Today’s episode is a powerful reminder that leadership doesn’t always look like a title, a stage, or a strategy.

Sometimes, it looks like choosing kindness in a cramped airplane seat.
Sometimes, it looks like crying on the internet.
And sometimes, it looks like being gentle with yourself — and letting that be enough.

My guest today is Vanessa Confessore — a brand marketing and experiential leader by day, and a deeply human storyteller by life. Vanessa has spent over 20 years designing unforgettable brand experiences and global activations, while also navigating motherhood, partnership, recovery, and the invisible mental load so many women carry.

She’s also the creator behind Sober Spouse on TikTok, a space she never intended to grow — but one that became a lifeline for people seeking honesty, hope, and real connection around recovery and relationships.

In this conversation, Vanessa shares how leaning into authenticity on platforms like LinkedIn and TikTok transformed her personal brand — not through polish or performance, but through vulnerability, kindness, and truth. What emerged wasn’t just engagement — it was community.

Together, Yo and Vanessa explore:🌟

✨ Why the Most Powerful Personal Brands Are Human Ones
How Vanessa committed to showing up consistently online — and discovered that authenticity, not perfection, is what people are truly craving.

✨ Living Alongside Recovery
What it means to be a partner to someone in recovery, and how empathy, tools, and compassion shape everyday leadership at home and beyond.

✨ The Airplane Story That Sparked a Movement
Vanessa shares the vulnerable moment that led to her viral LinkedIn post — a painful encounter on a flight that became a call for kindness, humanity, and perspective.

✨ Kindness as a Leadership Practice
Why choosing compassion — even when it’s hard — creates connection, diffuses harm, and builds trust in ways no strategy ever could.

✨ The Ripple Effect
How small, seemingly insignificant acts — a smile, a compliment, a moment of grace — can create waves of impact far beyond what we see.

✨ AI, Community, and Lightening the Mental Load
How Vanessa co-created AI Moms™ to help exhausted moms reclaim time, space, and energy — and why human connection still matters most in a digital world.

✨ Friendship as Self-Care
Why long-standing friendships become sacred anchors through life’s hardest seasons — and why being known without performance is a form of healing.

✨ Less Pressure, More Joy
Vanessa’s intention for the year ahead — letting go of performative happiness and choosing quiet, everyday joy that multiplies outward.

Memorable Quotes

“When you feel good, you do good — and it multiplies.” – Vanessa Confessore

“Humans are craving connection. The more digital our world gets, the more important real connection becomes.” – Vanessa Confessore

“Friendships are the best form of self-care.” – Vanessa Confessore

“The plan doesn’t have to go exactly as planned to be beautiful.” – Vanessa Confessore

“You create the energy around you.” – Vanessa Confessore

💡 Vanessa’s Gentle Reminders

Not everything has to be polished.
Not everything has to be perfect.

If you’re thinking it — share it.
If you’re feeling it — honor it.

It takes one moment to create connection. And sometimes, that moment changes everything.

💌 Connect with Vanessa

@soberspouse on tiktok or Vanessa Confessore on linkedin

Her article in the NY Post

💌 Connect with Yo & Girl, Take the Lead!

🎧 Listen on YouTube & wherever you listen or view your podcasts
💬 Join the Girl, Take the Lead! Facebook Group for deeper conversations
🛍 Visit 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 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)
  💬 Join the Girl, Take the Lead! Facebook Group for deeper conversations
  🛍 Visit the Heartfelt Card & Gift Shop
  🔗 Connect on LinkedIn | Instagram

  
  

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

Today’s guest is Michelle Hensley — founder of Nifty Package Co., creator of the gig app FeteTango, mother of three, grandmother of nine, and a woman who rebuilt her entire life after losing her husband to metastatic melanoma.

At 51, Michelle found herself navigating profound grief, financial uncertainty, and a complete identity shift. What began as a small spark — “Could I work when I want instead of when I have to?” — evolved into a thriving mobile gift wrapping business serving everyday families, luxury brands, celebrities, and even a presidential administration.

This is a story of resilience, reinvention, and the courage to begin again — with creativity leading the way.

Together, Yo and Michelle explore:

🎁 How Michelle rebuilt her life after lossFrom pastor’s wife and nonprofit founder to entrepreneur learning cost of goods, pricing, networking, and profit — one brave step at a time.

🎀 Why gift wrapping is a timeless artAnd how a 3:45 a.m. idea and an underused van sparked a whole new business model.

🚐 The rise of the mobile gift wrapping movementIncluding the early client who hated wrapping gifts, the celebrity referrals, and the moment Michelle realized she was truly a business owner.

✨ Creating income opportunities for women 50+Why Michelle believes flexible, creative work is a powerful path to financial dignity and freedom.

📊 Business lessons Michelle learned the hard wayPricing for profit, investing in quality, and vetting team members — with honesty and humor.

📱 Introducing FeteTangoMichelle’s new gig app for creatives offering services like wrapping, decorating, porch pumpkins, cookie baking, and more — all with lower fees so women keep more of what they earn.

🕯️ Her message to widows and women starting overGrief has no timeline. Identity must be rebuilt slowly. And new beginnings are possible — even when you have no idea what comes next.

💬 Her advice to her 20-something selfFind a mentor. Listen to people who’ve lived more life. Be less judgmental. And soften your words, especially toward yourself.

🧭 Memorable Quotes

“Sometimes you don’t know your idea is good — you just take the next step and it leads you somewhere new.” – Michelle

“Women are incredibly resourceful. What scares us most is not that we can’t do it — but that we don’t know it yet.” – Michelle

“I’ve been in the wilderness so many times I can give tours. Mistakes are part of the process.” – Michelle

“You don’t have to care what everyone thinks — listen to yourself and take the next step.” – Yo & Michelle

✨ Connect with Michelle Hensley

Website & Coaching: michellemhensley.comFree Book & Downloadables: available on her siteGift Wrapping Business: Nifty Package Co.Facebook Group: Unwrapping Your Life and BusinessYouTube: Mobile Gift Wrapping CoachGig App for Creatives: FeteTango.comMasterclass: michellemhensley.com/masterclass-registrationEmail: Michelle@niftypackage.co

💌 Connect with Yo & Girl, Take the Lead!
Listen on YouTube & SpotifyJoin the GTTL Facebook GroupExplore the Heartfelt Card & Gift ShopFind Yo on LinkedIn & Instagram

Because reinvention doesn’t ask whether you’re ready — it invites you to trust yourself, take the next step, and begin wrapping a new life with courage and creativity. 💖