Have you ever walked into a room and felt like you needed to leave parts of yourself at the door to fit in?

Or felt like you were chasing connection instead of resting in a place where you’re accepted exactly as you are?

When we spend our lives trying to perform for inclusion, we miss out on the deep, unconditional healing of true belonging.

In this soulful, grounded episode of the Women Changing the World podcast, Lis Best chats with Jennifer Au, daughter of this Earth, mother to twin daughters, ritualist, experience designer and GCC community lead, about the art and practice of true belonging.

Jennifer shares her winding path through public health, aging and technology, education and yoga, unpacking how tending to our inner worlds transforms the way we show up for others and how our communities and relationships can serve as mirrors for our growth.

Together, they explore the difference between routine and ritual. They dive into how we can stop performing to fit in and explore the power of being fully present and listening without trying to fix or solve.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Episode Outline:

• [09:27] Belonging vs. fitting in
• [12:52] The power of presence and community care
• [27:01] Experience design and intentional connection
• [32:48] Turning everyday routines into rituals
• [41:26] Ritual as a pathway to belonging

Connect with Us:

• Lis Best's website
• Learn more about the Girls Club Collective
• Connect with Girls Club Collective and Lis Best on LinkedIn
• Join the next GCC Community Power Hour
• Inquire about coaching with Lis

Connect with Jennifer Au:

• Connect with Jennifer Au on LinkedIn

News:

• Join the GCC 2027 desert portal retreat

Resources:

Listen to Ep. 89: Imagining and Matriarchal Future with Tracee Worley

Listen to Ep. 75: Connecting and Elevating Impact Leaders with Marssie Versola

This episode was post-produced and edited by Yanina Mora.

The intro and outro music was created and produced by Daniel Mark.

About Lis:

Lis Best is an executive coach for impact leaders, founder of the Girls Club Collective, and host of the Women Changing the World podcast.

Since launching her business in 2020, Lis has helped hundreds of leaders navigate ESG and sustainability careers, launch heart-centered businesses, and become more effective change agents.

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HASHTAGS:

#FeministEntrepreneurship #FeministBusiness #WomenChangingTheWorld #FeminineLeadership #community #girlsclubcollective #ClimateChange #ChangeMaker #Belonging #Ritual #RitualAndCeremony #ExperienceDesign

What does it actually mean to have courage in a world where taking risks can come with real consequences?

What happens when the work you're doing to build a better future starts costing you your own well-being, freedom, or sense of self?

In this episode of the Women Changing the World podcast, Lis Best talks with Michelle MiJung Kim, founder and CEO of The Courage Studio, award-winning author of The Wake Up, and producer and host of I Feel That Way Too, about collective courage, social justice, values alignment, burnout, entrepreneurship, AI, and creating the conditions for meaningful change.

Michelle explores what courage actually means, and why creating the conditions for courage matters so much more than simply inviting people to “be courageous.”

Michelle shares how losing 90% of her income after speaking out on Palestine, walking away from her successful company, and rebuilding a deliberately small business has changed her relationship with stability, freedom, and self-worth.

They also explore how to approach AI through personal values and non-negotiables, rather than fear, shame, or feeling behind.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Episode Outline:

• [00:04:14] Michelle’s journey from youth activism, management consulting, and tech to social entrepreneurship, and the tension between stability, freedom, and living your values.
• [00:08:32] Rethinking stability: moving from external financial security toward internal self-trust and the belief that you can navigate uncertainty.
• [00:11:56] What courage really is, why individual bravery isn't enough, and how we can create the conditions for collective courage.
• [00:18:26] What it means to dismantle the systems we participate in, and why meaningful change can require us to examine what we benefit from.
• [00:24:06] When being useful becomes tied to your sense of worth, and what Michelle learned from burnout, entrepreneurship, and choosing herself.
• [00:35:07] Michelle’s two-month trip to Korea, making space for uncertainty, rest, identity, and homecoming.
• [00:37:44] AI and social justice: how to move beyond “use AI or fall behind” and make intentional choices based on your values and non-negotiables.
• [00:46:53] Why Michelle created I Feel That Way Too as another way to create space for collective courage and make difficult questions feel less lonely.

Connect with Us:

• Lis Best's website
• Learn more about the Girls Club Collective
• Connect with Girls Club Collective and Lis Best on LinkedIn
• Join the next GCC Community Power Hour
• Inquire about coaching with Lis

Connect with Michelle MiJung Kim:

• Learn more about Michelle MiJung Kim on her website
• Sign up for her newsletter
• Connect with Michelle MiJung Kim on LinkedIn
• Listen to the I Feel That Way Too podcast
• Read The Wake Up: Closing the Gap between Good Intentions and Real Change

This episode was post-produced and edited by Yanina Mora.

The intro and outro music was created and produced by Daniel Mark.

About Lis:

Lis Best is an executive coach for impact leaders, founder of the Girls Club Collective, and host of the Women Changing the World podcast.

Since launching her business in 2020, Lis has helped hundreds of leaders navigate ESG and sustainability careers, launch heart-centered businesses, and become more effective change agents.

Do you feel you are ready to leave behind the demands of capitalist business models? Do you wonder if there’s a way to build a sustainable, resilient organization without sacrificing your health, values, or local community? Are you curious about the relationship between your feminist principles and the financial viability of your company?

In this inspiring new episode of the Women Changing the World podcast, Lis Best sits down with author, consultant, and Sister founder Jennifer Armbrust to dive into feminist business.

Jennifer shares how feminism, punk, academia, illness, and entrepreneurship have shaped her work, and introduces the ideas behind Feminist Business 2.0, ecosystem economics, and the body as a portal for creating systemic change.

Together, they discuss how moving beyond patriarchal norms and traditional capitalist values allows us to view business as art, embrace collective resilience, and build meaningful community support systems. Learn for actionable insights for auditing your hidden resources, meeting genuine human needs, and transitioning into Feminist Business 2.0, plus an invitation to stop trying to build everything alone.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Episode Outline:

• 03:24 — Jennifer's journey into feminism and entrepreneurship
• 11:01 — How Proposals for the Feminine Economy began
• 16:32 — Feminist Business 1.0 vs. Feminist Business 2.0
• 20:57 — From individual success to collective resilience
• 23:14 — Ecosystem economics
• 32:09 — The body as a portal
• 38:14 — Rethinking the solopreneur model
• 40:56 — From girlboss to something more radical
• 43:21 — Ideas become change through practice
• 46:18 — What healing our bodies can teach us
• 48:58 — Knowing your role in your business
• 52:28 — Is capitalism on its way out?

Connect with Us:

• Lis Best's website
• Learn more about the Girls Club Collective
• Connect with Girls Club Collective and Lis Best on LinkedIn
• Join the next GCC Community Power Hour
• Inquire about coaching with Lis

Connect with Jennifer Armbrust:

• Connect with Jennifer Armbrust on LinkedIn
• Learn more about Jennifer Armbrust on her website
• Learn more about Sister
• Join the waitlist for the new workshop, Introduction to the Resilient Business Model: An Embodied, Ecologic, Economic Framework for Feminist Entrepreneurs & Nonprofit Administrators

Other Resources Mentioned:

• Listen to Women Changing the World Episode 12 with Jamie Varon

This episode was post-produced and edited by Yanina Mora.

The intro and outro music was created and produced by Daniel Mark.

About Lis:

Lis Best is an executive coach for impact leaders, founder of the Girls Club Collective, and host of the Women Changing the World podcast.

Since launching her business in 2020, Lis has helped hundreds of leaders navigate ESG and sustainability careers, launch heart-centered businesses, and become more effective change agents.