What if you stopped trying to fix yourself, and started leading as you are?

Andrea Wanerstrand has coached hundreds of leaders from T-Mobile to Meta, guiding them through some of the boldest mindset shifts of their careers: from control to connection, performance to presence, and burnout to bold cultural influence.

But her story didn’t start in power suits and corner offices.

It started with a bug report in IT and a boss who saw the fire behind her fatigue.

Today, Andrea is the founder of A3 Culture Lab and creator of the Mindset Maven Method. In this episode, she pulls back the curtain on what human-centric leadership really looks like, and how your flaws might be your fiercest advantage.

Inside, we unpack:

1. What happens when you stop managing and start modeling
2. Why emotions at work aren’t liabilities—they’re leadership tools
3. How to get out of autopilot and into authority (the healthy kind)
4. The real cost of performing perfection in a corporate world that wasn’t built for you

PLUS: Andrea’s take on the neuroscience of self-awareness, how to know when your “comfort zone” is actually toxic, and why the most badass thing a leader can do is show up connected.

What you’ll walk away with:

1. A new lens on emotional intelligence (rooted in biology, not buzzwords)
2. A framework for rewriting the rules of leadership on your own terms
3. Tools to spot your nervous system’s stress signals, before they hijack your day
4. Permission to stop performing and start trusting your own voice
5. A reason to finally throw out the rulebook that never fit in the first place

Progress over perfection, presence over power. Tune in, and if her story cracks something open, pass it on. Someone else might need that spark, too.

Subscribe, share, and stay fearless.

What if your big breakthrough isn’t about being perfect—but being human?

On this episode of Fearless and Flawed, Sara and Serena sit down with Rhea Lana Riner, the accidental entrepreneur who turned a living room sale into a 120-location franchise empire across 26 states. With no business background and a couple of baby-stained onesies to her name, she bootstrapped Rhea Lana’s Children’s Consignment into a multimillion-dollar movement… and picked a high-profile fight with the US Department of Labor along the way.

Her story isn’t about meteoric tech startup wins. It’s what happens when maternal instinct meets marketing genius—and grows into real generational change.

You’ll hear about:

1. Turning budget strain into business clarity
2. Going up against the federal government for what she believed in
3. Building a business that’s rooted in community, not consumerism
4. Choosing ambition without choosing burnout
5. Why franchising can be a feminist business model

What you’ll walk away with:

1. How to scale without selling your soul
2. What grit really looks like behind the scenes
3. Why your story doesn’t have to be flashy to be powerful
4. The questions to ask before choosing a franchise—or building one
5. A fresh lens on what “doing it your way” can mean

Rhea didn’t just build a business—she created an ecosystem where women thrive, earn, and finally get to do it on their own terms. No DAOs, no drama, just damn good leadership.

Feel called out (and called forward)?

Share this episode with someone who could use a reminder that flaws aren’t a weakness—sometimes, they’re the foundation.

And if you haven’t already, don’t just listen, subscribe. Your future self will thank you.

What if your body breaking down isn’t just “a woman of that age” thing—but a clue you’ve been ignoring too long?

In this raw and revelatory conversation, we sit down with Dyna Vink—integrative health practitioner, founder of Holistic Nutrition Lifestyle, and functional medicine whisperer for women in perimenopause. But she's more than a practitioner. She’s a former corporate exec who walked through the fire of hormone havoc, medical gaslighting, and career reinvention—and came out swinging.

We explore the moment Dyna’s career crumbled and her hormones went rogue—and how she turned data, grit, and root-cause science into a powerful body of work that now helps women reclaim their vitality, clarity, and confidence… on their own terms.

You’ll hear how to:

1. Recognize the real symptoms of perimenopause (forget “just hot flashes”)
2. Use functional medicine testing to decode what your body’s actually begging for
3. Shift from symptom management to root-cause healing
4. Create resilience through nutrition, mindset, and nervous system care
5. Redefine success after your body stops playing along with hustle culture

Here’s your permission slip to stop grinning and bearing it—and to get curious, courageous, and wildly damn intentional with how you treat your one-and-only body. Because you’re not too much. And you’re not crazy. You’re at a crossroads.

Pass this episode on to a woman who needs to hear the truth behind the symptoms—and hit follow to keep hearing more stories that call BS on burning out. You’ve got options. And you deserve to know them.

What if rejecting the top job was your power move?

Vicky Brown never planned to be an entrepreneur—and definitely never wanted to be “the CEO.” But when a former boss nudged her into consulting (read: tricked her lovingly), she found herself building Idomeneo Enterprises, an HR firm that’s now almost 25 years strong. Oh—and did we mention she’s a former opera singer?

In this conversation, Vicky opens up about leaving corporate, leading from the shadows, and why some of the best leaders aren’t hunting for the spotlight. She shares how she grew from solopreneur to business owner, built a legacy of leadership, and turned her insider HR knowledge into a movement of radically clear, radically human support for founders.

You’ll hear stories about:

1. The moment that changed everything (spoiler: she got fired into her purpose)
2. Why not everyone should—or wants to—be “number one”
3. The humanity missing from traditional HR (and how Vicky brings it back)
4. Her journey from soprano to CEO (and the aria that sparked her company’s name)
5. How she helps leaders develop emotional fluency and self-trust

And you’ll walk away with:

1. Why leadership isn’t a title—it’s a relationship
2. How to manage people without losing your mind (or your power)
3. The surprising secret to coaching both superstars and strugglers
4. How to build systems that run without you (so you can breathe again)
5. What makes a workplace magnetic, not just compliant

Every founder was an accidental beginner once. Vicky’s story is permission to crave clarity over chaos—and sing at full strength.

Send this to your favorite business buddy who needs an HR hug in disguise—and subscribe if you haven’t yet. Real talk, on repeat.

Most lawyers keep the personal out of the professional. But for Alreen Haeggquist, sharing her own story was the most powerful thing she could do—not just for herself, but for the clients she fights for every single day.

As a successful employment attorney representing survivors of sexual harassment, assault, and gender discrimination, Alreen spent years advocating for justice from within the courtroom. But quietly, she was carrying a truth she hadn’t spoken aloud: she was a survivor, too. And for a long time, she believed that to be successful—a lawyer, a leader, a founder—meant hiding the most difficult parts of herself.

Until something shifted.

It started with her clients. With every brave woman who stepped into her office, terrified but ready to speak out. And as Alreen guided them from silence to strength, something inside her changed too. “I saw how powerful it was for my clients to share their stories. If I’m really going to do this work, I have to do it too.”

That decision led her to write her bestselling book, Fired Up: Fueling Triumph from Trauma, and to speak publicly about her own experience of childhood sexual abuse—even when it meant confronting deep fear, family dynamics, and the shame she’d carried for years. Today, she leads a team of 20 legal advocates at her San Diego law firm, coaches survivors on reclaiming their power, and reminds women everywhere: you deserved better. And you are not alone.

In this episode of Fearless and Flawed, we dive deep into Alreen’s journey from secrecy to strength. You’ll hear how she turned her pain into purpose, how she balances fierce advocacy with deep empathy, and why building trust is the first—and bravest—step toward reclaiming your story. This conversation isn’t about trauma alone—it’s about rising from it. It’s about building bold, joy-filled lives, even after the unthinkable.

Inside, you’ll hear:

• How sharing her story helped Alreen finally feel “good in her own skin”
• What justice actually looks like beyond the courtroom
• The three predictable (and infuriating) tactics abusers use to protect power
• How to advocate for yourself—even when you’re scared
• The behind-the-scenes of running a mission-driven law firm with heart
• Why surrounding yourself with the right people changes everything

Whether you’re healing, speaking up, or supporting someone who is, this episode is a reminder that bravery doesn’t require perfection. It starts with telling the truth—and trusting that it won’t break you, it will remake you.

Want to connect with Alreen Haeggquist?

Head to alreen.com for guest links, extras, and more.

Wendy Meadows had one of those split-screen moments—where her two lives couldn't have been more different. At 6 a.m., she was pouring belief into women as a health coach. By 10 a.m., she was cross-examining a woman on the witness stand, picking apart her credit card purchases. It was soul-splitting—and it was the spark that made Wendy say, “This isn’t who I’m meant to be.”

A high-achieving family law litigator, Wendy climbed the traditional ladder for years—but a growing wellness side hustle and deepening sense of misalignment nudged her toward something more. Over time (and with plenty of grit), she tuned in to her intuition, slowly turned down the volume on litigation, and built a new business on her own terms. Now a coach, consultant, speaker, and author of Sparkle and Grit, Wendy helps burned-out female professionals find balance, redefine success, and create lives that actually feel joyful.

As Wendy says: “I didn’t like crash and burn my old life—I followed the sparkles. I turned the volume down on what wasn’t working and turned it up on what made me feel alive.”

In this conversation, you’ll hear Wendy’s evolution from courtroom powerhouse to sparkly, soulful entrepreneur—and the real talk behind that journey. From workaholic culture and burnout to boundary-setting and self-reinvention, we go there (but without the trauma spiral).

Inside, you’ll hear:

• How Wendy made a major career pivot—without burning it all down
• The power of “sparkle moments” to guide your next step
• Why burnout isn’t a badge…and what actually helps
• Real talk on identity shifts, ego, and giving yourself permission
• The behind-the-scenes of writing her book (and the next one it inspired)

This episode is a masterclass in evolving with intention—and letting joy lead. Wendy’s story is proof that reinvention isn’t always a crash; sometimes it’s a quiet course correction. And even in your most raw and real seasons, you don’t have to lose your shine.

Want to connect with Wendy Meadows? Head to wendysmeadows.com

Meet Megan Schwan: CEO of Sidekick Accounting, Profit First pro, and the woman who makes money feel less like a panic attack and more like a plan. After years of juggling motherhood, survival-mode decisions, and the pressure to “figure it out alone,” she built a system that helps founders take back control of their finances without shame or overwhelm.

This episode is a grounded, honest look at what really happens when you stop avoiding your numbers and start using them to build stability, confidence, and freedom.

We go deep into:

• Why founders avoid their finances (and what actually changes that)
• The Profit First mindset and how it instantly reduces money stress
• Weekly money habits that make your business feel safer to run
• How to stop overspending on subscriptions and “shiny object” tools
• Pricing with intention instead of guessing your value
• The five bank accounts that create instant clarity
• How to stabilise cashflow when income is inconsistent
• Why your numbers tell the truth long before your gut does
• How remote teams thrive when culture is intentional, not accidental
• The moment money stops being scary and starts feeling empowering

From surviving to strategising, Megan’s approach is a reminder that financial confidence is built—not gifted.

This one’s for the women who want their business to feel solid, not shaky.

Ready to take the fear out of your finances? Tap play.

Love the episode? Share it with a woman who deserves financial clarity. And hit follow so you never miss a conversation built for brave women in business.

What if success isn’t about striving—but surrendering?

Meet Barbara Burgess: former COO, future CEO-to-be, and soul-stirred founder of Corluma. After 20 years of high-level corporate leadership, her turning point showed up in the most unlikely place—a calendar entry and a coffee shop.

This episode is a bold reckoning with the moment she said a full-body NO to the life she’d built and walked into the unknown, audaciously trusting something else was calling.

We go deep into:

✨ Why a sidewalk chalk moment with a stranger changed her life

✨ How to tell if your “success” is actually just fear in lipstick

✨ What happens when we stop forcing value and start following joy

✨ Why your next business pivot doesn’t need permission

✨ Two definitions of “not enough”—and which one is quietly running your life

From executive boardrooms to soul-led entrepreneurship, Barbara’s journey is a reminder that evolution might be messy—but it’s holy.

This one’s for the women who’ve done everything “right” and are still asking, “but is this it?”

Ready to un-define yourself? Tap play.

Love what you heard? Forward this to a woman building brave. And be sure to hit follow so you never miss a reckoning.