <a href="https://twitter.com/bcausepodcast">Follow b Cause on Twitter (really it's mostly Nicole) </a> </li><li> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/erin-hatzikostas/">Follow Erin on LinkedIn </a>or <a href="https://www.instagram.com/erinhatzikostas/" >Instagram</a> </li><li> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/groups/bCAUSEPodcast">Join the b Cause Podcast Facebook Group</a> </li><li> <a href="https://quiz.tryinteract.com/#/600ec8544ddf900016d517d1"> Take our simple, fun and insightful"What’s your workplace superhero name?”quiz</a></li><li> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/You-Do-ish-Authentic-Superpowers/dp/1736376535/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=you+do+youish&qid=1634564333&sr=8-1">Unleash your Authentic Superpower with Erin’s book,"You Do You (ish)" </a></li><li><a href="https://www.bauthenticinc.com/our-2-cents">Check out our blog for more no-BS career advice</a> </li><li><a href="https://www.bauthenticinc.com/authentic-programs">Work with Us </a></li><li><a href="https://www.bauthenticinc.com/b-you-shop">Or just buy some fun, authentic, kick-ars merch here </a></li>

 

DISCLAIMER: This episode is not explicit, though contains mild swearing that may be unsustainable for younger audiences.

 

Tweetable Comments 

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"I had to write his eulogy on a cocktail napkin and get up in front of like 100 people and then lead his team. And I even went to the CEO at the time who didn’t know what to do with our department. And I said, 'You’re going to let me lead them right out of this.' And that’s pretty brave."

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"Would you rather live with the ‘no’ or the regret that you knew you could have asked, and then you are in a job situation where you’re resentful because you know you could have gotten more money or better benefits?"

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"They didn’t give me the big job. They gave it to somebody else after 18 months. Even after I led everybody. And I had to get cojones again. And I had to be like, 'Screw you all. I love you, but you guys have missed it.'"

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"Most women don’t feel brave. They can be successful business owners. They can be speakers. They can be writers. And they’re still like, ‘No, I’m not brave.’ And I wanted to disrupt that."

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