She Lift Project Podcast

In this powerful episode of the She Lift Project Podcast, host Cynthia Kirkpatrick welcomes Dr. Leslie Davis, a relationship therapist, owner of Eva Empowered, and international speaker. Dr. Davis specializes in helping women heal from toxic relationships, increase self-worth, and walk in freedom by knowing their truth. The conversation explores self-silencing among women, recognizing toxic relationship patterns, and the unique mental health challenges facing single mothers.
This episode is for any woman who feels like she's shrinking herself to fit into relationships, whether romantic, professional, or familial. Listeners will learn to identify the signs of toxic dynamics including gaslighting, love bombing, and codependency, understand why self-silencing is so damaging, and discover practical strategies for having difficult conversations. After listening, you'll be equipped to recognize when you're making yourself invisible, know how to ask for help without feeling like a burden, and start building healthier connections in all areas of your life.

Join host Cynthia Kirkpatrick for an inspiring conversation with Maxine Clark, the visionary founder of Build-A-Bear Workshop. Clark is not only the creator of the beloved stuffed animal empire but also a passionate community leader, educator at Washington University, and current ambassador for St. Louis through her work on the Delmar Divine project. This episode explores Clark's remarkable journey from law school aspirations to retail revolution, revealing how curiosity, authenticity, and "kid think" became the foundation of her extraordinary success.
This episode is perfect for entrepreneurs, business leaders, and anyone seeking to rediscover their sense of wonder and possibility. Listeners will learn how to harness curiosity as a superpower, build authentic connections in business and life, and recognize opportunity in everyday moments. After listening, they'll be equipped with practical wisdom about customer-focused innovation, the importance of asking questions, and how to maintain childlike creativity while building serious business success.

Join host Cynthia Kirkpatrick as she interviews legendary artist and entrepreneur Mary Engelbreit, creator of one of America's most beloved illustration brands. Mary has built a multi-generational empire through greeting cards, calendars, children's books, licensing deals, retail stores, and a beloved lifestyle magazine. In this episode, Mary shares the simple truth about building a creative business over five decades, from selling hand-drawn cards for 25 cents in high school to creating over 14,000 copyrights.
This episode is essential listening for creative entrepreneurs, artists looking to monetize their work, and anyone building a values-driven business. Listeners will discover how to stay authentic while scaling, when to pivot away from successful ventures that don't align with your vision, and why imperfection is often the gateway to opportunity. After listening, you'll have a roadmap for building a sustainable creative business that can weather decades of change while maintaining its core identity.

Marriage and family therapist Angela Skurtu joins host Cynthia Kirkpatrick for an incredibly honest conversation about building multiple businesses from scratch. Angela is a successful therapist, author of three books, speaker, and entrepreneur who has built her empire by relying on process efficiency. This episode dives deep into the real challenges of entrepreneurship, from overcoming networking anxiety to managing the red zones of business stress that can destroy your decision-making.
This episode is perfect for solopreneurs, therapists, and anyone building a business while feeling overwhelmed or burned out. Listeners will learn practical strategies for networking authentically, managing business stress zones, and turning awkwardness into confidence through deliberate practice. After listening, they'll be able to identify their own stress zones, develop better resilience practices, and approach networking as relationship-building rather than selling.

Laura K. Sawyier, founder and CEO of LKS Styling and Consulting, joins Cynthia Kirkpatrick for an inspiring conversation about the intersection of style, psychology, and personal transformation. Laura helps clients build confidence through strategic styling, using a revolutionary digital closet platform that functions like the famous Clueless movie wardrobe system. This episode explores how getting dressed is actually an act of creativity and psychological self-care, diving deep into the science behind why what we wear affects how we think and perform.
This episode is perfect for anyone who feels overwhelmed by their closet, struggles with decision fatigue, or wants to understand the deeper psychology behind personal presentation. Listeners will learn about enclothed cognition research, practical gratitude techniques, and how to turn style mistakes into growth opportunities. After listening, you'll be able to approach your wardrobe with more intention, practice self-compassion in challenging moments, and understand how visual communication can be a powerful tool for personal and professional success.

Noelle Robinson is the founder and owner of The Sound Spa in St. Peters, MO, and a former teacher who discovered the transformative power of sound healing after years of chronic health struggles. Her expertise lies in sound immersion therapy, nervous system regulation, and helping people find healing through therapeutic vibrations using gongs, singing bowls, and other instruments. This episode explores her unexpected journey from teaching middle school to becoming a sound healer, and how she's modernizing ancient healing practices to help people achieve deep relaxation and wellness in today's chaotic world.
This show is perfect for anyone dealing with chronic pain, stress, anxiety, sleep issues, or those curious about alternative healing methods beyond traditional medicine. Listeners will learn about the science of entrainment, how sound waves can regulate the nervous system, and practical ways to prioritize self-care without guilt. Whether you're a busy mom, overwhelmed professional, or someone seeking natural wellness solutions, you'll discover how investing in your mental and physical well-being isn't selfish—it's essential for showing up as your best self for everyone around you.

Meet Courtney English, a trademark business attorney and founder of Upscale Law who specializes in helping small business owners and entrepreneurs navigate the complete business lifecycle from startup to scaling. With expertise in brand protection, trademark law, and business contracts, Courtney has built her practice around being proactive rather than reactive, focusing on preventing costly legal problems before they arise. In this episode, she shares her journey from a small farm town to building a thriving legal practice, while revealing the critical legal steps every business owner must take to protect what they've built.
This episode is essential listening for current and aspiring entrepreneurs, especially women who are considering leaving corporate careers to start their own businesses or those already running small businesses without proper legal protection. Listeners will learn the three foundational legal steps every new business needs, how to protect their brand from copycats and domain thieves, why contracts are non-negotiable, and how to advocate for themselves in business relationships. Armed with this knowledge, business owners should immediately assess their current legal vulnerabilities, conduct trademark searches for their business names, establish proper contracts for all services, and most importantly, shift their mindset from seeing legal protection as an expense to viewing it as an investment in their business's future success.

Kelly Spann is an attorney and entrepreneur who owns and operates three distinct law firms: FortmanSpann (franchise law), TM Law and Associates (trademark and copyright), and True Estate Planning (estate planning and probate). Her expertise lies in franchise law, where she exclusively represents franchisees against franchisors in an industry she describes as having "zero regulation" despite being promoted as highly regulated. This episode explores her unconventional journey from pregnant teen to legal powerhouse, her strategic approach to building multiple businesses, and her refreshingly authentic leadership style that breaks every stereotype about what attorneys should look like and how they should operate.
This episode is essential listening for aspiring entrepreneurs, current business owners, legal professionals, and anyone considering franchise ownership. Listeners will learn the hidden realities of the franchise industry, discover why traditional business advice often fails, and understand the power of authentic leadership and strategic delegation. Most importantly, you'll gain practical wisdom about pivoting through life's challenges, the importance of asking for help, and how to build sustainable businesses by being genuinely yourself rather than trying to fit someone else's mold—knowledge you can immediately apply to your own professional and entrepreneurial journeys.

Join host Cynthia Kirkpatrick as she sits down with Lauren Cohen, founder and CEO of Cohen Leadership Group, who made the bold transition from successful corporate lawyer to transformational leadership coach. Lauren shares her powerful journey of leaving a lucrative 10-year legal career after experiencing what she calls a "low grade fever" of misalignment, and how she now helps leaders and teams in fast-growth companies boost energy, engagement, and purpose in the workplace. She discusses her innovative approach to "energy leadership," the importance of authentic leadership, and why people want to be people at work—not just cogs in a machine.
This episode is perfect for anyone feeling stuck in their career, struggling with workplace culture, or questioning whether success should feel this hard. Leaders, managers, and ambitious professionals will learn practical frameworks for having difficult conversations, managing stress reactions, and creating psychologically safe environments where teams thrive. By the end, you'll understand how to identify when you're operating "above or below the line," recognize your own limiting beliefs, and have the tools to either transform your current leadership style or find the courage to pursue work that truly aligns with who you are.

Sheila Pride is the CEO and Co-Founder of The Moksha Group, where she works with organizations and executives worldwide to create conscious leadership and transform toxic workplace cultures. As both a therapist and organizational consultant, she specializes in using neuroscience-based approaches to build psychological safety, improve communication, and help teams stay connected despite their differences. In this conversation, she reveals why most workplace culture efforts fail and shares practical frameworks like the "depletion vs. renewal grid" and structured dialogue techniques that actually work.
This episode is essential for CEOs, team leaders, managers, and anyone struggling with workplace dysfunction, difficult conversations, or toxic team dynamics. Listeners will learn evidence-based strategies for creating psychological safety, facilitating productive meetings, handling feedback effectively, and building teams that thrive under pressure. By applying Sheila's neuroscience-backed methods, you'll transform not just how you show up at work, but how you communicate in every relationship—creating ripple effects that improve your leadership, reduce stress, and help you build the collaborative, high-performing culture you've always wanted.