How many opportunities have you let pass because you were waiting to be noticed, chosen, or invited? In this episode of the Be S.H.E. Podcast, Heidi Schalk sits down with Janet Heins, Chief Information Security Officer at ChenMed and author of Go Ahead, Ask for It: Make Your Value Undeniable, to talk about what becomes possible when women stop waiting and start asking.

Janet has risen through the male dominated world of cybersecurity and held leadership roles at Biogen, W.L. Gore, Royal Caribbean, iHeartMedia, and Merck, often by asking for roles she had never done before. She opens up about the moment a male colleague dismissed her proactive leadership as self serving, and how she chose to keep showing up anyway, this time making her intentions clear so no one else could define them for her. Together, Janet and Heidi unpack the fear of being judged, the pull to please everyone, and why being seen and heard is an act of service, not vanity.

You’ll hear how Janet made her very first big ask, how to frame a request around the value you bring so your voice carries weight, and why a no is never the end of the story but a source of information that helps you grow. She also shares the simple reframe that helps her step into the unknown with confidence: discomfort just means there’s more to learn.

This conversation is your permission slip to stop shrinking, own your value, and ask for what you want. Find Go Ahead, Ask for It on Amazon in ebook, audiobook, and paperback, with hardcover coming soon

To connect with our guest, click on the links below:

Website: https://www.janetheins.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janetheins/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janet.heins/

Connect with me:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heidischalkcoaching

FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/femaleentrepreneursandleaders

Spotlight to Scale: https://www.spotlighttoscale.com/blueprint

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidischalkcoaching/

Ready to grow your biz: https://calendly.com/hlhgrowthsolutions/30minconnectcall