The startup landscape is dominated largely by white men. So when women and minorities try to acquire funding for a new venture, they often face criticism. One Asian-American woman defied the odds to execute an innovative and passionate vision.

After noticing her feet changing shape and growing bunions from traditional footwear, Maeve Wang struggled to find specialty shoes to support her feet. What began as a mission to develop an accurate size-prediction tool for footwear blossomed into technology-driven shoes that conform to consumers’ feet. Yet this journey was met with judgment about Maeve’s identity as a minority entrepreneur, leading her to doubt her capabilities. Through mentorship, encouragement, and a supportive team, Maeve launched substantial ideas with conviction.

On today’s episode of the Lead Like a Woman Show, Andrea Heuston welcomes Maeve Wang, the Co-founder and CEO of IAMBIC, to discuss her mission-driven journey. Maeve shares how she fuses art and science to revolutionize traditional shoe manufacturing, the origin story behind one of IAMBIC’s most notable inventions, and how to build a passionate and collaborative team.

Research shows that up to 20% of the world is highly sensitive, meaning some people’s nervous systems process stimulation at higher degrees. This can lead to burnout and the false belief that highly sensitive people can’t excel in leadership positions. How can you recognize and harness your strengths to amplify your impact?

After burning out during the first 10 years of entrepreneurship, highly sensitive coach Heather Dominick discovered her sensitivities and strengths. Particularly sensitive individuals are intuitive, empathetic, and exceptional listeners, making them supportive leaders. Yet many of these professionals become discouraged by the mere possibility of feeling overwhelmed, so Heather recommends remaining proactive and conserving energy during these periods. This allows you to leverage your strengths to serve your business, relationships, and community.

In this episode of the Lead Like a Woman Show, Andrea Heuston welcomes Heather Dominick, the Founder and CEO of A Course in Business Miracles, to discuss highly sensitive leadership. Heather shares her journey as a highly sensitive entrepreneur, the degrees of high sensitivity, and why you should follow your intuition.

Childhood trauma and experiences become embedded in the subconscious mind, dictating relationships and work styles. This belief is known as the attachment theory, which focuses on emotional connections formed in early childhood. What are the various attachment styles, and how can you identify and heal them?

Professional counselor, teacher, and theoretical researcher Thais Gibson has discovered four main attachment styles. The securely attached style is characterized by healthy emotional expression and balanced relationships, whereas anxious, preoccupied individuals experienced inconsistent emotional attention in their formative years, leading to people-pleasing tendencies and poor boundaries in adulthood. Similarly, dismissive and fearful-avoidant people internalize volatility and struggle with workplace communication and relationships. Reconciling these styles involves subconscious reprogramming through repetition and memory.

In this episode of the Lead Like a Woman Show, Andrea Heuston invites Thais Gibson, the Founder of The Personal Development School, to speak about attachment styles in the workplace. Thais talks about her research on attachment theory, how to recondition the subconscious mind, and her impetus for founding The Personal Development School.

Every high-reaching leader has a personal growth story. Whether originating from trauma or accomplishments, these anecdotes facilitate meaningful connections. Learn about the impact of community on personal and professional development from an esteemed mental health expert.

According to therapist Emily Drake, the most effective way of discovering your identity is through connection and community. These facilitation groups should include a humanitarian leader who can make decisions and support and appreciate other members. However, leaders need support too, so Emily says to cultivate relationships with other high-achieving women and diverse individuals to advocate for you and help you attain your next endeavor.

In today’s installment of the Lead Like a Woman Show, Andrea Heuston welcomes her guest Emily Drake, the CEO of The Collective Academy, to discuss discovering yourself through high-achieving leadership and support. Emily shares the importance of honesty and self-acceptance, how she establishes personal development programs, and why she decided to interview her mother on her podcast.