Ep. 59 | How Do You Show Up at Work When the News Hits Home?
You still have meetings. You still have deadlines. But a story in the news has hit close to home, and you're carrying it through all of them.
Heather, Blakely, and Clay have an honest, sometimes uncomfortable conversation about the heaviness women bring into work after reading the headlines. They discuss the Cornell sexual assault allegations, the Lindsay Clancy case, and the shame, fear, and stereotypes these conversations can stir up.
Heather shares a frightening experience from college. Blakely reflects on parenting college-age kids and learning more about postpartum mental health. Together, they ask what support actually sounds like, how to challenge a biased comment, and where personal responsibility meets the need for better systems.
There's also a debate about return-to-office mandates, childcare, and mentoring, plus Hot Pockets, planking, and a closing reminder from Sheryl Lee Ralph to stop shrinking yourself.
Content note. Discussion of sexual assault, alcohol poisoning, the deaths of children, and postpartum mental illness.
Key Takeaways:
Listen before trying to make someone feel better.
Notice what your feed keeps serving you.
Challenge stereotypes when they enter the conversation.
Judge coworkers as individuals, not headlines.
Support working parents with flexibility and childcare.
Make room for hard conversations and hope.
Please consider sharing this episode and subscribing to the show for more of the career questions women want answered but rarely ask out loud.
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Links & Mentions:
Postpartum mental health resources: https://postpartum.net/get-help/postpartum-psychosis-help/
Instagram recommendations reset: https://about.fb.com/news/2024/11/introducing-recommendations-reset-instagram/
Megyn Kelly responding to Olivia Rodrigo: https://www.instagram.com/p/DeH4XCjx2Ts/
Sheryl Lee Ralph on refusing to shrink yourself: https://www.instagram.com/p/DePGr9AqNJh/
Amanda Litman on return-to-office mandates: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/8qt3u_Dx11k
Maya Angelou’s dinner-party story, discussed with Oprah: https://amarachic.wordpress.com/2018/03/24/wise-conversations-between-oprah-and-maya-angelou/
Dr. Julia Riddle on postpartum mental health, a related interview: https://www.kwbu.org/2026-08-31/postpartum-mental-health-needs-a-village
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