Welcome back to Girl, Take the Lead! — the podcast where we reimagine leadership, challenge the status quo around aging, and share the conversations that help us break cycles, find our voice, and lead our lives with intention.

Money is one of the most powerful — and most misunderstood — tools in our lives.
And for many women, it’s also one of the most stressful.

In today’s episode, we slow the conversation down and take the fear out of finances — replacing it with clarity, confidence, and choice.

Our guest, Tiffany Irving, is a Senior Vice President and Wealth Advisor at Mesirow Wealth Management with more than 25 years of experience working with high-net-worth individuals, families, and nonprofit organizations. She’s also a proud mom of three and a fierce advocate for educating and empowering women and girls around money.

Tiffany’s journey into finance was shaped early — growing up with a single mom, watching financial stress up close, and quietly deciding that independence and stability would matter deeply in her own life. That lived experience now fuels her passion for helping women understand money not as something to fear — but as a tool to support the lives they want to build.

In this grounded and empowering conversation, Yo and Tiffany explore what it really means to build financial confidence — intentionally.

✨ In This Episode, We Explore:

✨ From Silence to Strategy

✨ Money as a Tool, Not a Test

✨ Financial Confidence Across Generations

✨ Partnership and the Money Conversation

✨ The Myth of “I’m Not Wealthy Enough”

✨ Why Written Plans Matter

✨ Choosing an Advisor (and Asking the Right Questions)

✨ What She’d Tell Her 20-Something Self

🌟 Memorable Quotes

Be bolder. Be more confident. Don’t fear failure — because growth lives on the other side of it.

“Money is stressful — even for financial professionals. That’s why learning how to use it as a tool matters.” — Tiffany Irving

“Financial confidence comes from clarity, communication, and knowing what you own and why.” — Tiffany Irving

“If you set a goal and do nothing to get there, that’s just a wish.” — Tiffany Irving

“Failure isn’t the worst thing that can happen. It’s how we learn and grow.” — Tiffany Irving

“There are no dumb questions. If you’ve never been exposed to it, how would you know?” — Tiffany Irving

🎯 Tiffany’s Intention for This Conversation

To promote financial empowerment and education for women — and to help more women feel confident engaging in money conversations, making intentional choices, and using available resources to support their goals.

🔗 Connect with Tiffany

• LinkedIn: Search Tiffany Irving

• Website: www.mesirow.com

• • Tiffany welcomes introductory conversations and questions — no matter where you’re starting from.

  
  

  💌 Connect with Yo & Girl, Take the Lead!

• 🎧 Listen on YouTube & Spotify (or wherever you listen or view your podcasts)
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Welcome back to Girl, Take the Lead! — the podcast where we explore stories of reinvention, resilience, and the courage it takes to lead lives that break old cycles and create new possibilities.

To kick off 2026, today’s guest brings heart, grit, and a fresh perspective on what true leadership looks like.

Meet Erin Krueger — top-ranked Nashville realtor, nationally recognized expert, bestselling author of Capture the Culture, and a woman whose leadership journey began long before she built one of the most successful all-female real estate teams in the country. Her team has sold more than $2 billion in real estate to date, with nearly $225 million in 2024 alone — but it’s her authenticity, intentionality, and heart-centered leadership that stand out most.

Erin joins Yo for a candid conversation about building culture (at home, in business, and within ourselves), navigating adversity, choosing who we want to become, and leading with humanity in an era of rapid change.

Whether you’re entering 2026 with big goals, seeking a healthier work culture, or looking to lead in a more intentional way, this episode is filled with wisdom and tools to help you design the life and leadership path you want.

🌟 In This Episode, Erin & Yo Explore:

💛 How childhood shapes leadership

🧭 Intentional leadership (and why it matters more than ever in 2026)

🫶 Culture as the heartbeat of a team

👁️ Authenticity over performance

🌱 Mentorship that changes everything

🛠️ Her hiring and DISC process

💎 "Some days are dirt, most days are diamonds"

🧡 Meaningful appreciation

🔄 Owning our mistakes

🌬 Ralph Waldo Emerson’s definition of success

👩‍🦰 What Erin would tell her 20-something self

You’ll learn:

• Why everyone needs a mentor

• How to become a mentor who empowers others

• The bittersweet truth that mentees will one day fly

🧭 Memorable Quotes

“Difficult days don’t define you. What you do with them does. Keep moving forward — better days are ahead.”

“Not every day is a good day — but most days are diamonds.” — Erin Krueger
“People want to be around leaders who look them in the eye, care, and tell the truth.” — Erin Krueger
“Mentors help you see the opportunities others would miss.” — Erin Krueger
“You can have a hustle culture that honors health, family, and joy.” — Erin Krueger
“Feedback is a gift — and what you do with it defines your leadership.” — Erin Krueger

✨ Key Takeaways for 2026

• Intentionality is your superpower. Paint the picture of what you want — then build toward it.

• Culture doesn’t happen by accident. It’s created through clarity, consistency, appreciation, and trust.

• Mentorship accelerates your growth. Find mentors who challenge your assumptions and expand your vision.

• Authenticity wins — every time. People can sense when you're real, and they respond with loyalty.

• You don’t have to do everything. Hire well, delegate, and let others rise.

• Feedback keeps culture alive. Leaders grow when they listen, adjust, and own their missteps.

• Grief, adversity, and hard days don’t define you. What you do with them does.

  
  

🌟 Connect with Erin Krueger

📚 Book: Capture the Culture
🌐 Website: https://capture-the-culture.com
✨ Free quizzes and leadership resources available
📧 Email: ek@erinkrueger.com
📸 Instagram: @capturetheculture_
🏠 Real Estate: The Erin Krueger Team (Instagram)

💌 Connect with Yo & Girl, Take the Lead!

🎙️ Listen on YouTube & Spotify
💬 Join the Girl, Take the Lead! Facebook Group
🛍 Explore the Heartfelt Card & Gift Shop
🔗 Connect on LinkedIn | Instagram

Welcome back to Girl, Take the Lead! — the podcast where we reimagine leadership, challenge the status quo around aging, and share the stories that help us break cycles, find our voice, and trust our own becoming.

Today’s episode is a stunning way to close out the year.

Our guest, Laura G. Patac, is an entrepreneur, author, poet, and former global corporate executive who has lived and worked in seven countries across five continents. After 25 years in sales, operations, and product leadership, she stepped into entrepreneurship — and the transition cracked open a profound identity crisis that reshaped her understanding of purpose, courage, and value.

Rather than hiding the cracks, Laura learned to honor them — and ultimately, to treat them the way the Japanese art of kintsugi treats broken pottery: not as flaws to conceal, but as golden seams that make us more whole, beautiful, and true.

Her journey — and her writing — will move you.

In this intimate and heartfelt conversation, Laura shares how storytelling, poetry, and reflection helped her rebuild a self beyond titles and corporate identity, and how she now empowers others to do the same through her books Stories with Purpose and her newest release, Whole Not Perfect.

Together, Yo and Laura explore:

✨ What Happens When Your Title Disappears

✨ The Five “Aha Moments” That Defined Her Leadership Journey

✨ Why No One Is Coming to Save You

✨ Storytelling as a Tool for Reinvention

✨The Kintsugi Metaphor

✨ Moving From Insight to Intention

✨ Redefining Success After Corporate Life

✨ What She Would Tell Her 20-Something Self

🌟 Memorable Quotes

“Every person coming into your life is teaching you something.” – Laura G. Patac

“Nobody is coming to save you. You have to save yourself — and the answers are inward, not outward.” – Laura G. Patac

“Your cracks are not wounds. They are the golden lines that make you whole.” – Laura G. Patac

“I help people not just tell stories — but become a story.” – Laura G. Patac

“Purpose is what gets you out of bed in the morning. Values are how you move through the world.” – Yo & Laura

📚 Explore Laura’s Work

LinkedIn ⁠www.linkedin.com/in/laura-g-patac⁠

🎁 Free book: ⁠https://www.storiesholdpurpose.com/book⁠

📧 Contact: laura@empower-quest.com

📘 Books:
• Stories with Purpose: Your Story Has Purpose Too
• Whole Not Perfect — a powerful guide to embracing your strengths, cracks, and future story

💌 Connect with Yo & Girl, Take the Lead!

🔗 Connect on LinkedIn | Instagram

🎧 Listen on YouTube & Spotify

💬 Join the Girl, Take the Lead! Facebook Group

🛍 Visit the Heartfelt Card & Gift Shop