The One Shift that Changes Every Conversation
Real Women's Work Podcast
We talk all day long. At work. At home. With friends, colleagues, strangers. But how often are we actually communicating? In this episode, I sit down with communication consultant Dee Dee Fisher to explore a powerful (and slightly uncomfortable) idea: many of our conversations aren’t actually exchanging information at all. We’re reacting. We’re making assumptions. We’re talking—but not connecting. Dee Dee shares the moment she first recognized this pattern as a teenager working in her family’s gas station—and how that early insight turned into the work she does today helping...
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How to Show Up for Someone in Grief (When You Don’t Know What to Say)
Real Women's Work Podcast
What do you say to someone who’s grieving? Most of us don’t know. So we send flowers. We drop off food. And then… we disappear. Today’s guest, Kelly Edmondson, is here to change that. Kelly is a nurse executive, grief counselor, and founder of Timely Presence—a service created after the death of her son, Darius. Through her own experience of profound loss, she’s learned something most of us never have: Grief doesn’t need fixing. It needs presence. In this conversation, Kelly shares what people got right—and wrong—after her son passed, and gives us practical, deeply human ways...
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Rebecca Nurse and The Danger of Being Human: The Salem Witch Trials and What They Reveal About Us
Real Women's Work Podcast
This episode is part of Podcasthon, a global podcasting event spotlighting meaningful causes and stories that matter. What happens when fear becomes belief—and belief becomes certainty? In this episode, I speak with Kathryn Rutkowski, president of the Rebecca Nurse Homestead, about one of the most devastating stories from the Salem witch trials. Rebecca Nurse was a 71-year-old woman, deeply respected in her community, who was accused, tried, and executed for a crime she did not commit. But this conversation doesn’t stay in 1692. As we explore Rebecca’s story—her arrest, her quiet...
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What Happens When We Start Talking About Dying with Laura Cleminson
Real Women's Work Podcast
What if talking about death actually helped us live better? In this episode of Real Women’s Work, Jen Keefe sits down with Laura Cleminson, a death doula and founder of the Pre-Dead Social Club, where people gather to talk openly about mortality, dying, and what matters most in life. Laura’s work began after walking alongside her mother through the dying process. That experience opened her eyes to something many of us never learn: we often face death without the language, awareness, or confidence to navigate it. Instead of avoiding these conversations, Laura helps people...
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Brenda Sullivan, Gravestone Girls Part 2
Real Women's Work Podcast
Some people find their calling in the most unexpected places. And for Brenda Sullivan, that calling happened… in the cemetery. In this two-part conversation, I'm joined by the fascinating, funny, wildly knowledgeable founder of The Gravestone Girls — cemetery artists and historians who are helping people all over the country reconnect with history, symbolism, mortality, and the stories literally carved into stone. I first discovered Brenda's work a couple of years ago when my daughter and I attended one of her talks at a library here in New Hampshire. I honestly didn't know...
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Brenda Sullivan Founder, Gravestone Girls
Real Women's Work Podcast
Some people find their calling in the most unexpected places. And for Brenda Sullivan, that calling happened… in the cemetery. In this two-part conversation, I’m joined by the fascinating, funny, wildly knowledgeable founder of The Gravestone Girls — cemetery artists and historians who are helping people all over the country reconnect with history, symbolism, mortality, and the stories literally carved into stone. I first discovered Brenda’s work a couple of years ago when my daughter and I attended one of her talks at a library here in New Hampshire. I honestly didn’t know what to...
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Wendy Peirce Vice President of Sales, Alnoba Leadership and Team Development
Real Women's Work Podcast
Some places change you the moment you arrive. Alnoba is one of them. In this conversation, Wendy Peirce, Vice President of Salles, shares how her path led her to Alnoba—and why this land, this work, and this community feel so deeply alive. What begins as a leadership and team development retreat quickly reveals itself as something much more: a space where nature, spirituality, and real human connection come together in a way that’s hard to put into words… but impossible to forget. We talk about the vision of Alnoba’s founders, Alan and Harriet Lewis, and their deep reverence for...
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Life Coach for Mums with Trisha Gudka
Real Women's Work Podcast
We have all heard the term "Life Coach" but what does it actually mean? What does a LIfe Coach do? Trisha Gudka was at a dangerous point in her life. The joy was gone. As a mom of two young children the expectations and realities did not line up. This led to unhappiness and depression. She was at a critical moment. Fortunately, Trisha was able to find resources, tools, and practices that brought her out of deperession and into happiness, joy, and love. Now, she spends her life helping other mums who want it do the same. This interview is so relatable. We all know the moment of responding...
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Cheryl Holling, Podcast Host and Voice Talent
Real Women's Work Podcast
Yes, Cheryl Holling talks about what it was like to create a podcast out of thin air and bring it to a multiple award winning pocast. Yes, Cheryl talks about her exiting work as a voice talent. This conversation veers deeper. In her incredible, love-filled voice, Cheryl offers us practical inspiration on how to offer kindness to those who are having a hard time. Her experience with her two pocasts; 19 Stories and The Voice Kitchen meld together beautifully to remind us why belonging matters, how kindness and love can positively shape a life, and the importance of staying flexible. Listen...
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Sasha Graham, Host, Sports Will Save Us All Podcast
Real Women's Work Podcast
Not a sports fan? No worries—this episode is still absolutely for you. Sasha Graham, former Walt Disney executive and Oregon farm kid turned award-winning podcaster, joins me to talk about what it really means to live a life that feels good, positive, and meaningful. Her podcast, Sports Will Save Us All, has earned multiple awards and now sits in the top 2% of podcasts globally. I wasn’t just curious about how she built all this as a fellow podcast host—I was curious as someone who’s ambitious, but who sometimes lets self-doubt get in the way. So when our conversation quickly turned...
info_outlineWe talk all day long.
At work. At home. With friends, colleagues, strangers.
But how often are we actually communicating?
In this episode, I sit down with communication consultant Dee Dee Fisher to explore a powerful (and slightly uncomfortable) idea:
many of our conversations aren’t actually exchanging information at all.
We’re reacting.
We’re making assumptions.
We’re talking—but not connecting.
Dee Dee shares the moment she first recognized this pattern as a teenager working in her family’s gas station—and how that early insight turned into the work she does today helping individuals and organizations communicate more clearly, effectively, and with far less conflict.
We talk about what gets in the way of real communication, how to “function past the reaction” in difficult moments, and why changing just one thing in how you show up can completely shift the outcome of a conversation.
This is a conversation about being more intentional with your words, your reactions, and your assumptions—and what becomes possible when you are.
In this episode, we cover:
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Why many conversations don’t actually go anywhere
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The difference between reacting and communicating
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How to “function past the reaction” in difficult conversations
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A simple framework (who, what, when, where, why, how) to improve clarity
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The role of assumptions—and how they derail communication
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Why you don’t have to change the other person to change the conversation
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A powerful story about stopping bullying by shifting internal response
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How better communication impacts work, relationships, and self-talk
A simple takeaway to try:
The next time you feel yourself reacting in a conversation, pause and ask:
“What is actually trying to be communicated here?”
That one question can change everything.
Find DeeDee on LinkedIn by clicking here and her website here.
If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone who would benefit—and as always, thank you for listening to Real Women’s Work.