The Driven Women Project

By: Erin Smith
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  • Summary

  • My name is Erin Smith and I created the Driven Women Project to shine a light on female role models who have not sacrificed their feminine identities in order to excel in male dominated careers. Together we aim to inspire more women to pursue the careers they want while remaining true to their core values, and ultimately closing the gender gap at the leadership level in male-dominated spaces. After I earned my masters degree in Sport Psychology, I transferred my expertise to the male dominated world of finance. Now I run a Performance Psychology Coaching practice called Driven Beyond Excellence where I focus on helping executive women successfully navigate male-dominated careers and rise into well-deserved leadership roles. However, most of my Executive Coaching clients are men. Why? Because there are still so few women in leadership roles which means there aren’t enough role models, or mentors, or simply peers at the highest levels of leadership for the up and coming women to lean on for support – and let’s face it, we should be surrounding ourselves with as much support as possible to help keep us going when those extra challenges try to keep us down. With so few female role models it can become difficult to know which direction to go to advance your career. If you’ve ever wondered how to best “fit in” or be accepted or feel supported in your male-dominated career, then get ready to be inspired and share in the inspiration generated by women who have struggled within these dynamics, persevered, who maybe even tried to change who they are to fit in, until they realized the power in embracing their true selves and as a result are now dominating in their male-centric careers, while being unapologetically female and making massive contributions to changing the landscape so that maybe one day, “male dominated” will no longer be the case. As you listen, keep in mind that these women did not find success overnight. It was a hard-won journey of self-discovery, building a strong support network, and taking bold action, one step at a time. To Nominate a Driven Woman please visit: https://live.thedrivenwomenproject.com/nominateadrivenwoman I hope you enjoy!
    Copyright 2024 Erin Smith
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Career Success Economics Personal Success Social Sciences
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Episodes
  • 07: Dr. Gail Lebovic – Surgeon, Inventor, Serial Entrepreneur

    07: Dr. Gail Lebovic – Surgeon, Inventor, Serial Entrepreneur
    Nov 20 2024

    I’m excited to share this conversation with you because Dr. Gail Lebovic has an incredibly impressive background in multiple male dominated fields. Most importantly, she has committed her career to improving the delivery of healthcare for patients around the world, especially woman’s health. Internationally recognized for her groundbreaking work as an Oncoplastic Surgeon, Dr. Lebovic is also highly regarded as a creative inventor and successful serial entrepreneur.

    Along with her highly skilled team, she has developed and brought to market numerous innovative products. The team has achieved multiple successful acquisitions totaling nearly $500M.

    Dr. Lebovic holds over 50 US patents, is a member of the Forbes Business Council, and currently serves as Founder and CEO of Silicon Valley Innovations. Her company is focused on bringing novel drug delivery platforms to the multi-billion dollar nasal healthcare and feminine healthcare markets. Their initial product called NasoClenz is on the market as the first intranasal antiseptic, perfect for those of us seeking nasal relief products.

    Dr. Lebovic told me she loves to pay attention to areas of the body that are neglected – like the nose. I tried NasoClenz, and let me tell you, it is the product I never knew I needed, and now I will not travel without it. You know how your nose gets dry on airplanes? Well this stuff was a dream. NasoClenz was also designed for patients with allergies, chronic sinus issues, CPAP users and more.

    She has served as director of several important clinical programs and is the Founder of the Society of Oncoplastic Surgery,

    Listen in to hear how Dr. Lebovic did all of this, including her take on being likable, and how she navigated being told in medical school that being a surgeon is not for women!

    Enjoy the show and Stay Driven!

    Meet Dr. Lebovic: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaillebovic/

    Visit Dr. Lebovic’s news blog here: https://svi-inc.com/news/


    Nominate a Driven Woman:

    https://live.thedrivenwomenproject.com/nominateadrivenwoman

    Connect with Erin Smith directly: erin@drivenbeyondexcellence.com

    Download Erin’s free ebook: https://live.thedrivenwomenproject.com/ebook


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    51 mins
  • 06: Kat Benzova Rock 'n Roll Photographer

    06: Kat Benzova Rock 'n Roll Photographer
    Jul 10 2024

    🌟 Meet Kat Benzova: Rock Photography's Trailblazer! 🎸📸 🌟

    From a globe-trotting fashion model to the tour photographer for Guns N’ Roses, Kat

    Benzova has become one of the world's most sought-after rock photographers.

    She's worked with legends like AC/DC, Aerosmith, KISS, and many more. With her

    own philanthropic foundation, Mission 11, Kat's work and social impact are awe

    inspiring, and she is nowhere near done evolving.

    🔊 Tune in to hear: 🔊

    • 🎤 Exclusive insights from Kat’s extraordinary journey.
    • 💪 Struggles and triumphs in an intense male-dominated industry.
    • 🌍 Inspiring stories from her charitable foundation, MISSION 11.
    • 🧠 Mindset and growth: Overcoming challenges and finding balance.
    • 💡 Empowering perspectives: How environment shapes us and the importance of rebalancing our feminine energy.

    Don't miss this episode filled with powerful moments and valuable lessons. Listen now and get inspired to create your extraordinary life! 🎧✨

    Kat’s website: https://www.katbenzova.com/about

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katbenzova_rockphoto/

    Nominate a Driven Woman:

    https://live.thedrivenwomenproject.com/nominateadrivenwoman

    Schedule a complimentary strategy call with Erin: https://erinsmithexecutivecoach.youcanbook.me

    Download Erin’s free ebook: https://live.thedrivenwomenproject.com/ebook
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • 05 Vasanta Pundarika: Investment Banker

    05 Vasanta Pundarika: Investment Banker
    Jun 11 2024
    Vasanta works at the intersection of healthcare and finance as an investment banker,and she is most passionate about investing in and advancing behavioral andwomen’s health. She’s also on the board at Sakhi – For South Asian Women. Sakhi is a New York City-based not-for-profit that represents South Asian survivors of gender-based violence. Vasanta is a frequent panelist or moderator at various healthcare conferences orwebinars and as an avid Princeton alumnus, she is a Co-Class Agent for herclass for Annual Giving and also serves on the National Annual Giving Committee. She also has many passions beyond advancing women’s healthcare, she also lovescooking, has lots of house plants, loves arts and crafts and staying healthyand fit with Orange Theory. I’m excited to share this conversation I had withVasanta, because she is fiercely authentic and has developed an admirable setof core values that guide her. Which I think we can all learn from. If you take away one thing from this episode, letit be this: As a woman in a male dominated career, and an immigrant Vasanta isa shining example of how being different has the power to drive you to want to fit in, unless you decide that being different is awesome!
    Show highlights:Listen all the way through because there are a lot of gems that you wouldn’t expect –for example
    • Vasanta’s path from majoring in Anthropology to wanting to be a food writer to becoming an investment banker.
    • We also talk about the difference between how men and women build trust in the workplace, and how she dealt with men in her office who didn’t understand her methods.
    • How exhausting it is to not be yourself, and how it kills trust
    • How following your passion leads you to figure out the “how” to make it happen.
    • Knowing how to do something is not the driver, and not knowing how to do something wont stop you if you have a passion for it.
    • If you don’t have a passion, look for your super power. What are you really good at.
    • We also talk about how you don’t have to subscribe to the belief that competition is best. A rising tide lifts all boats. You can hear this advice but u don’t have to agree with it just because lots of people say it, but listen as we talk about it and decide for yourself.

    Helpful links:

    Connect with Vasanta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vasantapundarika/

    Nominate a Driven Woman:

    https://live.thedrivenwomenproject.com/nominateadrivenwoman

    Connect with Erin Smith directly: erin@drivenbeyondexcellence.com

    Download Erin’s free ebook: https://live.thedrivenwomenproject.com/ebook
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    56 mins

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