This Is Woman's Work with Nicole Kalil

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!

Visit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free!

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 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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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!

Visit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free!

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 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 

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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!

Visit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free!

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 Nicole:

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

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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!

Visit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free!

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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Leadership is supposed to be a privilege… so why does it feel like a slow burn to the ground?

In this raw, unfiltered continuation of the leadership mental health conversation, Nicole Kalil sits down again with organizational psychologist and workplace mental health expert Melissa Doman to unpack what’s really happening behind the scenes of leadership today — and why the good ones are dangerously close to walking away.

Because here’s the truth no one wants to admit: we expect leaders to be everything — strong, empathetic, decisive, available, perfect — with no room for human error. And then we wonder why burnout is skyrocketing and leadership pipelines are drying up.

This episode goes beyond surface-level advice and into the uncomfortable reality:


Leaders are human (shocking, we know)


Unrealistic expectations are breaking them


And we all play a role in either making it better… or making it worse

Melissa brings both expertise and real talk to the table — from leadership archetypes (hello, frustrated martyr) to the “sea otter” model of healthy leadership (yes, it’s a thing and yes, you want it). Together, they challenge the outdated narratives, call out toxic expectations, and offer a radically simple starting point: act like leaders are people.

Because if we don’t figure this out? The good leaders won’t stay. And what’s left… is not a future anyone wants.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Visit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free!

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 Melissa:

Website:https://www.melissadoman.com/

Book:https://www.amazon.com/Cornered-Office-Leadership-Mental-Health/dp/139435035X 

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

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissadoman1/

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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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