Building the Job You Love with Tara Landes, Founder of Bellrock (S9:Epi 254)
Release Date: 09/15/2025
Building the Job You Love with Tara Landes, Founder of Bellrock (S9:Epi 254)
Sweet but Fearless Podcast
In this episode of the Sweet but Fearless podcast, co-founder Mary Sullivan talks with Tara Landes, Founder of Bellrock. After years of working with small businesses across North America, Tara returned to Vancouver and discovered a gap no one was filling. She didn’t just step into the work she was already great at - she leaned into what she loved most. Rather than wait for the perfect role to appear, she created it, building a business around passion and purpose. Tara shares how identifying unmet needs, following what lights you up, and defining what truly matters can guide your path....
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Pitching Your Value: The MAP to Recognition with Tami Reiss, CEO of Leader Within (S9:Epi 253)
Sweet but Fearless Podcast
In this episode, we dive into the power of visibility at work, because your accomplishments, skills, and the value you bring won’t speak for themselves. Our guest, Tami Reiss, CEO of Leader Within and Keynote Speaker, shares why being your own cheerleader isn’t just optional, it’s essential. She focuses on the importance of building resilience skills, staying vision-oriented, and ensuring that colleagues and leaders truly understand the impact you make. Tami also introduces her signature MAP framework - Manifest, Access, Promote- a practical framework for mapping your influence....
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From Mailroom to Godmode Music: Talya Elitzer on Building a Sustainable Music Career (S9:Epi 252)
Sweet but Fearless Podcast
In this episode, Mary Sullivan, co-founder of Sweet but Fearless, is joined by Talya Elitzer, co-founder of the GRAMMY-nominated artist development company Godmode Music, to share her fearless journey through the music industry. Starting out in the mailroom of a Hollywood talent agency, Talya carved her own path toward building one of today’s most influential music companies—home to groundbreaking artists like Channel Tres, JPEGMAFIA, and Yaeji. In this conversation, Talya opens up about the evolution of Godmode Music, what it takes to nurture genre-defying talent, and why she prioritizes...
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The Power of Collective Mentorship with Breanne Kiefner (S9:Epi 251)
Sweet but Fearless Podcast
In this episode, Mary Sullivan, co-founder of Sweet but Fearless, talks with Breanne Kiefner, owner and founder of Roots Adventures, about embracing inner strength and finding stability in the midst of chaos. Their conversation explores the power of curiosity, the value of staying present, and why building a collective mentorship is essential. Instead of relying on a single mentor, Breanne shares how surrounding yourself with a circle of guides, each offering unique perspectives, can bring greater depth, resilience, and growth to both your career and your life. Breanne also talks about...
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Redefining Success: Sun Yong Kim-Manzolini on Financial Freedom and Resilience (S9:Epi 250)
Sweet but Fearless Podcast
Titles, accolades, and financial milestones often measure success. But for Sun Yong Kim-Manzolini, CEO of Lush Enterprises, LLC, success is about transformation - financial, emotional, and generational. Mary Sullivan, co-founder of Sweet but Fearless talks with Sun Yong about how she’s built a career helping others break free from survival mode and step into true financial independence. Even in her dream job, with the title and passion she’d worked hard to earn, her paycheck fell short of the life she envisioned. That eye-opening moment led her to redefine success, not just loving...
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When the Call Is Coming from Inside the House: Female Misogyny at Work (S9:Epi 249)
Sweet but Fearless Podcast
We’ve all seen male-driven misogyny, condescending remarks, unequal pay, and the ever-present glass ceiling. But what about the subtler, more unexpected form that comes from within our own ranks? In this episode, Mary Sullivan and Cooper Alexander, co-founders of Sweet But Fearless, talk about when women, knowingly or not, uphold the very systems and stereotypes that hold other women back. From competitive gatekeeping to subtle undermining, we’ll explore how female misogyny plays out in the workplace, why it happens, and what we can do to break the cycle. It’s time to have the...
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The Power of a Career Pivot with Kelsey Cook, Founder of Learning with Kelsey (S9:Epi 248)
Sweet but Fearless Podcast
Have you ever wondered how an unexpected challenge can reveal a new path? In this episode, Mary Sullivan, co-founder of Sweet but Fearless, talks with Kelsey Cook, a former teacher turned entrepreneur, about how she recognized the uncertainty parents faced when schools shut down during the pandemic. To help her students and their parents, she began creating hands-on, engaging educational packets for preschoolers. What started as a simple way to support families during the pandemic evolved into Learning with Kelsey, an educational subscription box that has grown from a home-based idea...
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When Reliability Holds You Back (S9:Epi 247)
Sweet but Fearless Podcast
Are you being passed over for promotions despite being the go-to person everyone counts on? In this episode, we dive into the surprising downside of being too reliable at work. While dependability is a strength, it can sometimes box you into a support role instead of positioning you as a strategic leader. We explore why being the "fixer" or “hidden gem” might actually be holding you back - and what to do about it. You'll learn how to shift from doing to leading, speak about your work in terms of impact, and advocate for your future role, not just your current one. If you've ever felt...
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Healing Healthcare with Dr. Julie Wilson, CEO & Founder and Canada’s 100 Most Powerful Women (S9:Epi 246)
Sweet but Fearless Podcast
In this episode, Mary Sullivan, co-founder of Sweet but Fearless, talks with Dr. Julie Wilson, CEO and founder of Terra Nova Medical Clinics. A visionary family physician and healthcare entrepreneur, Dr. Wilson shares how she reimagined primary care by prioritizing workplace culture, physician autonomy, and compassionate leadership. She talks about the importance of investing in people, earning trust through action, and creating a culture grounded in respect. Today, she leads the largest integrated clinic network in British Columbia, with a mission to ensure every resident has access to a...
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Authentic Leadership with Susannah Robinson, CEO & Founder of Partnership for Talent (S9:Epi 245)
Sweet but Fearless Podcast
In this episode, Mary Sullivan, co-founder of Sweet but Fearless, talks with Susannah Robinson, CEO & Founder of Partnership for Talent, about what it truly means to lead with impact through service leadership. Susannah emphasizes the importance of defining your leadership vision and leading from it with clarity and purpose. Drawing from years of guiding leaders, she reminds us that perfection isn’t the goal—authenticity is. When leaders show up as their real selves, it creates space for teams to do the same, building trust and fostering a culture of accountability. Susannah is also...
info_outlineIn this episode of the Sweet but Fearless podcast, co-founder Mary Sullivan talks with Tara Landes, Founder of Bellrock. After years of working with small businesses across North America, Tara returned to Vancouver and discovered a gap no one was filling. She didn’t just step into the work she was already great at - she leaned into what she loved most. Rather than wait for the perfect role to appear, she created it, building a business around passion and purpose.
Tara shares how identifying unmet needs, following what lights you up, and defining what truly matters can guide your path. She also explains why influence and persuasion are essential skills for turning ideas into reality and inspiring others along the way.
If you’ve ever felt successful on paper but unfulfilled in practice, Tara’s story is a reminder that fulfillment often comes from leaning into your natural strengths and using them to serve others.
Tara Landes is the Founder of Bellrock. Based in Vancouver, BC, Tara has been working directly with the leaders and managers of North American companies to help them scale and build enterprise value since the turn of the century.
MORE ABOUT TARA LANDES:
LinkedIn: Tara Landes
Website: Bellrock
Sign up for her Newsletter
ABOUT SWEET BUT FEARLESS:
Website - Sweet but Fearless
LinkedIn - Sweet but Fearless