Speed and visibility are often rewarded in the workplace, but they can also lead to costly mistakes, including leaving money on the table.

In this episode, we sit down with Jacqueline Twillie, author, leadership strategist, and founder of Bend AI, for a candid conversation on negotiation, decision-making, and high-stakes communication, especially for women who have been socialized to be “polite” instead of persistent. Moderated by VEST member Alison Anthony, President and CEO of Tulsa Area United Way, this discussion challenges conventional thinking and offers a more strategic approach to advocating for your value.

Together, they unpack the mindset traps that hold women back from asking for more and the real cost of not doing so. You’ll walk away with practical frameworks you can begin using immediately, whether in your career, business, or everyday conversations.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why preparation, not confidence, is the true driver of better decisions
• How to slow down fast-moving rooms and “set the temperature”
• Three common negotiation pitfalls: self-negotiation, worthiness spirals, and failing to follow up
• The FLOW framework for navigating difficult conversations
• The LATTE framework for preparing, communicating, and evaluating negotiations

A thoughtful, practical conversation on how small shifts in how you prepare and communicate can lead to meaningful financial and career outcomes.

Click here for Show Notes and Guests Bios

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If you enjoy the episode share it with a friend, leave us a review and don't forget to hit the subscribe button.

If you are ready to take your career and business to the next level, apply to join our community of professional women, all eager to help you get there and stay there. Learn more at www.VESTHer.co

What if the fastest way to grow isn’t moving at all?

In this episode, we sit down with Tulsa International Airport CEO, Alexis Higgins, to unpack how a 26‑year journey in one city became a masterclass in influence, trust, and long‑term impact. From a support role to CEO, Alexis shows why deep roots can beat constant motion when you turn visibility, preparation, and relationships into compound career returns.

Alexis pulls back the curtain on airport life as a “city within a city." She breaks down how airlines choose new routes, why landing new airline routes take patience and precision, and more.

Inside the organization, we explore culture by design, setting goals where none existed, normalizing debate, and anchoring tough decisions on what’s best for the airport. Alexis shares practical leadership tools, “to be clear is to be kind,” practicing hard conversations, and creating transparent development paths so people are ready for opportunities before they officially exist. We also get candid about the job market, layoffs, and longer searches, offering concrete steps for visibility, high‑value networking, and asking for precise help.

We talk women in aviation, the power of hometown leadership, and more.

Alexis’s takeaways are both grounded and energizing, find work that gives you joy, volunteer to reset your mind, and keep your attention on what you can control when the world feels heavy. If you’re hungry for real talk on career strategy, route development, airport operations, mentorship, and culture change, this conversation delivers clear, actionable insight.

Click here for our guest full bio and show notes.

Support the show

If you enjoy the episode share it with a friend, leave us a review and don't forget to hit the subscribe button.

If you are ready to take your career and business to the next level, apply to join our community of professional women, all eager to help you get there and stay there. Learn more at www.VESTHer.co

At VEST, we talk a lot about careers, money, and women’s economic mobility. But here’s the truth: you can’t fully talk about women building power without talking about the systems that taught us what we’re allowed to want—and what we should quietly accept.

For many of us, that system was religion.

In this episode of the VEST Podcast, Erika sits down with Reverend Lori Walke for an honest, grounded conversation about what happens when faith becomes complicated, especially for women who grew up inside religious institutions that preached love, but practiced control.

What we talk about in this episode

• How women learn “their place” and how to unlearn it
• Separating the message from the messengers
• Deconstruction without losing yourself
• Religious trauma is real and you have permission to leave
• When religion becomes a political weapon
• How women stay engaged without burning out
• Why this matters for women’s careers and economic mobility

Deconstructing harmful spiritual narratives isn’t a side quest. It’s part of building a life where women can earn, lead, rest, belong, and thrive, without shrinking.

For our guest full bio and show notes (including book recommendations) click here.

At VEST, we’re not afraid to have these conversations because women are whole people. Not just workers. Not just caregivers. Not just resilience machines.

Support the show

If you enjoy the episode share it with a friend, leave us a review and don't forget to hit the subscribe button.

If you are ready to take your career and business to the next level, apply to join our community of professional women, all eager to help you get there and stay there. Learn more at www.VESTHer.co