Good Enough For Now Stephanie Kruse

In this episode of Good Enough for Now, Dr. Beth Cooper Benjamin shares her experiences researching achievement culture, particularly among teen girls. After noticing the dynamics of a group of girls she supervised at camp as a teen herself, it became a lifelong passion to explore the psychological, social, and developmental challenges that are unique to girls.
 
The internet may highlight some of the competition and comparison that we all feel today, however Dr. Benjamin shares why a lot of the messaging kids receive about achievement may come from the adults in their lives, if even unintentionally.
 
Beth shares from her own personal journey and offers some guidance for normalizing that we must first fail if we want to succeed. Listen in to hear more.
  What We Cover In This Episode:  
The pervasive achievement culture in teens and the stress they experience at school and at home.
Strategies to shift away from the achievement culture, create downtime for teenagers, and foster the development of inner resilience.
Broader societal factors contributing to adolescent mental health issues, such as college admissions pressure and the expectation of perfection.
The role of parents and educators in navigating the achievement culture, including the need for aligned messaging and recognizing the pressures they face as well.
The importance of celebrating the process, embracing imperfections, and fostering collective resistance to achievement pressure in order to build resilience in teens.
 
RESOURCES:  
Visit Dr. Benjamin’s website
Connect with Dr. Benjamin on LinkedIn
Cultivate Community, Find a New Path with Judy Schoenberg and Linda Lautenberg
Making Caring Common Project
 
ABOUT DR. BETH COOPER BENJAMIN:  
Dr. Beth Cooper Benjamin is an adolescent development scholar and a designer and facilitator of civic engagement and leadership programming for young people. She is Founding Associate Director of the Center for Social Responsibility at the Manhattan Jewish Community Center, More recently, Beth served as Director of the Westover Resiliency Project at Westover, a girls' boarding and day high school in Middlebury, CT. There she led a multi-year grant-funded initiative to challenge achievement pressure and perfectionism and to foster resilience and well-being among students and adult staff. Beth has authored both scholarly and popular articles, and she consults on research, strategy, program development, and training with individual and organizational clients.  
 
She received her master's and doctorate in Human Development and Psychology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Beth lives with her husband and their two young sons in Maplewood, New Jersey, where she practices embracing imperfection as a cook and a knitter

In this episode of Good Enough For Now, Christine Alvarez and Eileen Springer share the transitions that happen in our career that stem out of imposter syndrome. There are so many instances where we see a fork in the road ahead in our careers and we want to be the one to decide which way to go. It requires some deep work and self-reflection to decide if we should go left or right.
 
This episode is a bit different because I had the pleasure of sitting down with Christine and Eileen in person, a first for this podcast. Watch the video for the episode below.
 
They share why imposter syndrome is not your fault, why remote work might not be best for your career, how to step back into the workforce if you’ve been away, and why self-awareness is the most powerful tool in your growth.
 
Listen in (or watch!) to hear more.
 
WHAT WE COVER IN THIS EPISODE:  
What is imposter syndrome (really) and how it can impact you professionally.
How to overcome imposter syndrome by recognizing and naming it, understanding the circumstances that trigger it, and challenging negative self-talk.
Why working with a coach is an effective way to grow in your career and why your partner, friend, or colleague might not be the best person to get advice from.
Why imposter syndrome, characterized by feelings of intellectual phoniness and self-sabotage, is more common among women, especially in situations where they are the minority.
Christine and Eileen discuss the emotional filing cabinet concept, where our perception of ourselves, how we present ourselves, and how the world reflects back on us play a role in imposter syndrome.
They also touch on workplace trends, the challenges and benefits of remote work, the importance of visibility and influence, and the value of self-reflection and nurturing your network.
  RESOURCES:  
Your Next Next™
“Why Everyone Feels Like They’re Faking It” by Leslie Jamison
Connect with Eileen on LinkedIn
Connect with Christine on LinkedIn
 
ABOUT CHRISTINE ALVAREZ:  
An Executive and Leadership Coach, Christine Alvarez brings over 25+ years of Corporate Marketing experience from a variety of industries including Publishing, Major Entertainment Companies and Advertising. 
Christine works with executives and mid-level professionals to navigate career choices and challenges. She coaches women executives at Chief, and private clients in the media and tech industries. She is also a BetterUp Fellow Coach, and is a preferred coach for Columbia’s Teachers College assisting alumni in developing their Careers and Co-founder of Your Next Next™, a team of executive coaches working with companies and professionals who are navigating the new world of work. 



ABOUT EILEEN SPRINGER:  
Eileen is the founder of Central Park Executive Coaching and the co-founder of Your Next Next. She coaches C-suite executives, mid-career professionals and early-in-career talent in corporations and nonprofits. Eileen is a Core Guide at Chief, a women's peer networking organization supporting development of C-suite executives and has recently launched women’s coaching circles.
Eileen brings over 30 years of experience leading HR and Talent Management teams in large global companies. She holds certifications in Executive Coaching from Columbia University and the International Coaching Federation and is certified in a multitude of talent assessments.

In this episode of Good Enough for Now, Lauren Demarest shares her leap-of-faith business idea that came to fruition and is thriving. She wanted to book exercise classes while on vacation in Greece and couldn’t find an easy way to do that. So she created it.
 
Lauren shares how she manages her inner critic as someone who doesn’t speak the language where she runs her business and how being aware of her limits has helped her grow personally and professionally. She’s even built a sister business through the process. Our conversation touches on trusting our gut instincts, defining our own version of success, creating inclusive spaces and community for all, and being the first to discover a unique niche.
 
Listen in to hear more and get inspired to put your own internal nay-sayer to rest.
  What We Cover In This Episode:  
Taking a leap of faith from frustration, identifying the need, and taking risks to begin a company.
Struggling with your inner critic and mental health challenges while building a business and finding the coping mechanisms to help.
Going on a journey of self-discovery and redefining success along the way.
Building a community in the wellness industry and making fitness more inclusive and welcoming to everyone.
Why trusting your gut instinct is so important.
 
Resources:  
Sweat Vacay
Follow Sweat Vacay on Instagram
Follow Sweat Vacay on Facebook
Follow Sweat Vacay on Twitter
Connect with Sweat Vacay on LinkedIn
Plan for Success, Run Your Own Race with Cate Luzio
 
About Lauren Demarest:  
Lauren Demarest’s professional background is in advertising. She earned her MFA from the Savannah College of Art and Design and worked as a creative at McCann New York for 8 years before starting her companies and making the move to Mykonos.
 
Sweat Vacay launched its Mykonos, Greece locations in 2019 with yoga, Pilates, and spin classes taught by elite global trainers. Each class is set in a tranquil outdoor setting so guests can take in the natural beauty. It has now grown into a luxury retreat and wellness facility consulting business with retreats throughout Greece, Italy, Austria, France, England, and Costa Rica. 
 
In 2020 Lauren launched Sweat Booker - making it free to list a gym, studio, class or wellness experience online; giving fit-pros in emerging markets tools they otherwise might not be able to afford. Designed as a competitor to ClassPass and MINDBODY, Sweat Booker is a wellness discovery, booking, and payment processing platform that is inclusive and supports small businesses and individuals. 

In this episode of Good Enough for Now, Neha Ruch discusses choosing the gray area between motherhood and work, the push to redefine success as a parent and a modern take on ambition.
 
Neha shares about her decision to stay home with her young children and how her career pause led her to define her own values and reframe her goals. She also shares how to answer the question, “What do you do?” and how her community, Mother Untitled, was born. Our conversation is one that we all needed in our 20s and now can help us feel less alone in our 30s and beyond, especially as we redefine what success in life and motherhood can look like for each other while we wait for our culture to catch up.
 
Listen in to hear more about doing what brings you joy, evaluating what’s right for you right now, and staying connected and evolving your professional identity with intention, even as you choose to stay at home to parent for breaks in between.
  WHAT WE COVER IN THIS EPISODE:  
Exploring the challenges of focusing on both motherhood and career through planting seeds and embracing the possibilities that redefine purpose.
Addressing societal narratives on stay-at-home mothers and learning to articulate and be confident in your identity and story.
Reframing ambition for women who have paused their careers to focus on personal and family goals.
Identifying ways to stay connected to a career or professional identity even while empowering your choice to care for children at home.
Choosing to shift focus and give yourself agency to create rhythms and routines that serve both self and family.
Embracing the present and accepting and trusting yourself as a parent working in or out of the home. 
 
RESOURCES:  
Mother Untitled
Follow Mother Untitled on Instagram
Connect with Neha Ruch on LinkedIn
 
ABOUT NEHA RUCH:  
Neha Ruch is on a mission to update the perception of stay-at-home motherhood in America, infusing it with ambition, dignity, growth, and potential. She established her groundbreaking independent media brand, Mother Untitled, in 2017, in the early days of her motherhood journey. Since 2017, Mother Untitled has served as a digital oasis for ambitious women determined to grow, learn, and enjoy themselves during their chapter as the primary parent. Neha is a thought leader, sought-after speaker in the world of women, work, parenting, and identity and the author of a forthcoming book, The Power Pause, with Putnam, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

In this episode of Good Enough for Now, Georgina Moore discusses her transition from successful book publicist to fiction author and how she found inspiration for her first novel within her own life and her own reading passions.
 
Georgina shares the vulnerability needed in becoming an author and having her friends and colleagues read and review her book. She also shares her own version of time and where she found space in her life as a mother, partner, and professional to write her book. Our conversation touches on themes of transition, curiosity, creating space for oneself, and the joys and challenges of pursuing a new career path mid-life.
 
Listen in to hear more, as well as a little bit of dish on the publishing industry.
  What We Cover In This Episode:  
Georgina’s background in publishing as a book publicist and working with celebrities such as Hillary Clinton and Lauren Bacall.
The challenges of transitioning from a corporate career to writing and the importance of having a plan B in mid-life.
The process of writing and publishing her debut novel, set on the Isle of Wight, and the vulnerability she experienced receiving (and anticipating) critiques from editors and authors.
Creating strong, relatable characters in her family saga novel and the importance of depicting women in their 30s and beyond.
Balancing writing and promotion of her book, and the concept of "good enough" in striving for success as an author and a mother.
The advantages of being older and established in her career, and the opportunities for women to share their stories and experiences in the publishing industry.
 
Resources:  
Preorder The Garnett Girls from Bookshop
Preorder The Garnett Girls from Amazon
Follow Georgina on Instagram
Follow Georgina on Twitter
Connect with Georgina on LinkedIn
 
About Georgina Moore:  
Georgina Moore grew up in London and lives on a houseboat on the River Thames with her partner, two children, and Bomber, the Border Terrier. The Garnett Girls is her first novel and is set on the Isle of Wight, where Georgina and her family have a holiday houseboat called Sturdy.

In this episode of Good Enough for Now, Ashley Cox, a leadership coach and entrepreneur, shares her insights on building and sustaining a successful business by hiring and developing teams. With a mission to help more women become leaders and creating jobs for moms who can excel at home and at work, Ashley leans on her own personal experiences around self-awareness, negative feedback, perfectionism, personal development, and more.
 
Ashley believes everyone can be a leader: in their family, at church, in their community, and at work, and that women are their own worst enemy when it comes to hiring because they wait too long to take action. In this episode, we talk about intentional leadership, why trust is a big part of leadership, what accountability really means, and how to make sure that everyone you work with has their voice heard.
 
Listen in to hear more and to see what a true ray of sunshine Ashley is.
  What We Cover In This Episode:  
The challenges women face in stepping into leadership roles, including confidence and conditioning to be nice.
The negative stories we tell ourselves about our ability to lead and why everyone is a leader.
How to lead with intention, understanding your core values, and holding yourself and your team accountable to create a culture where teams thrive.
The benefits of cultivating self-awareness and self-love to make better hiring decisions and communicate honestly with your team.
How to view feedback as a two-way street instead of something negative we have to do.
Ashley’s mission to get more women into leadership roles and why it’s so important.
How perfectionism can be both good and bad, and why it's important to embrace imperfection to foster creativity, growth, and innovation.
 
Resources:  
Normalize Mental Health, Forge Habits of Hope with Lindsay Recknell
SproutHR
Connect with Ashley on LinkedIn
Follow SproutHR on Instagram
Follow SproutHR on Facebook
 
About Ashley Cox: Ashley Cox, PHR, SHRM-CP is the Founder and CEO of SproutHR, a boutique HR consulting firm that educates and empowers women-owned businesses on how to hire and lead profitable, sustainable, impactful teams with confidence, ease, and fun.
 
At SproutHR, Ashley and her team focus on values-based hiring, compassionate and intentional leadership, and amplifying impact. With over 16 years of experience as a certified HR professional, Ashley is also a subject matter expert, speaker, podcast host of The Impact Ripple, and author of the book, Transform Your Stories.