What if one of the biggest drains on women’s time, energy, and leadership potential is something we rarely name?

In this episode, Kelly sits down with Dr. Allison Alford, clinical associate professor at Baylor University, communication scholar, executive coach, and author of Good Daughtering, to explore the invisible labor of “daughtering.”

Allison shares her unconventional academic journey, from earning her PhD as a mom of two to building what she calls a “portfolio career” that blends teaching, research, consulting, and coaching. But at the heart of this conversation is her groundbreaking research on daughtering, the emotional, cognitive, and relational labor adult daughters perform to keep families connected.

Together, Kelly and Allison unpack how daughtering shows up as a third shift of labor, how it impacts working professionals, and why self-awareness and boundaries are critical for women who want sustainable success.

If you’ve ever felt stretched thin between work, family, and the invisible expectations placed on you, this episode will help you feel seen, validated, and empowered to recalibrate.

Key Topics & Takeaways

• Building a “portfolio career” across academia and consulting
• Earning a PhD as a working mom and refusing to quit
• Defining daughtering and making invisible labor visible
• The four dimensions of daughtering: tasks, emotions, cognition, identity
• The “kinship shift” across a daughter’s lifespan
• Daughtering plus-plus in the sandwich generation
• The concept of first, second, and third shift labor
• How divided attention impacts women in the workplace
• Boundaries, calibration, and permission to pull back

Chapters / Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to Career Slay
00:23 – Introducing Allison Alford
01:51 – Childhood curiosity and “cruise director” energy
03:55 – From international studies to communication research
07:47 – The PhD journey as a mom of two
11:29 – Conflict resolution coaching at McCombs
15:49 – Starting a coaching business
17:58 – Building a portfolio career at Baylor
20:32 – What is daughtering?
23:58 – Defining daughtering in four categories
27:26 – The kinship shift across the lifespan
31:00 – Setting boundaries without guilt
33:38 – The mission behind Good Daughtering
37:21 – First shift, second shift, third shift labor
42:43 – What makes a fulfilling career
44:20 – Advice to her 20-year-old self
45:52 – Three words: Relationships, Innovation, Energy

Guest Resources

• Book: Good Daughtering
• Podcast: Hello Mother, Hello Daughter
• Coaching & Consulting: Good Talk Communication Consulting
• LinkedIn: Allison Alford, PhD

Enjoying the show?

Please consider subscribing, leaving a rating, and sharing to help us #slaythefearincareer. And if you're looking for one-on-one career coaching, connect with Kelly:

• Website: careerslay.com
• LinkedIn: Kelly Poquiz Burke
• Instagram: @careerslay

Pivoting can feel like failure.

It can feel like quitting, like starting over, like admitting you got it wrong.

In this solo episode, Kelly unpacks what it really means to pivot and why it’s often the most aligned and courageous move you can make in your career.

From changing majors at University of Notre Dame, to earning her MBA, to shifting from advertising into brand marketing at Frito-Lay, to founding Career Slay, Kelly shares the defining pivots that shaped her professional path.

If you’re standing at a crossroads wondering whether you’re quitting or evolving, this episode is your reminder:

Pivoting is not failure. It’s getting back into alignment.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• How to recognize when something in your career is out of alignment
• Why gathering real-world data points reduces fear
• How curiosity accelerates professional growth
• The truth about self-limiting beliefs
• Why you’re never actually starting from zero
• How to test a pivot through micro-experiments
• Why minimizing regret is a better compass than avoiding risk

Chapters / Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction
00:23 – Why pivoting feels uncomfortable
01:15 – My first pivot: Leaving architecture
02:45 – Recognizing misalignment
03:30 – Gathering data points
04:40 – Switching majors and entering marketing
05:04 – Stretching beyond your comfort zone
06:10 – MBA challenges and confidence growth
06:45 – Pivot into brand marketing at Frito-Lay
07:20 – The biggest pivot: Founding Career Slay
08:15 – You’re not starting from zero
09:20 – Micro-experiments and testing your pivot
09:53 – The regret minimization framework
10:45 – Final encouragement

Quotes Worth Repeating

• “Pivoting is not failure. Pivoting is getting back into alignment.”
• “You are not behind. You are not flaky. You are responding to growth.”
• “You’re not starting from zero. You’re starting from experience.”

Resources Mentioned

• Jeff Bezos – The Regret Minimization Framework

Topics Discussed

career pivots, professional growth, leadership development, entrepreneurship, transferable skills, self-limiting beliefs, MBA journey, brand marketing, alignment, personal reinvention, minimizing regret, Career Slay Podcast

Enjoying the show?

Please consider subscribing, leaving a rating, and sharing to help us #slaythefearincareer. And if you're looking for one-on-one career coaching, connect with Kelly:

• Website: careerslay.com
• LinkedIn: Kelly Poquiz Burke
• Instagram: @careerslay

What if the thing holding you back in your career isn’t a fact, but a story you’ve been telling yourself?

In this episode, Kelly sits down with leadership coach, speaker, and former Google leader Barbara Boselli to explore how the narratives we create about ourselves can quietly shape, and sometimes limit, our careers.

From growing up in Brazil and navigating cultural transitions in the U.S., to building a successful corporate career, leaving Google to focus on family, and eventually launching her own leadership consulting practice, Barbara shares a deeply reflective journey of growth, self-awareness, and reinvention.

Together, Kelly and Barbara unpack the difference between facts and stories, how emotional intelligence and mindfulness transform leadership, and why “step two is the enemy of step one” when it comes to meaningful career change. This conversation is a powerful reminder that self-awareness is the foundation of courageous leadership, and that redefining success often starts from within.

Key Topics & Takeaways

• The difference between facts and the stories we tell ourselves
• How cultural norms shape leadership and self-advocacy
• Transitioning from corporate leadership to entrepreneurship
• Emotional intelligence as a core leadership skill
• Mindfulness, self-awareness, and reframing limiting beliefs
• Why you don’t need the full plan to take the first step
• Navigating identity shifts during career pivots
• Finding purpose, passion, and fulfillment through service

Chapters / Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction
00:23 – Barbara Boselli bio
01:32 – Growing up in Brazil and early career influences
03:02 – Cultural transitions and working in the U.S.
05:08 – First roles at L’Oréal and Vale
06:40 – Choosing an MBA and career reinvention
07:58 – Joining Google and working in strategy & operations
09:51 – Discovering a passion for people development
11:58 – Emotional intelligence, mindfulness, and leadership
13:52 – Leaving Google and identity shifts
15:36 – Spiritual psychology and reframing success
18:45 – Navigating motherhood and career uncertainty
21:00 – “Step two is the enemy of step one”
22:55 – Building Be Now Consulting
24:22 – Fact vs. story and limiting beliefs
28:04 – Self-awareness as a leadership superpower
29:53 – Community, collaboration, and entrepreneurship
31:36 – Advice to her 20-year-old self
32:28 – Career in three words
33:10 – Where to find Barbara

Guest Resources

• Website: bnowconsulting.com
• LinkedIn: Barbara Boselli

Topics Discussed

leadership development, emotional intelligence, mindfulness at work, self-awareness, career pivots, women in leadership, entrepreneurship, limiting beliefs, personal growth, fact vs story, executive coaching, purpose-driven work, Career Slay Podcast

Enjoying the show?

Please consider subscribing, leaving a rating, and sharing to help us #slaythefearincareer. And if you're looking for one-on-one career coaching, connect with Kelly:

• Website: careerslay.com
• LinkedIn: Kelly Poquiz Burke
• Instagram: @careerslay