ABC to CEO: Prepare for the Possibility™ Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Join career expert and CEO Lauren Herring as she shares actionable strategies to help you advance your career and achieve your leadership goals. Lauren is the CEO of Impact Group, a global leader in career development and outplacement services, and the author of Take Control of Your Job Search: 10 Emotions You Must Master to Land the Job. With her wealth of experience helping professionals grow and succeed, this episode is packed with insights you can’t afford to miss.

In this conversation, Lauren dives into: How to create a three-to-five-year career plan to strategically build towards leadership role; the power of mentorship and sponsorship in accelerating career growth, including tips to engage influential leaders; practical strategies to conquer fear, anxiety, and imposter syndrome while building confidence and resilience; and, how small wins and consistent follow-ups can make a big difference in your professional journey.

Lauren also shares personal stories and lessons from her own career — offering inspiration and guidance for women aspiring to executive roles. Whether you’re planning your next promotion or aiming for the C-suite, this episode will give you the tools to take control of your career.

ABC to CEO, a nonprofit organization founded by Sharon Fiehler, is on a mission to inspire and prepare one million young women to become CEO or the top leader.

Mona boasts a 30-year entrepreneurial journey, having founded two successful companies. As a mother of two and a dedicated advocate for women's equity, she established her second venture, Stay In The Game, a business process outsourcing firm guided by the vision that no mother or caregiver should be forced to choose between a career and caring for their loved ones.

Welcome back to the ABC to CEO: Preparing for the Possibility Podcast! In this episode, Beth Chesterton welcomes CEO, Entrepreneur and multiple award winner, Mona Andrews. Mona is the Founder and CEO of Stay In The Game, a remarkable company helping women stay in the game while also tending to other responsibilities. Mona saw that women were stepping away from their careers in order to have children or to take care of parents and then having a very difficult time getting back into the workforce. Being a serial entrepreneur, Mona saw a problem and then created a solution! Stay In The Game provides women the opportunity to work remotely and keep their resume current and up-to-date. Tune in to hear some of Mona’s best tips for entrepreneurs, leadership and for staying in the game!  

More about Mona Andrews and Stay In The Game:

Benefiting from the flexibility of setting her schedule as an entrepreneur, Mona encountered numerous women facing the challenging decision of balancing work and family. Over the past six years, Stay In The Game has been positively impacting lives through its commitment to work-from-home flexibility, with plans for further expansion. The ambitious goal is to hire 5,000 women and caregivers by 2027.

Our awards and honors include: 

• 2023 Stevie Silver Award Winner - Female Thought Leader of the Year - Business Services
• 2023 Stevie Silver Award Winner - Social Change Maker of the Year – Gender
• 2023 Inc. Female Founders 200 Honoree
• 2022 Silver Stevie Award for Best Female Entrepreneur
• 2022 Los Angeles Times CEO Small Business Winner
• 2020 Los Angeles Business Journal Women’s Council Nominee
• 2020 AllBright Pitch Day Participant
• 2020 University of Southern California Marshall/Greif Incubator Participant Summer
• 2019 Women Helping Women & Achievement in Promoting Work-Life Balance
• 2019 Stevie Awards for Women in Business
• 2019 American Business Awards Start-Up of the Year
• 2019 American Business Awards Best New Business to Business Service
• 2019 American Business Awards People’s Choice Favorite New Business to Business Service
• 2019 Los Angeles Business Journal Women’s Council Nominee
• 2019 DataBird Female Executive of the Year - Bronze Winner
• 2019 Start-Up of the Year Competition - Semi-Finalist
• 2018 Small Business Expos Best of Small Business Award Honoring America’s Top 100 Small Business Visionaries
• 2018 Start-Up of the Year & Best New B2B Service of the Year
• 2018 Stevie Awards for Women in Business

Mona has also been published eight times in Forbes and has been a featured speaker at both the Ellevate Southwest Conference and the Silicon Slopes Summit.

Follow us to learn more at ABC to CEO.

ABC to CEO: Preparing for the Possibility Podcast is produced by Amanda Taran.

ABC to CEO, a nonprofit organization founded by Sharon Fiehler, is on a mission to inspire and prepare one million young women to become CEO or the top leader.

Today, Beth Chesterton welcomes Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge to the ABC to CEO “Preparing for the Possibility Podcast.” Rhonda is the Executive Director of St. Louis Lambert International Airport responsible for $7 billion in impact on the region with revenues of more than $183 million and serving nearly 16 million passengers annually.

As a proven leader with a track record for extreme success and transformational impact, there is much to learn from Rhonda. In this episode, she shares keys to her early success — behaviors and mindsets with ground-breaking results— Rhonda was the first woman in aviation to lead operations for an airline as expansive as TWA North America where she served as  Vice President of TWA’s North American Operations, responsible for an $800 million budget overseeing 100 airports and 8,000 TWA employees.

Rhonda currently serves as chairperson on the Airport Oversight Committee of the Airport Cooperative Research Program, a research program supported by the FAA. She formerly served on the National Freight Advisory Committee, an advisory board serving the U.S. Department of Transportation. She is currently serving as chair of the board of Christian Hospital (BJC HealthCare) and a board member for BJC. She also serves as a board member for several other organizations. She’s the former Chairperson of the Advisory Board of John Cook School of Business.

Follow us to learn more at ABC to CEO.

ABC To CEO

• Prepares young women for the possibility of becoming not just a leader but the leader
• Firmly believes that when more women are at the top, there will be a tipping point that will make equality possible
• Is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization

ABC to CEO: Preparing for the Possibility Podcast is produced by Amanda Taran.

ABC to CEO, a nonprofit organization founded by Sharon Fiehler, is on a mission to inspire and prepare one million young women to become CEO or the top leader.

Sharon Fiehler welcomes Leslie Gill to the ABC to CEO “Preparing for the Possibility Podcast.” Leslie Gill is the President of Rung for Women — an organization that empowers women to achieve economic success, holistic well-being, and a joyful life. In this episode, Leslie shares her career story that leads her from in-demand college recruit to DC politics and then rapidly to the C-Suite.

Leslie shares valuable lessons including the importance of building and maintaining relationships, trying a variety of types of roles early in your career and how she holds herself accountable today — even after so much success.. 

She is an award-winning woman of influence. In 2022, Leslie was named a Most Influential Women by the St. Louis Business Journal. She also received the Women In Business Award from the Minority Business Development Agency.

She is a distinguished alumnus of Hampton University, where she holds a Bachelor of Arts in English degree. She also has a Master of International Business from St. Louis University. Leslie serves on the Board of Directors for St. Louis Art Fair, St. Louis Public Schools Foundation, and Park Central Development.

Her years of experience in executive leadership positions combined with her deep commitment to women’s issues make her uniquely positioned to lead Rung for Women.

Follow us to learn more at ABC to CEO.

ABC To CEO

• Prepares young women for the possibility of becoming not just a leader but the leader
• Firmly believes that when more women are at the top, there will be a tipping point that will make equality possible
• Is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization

ABC to CEO: Preparing for the Possibility Podcast is produced by Amanda Taran.

ABC to CEO, a nonprofit organization founded by Sharon Fiehler, is on a mission to inspire and prepare one million young women to become CEO or the top leader.

Today on ABC to CEO: Preparing for the Possibility Podcast, we welcome Julie Lilly, CEO of St. Louis Trust & Family Office. In this episode, you will hear great advice from Julie about stepping out of your comfort zone, having the courage to be yourself, the importance of building relationships and so much more. You can follow Julie Lilly on LinkedIn

As CEO, Julia Lilly (Julie) is responsible for client service and satisfaction, finance, business development and strategic planning. Julie is a member of the Management, Risk Management, Trust and Information Technology Steering Committees.

Prior to joining St. Louis Trust & Family Office, Julie spent over 20 years at Lewis Rice LLC, a leading regional law firm headquartered in St. Louis. After several years practicing law in the Trusts and Estates group, she spent the last 15 years leading the firm’s Operations team. As Chief Operating Officer, Julie had responsibility for human resources, finance, budgeting and billing, technology, facilities and marketing. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University, cum laude, and a law degree from Washington University, where she graduated first in her class. Julie is a 2018 St. Louis Business Journal “Most Influential Business Women” honoree.

Away from work, Julie serves on the Boards of the St. Louis Regional Business Council, the St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation, City Academy, the St. Louis Zoo Association and the Edward Mallinkrodt, Jr. Foundation. She also serves on the Boards of Auto Club Enterprises, located in Costa Mesa, California, and AAA, Inc. She is the past Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Mary Institute Country Day School (MICDS), her alma mater. She loves to play golf with her family, travel, read, share a bottle of wine with friends and walk the beach in search of the perfect seashell.

Follow us to learn more at ABC to CEO.

ABC To CEO

• Prepares young women for the possibility of becoming not just a leader but the leader
• Firmly believes that when more women are at the top, there will be a tipping point that will make equality possible
• Is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization

ABC to CEO: Preparing for the Possibility Podcast is produced by Amanda Taran.

ABC to CEO, a nonprofit organization founded by Sharon Fiehler, is on a mission to inspire and prepare one million young women to become CEO or the top leader.

On this episode of ABC to CEO: Preparing for the Possibility Podcast you will meet Laura D’Asaro — CEO, inventor, Forbes 30 Under 30, Guinness World Record holder and a woman who not only convinced Shark Tank’s Mark Cuban to invest in her company but also convinced millions to eat… bugs. In this episode, Laura shares lessons learned and advice about how to stay motivated to keep moving forward. Learn more about Laura’s fascinating journey and her revolutionary company Chirps here. 

Check out Laura’s books written to inspire girls to pursue their dreams. “The perfect book for any young entrepreneur!” —Mark Cuban, entrepreneur and Shark Tank investor Project Startup #1 and Pitch Partners #2 

Laura D’Asaro is co-founder and CEO of Chirps — a company “committed to changing the landscape of the food industry, one cricket chip or smoothie at a time.” Chirps brought delicious food products to 1500+ stores across the United States. In addition to an impressive list of awards and fellowships, Laura recently earned an MBA from Stanford University.

Follow us to learn more at ABC to CEO.

ABC To CEO

• Prepares young women for the possibility of becoming not just a leader but the leader
• Firmly believes that when more women are at the top, there will be a tipping point that will make equality possible
• Is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization

ABC to CEO: Preparing for the Possibility Podcast is produced by Amanda Taran.

ABC to CEO, a nonprofit organization founded by Sharon Fiehler, is on a mission to inspire and prepare one million young women to become CEO or the top leader.

Pooneh Mohajer is the CEO & Co-Founder of tokidoki — a sought-after global lifestyle brand. This innovative company is known not only for its eye-popping aesthetic and cult-like following but also its megawatt partnerships with evergreen brands such as Hello Kitty, Karl Lagerfeld, LeSportsac, Barbie, Sephora, Marvel and others.

Pooneh sold her first business, Hard Candy, to LVMH, Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA, an international luxury goods conglomerate. Hard Candy is a color cosmetics company that revolutionized the nail enamel and cosmetic industries worldwide. Pooneh is a recipient of many awards and a founding member of Inc. Magazine’s Board of Advisors. She is also a proud member of Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches Exclusive Community.


Follow us to learn more at ABC to CEO.

ABC To CEO

• Prepares young women for the possibility of becoming not just a leader but the leader
• Firmly believes that when more women are at the top, there will be a tipping point that will make equality possible
• Is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization

ABC to CEO, a nonprofit organization founded by Sharon Fiehler, is on a mission to inspire and prepare one million young women to become CEO or the top leader.

Luann is the founder of CEOX with the mission of getting more women into CEO roles. From her time in venture capital as a partner at FoundersPad, an early-stage venture fund, she was compelled to find a solution to the inequities in leadership she saw at growing startups.

Follow us to learn more at ABC to CEO.

ABC To CEO

• Prepares young women for the possibility of becoming not just a leader but the leader
• Firmly believes that when more women are at the top, there will be a tipping point that will make equality possible
• Is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization

ABC to CEO, a nonprofit organization founded by Sharon Fiehler, is on a mission to inspire and prepare one million young women to become CEO or the top leader.

Adrian Bracy is an author, leadership coach, and motivational speaker. She is a retired NFL Executive and retired nonprofit CEO who loves traveling, helping others, and a good visit to the spa. 


Follow us to learn more at ABC to CEO.

ABC To CEO

• Prepares young women for the possibility of becoming not just a leader but the leader
• Firmly believes that when more women are at the top, there will be a tipping point that will make equality possible
• Is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization

ABC to CEO, a nonprofit organization founded by Sharon Fiehler, is on a mission to inspire and prepare one million young women to become CEO or the top leader.

Maryann is an experienced independent director and Former Fortune 100 Division President & CEO. She currently serves on the board of Amalgamated Bank (NASDAQ: AMAL), the advisory board of RealBlocks, a VC-backed FinTech, and Chairs the Board of Wrestle Like A Girl. Maryann is passionate about cultivating women leaders and helping them achieve success in their careers and life.

Follow us to learn more at ABC to CEO.

ABC To CEO

• Prepares young women for the possibility of becoming not just a leader but the leader
• Firmly believes that when more women are at the top, there will be a tipping point that will make equality possible
• Is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization

ABC to CEO, a nonprofit organization founded by Sharon Fiehler, is on a mission to inspire and prepare one million young women to become CEO or the top leader.