Why do so many women immediately question themselves the moment they set a boundary, speak directly, or stop over-explaining? In this unfiltered and unhinged episode, Nicole Kalil digs into the exhausting mental spiral behind asking “Am I being a bitch?” — and why that question might actually be proof that women have been conditioned to prioritize likability over self-respect.

Nicole unpacks the difference between being cruel and simply refusing to shrink yourself to make other people comfortable. From boundary-setting and ambition to people-pleasing and over-functioning, this episode challenges the outdated expectation that women must always be agreeable, accommodating, and “nice.”

In This Episode, Nicole Talks About:

• Why women disproportionately question whether they’re “too much”

• The difference between being powerful and being unkind

• How guilt shows up when women stop over-giving

• Why boundaries trigger discomfort — and why that’s not your problem

• The danger of outsourcing self-worth to other people’s opinions

• How to stop confusing honesty with cruelty

• Better questions to ask instead of “Am I being a bitch?”

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Connect with Nicole:

Subscribe to Nicole’s Substack: https://nicolekalil.substack.com/ 

Related Podcast Episode:

• On Sabbaticals, Reinvention, and Getting Older | Unfiltered & Unhinged
• When a One-Star Review Means You’ve Officially Arrived | Unfiltered & Unhinged
• Am I Being a B**ch? (…or Just Finally in My Power) with Megan Walrod | 349

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Women are constantly told to trust their bodies… right up until their bodies start telling them something medicine can’t immediately explain.

In this powerful and deeply validating conversation, Nicole sits down with Amy Kurtz — certified health coach, patient advocate, speaker, and author of But You Look Fine: Trapped in the Hell Between Sick and Well and How to Break Free — to unpack the emotional aftermath of chronic illness, medical gaslighting, invisible symptoms, and the complicated grief that comes from losing trust in your own body.

Amy shares her experience navigating late-stage Lyme disease, seeing 36 doctors before getting answers, and what she calls “medical trauma brain” — the hypervigilance, anxiety, and identity loss that can remain long after physical symptoms improve. Together, Nicole and Amy explore why so many women feel dismissed in healthcare settings, how chronic illness reshapes relationships and self-trust, and why healing is about far more than just getting a diagnosis.

This episode is for every woman who has ever walked out of a doctor’s office feeling unheard, minimized, or crazy — and for every person who’s ever been told, “But you look fine.”

We explore:

• How chronic illness and invisible symptoms impact identity and self-trust

• The concept of “medical trauma brain” and illness after the illness

• Why healing isn’t linear — physically or emotionally

• Practical nervous system regulation tools for anxiety and hypervigilance

• How to support loved ones dealing with chronic illness or perimenopause

• The connection between women’s health, appearance, and societal expectations

• Why rebuilding agency over your body is essential to healing

This conversation is equal parts rage, relief, validation, and empowerment — the kind that makes you feel less alone and more equipped to trust yourself again.

Thank you to our sponsors!

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Connect with Amy:

Book: https://www.amazon.com/But-You-Look-Fine-Trapped-ebook/dp/B0FPC9TV2P    

Website: https://amykurtz.com/ 

IG: https://www.instagram.com/_amykurtz/ 

Publisher: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/amy-kurtz/but-you-look-fine/9781538775301/

Related Podcast Episodes

• The Biology Of Trauma - And How To Heal It with Dr. Aimie Apigian | 346
• Don’t Let Your Doctor Kill You: The New Hormone Solution with Dr. Erika Schwartz | 305
• ADHD in Women, Nervous System Regulation & Getting Out of Fight-or-Flight with Jenna Free | 396

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We call grocery workers “essential” — right up until it’s time to pay them. In this episode, Nicole sits down with journalist, activist, and author Ann Larson to unpack the hidden realities of low-wage labor, economic inequality, and the corporate systems keeping millions of workers struggling to survive.

Drawing from her experience working as a grocery store cashier during the pandemic, Ann shares what most consumers never see: workers skipping meals, elderly employees unable to retire, women wearing diapers behind registers because breaks are denied, and employees lacking basic healthcare while generating billions for major corporations.

Ann Larson is a journalist and activist whose work on education debt and low-wage labor has appeared in The New Republic, The Nation, Fast Company, and The Chronicle of Higher Education. She’s the co-author of Can’t Pay Won’t Pay: The Case for Economic Disobedience and Debt Abolition and author of Clean Up on Aisle Five, a powerful look inside the realities of supermarket labor in America.

In this episode, Nicole and Ann discuss:

• Why there’s no such thing as “unskilled labor”

• The hidden emotional and technical skills required in grocery work

• How corporate consolidation impacts wages, communities, and poverty rates

• The connection between consumer spending and worker treatment

• Why unionization and antitrust laws matter more than most people realize

• How economic inequality affects all of us — not just low-wage workers

• What shoppers can do to support ethical labor practices

• Why voting with your dollars matters

Because if people working full-time jobs still can’t afford food, healthcare, or retirement, the system isn’t broken — it’s working exactly as designed. The question is whether we’re willing to keep funding it.

Thank you to our sponsors!

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Connect with Ann:

Book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Cleanup-on-Aisle-Five/Ann-Larson/9781668094501   

Website: https://annlarsonwrites.com/ 

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Fair Shake: Women And The Fight To Build A Just Economy with June Carbone | 246
• Holding It Together: Women As America's Safety Net with Jessica Calarco | 215
• Wages For Housework with Emily Callici | 325

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Pregnancy and childbirth have somehow become competitive sports — complete with judgment, unsolicited opinions, internet “experts,” and enough mom guilt to last a lifetime before the baby even arrives.

In this episode, Nicole sits down with labor and delivery nurse, viral creator, and bestselling author Jen Hamilton to unpack the unrealistic expectations women face around birth, pain management, advocacy, and motherhood itself. Jen shares why rigid birth plans often set women up for disappointment, how “birth vibes” create space for empowerment and adaptability, and what every woman deserves to feel during labor: heard, respected, informed, and safe.

From epidurals and medical interventions to maternal mortality and grief after birth trauma, this conversation is equal parts practical, emotional, hilarious, and deeply validating.

In This Episode, We Explore:

• The difference between “birth plans” and “birth vibes”

• How flexibility and adaptability change the birth experience

• Why the “perfect birth story” is mostly a myth

• The truth about epidurals, pain medication, and mom guilt

• How to advocate for yourself when you feel unheard or dismissed

• Why women of color face higher risks in maternal healthcare

• How support people can actually be supportive during labor

• The importance of feeling respected and emotionally safe during birth

• What closure and healing can look like after a traumatic birth experience

• Why giving yourself grace matters more than getting everything “right”

A reminder that birth, motherhood, and life rarely go according to plan. Empowerment isn’t about perfection or control — it’s about trusting yourself, adapting when things change, and giving yourself grace when things get messy. 

Thank you to our sponsors!

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Connect with Jen:

Book: https://www.jenhamilton.co/birthvibes 

Website: www.jenhamilton.co 

IG: https://www.instagram.com/_jen_hamilton_/?hl=en 

FB: https://www.facebook.com/jenhamiltonfacebook/ 

Substack: https://jenhamiltonsub.substack.com/ 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/jenhamilton 

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Fertility Myths, IVF & the Pressure Women Carry with Dr. Lucky Sekhon  | 415
• A Terrible Strength: How Medical Bias Is Costing Women Their Lives with Dr. Kemi Doll | 408
• Endometriosis & Women's Health with Somer Baburek | 238

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One of the most loaded, misunderstood, fear-filled topics women face is fertility. Because apparently we’ve all been sold two completely conflicting messages at the exact same time:

“You have plenty of time.” AND “Your eggs are basically turning to dust after 35.”

Super helpful.

In this episode, Nicole sits down with Dr. Lucky Sekhon — double board-certified reproductive endocrinologist, fertility specialist, and author of The Lucky Egg — to separate actual science from internet nonsense, fearmongering, and wellness-industry garbage.

This conversation is honest, nuanced, and deeply needed. Because fertility is not a morality test, a personal failure, or something you can hack with enough supplements and a promo code.

In This Episode, We Explore:

• The biggest fertility myths women are still being told

• Why fertility is not a “cliff” — and what actually happens with age

• The truth about egg quality, IVF, and “advanced maternal age”

• Why so many women feel blindsided when trying to get pregnant

• The dangerous rise of fertility misinformation on social media

• What actually matters for fertility health (and what absolutely doesn’t)

• The role of insulin resistance, sleep, exercise, and nutrition in fertility

• Which supplements may help — and which are mostly expensive hope

• Why infertility is NOT just a woman’s issue

• The male fertility conversation we should’ve been having all along

• How to advocate for yourself without spiraling into fear

Because you deserve facts, options, and support — not shame, blame, or another influencer trying to sell you something.

Thank you to our sponsors!

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Connect with Dr. Lucky:

Book: The Lucky Egg: https://static.macmillan.com/static/smp/lucky-egg-9781250408716/   

Website: https://theluckyegg.com/about-me/ 

IG: https://www.instagram.com/lucky.sekhon/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drluckyegg 

Related Podcast Episodes:

• A Terrible Strength: How Medical Bias Is Costing Women Their Lives with Dr. Kemi Doll | 408
• 152 / The Necessity Of Choice with Jacqueline Ayers
• Endometriosis & Women's Health with Somer Baburek | 238

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Let’s cut the crap: this isn’t just about screen time. It’s about attention—yours, your kids’, and who (or what) is stealing it.

In this brutally honest (and slightly uncomfortable) conversation, Nicole sits down with Catherine Price—award-winning journalist, author of How to Break Up with Your Phone, and co-author of The Amazing Generation—to unpack what screens are actually doing to our brains, our kids, and our relationships.

We’re talking about:

• Why “screen time” is the wrong conversation—and what you should be focusing on instead

• How constant scrolling is literally rewiring attention spans (for you and your kids)

• The real cost of distraction: missed memories, weaker relationships, and a life half-lived

• Why your kids don’t need another app—they need your actual presence

• The difference between useful tech and attention-sucking garbage

• How to delay smartphones and social media without turning your house into a war zone

• What kids really notice about your phone habits (hint: everything)

• Practical ways to reset boundaries—even if you feel like you’ve already screwed it up

This episode isn’t about perfection. It’s about awareness, intention, and making better choices—starting now.

Because every time you pick up your phone, you’re choosing what (and who) gets your attention.

Thank you to our sponsors!

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Connect with Catherine:

Substack: https://substack.com/@catherineprice 

Website: https://catherineprice.com/ 

Book: The Amazing Generation, co-authored with Jonathan Haidt. https://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Generation-Guide-Freedom-Screen-Filled/dp/B0F87C5F9G  

Book: How to Break Up With Your Phone https://www.amazon.com/How-Break-Up-Your-Phone/dp/039958112X  

IG: https://www.instagram.com/catherinepriceofficial/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@catherinepriceofficial 

LI: http://linkedin.com/in/catherinepriceofficial 

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• How To Listen with Emily Kasriel | 321

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Let’s get one thing straight: this isn’t another “just drink less” conversation. Because if it were that simple, you would’ve solved it already.

In this raw, honest, and slightly uncomfortable episode, Nicole sits down with intuitive drinking coach Colleen Freeland—host of the It’s Not About the Alcohol podcast and a former high-functioning overdrinker herself—to unpack what’s really behind overdrinking, especially for high-achieving women who “have it all together”… on paper. 

It’s not about willpower. It’s not about discipline. And it’s definitely not just about alcohol.

It’s about what you’re trying to escape.

Colleen breaks down why alcohol is often just the symptom—not the problem—and how coping mechanisms like perfectionism, overworking, and even “healthy habits” can be just as numbing if we don’t address the root cause.

What We Talk About:

• Why alcohol isn’t the problem—it’s the signal

• The real reason high-achieving women overdrink (hint: it’s not lack of discipline)

• Why removing alcohol doesn’t fix the issue—it just replaces it

• Nervous system regulation: the skill no one taught you (but you desperately need)

• How to rebuild self-trust after patterns you’re not proud of

• Why feeling better starts with admitting you don’t feel okay

This conversation flips the script on everything we’ve been taught about drinking, self-control, and “fixing” ourselves.

Because the goal may not be to eliminate the coping mechanism… maybe the goal is to build a life you don’t constantly need to escape from.

Thank you to our sponsors!

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Connect with Colleen:

Website: https://www.emotionalsobrietycoaching.com/ 

IG: https://www.instagram.com/thehangoverwhisperer/

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hangoverwhisperer 

Podcast: https://www.emotionalsobrietycoaching.com/podcast 

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• How Our Dysregulated Nervous Systems Are Impacting Us with Victoria Albina | 244
• Sober Curious with Amanda Kuda | 270

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This episode breaks down why overdrinking isn’t about alcohol—it’s about emotional regulation, stress, and self-connection, giving high-achieving women a smarter, deeper way to change their habits for good. 

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We talk a lot about burnout, overwhelm, and productivity — but not nearly enough about the invisible mental gymnastics happening behind the scenes. The remembering, anticipating, overthinking, emotional labor, and “just handling it” that so many women carry every single day. Not just at home, but at work too.

In this episode, Nicole sits down with Dr. Liane Davey — known as the Teamwork Doctor — to unpack the concept of “thought load” and why high-achieving women are especially vulnerable to carrying way too much of it. Liane is a New York Times bestselling author, leadership advisor to Fortune 500 companies, and author of the book Thought Load: Manage the Madness and Free Your Team to Do Great Work.

Together, they explore how over-functioning gets rewarded in workplaces, why busyness and productivity can become traps, and how to stop becoming everyone else’s emotional support system and human reminder app.

In This Episode, We Explore:

• What “thought load” actually is — and why it’s draining women at work

• Why high-achieving women often become the default problem-solvers for everyone else

• The difference between being busy, productive, and actually impactful

• How to determine what truly matters instead of trying to do everything

• Why managing attention matters more than managing time

• How to stop becoming the go-to person for everyone’s problems

• Boundary-setting strategies that don’t require becoming cold or unavailable

• Why letting go is necessary if you want to grow into leadership

Because the higher you want to climb, the more willing you have to be to let go of the roles, responsibilities, and expectations that are keeping you stuck.

Thank you to our sponsors!

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Families are better when they’re working together… go to myskylight.com/WOMANSWORK for $30 off your Skylight Calendar.

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Connect with Liane:

Website: https://lianedavey.com/ 

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Thoughtload-Manage-Madness-Free-Great/dp/1774586517

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lianedavey/ 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/drlianedavey 

IG: https://www.instagram.com/lianedavey 

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• How To Tame Your Inner Critic (Without Gaslighting Yourself) with Megan Dalla-Camina | 354
• VI4P - Head Trash and Giving Grace on the Journey (Chapter 7)
• Holding It Together: Women As America's Safety Net with Jessica Calarco | 215

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Somewhere along the way, most of us got completely bamboozled about what doing “great work” actually means.

It became about titles, applause, LinkedIn optics, and chasing gold stars from people who don’t even know us. Meanwhile, the work that actually lights us up? The stuff that feels like us? Yeah… that got buried under obligation, expectation, and a never-ending to-do list.

In this episode, Nicole sits down with Dr. Amanda Crowell — cognitive psychologist, TEDx speaker, and author of Great Work — to unpack why so many women are stuck doing work that looks good on paper but feels like absolute garbage in real life… and how to get back to work that actually matters.

We get into:

• What “great work” actually means (hint: it has NOTHING to do with external validation)

• How to identify the difference between true desire vs. insecurity-driven comparison

• Why your biggest clues might come from… jealousy 

• The concept of identity saboteurs — and how they keep you playing small

• Why women especially struggle with choosing themselves (hello, conditioning)

• Why your great work doesn’t have to be big, public, or profitable to matter

• And how to finally stop waiting for the “right time” and start doing the damn thing

Because here’s the truth: The only way to know if it’s your great work… is to actually do it.

Thank you to our sponsors!

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Become a Fora Advisor today at Foratravel.com/woman 

Connect with Amanda:

Website: https://www.amandacrowell.com/ 

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Great-Work-2nd-Sacrificing-Everything/dp/B0F8QK73WK/ref 

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-amanda-crowell-51188130/ 

TedEx: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWp87GXDvEk 

Related Podcast Episodes:

• All The Ways We Get In Our Own Way with Thais Gibson | 235
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• Your Brain Is a Filthy Liar with Bizzie Gold | 361
  

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What happens when a woman who’s spent her entire life optimizing, producing, planning, and performing… decides to stop?

In this unfiltered solo episode, Nicole Kalil shares the real reason behind her 3-month sabbatical across Europe — and it’s about a whole lot more than travel.

Nicole opens up about the fear of untethering from productivity, the discomfort of rest, aging as a woman, solo dining anxiety, motherhood, identity, and what it means to leave behind the familiar long enough to uncover who you’re becoming next.

Because maybe the things that scare and excite us at the exact same time are the very things pointing us toward the life we actually want.

In This Episode, Nicole Talks About:

• Why she’s taking an 11-week sabbatical through Europe

• Turning 50 and why aging feels liberating instead of limiting

• The pressure women face to stay small, young, and polished

• Why slowing down can feel terrifying

• The power of doing something “impractical” anyway

• Rediscovering yourself by leaving the familiar behind

• What envy and jealousy might actually be trying to tell you

Thank you to our sponsors!

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Families are better when they’re working together… go to myskylight.com/WOMANSWORK for $30 off your Skylight Calendar.

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Connect with Nicole:

Subscribe to Nicole’s Substack: https://nicolekalil.substack.com/ 

Related Podcast Episode:

• When a One-Star Review Means You’ve Officially Arrived | Unfiltered & Unhinged
• How To Take A Sabbatical with Katrina McGhee | 336

• Solo Adventures: A Guide for Women Travelers with Megan Grant | 265 

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Let’s get one thing straight: women are not bad at negotiating. They’re doing it just as often—if not more—but getting worse outcomes. So no, the wage gap isn’t because women just need to “ask better.” That’s lazy advice… and frankly, bullshit.

In this episode, negotiation expert Attia Qureshi—founder of Atiya Qureshi Consulting, co-author of Never Settle, and trained in FBI-informed negotiation strategies—breaks down the uncomfortable truth: women are playing a game that wasn’t designed for them to win the same way men do. Same words, same ask… wildly different outcomes. And she’s not here with fluff—she’s here with strategies that actually work. 

Because here’s the deal: opting out of negotiation doesn’t protect you—it guarantees you get less.

What We Cover:

• Why women are negotiating just as much—but still losing

• The double bind: too nice = weak, too assertive = “difficult”

• The internal negotiation happening in your own head

• Why relationships matter more than you think (yes, it’s annoying, but it’s real)

• How to use data as your secret weapon without triggering defensiveness

• The “we strategy” that helps women get better outcomes (even if it feels unfair)

• Why over-preparing can actually screw you over

• How to handle rejection and turn a “no” into a “not yet”

At the end of the day, negotiation isn’t about becoming someone you’re not. It’s about learning how to advocate for yourself in a system that doesn’t always reward you for it—and doing it anyway. Because you don’t get what you deserve. You get what you’re willing to ask for—and hold your ground on.

Thank you to our sponsors!

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Families are better when they’re working together… go to myskylight.com/WOMANSWORK for $30 off your Skylight Calendar.

Become a Fora Advisor today at Foratravel.com/woman 

Connect with Attia:

Website: https://www.attiaqureshi.com 

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Never-Settle-Persuasion-Negotiation-Skills/dp/1668070375 

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/attiaq/ 

IG: https://www.instagram.com/attiaq/ 

Substack: https://substack.com/@attiaqureshi 

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• The 3 N’s - Negotiation, Networking & No with Kathryn Valentine | 327
• Be A Likeable Badass with Alison Fragale | 230
• 162 / Compensation Myths with Kelli Thompson

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