218: Why Being a Misfit Makes You Magic with Cheryl Johnson
Release Date: 09/17/2024
283: Leading in a Male-Dominated Industry, Leveraging AI, and Building Ethical Impact as a CEO with Shelley Copsey
Leading Women in Tech Podcast
What does it really take to lead in a male-dominated industry — and build an AI-driven company grounded in trust, ethics, and human impact? In this episode of Leading Women in Tech, I’m joined by Shelley Copsey, CEO & Co-Founder of FYLD — a fast-growing, AI-powered platform transforming how frontline teams in infrastructure and utilities make decisions, stay safe, and improve productivity in real time. Shelley brings over 20 years of experience at the intersection of physical infrastructure, digital innovation, AI strategy, and human transformation, and she shares powerful insights...
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282: Your 2026 Leadership Roadmap: Plan the Year That Moves Your Career Forward
Leading Women in Tech Podcast
Most leaders start the year with good intentions — but by February, meetings, emergencies, and team issues take over. And suddenly, your career is something that just happens to you. In this solo episode of Leading Women in Tech, Toni Collis walks you step-by-step through how to create your 2026 Leadership Roadmap — a clear, strategic plan to move your career forward intentionally, not reactively. This episode is for you if: • You’re working hard but not seeing progression • You feel overworked,...
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281: The Trust Crisis: How Cybersecurity Became Every Leader’s Job with Karen Kaukol, CMO of Entrust
Leading Women in Tech Podcast
In today’s episode, we’re going deep into one of the most urgent leadership topics of 2025: cybersecurity, AI risk, and the new era of digital trust. This is no longer a technical issue — it’s a leadership issue. I’m joined by Karen Kaukol, Chief Marketing Officer at Entrust, a global leader in identity, security, and trust. Karen brings decades of experience across global payments, financial services, and technology, including senior leadership roles at First Data and Graebel Relocation. Karen has a unique superpower: she translates complex cybersecurity and AI challenges into...
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280: Silencing the Inner Critic: Rewiring Your Mindset for 2026 Confidence
Leading Women in Tech Podcast
If you’re ending the year exhausted, mentally overloaded, or stuck in a spiral of self-doubt… this episode is your reset. In today’s conversation, we’re breaking down the inner critic, the mental load of leadership, and why high-performing women struggle most with overthinking, decision paralysis, and confidence dips at this time of year. You’ll learn self-coaching techniques for leaders, practical executive mindset tools, and the exact thought-reframing strategies I use with my clients to help them create clarity before burnout makes the decisions for them. Because you don’t need...
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279: Why You’re Still Feeling Stuck (Even Though You’re Overperforming)
Leading Women in Tech Podcast
Career stagnation isn’t caused by a lack of talent — it’s caused by the wrong strategy. If you’re a high-performing woman in tech who’s STILL feeling stuck (despite delivering more than everyone around you), this episode is going to hit home. In today’s conversation, Master Executive Coach Dr. Toni Collis breaks down why you’re overperforming but overlooked, why hard work stops working at senior levels, and how brilliant women end up trapped in career stagnation even when they’re doing everything “right.” You’ll learn: ✨ Why you’re not getting promoted (even with...
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278: When No One Listens — How to Lead When Your Voice Isn’t Heard
Leading Women in Tech Podcast
Struggling to feel heard at work? You share ideas, offer solutions, repeat yourself — and still nothing lands. Then someone else says the same thing, and suddenly it’s brilliant. You’re not imagining it. Being unheard isn’t a personal flaw — it’s a neuroscience and systems problem. In this episode, Dr Toni Collis unpacks why even great leaders struggle to be heard, and how to change that dynamic without shouting louder or working harder. You’ll learn: ✨ The neuroscience of leadership communication — why some voices carry more weight than others ✨ How bias, bandwidth, and...
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277: URGENT UPDATE: What’s Really Happening in the 2025 Tech Job Market (AI, Hiring & Recruiter Insights)
Leading Women in Tech Podcast
AI is changing how people get hired — and it’s happening fast. In this episode of Leading Women in Tech, Dr. Toni Collis sits down with Nicole Bugenske, a recruiter from Robert Half, to unpack what’s really going on in the 2025 tech job market. From fake résumés and AI-generated cover letters to the rise of quiet hiring and risk-averse employers — we’re breaking down what job seekers and hiring managers need to know right now. Learn how to stand out as the human signal in a sea of AI, what recruiters are really looking for, and how to future-proof your career in tech leadership. If...
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276: Busy ≠ Valuable: How to Prioritize Work That Gets You Promoted
Leading Women in Tech Podcast
http://tonicollis.com/how-to-prioritize-work-to-get-promoted/If your calendar is overflowing but your career feels stuck, this episode is for you. You’re not alone in the busyness trap. For so many high-achieving women in tech, doing more has always felt like the way to get ahead — but it’s not what gets you promoted. In this episode of the Leading Women in Tech Podcast, we’re unpacking the truth behind prioritizing impactful work, the hidden gap between performance and promotion, and how to build the kind of executive presence that actually gets noticed. If you’re ready to stop...
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275: Leading Without a Title: Michele Doyle on Cross-Functional Influence, AI, and Recognition
Leading Women in Tech Podcast
How do you lead with impact—before you ever get the title? In this episode, I sit down with Michele Doyle, VP of Data & Analytics at Senos, to explore what it means to lead from the crossroads of engineering, operations, and strategy. Michele shares her unconventional journey from psychology to tech leadership, how to lead with influence before you're formally given the title, and what it takes to build trust, safety, and innovation in complex teams—especially in non-obvious tech spaces like fermentation. You’ll hear about: ◾How to step into strategic leadership without the title...
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274: How to Stop Overthinking at Work: Tools for Clear, Confident Leadership Decisions
Leading Women in Tech Podcast
When was the last time you rewrote an email six times before hitting send? Or spiraled through a decision long after it needed to be made? If you’ve ever been told “you’re overthinking it,” you’re not alone — and you’re not failing. Overthinking at work is often the result of high pressure, perfectionism, and internalized leadership expectations — especially for high-achieving women in male-dominated spaces. But here’s the truth: overthinking isn’t helping you get promoted. It’s quietly chipping away at your executive presence and leadership impact. In this episode,...
info_outlineIf you've ever felt like you don't quite fit in or don't look like those around you, today’s guest will inspire you to recognize that your differences are not just an asset—they're the key to your extraordinary leadership potential.
In this episode, I invite Cheryl Johnson, the Chief Product and Technology Officer at Betterworks, to share how she found remarkable success by embracing what makes her different. Cheryl refers to her unique qualities as the "magic in her misfit," and her story is a powerful reminder that standing out can be your greatest strength.
We explore her journey to becoming Chief Product and Technology Officer at Betterworks, highlighting key lessons from her time at Amazon and her transition into leadership. She discusses overcoming burnout, embracing her uniqueness, and the power of being a "misfit" in leadership. As Cheryl shares her experiences, you'll discover how being different makes you successful, especially in a world where companies constantly seek ways to differentiate.
We dive into:
- Cheryl’s career journey to becoming Chief Product and Technology Officer at Betterworks
- Embracing your uniqueness and the power of being a "misfit" in leadership
- Overcoming burnout and finding balance in high-pressure environments
- The importance of authenticity, adaptability, and leading with humility
- And more
**Useful links**
- Connect with today’s guest, Cheryl:
- Cheryl’s current read: New Happy by Stephanie Harrison
- If you are ready to uplevel your career, get unstuck or you are simply ready to unlock those leadership time-management techniques then join us in my monthly career & leadership coaching program exclusively for women in tech: https://www.tonicollis.com/academy
- Catch the show notes, and more details about today's episode here: https://tonicollis.com/episode218
- Check us out on Youtube.
- Join the Leading Women in Tech community in Slack where we discuss all-the-things for women’s tech leadership, covering everything from early-career leadership to C-level executives.
This episode was sponsored by our guest, Cheryl Johnson. Thank you Cheryl for helping to bring Leading Women in Tech to this community!