Rachel Downey, founder of Share Your Genius, joins Heather, Blakely, and Clay for an honest conversation about confidence, curiosity, and the stories that keep us playing small. Rachel shares how her daughter Lennon's premature birth and life with a prosthetic shaped her business and her approach to advocacy. They talk about asking questions with empathy, letting people tell their own stories, and why admitting a gap in your knowledge can help you move forward. Blakely opens up about processing differences and the cost of calling yourself the dumb blonde. Plus, Heather's funeral directors conference recap takes the opening conversation somewhere none of us expected.
Key Takeaways:
How to ask for help without undermining your credibility.
The difference between owning your work and performing.
When well-meaning curiosity turns into an uncomfortable assumption.
What Rachel lets her daughter decide for herself.
Why Blakely is rethinking the “dumb blonde” defense.
How your own story can keep you playing small.
Please consider sharing this episode and subscribing to the show for more of the career questions women want answered but rarely ask out loud. Follow Our Guest:
Rachel Elsts Downey on LinkedIn: / rachelelstsdowney
Rachel on Instagram: / relsts
Share Your Genius on YouTube: / @shareyourgenius
Share Your Genius: https://shareyourgenius.com/
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Links & Mentions:
Share Your Genius's origin story, from Rachel's hospital experience to building a podcast business: https://shareyourgenius.com/about/
Adventures with Peggy, Rachel's children's book project inspired by Lennon's prosthetic. In editing at the time of recording.
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