This Is Woman's Work with Nicole Kalil

For years, women have been told to just focus harder, get organized, use the planner, and stick to the system. But when those systems don’t work, the assumption is that we’re the problem.

In this episode of This Is Woman’s Work, Nicole Kalil sits down with ADHD counselor, author, and creator of the ADHD Regulation Method, Jenna Free, to challenge the idea that there’s a “right” way for our brains to function.

Jenna offers a different perspective: ADHD isn’t a defect — it’s a brain difference. And many of the struggles people associate with ADHD may actually come from something else entirely — chronic nervous system dysregulation and living in constant fight-or-flight mode.

In this conversation, Jenna breaks down why so many traditional productivity tools fail people with ADHD, how dysregulation fuels overwhelm and procrastination, and what it actually takes to create balance, focus, and sustainable productivity.

This conversation isn’t just for people with ADHD. It’s for anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed, stuck, behind, or convinced that they just need to try harder.

In this episode, we explore:


Why ADHD is considered a brain difference, not a disorder or failure


How chronic fight-or-flight dysregulation amplifies ADHD symptoms


Why rushing is one of the biggest signals of nervous system dysregulation


The difference between living in potential vs. reality (and why it matters)


The role of curiosity — instead of guilt and shame — in changing patterns


Why traditional productivity advice often backfires for ADHD brains


When medication can be helpful — and why it’s not a moral decision

If you’ve ever felt like your brain just doesn’t cooperate with the way the world expects you to work… this conversation might just change how you see yourself.

Thank you to our sponsors!

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Connect with Jenna:

Website: https://www.adhdwithjennafree.com/

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Guide-ADHD-Regulation-Enjoying/dp/1400254698 

IG: www.instagram.com/adhdwithjennafree

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@adhdwithjennafree

Related Podcast Episodes:

Stop Saying “I’m Fine”: Nervous System Regulation for High-Achieving Women with Michelle Grosser | 372

How To Listen When Your Parts Speak (IFS Therapy + Ancestral Wisdom) with Tamala Floyd | 376

How Our Dysregulated Nervous Systems Are Impacting Us with Victoria Albina | 244

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AI is officially in the workplace, on the group chat, and probably drafting someone’s “thought leadership” while they’re still in the shower. In this episode of This Is Woman’s Work, Nicole Kalil goes toe-to-toe with the thing that’s equal parts fascinating and mildly rage-inducing: AI and the future of work.

Enter Katie Fortunato, Co-Founder and EVP of Platform Innovation & Strategy at Hire Innovations, a global leader in human-centered AI talent technology. Together, they unpack how to use AI as a tool (not a personality), how to avoid “automation without accountability,” and why the future belongs to humans who can still think, judge, and lead—aka the “skills” no bot can fake convincingly for long.

In this episode, they get into:


Why AI feels like cheating… and when it actually is


The difference between using AI for productivity vs. outsourcing your identity


“Brand choices” (aka: how to lose audience trust in one easy AI avatar)


How to start using AI if it’s intimidating: repeat-task lists, tiny experiments, and momentum


Picking AI tools without spiraling: ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude—and why it’s like joining a gym


AI in hiring: what “responsible AI” actually looks like in talent tech


The uncomfortable truth: there is no 100% guarantee—so you need guardrails


Vendor trust, data privacy, compliance, and why downloading random tools at work is chaos behavior


Why protecting critical thinking is urgent—especially for kids (and honestly, adults too)


The core takeaway: let AI handle repetitive work so humans can double down on context, curiosity, judgment, and care

Wrap-up (because the point is the point): Nicole and Katie land on a clear line in the sand—AI can boost productivity, but it shouldn’t replace human thinking, discernment, or authenticity. The future of work won’t just be shaped by what AI can do; it’ll be shaped by what people choose to protect while using it.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Shopify has everything all in one place, making your life easier and your business operations smoother. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at shopify.com/tiww 

Connect with Katie:

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

     https://www.linkedin.com/company/talivitynetwork/

     https://www.linkedin.com/company/recruitics/

Jobstream (INVITE CODE FOR CREATORS & COMMUNITIES: FOUNDER) : https://bit.ly/48fneLK

Related Podcast Episodes:

Unmasking AI with Dr. Joy Buolamwini | 259

Digital Decluttering: How to Make Tech Your Assistant, Not Your Adversary with Amanda Jefferson | 312

023 / Branding YOU With Terri Lomax

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Let’s talk about the glow-up no one told you about: the one where you hit midlife and suddenly cannot be bothered with other people’s bullshit anymore.

Because somewhere between perimenopause, professional burnout, emotional labor overload, and decades of people-pleasing, something shifts. You stop cushioning your words. You stop managing everyone else’s feelings like it’s your unpaid side hustle. And when someone asks, “Are you okay?” the answer is, “Better than ever. I just ran out of estrogen—and tolerance.”

In this episode, Nicole sits down with licensed clinical therapist Ellen Scherr to unpack the neuroscience behind what she calls “aging out of f*cks.” Spoiler alert: this isn’t bitterness. It’s biology.

As estrogen declines in midlife, it impacts multiple neurochemical systems in the brain—systems tied to anxiety, people-pleasing, anger regulation, and emotional buffering. The “popular girl at the party” (aka estrogen) leaves… and suddenly the whole dynamic changes. What once felt like obligation starts to feel optional. What once felt terrifying starts to feel negotiable. And what once felt like “I should” becomes “Do I even want to?”

They dive into:


The neuroscience of perimenopause and menopause—and how hormonal changes impact confidence, risk-taking, and people-pleasing


Why women’s confidence actually increases with age (and can surpass men’s in their 60s)


The lifelong cost of emotional labor—and why it starts to break down in midlife


How negativity bias keeps women stuck in fear (and how to reframe it)


The difference between legitimate feedback and social punishment


Why so many women make bold career, relationship, and life changes in their 40s, 50s, and beyond


Whether it’s possible to “speed up” the process of caring less in your 20s and 30s

This isn’t about blowing up your life. It’s about understanding the neuroscience of midlife, reclaiming your authenticity, setting boundaries, and rewiring old people-pleasing patterns.

Aging out of f*cks isn’t decline—it’s development. It’s honesty over harmony. And if you’re suddenly “too much”? Good. You’re not here to be palatable. You’re here to be you.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Shopify has everything all in one place, making your life easier and your business operations smoother. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at shopify.com/tiww 

Connect with Ellen:

Website: www.lifebranches.com

Substack: https://substack.com/search/blog.lifebranches.com?utm_source=global-search 

Oprah Daily: https://substack.com/search/blog.lifebranches.com?utm_source=global-search 

Related Podcast Episodes:

The Stress Paradox: Why We Need Stress (and How to Make It Work for Us) with Dr. Sharon Horesh Bergquist | 294

How To Listen When Your Parts Speak (IFS Therapy + Ancestral Wisdom) with Tamala Floyd | 376

Am I Being a B**ch? (…or Just Finally in My Power) with Megan Walrod | 349

Share the Love:

If you found this episode insightful, please share it with a friend, tag us on social media, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform!

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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We love a good “never quit” mantra. Hustle. Grind. Push through. Stay committed.

But what if the bravest move isn’t doubling down… it’s pivoting?

In this episode of This Is Woman’s Work, Nicole Kalil sits down with Melissa Gonzalez — principal at MG2, shareholder at Collier’s Engineering and Design, founder of The Lioness Group, and author of The Purpose of Pivot: How Dynamic Leaders Put Vulnerability and Intuition into Action — to unpack one of the hardest leadership and life questions: How do you know when it’s time to pivot?

Because staying the course can be grit… or it can be self-betrayal.And pivoting can be courage… or it can be avoidance.

The line? Blurry as hell.

Together, they explore how to tell the difference between fear and intuition, discomfort and misalignment, commitment and stuckness — and how to make intentional, purpose-driven decisions without blowing up your entire life (unless you actually need to).

They explore:


The physical and emotional signs it’s time to pivot


How to run an “energy audit” to see what fuels vs. drains you


The difference between purposeful change and running away


Why clarity about your purpose makes decisions easier


How to stop letting other people’s opinions drive your choices

Because pivoting doesn’t require certainty. It requires discernment. And staying isn’t noble if it’s shrinking you. The goal isn’t to get it perfect. It’s to stay in relationship with yourself while you decide.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Shopify has everything all in one place, making your life easier and your business operations smoother. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at shopify.com/tiww 

Connect with Melissa:

Website: https://www.melissagonzalez.com/

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Purpose-Pivot-Dynamic-Vulnerability-Intuition/dp/1394329474 

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

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

Related Podcast Episodes:

129 / 4 Truths of Radiant Change with Kristen Lisanti

5-Steps To Making Big Decisions with Abby Davisson | 222 

How To Rewire Patterns That No Longer Serve You with Judy Wilkins-Smith | 323

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What happens when a woman refuses to follow the script she was handed?

In this episode of This Is Woman’s Work, Nicole Kalil sits down with award-winning journalist, bestselling author, and former Good Morning America co-host Joan Lunden to talk about reinvention, leadership, pay equity, aging, caregiving, and choosing yourself — again and again.

Joan was offered the co-host role at Good Morning America the same day she found out she was pregnant. In the 1970s. When working mothers were barely visible on television, and “breastfeeding” wasn’t even a word you could say on air. She brought her baby to work anyway.

Throughout her career, she negotiated creative compensation before pay equity was a mainstream conversation, pushed back on being labeled “second banana,” navigated public scrutiny, and later reinvented herself again — this time as a fierce advocate for women’s health, breast cancer awareness, dense breast legislation, and caregiver rights.

In this conversation, she shares:


How to reinvent yourself at every stage of life


What it takes to negotiate power in male-dominated spaces


The pressure of being the “perfect working mom”


How she handled media criticism and public expectations


Why sisterhood and strong women behind the scenes mattered most

Joan’s story is proof that reinvention isn’t a phase — it’s a practice. And ambition doesn’t expire just because culture says it should.

Choosing yourself isn’t one bold move. It’s a lifetime of them.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Shopify has everything all in one place, making your life easier and your business operations smoother. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at shopify.com/tiww 

Connect with Joan:

Website: https://joanlunden.com/

Book: https://www.amazon.com/JOAN-Beyond-Script-Joan-Lunden/dp/1637634927/ 

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

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

Related Podcast Episodes:

Reinventing Your Career (Again and Again) with Ilana Golan | 374

Your Value Doesn’t Expire: Career Reinvention Over 40 with Loren Greiff | 344

Big Trust Energy: How to Build Self-Trust When Self-Doubt Won’t Shut Up with Dr. Shadé Zahrai | 380

Share the Love:

If you found this episode insightful, please share it with a friend, tag us on social media, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform!

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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices