This week, Ivy Slater, host of Her Success Story, chats with her guest, Brittany Stevens. The two talk about Brittany's journey into employment discrimination law, the challenges of balancing a demanding legal career with motherhood, and the importance of workplace policies that support parents and caregivers.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How pregnancy discrimination is still rampant, bosses assuming moms-to-be will slack off, and why Brittany fights to shatter that, drawing from her own return from maternity leave (needing a private fridge, blinds, and pumping space).

• What drew her to the plaintiff side: a deep drive to help folks facing power imbalances at work, chasing internships and jobs that let her focus on real discrimination cases, fueled by her natural people-person vibe.

• When caregiving for aging or ill parents hits (like Brittany taking time for her mom's final days and doctor's visits), what protections exist, like leaves for loved ones, state-specific caregiver time off, and why HR chats early can make all the difference.

• Why, despite progress since the '70s, we're still miles from equity: post-COVID return-to-office mandates are pushing women out again due to childcare chaos, proving conversations about real accommodations and culture are non-negotiable.

• How to spot supportive workplaces before signing on: check policies on paid maternity/paternity, flexible leaves, and a vibe that won't punish you for using them without retaliation or getting passed over for promotions.

Brittany A. Stevens is a Partner at Phillips & Associates, PLLC, one of
the nation's premier plaintiff-side employment law firms. She focuses exclusively on representing employees who have experienced sexual harassment, discrimination, or retaliation in the workplace. Known for her strategic legal mind and compassionate client advocacy, Brittany empowers clients during some of the most vulnerable moments in their professional lives. She represents women from across industries— especially those in executive support roles—and works tirelessly to hold employers accountable.

At the heart of Brittany's practice is a deep belief in justice, respect, and protection for those with less power in the workplace. She's
been featured in media, published legal articles, and leads with a communication style that is clear, empathetic, and action-oriented. Whether fighting for a settlement or guiding a client through the legal systems, Brittany ensures every voice is heard—and every violation addressed.

Website:

https://www.newyorkcitydiscriminationlawyer.com/

Social Media Links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittany-stevens-alper-4895911a/

https://x.com/Phillips_Assoc_

https://www.facebook.com/PhillipsandAssociatesAttorneysatLaw/

https://www.instagram.com/phillips_and_associates

https://www.youtube.com/@phillipsassociates9558

This week, Ivy Slater, host of Her Success Story, chats with her guest, Lulu Essey. The two talk about building a successful global creative career while navigating bipolar disorder, the power of true self-love as a foundation for resilience, and how Lulu helps ambitious professionals achieve meaningful, sustainable success through her coaching and podcast.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How Lulu built a 30-year global creative career, from theater and television in South Africa to experiential marketing and executive creative director roles across Europe, the U.S., Hong Kong, Greater China, and Southeast Asia, while quietly managing severe bipolar disorder.

• What it was like to move to New York City in the middle of the pandemic, visa bans and all, and simultaneously build a coaching business after years of doing workshops, speaking, and mentoring on the side of her agency career.

• When being let go from her senior vice president, executive creative director role during a major bipolar relapse felt "brutal" in the moment, but ultimately became the push she needed to fully step into her own work and redefine success on her terms.

• Why self-love (not just "liking yourself") is now at the core of her work, defined as refusing to abandon yourself, your needs, and your voice, and how that perspective completely reframed resilience, failure, and bouncing back from hard seasons.

• How shifting her worth off "quicksand" metrics like titles, awards, and deals, and onto an inner sense of value, helped her stop chasing external validation and start feeling worthy now, even when goals are still in progress.

Lulu Essey is an award-winning Executive Creative Director who has spent three decades working with global brands like Porsche, BMW, Cartier, and Google across four continents. Finding her way through a 30-year journey with severe bipolar disorder while building an impressive career, she discovered that external achievement and awards mean nothing without authentic Self-Love as the foundation - the missing infrastructure most driven women never build.

Now a Speaker, certified Life Coach, and host of The Lulu Essey Podcast, Lulu helps ambitious professionals create success that actually feels good. Her message: sustainable success isn't about pushing harder or doing more - it's about building from the inside out.

Website: https://www.luluessey.com/

Social Media Links: https://www.luluessey.com/podcast

This week Ivy Slater, host of Her Success Story, chats with her guest, Poonam Sharma. The two talk about Poonam's journey from growing up around construction sites as the daughter of Indian immigrants to founding and successfully exiting Stealth Force, a gig economy commercial real estate company.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How Poonam's childhood, tagging along on construction sites with her Indian immigrant dad and watching her parents launch (and sometimes crash) businesses like restaurants and hotels, pulled her into real estate and sparked her entrepreneurial fire.

• What pushed her from dev/private equity to tech: spotting gaps, channeling family hustle, and building Stealth Force (small exit, big win), then eyeing NYC co-working with onsite childcare—right as lockdown hit at 8 months pregnant.

• When old family stories, like being "ladylike," fearing the evil eye, or grandma's turkey trick, quietly shape our choices, and how midlife is prime time to unpack them and choose what actually fits now.

• Why everyone (CEOs to in-laws) is secretly fragile—be gentler, drop the personal grudges—and her leadership hack: "If it won't matter in seven years, it doesn't matter now."

• What peace looks like post-pivots: Board gigs, family deals, surprise coaching (releasing mental blocks for high-achievers), and savoring kid time—no more compartments, just one integrated, wrinkle-loving self.

Poonam Sharma is a board member, entrepreneur, venture capitalist, real estate industry veteran, novelist and recognized PropTech leader with a passion for innovating around the built world. A public and private board member, published author and public speaker, she has sat on the board of Hennessy Capital VII and Fifth Wall Acquisition Corp III to name a few, and previously headed Arden Digital Ventures, a technology-focused investment arm of The Arden Group, a storied real estate investment fund. Previously CEO of Raise (which aimed to revolutionize childcare for the future of work), and Founder of StealthForce (the gig economy of real estate; a resource and project management platform for CRE, which was exited in early 2019), she was an early voice in proptech, bringing years of institutional real estate experience to the innovation movement. Prior to StealthForce, she was Deputy to the Head of Global Real Estate Asset Management at Partners Group AG ($40 bn AUM), VP at a developer of senior housing and hotels, and earlier employee 13 at The Gerson Lehrman Group, which was the world's first institutional expert network.

Poonam earned her BA at Harvard and MBA at Wharton, and spent over a decade in real estate development and investment. Twice named a top female CEO in CREtech, she has been featured in The New York Times, Inc. Magazine, Harvard Business Review, NBC News, and more. As an author and experienced public speaker (ULI, ICSC, CRETech, etc.) she has published four books including two novels in five languages which have been printed worldwide.

Website:

www.poonam.info

https://www.instagram.com/justpoonamnyc/