Corporate leader turned entrepreneur, I created "Lioness Conversations" to amplify the voices of extraordinary women—leaders who have faced fear, overcome challenges, and are now shaping the world with their work. This podcast is a space for courage, truth, and deep inspiration. My mission is to empower women to be brave, leading with confidence and joy, to do the most meaningful work of their lives.

Alani Bankhead is a career terrorist, spy, and human trafficker hunter. With over 20 years in human intelligence operations working with special operations and some of the biggest intelligence organizations in the world, she has been all over the globe hunting bad actors. And there is one theme she has seen that prevents individuals and teams from achieving their highest potential: imposter syndrome. Experienced by over 70% of the population, imposter syndrome is the belief that you are not good enough or qualified for your positions, titles, awards...or your dreams. Now a TED and keynote speaker, best-selling author, and leadership coach and consultant at her company Mighty Sparrow Coaching LLC, Alani's new mission is to rid the world of fear. During her talk, Alani will share the tools she uses with teams to hunt the terrorist in your mind so you can take your business or organization to the next level of joy, thriving, and success.

Alejandra “Ale” Spray is the President & CEO of the Hispanic Contractors of Colorado, a powerhouse trade organization advocating for minority- and women-owned businesses in the construction industry. With over 20 years of experience, Ale brings a bold voice for equity, workforce development, and inclusive leadership across Colorado and beyond. Born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico, Ale is a civil engineer, Latina trailblazer, and the first woman to serve as vice-chair of the Construction Education Foundation. She’s a sought-after speaker, mentor, and community leader, recognized among the Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Business and Latina of Influence. Her proudest title? Mom to Nicole and Alexander. Ale shows up in every space—corporate boardroom or construction site—with courage, conviction, and an unwavering mission to pave the way for the next generation of diverse leaders.

Christy Honeycutt is an accomplished Talent Operations Executive with over two decades of experience transforming HR and Talent Acquisition processes through centralization and technology. She honed her skills at IBM and Korn Ferry as their former Head of RPO Recruitment and as the former ECommerce Head of People for a Global Advertising Agency. She has a proven track record of driving organizations' success by optimizing HR functions and elevating talent acquisition processes. She specializes in building and delivering innovative strategies to support organizations in scaling via AI and hyper-automation. Christy is a passionate relationship builder and connector who is revolutionizing traditional HR practices to meet the evolving needs of modern workplaces and drive business growth and elevation for those she serves. She takes the "noise" out of the hiring process and frees up stakeholders to hold space for what matters most - their people. Beyond that, Christy is a Yogi, Meditation Coach, Surfer, Mom to 2 Humans and 2 Pups (1 Frenchie & 1 Mini Schnauzer), Proud Native American, and aspiring Barefoot Water Skier. And soon to be the new host of "Inside the C-Suite" an Energetic Exchange, where Christy dives into the "who's who", how they made it, what they've learned and uncover inspiration from those who have come before us.

Diana Maldonado, a respected Central Texas political figure, has built a career in the public and private sector on achieving the “impossible” while fostering lasting relationships. As a best-selling author, she shares stories from her journey in politics, travel and marathon running through the lens of a Latina, inspiring women to take the next bold step. Her Candidate School course shares everything she wished she’d known during her own campaign journey. This ultimate resource equips professional women with the tools to become powerful, persuasive and authentic candidates. From mastering your candidate identity to managing money, policy and power strategically and ethically, this program helps women navigate the political arena with confidence. Her unique blend of solutions brings unmatched expertise to empowering women in politics. By completing Candidate School, participants gain the skills, strategy, and clarity to run a successful, purpose-driven campaign – and win.

Erin Foote Morgan is the owner of FM Civic-a public affairs and strategic communications firm based in the Pacific Northwest that's focused on community impact initiatives

I am passionate about supporting other women in their pursuit for career satisfaction and success. My background comes from the advertising world. I was lucky enough to work in sales at a variety of both established publishers as well as digital startups over my 20+ year career. Throughout that experience I learned about how companies and products grow, pivot and evolve over time. I also saw that the most successful executives evolved as well. Sarah and I wanted to build something to offer resources to women who are needing a career evolution to support their life.

Rachel Tenpenny McGonigle is no stranger to grief. In 2008, she experienced the unimaginable when both her baby daughters died just six days apart from each other, just weeks after their birth. The pain was overwhelming, and like so many grieving mothers, she was met with well-meaning but unhelpful advice, limiting beliefs, and outdated grief support that left her feeling more lost than ever. But despite being told she’d never truly be okay again, Rachel refused to let grief define her. Instead, she chose to take an active role in her healing—and that decision changed everything. Determined to find a way forward, Rachel immersed herself in the study of grief, healing, and the emotional complexity of life’s most difficult transitions. By integrating evidence-based tools with her own lived experience, she developed a holistic, practical, and deeply compassionate approach to grief recovery. This unique framework empowered her to rebuild a life grounded in purpose, peace, and joy after profound loss. Today, she is the founder of The Grief Gal—a thriving coaching practice where she guides others through grief with clarity, intention, patience, and empowerment. For the past 17 years, Rachel has supported thousands of individuals—from those grieving the loss of a loved one to those grieving the loss of their marriages, health, or even the sale of their company—helping them process their pain, reimagine their identity, and rediscover meaning when life looks nothing like you imagined. Through coaching, speaking, retreats, and writing, she offers a proven path to healing that’s honest, empowering, and deeply human. Rachel now lives in Northern Virginia with her husband Jason, their blended family of four healthy (and hungry) boys, and their sweet one-eyed dog Nala. What once felt impossible is now her daily reality: a home full of love, a business full of impact, and a heart anchored in peace. She’s living proof that even after the deepest loss, a beautiful life is still possible—and she’s devoted to helping others find it too.

Reagan Cannon is an international leadership speaker and coach, with proven tactics and insights from over 20 years of experience at Fortune 15 companies, including executive roles at Amazon and AT&T. As a true global thought leader, she has delivered keynotes, coached global leaders, produced a TEDX talk, and conducted development workshops for thousands of people in more than 20 countries—on six continents.

Sarah Greenwell is the Founder of Growth Mode Talent Partners, a boutique recruiting and consulting firm dedicated to helping start-ups scale through diverse and impactful hires. Prior to launching her own firm in 2019, Sarah spent 15 years acquiring talent and leading recruitment strategy for high-growth start-ups, such as Bullhorn and redbox, as well as iconic companies undergoing talent transformation, such as Saks Fifth Avenue and The Hartford. Sarah holds a Masters degree in Leadership, is a Certified Diversity Recruiter, and is a named inventor on a U.S. patent (unrelated to her work, but still cool to humble brag about). Sarah enjoys yoga, live music, fun themed 5K’s, and most of all, spending time with her husband Matt, children Lincoln, Eve and Arbor, and dog Wrigley in her beloved city of Chicago. Sarah is uncomfortable cooking bacon and writing in the third person.

I am committed to understanding each client as an individual and looking at the whole picture to deliver a holistic approach. My background as a Nurse Practitioner has taught me to assess, diagnose and treat people based on their needs and I take this method into my practice with our clients at Collectively. While we aren’t managing an illness or disease process, we are managing challenges unique to each client that require a thoughtful breakdown, assessment and management plan. My years of experience working one-on-one with patients and their families, managing their needs, educating, providing guidance to find a solution and evoke change, is what I bring to each Collectively client. It is this unique approach that allows our clients to not only feel seen and heard, but to get tangible results.

Known as Wild Haven’s founder and “WilderMess Trail Guide,” Trish McCall, took a very different trail than many imagined when she began her bio-med studies in 1995 aspiring to be a heart or brain surgeon. Despite her roles as a nurse, athlete, and fitness coach, she faced debilitating pain, chronic distress, and increasing medical diagnoses leading her to seek more natural, alternative healing methods. Trish combines her extensive research and expertise as a nurse of 25 years, a Yoga Therapist, and a GraceLife International lay spiritual counselor with her own personal experience of healing from childhood complex trauma and overcoming longterm health impacts of trauma through holistic approaches learned from leaders like Dr. Van der Kolk, Peter Levine, Dr. Caroline Leaf, and Michelle Thielen to help guide others familiar with trauma and the health impacts of it through the proverbial (sometimes literal) wilderness to restore their spirit, renew their minds, rebuild their bodies, and reclaim a thriving lifestyle the way they are uniquely “designed naturally awesome” to break the chains that bind their spirits, minds and bodies in pain and disease.