Plucking Up with Liz Bohannon

Danielle LaPorte dabbled with a number of different career paths before she became an author and entrepreneur. One of her earlier books, The Desire Map: A Guide To Creating Goals With Soul spurred a workshop program with facilitators around the world that Danielle now runs. Her goal setting mantra is that everything you want can be found in loving kindness. She also says a soulful approach to goal setting means separating what we truly want from wanting to seem successful to others.

In this episode, we talked about all the common feelings associated with success — feeling like an imposter, worrying about how other people perceive you, and burnout.

At the age of 22, Allison Trowbridge promised herself that she would write and publish a book. By the time she was 29 “Twenty-Two: Letters to a Young Woman Searching for Meaning” had been published.

In this episode, we talked about the long and winding path to success and about slowing down, taking a few months off, going for walks and finding out who you are outside of work.

We also talked about Allison’s current project, “Copper,” a platform born out of her experience in publishing that helps people engage with books in a more personal way.

Ahhh, a much-needed conversation on how we can make our lives of purpose more sustainable—for ourselves. Emily Baldoni is the co-founder of AMMA, an apparel company that creates stylish products for moms. She's also a former actor who, upon arriving in Hollywood experienced what can only be described as the hustle to "make it." In this episode, Emily talks about how her drive to succeed led to unhealthy habits and disconnection from who she truly is, and what enables her now to connect to that inner voice—the one that asks, "what will truly make me thrive?"

Who sold us the lie that building a life of purpose and passion is a linear path? Because y’all, building stuff is not for the faint of heart! In this episode, we speak with Cate Luzio, a business leader who spent the last 20 years in banking before launching her own company … right before a global pandemic.

Love of community is what I have in common with our next guest, Pamela Slim. Pamela is the author of  “Escape From Cubicle Nation” and the upcoming book “The Widest Net.” She partnered with author Susan Cain to launch the Quiet Revolution and the Quiet Leadership Institute.

In this episode, we cover how Pamela’s upbringing seeded the idea of why having a community around you is so critical. We talk about financial pluck ups (which I think a handful of us can relate to) and getting through those downhill skiing moments in life.  Pam and I also discuss cultures that reinforce inequity, the importance of small steps, and the desire to leave a legacy over an empire.

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How do you take responsibility for things that go wrong — without hating yourself? On the podcast, celebrities and leaders at the top of their game share some pretty intimate and truly authentic experiences that give us a beautiful glimpse into who they really are. The highlights, the lowlights, and the glorious mess in between. 

Today’s guest, Katia Beauchamp, CEO and Co-Founder of Birchbox, is no exception. Birchbox is a monthly beauty and grooming subscription box that quickly grew into a multimillion-dollar brand. In this episode, Katia raises a lot of really honest thoughts about how we conflate love with comfort, how she disappointed people who helped build her dream, and the discipline of taking responsibility when things go wrong.

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Money. That's what we're covering today - a surprisingly emotional, gendered topic that creates challenging dynamics in relationships. And our guest is no other than Sallie Krawcheck, Chair of the Ellevate Network, a 135K-strong global professional women’s network. She is also the CEO and co-founder of Ellevest, an investment platform that’s on a mission to get more money in the hands of women.

In this episode, Sallie shares her story, from taking dozens of Nos during the most challenging moments in her highly lauded career in finance, to how she allowed herself to mentally shift from this is so embarrassing and unfortunate to ‘this is another step in the road.’

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If you’re not familiar with Arianna Huffington’s highlight reel, here’s a rundown: She is the founder and CEO of Thrive Global and the founder of The Huffington Post. Arianna is the author of 15 books and has been named to Time Magazine’s list of the World’s 100 Most Influential People and Forbes Most Powerful Women List. Thrive Global, her company, is a leading behavior change tech company that aims to change the way we work and live — by ending how we see burnout as this price we pay for success.

But, we do things differently here at Plucking Up. Instead of going through her insane achievements, Arianna so honestly shares how she sucked in life for a while, and why that’s okay! In this episode, we talk about Arianna’s accent, a motto she lives by, and why everything in life shouldn’t be a ‘make or break.’ I’m telling you I made all kinds of assumptions before meeting Arianna and she just surprised me in the most amazing way. Do not miss my favorite conversation on this podcast, EVER.

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This episode covers the other side of imposter syndrome. What lessons can you learn when you underestimate your capacity to fail? Our next guest, Executive Chairman of Real Good Foods Bryan Freeman, has a lot to say about what it’s like to have early success and the bitter pill you swallow when you find out that you're not invincible.

If you’ve been listening to our recent episodes, then you’ve heard me talk about this brand that surprised me in a GOOD way! Bryan has worked in the food industry for over 25 years. In this episode, we talk about how trying to get himself out of debt helped him discover his path to food entrepreneurship, how he spent most of his career making food that is so delicious but not good for your health, and a moment of existential crisis where he asked himself whether the way he was making money was aligned with his values and hopes for the world.

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Sarah LaFleur is the Founder & CEO of M.M.LaFleur, a women’s workwear brand that she launched in 2013. The company grew to be a multimillion dollar brand and darling of the direct to consumer fashion world. In this episode, Sarah and I talk about the big existential questions many of us found ourselves asking early in our adult lives (and hopefully throughout our vocations.) Sarah also shares about the many inflections of her career and personal life — from her experience of being biracial and her struggle to embrace that complexity, her journey with infertility, and how she rose and innovated after hitting rock bottom. 

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Have you ever been surrounded by dozens of people, colleagues, family, or friends, and still feel like you’re at your loneliest? In this episode, I talk to New York Times best-selling author, podcaster, founder of That Sounds Fun network, and my good friend, Annie F. Downs.

Annie is that incredibly engaging, spontaneous human who’s just bursting with positive energy, but who can also provide this comforting space where you can bring your BIG FEELINGS, even when they’re not so fun. In this episode, we chat about everything — from pluck ups Annie has made as a business owner and leader as well as how she turned the corner during some unexpected times of loneliness. I hope this episode fills you with encouragement and helps you recognize that there is freedom in saying how you truly feel OUT LOUD.

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In my honest but also biased opinion, this is a hands-down winning conversation with Eve Rodsky, a Harvard-grad lawyer, activist, and author of the New York Times bestselling book and Reese Witherspoon’s book club pick, "Fair Play."

On the show, we talked about how Eve took on a lot of responsibility as a kid and assumed the role of 'partner' to her mother. We get deep into the breakdown of her marriage (which also became a breakthrough) and how she ultimately spiraled into losing her identity and struggled with her mental health.

This episode is a must-listen because we talk a lot about how our society was built on the backs of invisible and unpaid labor at home and how EVERYONE in a partnership wins when we communicate openly and honestly about the seen and unseen labor in a home.

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Before founding Girls Who Code, a nonprofit that has served 450,000 girls and has reached 500 million people in the U.S., Reshma Saujani went through a seemingly endless stream of rejection and failure.

In our conversation, Reshma talks about growing up in the midwest as the daughter of refugee parents from Uganda, her valiant 3 time attempt to get into Yale, and how having multiple miscarriages made her question her worth as a woman. On the show, Reshma also tells us about her failed aspirations in politics (running for Congress in 2010) and how this chapter in her life was the impetus for making an impact in another arena — closing the gender gap in technology.

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Before becoming the CEO of Darling Media and Editor-in-Chief of Darling Magazine, Sarah Dubbeldam worked as a model and experienced first hand the unhealthy beauty standards in fashion and media. She founded Darling in 2012, a print magazine that grew into a multi-media company that aims to empower women through thought-provoking content and display a diverse, inclusive, and real picture of beauty.   In this episode, we hear about how a comparatively small fish can make a massive impact on an entire industry and cultural norm. Sarah also shares an important lesson about how our pride and fear of other people’s (uneducated) opinions can cause some serious pluck ups.

Marvyn Harrison is the host of the 'Dope Black Dads' podcast and the CEO of Dope Black CIC, an educational and healing platform designed to improve the outcomes of Black people.

In this episode, Marvyn and I dive into a very nuanced and vulnerable conversation around parenting from a distinctly male perspective. Our conversation is not a how-to or guide but a discussion on how our lived experiences and new learnings can impact the way we raise our kids. On the podcast, we also talk about systematic racism, white feminism, and how that all intersects with the way we handle relationships and interact with the world. 

Jeni Britton Bauer is a pioneer of the artisan ice cream movement and the founder of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams. She is also a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author and a 2012 James Beard awardee.

While this conversation is all sorts of joy and whimsy (like how Jeni initially took on a job as an alien make-up artist), she shared a lot of pieces to her journey that I couldn’t have predicted. Is a career in ‘making people happy’ everything it seems to be? Hopefully, after this episode, you will, as Jeni says, ‘think, do and reflect.’

What is the price of building a multi-million dollar, cult brand? Holly Thaggard went from legit performing at events as a harpist to founding Supergoop!, a sunscreen and skincare company that wanted to revolutionize an industry.

In this episode, Holly talks about the journey that led to her larger mission - stopping the skin cancer epidemic. On the podcast, we also go in-depth when Holly vulnerably shares the sacrifices and regrets that came with all her success!

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We’ve had incredible voices come on the show talk about their personal pluck ups. From Academy Award winning Matthew McConaughey majorly plucking up an acting job, Arianna Huffington sharing about her serious case of imposter syndrome to Liz Gilbert on overcoming shame. In the first episode of our new season, Jeffrey Hollender, co-founder and former CEO of Seventh Generation, shares personal and career crises that had monumental impacts.

In our conversation, Jeffrey talks about evolution and growth. We talk about everything, from baking social responsibility into a company and changing the world by how we do business to how he came out of his most expensive pluck up — getting fired from a company he grew for 20 years.

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In my most raw state, I share an update on the heels of a PROFOUNDLY CHALLENGING chapter in my life! Thank you Pluckies for supporting our podcast and being with me on this wild ride.

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Christine Day is a globally recognized business leader who has led at two companies you might have heard of: Starbucks and Lululemon.

In our conversation, we talk about how Christine met Howard Shultz, former CEO and chairman of Starbucks, and how she went from office manager at a small coffee shop to running Starbucks’s Asia Pacific Group. Christine also shares how she led Lululemon through tumultuous times as its CEO for six years. We discuss how it’s like to transition from living, creating, and scaling other people’s dreams to having your own — as she eventually took the leap from being a big deal CEO in corporate America to the co-creator and co-founder of her own startup, The House of LR&C.

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Nona Jones is an incredibly accomplished leader at the intersection of faith and technology. She was appointed to her first executive role at only 23-years-old with a Fortune 100 company. She’s an author of the book "Success from the Inside Out," a speaker, and an entrepreneur who’s worked for companies like Facebook and many of the world’s most influential faith leaders. But in this episode, we will talk about Nona’s profoundly traumatic childhood, from being sexually abused in her own home to her attempts at her own life at the ages of 9 and 11. We also go deep into the topic of humility and why Nona believes her story makes her “a statistically improbable product of grace.”

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Academy Award winner and #1 New York Times best-selling author Matthew McConaughey has had a wildly successful career — but it’s also rife with pluck ups! Matthew is best known for his roles in films like Dazed and Confused, A Time to Kill, and Dallas Buyers Club for which he won an Oscar. He recently added author to his long list of titles, after releasing his memoir, Green Lights.

In this episode, we dive into Matthew’s life with a 360 lens. We talk about parenting, from how he was raised to how he’s raising his own children and his learning journey as an actor, how we went from complacency and shame to getting roles of a lifetime. There’s a lot of uniquely introspective wisdom about failure, guilt, and embarrassment that we talk about, as well as visceral experiences Matthew shared in our conversation that I’m just dying for you all to simmer in!

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On International Women’s Day, we are featuring the brilliant and award-winning journalist and producer, Noor Tagouri. Her documentary and subsequent podcast series, Sold in America: Inside Our Nation’s Sex Trade received a 2019 Gracies award for Best Investigative Series. She’s amassed a  community of over two million social media followers while garnering international praise as one of new media’s most influential voices.

Being born to immigrant parents from Libya, Noor talks to me about how her ethnicity and how she felt so unsure about who she was in a sea of kids who didn’t look like her. Apart from Noor’s background, what’s so interesting about the conversation you’re about to hear is how Noor has always been a journalist, from the moment she could speak. In this episode, we dive into so much, from empathy, shame, misrepresentation of Muslims in American media, to why modern-day activism begins with yourself and your home.

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Emma Guns is a podcast host and an experienced beauty, health, and lifestyle writer who served as the Beauty Editor at OK! Magazine for 10 years.

In this episode, we get to hear about one type of journey — and that is, being so laser-focused on one dream, getting there, and overcoming challenges that come after.

There are so many parts to Emma’s story that I know might really touch some of you in an unexpected way. From working her way through extreme insecurity, anxiety, and depression and this sort of U-turn in her life when she had to move back into her parent’s house at age 37.

Luvvie Ajayi Jones is one of those rare humans who have the words, energy, and power to invite you into seeing the world -- and yourself in a new way. She is a sought-after speaker and podcast host who thrives at the intersection of comedy, technology, and justice. Luvvie also happens to be the author of the New York Times bestseller, “I’m Judging You: The Do-Better Manual,” and is currently working on her second book, “PROFESSIONAL TROUBLEMAKER: The Fear-Fighter Manual,” which will be released in March 2021.

In this episode, Luvvie talks to me about her moving from Nigeria to the US at a young age and her journey of both fitting in and standing out. In this episode, we talk about a painful failure that led Luvvie to find her voice in blogging, dating all the way back to 2003, and how finally owning the title ‘writer’ opened up doors for her.

If you’re not familiar with Arianna Huffington’s highlight reel, here’s a rundown: She is the founder and CEO of Thrive Global and the founder of The Huffington Post. Arianna is the author of 15 books and has been named to Time Magazine’s list of the World’s 100 Most Influential People and Forbes Most Powerful Women List. Thrive Global, her company, is a leading behavior change tech company that aims to change the way we work and live — by ending how we see burnout as this price we pay for success.  But, we do things differently here at Plucking Up. Instead of going through her insane achievements, Arianna so honestly shares how she sucked in life for a while, and why that’s okay! In this episode, we talk about Arianna’s accent, a motto she lives by, and why everything in life shouldn’t be a ‘make or break.’ I’m telling you I made all kinds of assumptions before meeting Arianna and she just surprised me in the most amazing way. Do not miss my favorite conversation on this podcast, EVER.  

In our season finale, Liz shares her favorite moments from previous episodes (which was a daunting task considering there's so much wisdom, humor, and authenticity in each one). If you're tuning into the podcast for the first time, this is actually a perfect beginner's episode because Liz does not only talk about highlights from episodes that stood out to her, but also some serious behind the scene stuff (one involving a lot of nervous sweating before her interview with Liz Gilbert!) Liz B. also recalls a profound experience from a year ago that led her to launching her own podcast. In doing so, Liz hopes that Plucking Up has become a place for listeners to walk away feeling inspired and feeling a little bit less alone with their very own messy and beautiful pluck ups.

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