Are you the kind of person who hits a big milestone… then immediately moves on to the next goal? Same. In this episode, we’re talking to Robyn Glaser—venture executive and all-around badass—about why high-achieving women so often skip the celebration phase, and how that needs to change.

We loved this conversation with Robyn Glaser — and we think you will too. 🙌

We talk about:
✨ What it’s like to break into male-dominated industries
🎶 Why saying yes to new opportunities (even scary ones) matters
📬 How to handle rejection without letting it crush your confidence
🙌 The importance of celebrating your own wins — not just the fancy LinkedIn kind
🤝 And how relationships (not networking events!) truly shape your career

Whether you're pivoting, figuring things out, or just need a reminder that your career doesn’t have to follow a straight line — this one’s for you.
Hit play, and embrace the squiggle with us.

Connect with Robyn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robynglaser/

Book she recommends: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18050143-zero-to-one

👯‍♀️ Stay in touch with your hosts:
🔗 Colleen on LinkedIn
🔗 Kristine on LinkedIn

🎧 Subscribe, rate, and review Embrace the Squiggle for more real conversations on the twists and turns of career and life.

What a delight chatting with Christina Mitine about her fascinating career path! From aspiring veterinarian to Oracle sales to various AWS roles, her journey proves there's no "right way" to build a meaningful career.

Episode Highlights:

• Christina shares how the Women in Revenue Group on Lin provided crucial networking opportunities
• We discuss navigating different company cultures and leveraging transferable skills
• The vital importance of finding mentors and sponsors who champion your growth
• Building professional networks that extend beyond your current organization

Connect with Christina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cmitine/

Women in Revenue (WIR) - https://www.linkedin.com/company/womeninrevenue/posts/?feedView=all

Become a WIR Member - https://womeninrevenue.org/become-a-member/

👯‍♀️ Stay in touch with your hosts:
🔗 Colleen on LinkedIn
🔗 Kristine on LinkedIn

🎧 Subscribe, rate, and review Embrace the Squiggle for more real conversations on the twists and turns of career and life.

Maintaining genuine professional relationships isn’t just nice, it’s essential. In this episode, we talk about how staying in touch (even casually) can quietly shape your career in powerful ways—and how it’s played out over decades for our guest, Soo Finley.

This week, I got to catch up with my high school friend Soo Finley, who now works at the executive level in banking—and let me tell you, her career path has been anything but predictable (just the way we like it on this show). Soo walks us through her squiggly journey from Hicksville, Long Island (yep, that's a real place) to studying chemistry and engineering, and eventually finding her stride in the world of banking and finance. If you’re figuring out how to bring more of you into your work, or just wondering how people land in jobs they never saw coming, this one’s for you.

🎧 We cover:
Shifting from science to finance
Staying open to unexpected opportunities
Building meaningful professional relationships
Leadership lessons from inside banking
Personality tests, mentorship, and more

Connect with Soo

👯‍♀️ Stay in touch with your hosts:
🔗 Colleen on LinkedIn
🔗 Kristine on LinkedIn

🎧 Subscribe, rate, and review Embrace the Squiggle for more real conversations on the twists and turns of career and life.

What does it take to build a thriving business while navigating some of life’s toughest personal challenges?

This week on Embrace the Squiggle, Colleen and Kristine sit down with the unstoppable Bonni Scepkowski. She is an award-winning meeting strategist, founder of Stellar Meetings, and a master of orchestrating meaningful moments in the life sciences industry. But behind her professional success is a deeply personal journey of resilience, reinvention, and relentless authenticity.

From her first job at a travel agency to becoming a sought-after events expert, Bonni shares the career pivots, life-altering moments, and hard-won wisdom that shaped her path. She opens up about overcoming a difficult divorce, raising a daughter with psychiatric challenges, and finding joy in her work through it all.

💬 In this episode, we cover:

• Building a business while navigating personal chaos
• What makes a great meeting—and a great team
• How to cultivate confidence in corporate spaces
• The power of kindness, culture, and community
• Embracing the intersection of your personal and professional life

Bonni proves that you can love your work, lead with heart, and still keep your sense of humor. If you’re looking for inspiration, grit, and a reminder that success doesn’t have to be linear, this episode is for you.

Connect with Bonni: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonniscepkowski/

👯‍♀️ Stay in touch with your hosts:
🔗 Colleen on LinkedIn
🔗 Kristine on LinkedIn

🎧 Subscribe, rate, and review Embrace the Squiggle for more real conversations on the twists and turns of career and life.

What if the skills you already have could open the door to a career you actually love?

This week, we’re joined by the brilliant Ashleigh Beadle, who opens up about her non-linear path from law school dreams to launching her own consulting business.

Ashleigh shares the real story behind her career pivots—what worked, what didn’t, and how she leaned into her transferable skills (even when things didn’t go to plan). We chat about navigating uncertainty, staying aligned with your values, and how she’s now helping small businesses with HR and compliance through her company, Sage and Saunter.

If you've ever felt stuck, unsure, or ready for a career shift, this episode will remind you that there’s power in the pivot.

🎙️ Topics we cover:

• Letting go of a linear career plan
• Using your skillset in new and unexpected ways
• Building a business with intention
• Why community and support matter during career transitions

💡 Ashleigh’s story is a reminder that squiggly careers aren't just common—they're where the magic happens.

Connect with Ashleigh

👇 Stay in touch with your hosts:
🌟 Colleen on LinkedIn: Colleen O'Mara
🌟 Kristine on LinkedIn: Kristine Thody

🎧 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review Embrace the Squiggle for more honest conversations about navigating work and life.

Terrified of Public Speaking? You’re Not Alone, And We’ve Got You Covered. 🎤😅

In this episode of Embrace the Squiggle, Colleen and Kristine get real about the nerves, mindset shifts, and messy moments behind the mic. From giving a TEDx talk to delivering a major keynote, they’re pulling back the curtain on what it really takes to speak with confidence... and why you don’t need to be perfect to be powerful.

You’ll hear:

• How they prepped for their biggest speaking gigs yet
• Why practicing > memorizing (and how to do it right)
• The unexpected tricks they use to calm their nerves (yes, even seasoned speakers still get them!)
• Why authenticity always trumps polish on stage

Whether you’re prepping for a panel, pitching your work, or just dreaming of speaking up more — this episode will help you find your voice and show up with confidence.

🎧 Tune in now — and if you’ve got a story to share, they’re always looking for new guests!

🔗 Connect with Colleen and Kristine:
🌟 Colleen on LinkedIn
🌟 Kristine on LinkedIn

💌 Want to be a guest on Embrace the Squiggle? Reach out — we’d love to hear from you!

What if the very things that once held you back became the foundation for everything you built?

In this episode of Embrace the Squiggle, Kelly Martins joins Colleen and Kristine to share the real story behind her squiggly career journey. From a background in graphic design and photography to launching her own consulting business focused on empowering others through strategic marketing and leadership support.

Kelly opens up about reclaiming her confidence after leaving a difficult relationship, and how leaning into her lived experiences became the spark for creating GRATI Consulting. Today, she combines sharp business strategy with deep empathy to help others find clarity, confidence, and direction in their own ventures.

This conversation is a powerful reminder that resilience, reinvention, and rediscovering your worth often begin in the hardest moments.

✨ In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How internships and mentors opened unexpected doors
• Why squiggly paths are often the most strategic moves
• How embracing her full story helped Kelly step into leadership and entrepreneurship

Connect with Kelly:
🔗 Website
🔗 Instagram
🔗 Facebook
🔗 LinkedIn

Follow Colleen & Kristine:
🌟 Colleen on LinkedIn
🌟 Kristine on LinkedIn

🎧 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review Embrace the Squiggle to hear more real conversations about building careers with heart, curiosity, and courage.

"I’m an introvert... but what I do for a living is an extroverts dream.”

Ever felt like your personality didn’t quite match your job title? This week on Embrace the Squiggle, Nellie Beckett gets real about navigating that exact tension—and how she’s turned it into one of her biggest strengths.

From nonprofit gigs and teaching in Baltimore to creating meaningful community connections in public radio across the Deep South, Nellie’s story is a masterclass in showing up, even when you’re not sure what’s next.

You’ll hear:

- Why you don’t need a perfect plan to build a purposeful career

- How Nellie balances quiet energy with public-facing roles

- The power of following curiosity

- What it really means to build community in places others overlook

If you’re figuring it out as you go—or want to be part of a community that celebrates squiggly paths—you’re in the right place.

🎧 Tap play to hear Nellie’s journey and then share it with someone who's also finding their way.

Connect with Nellie:

On Linkedin

Instagram

🔗 Follow Colleen & Kristine:
🌟 Colleen on LinkedIn

🌟 Kristine on LinkedIn

🎧 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review Embrace the Squiggle for more inspiring stories!