We were lucky to catch up with Mandy Steinhardt recently and have shared our conversation below.

Mandy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear from you about what you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry and why it matters.

Corporations have been going about inclusivity and employee engagement all wrong. The great debate in the post-COVID world has been about whether to force people to come into the office or to allow everyone to work in a remote fashion. An all-in or all remote strategy aren’t the only two options. Workers, especially those newer to the work force, need leaders who set very intentional parameters around how they can engage, how they can be seen, and express themselves as humans in the workplace.

Corporate work can be done from anywhere and with anyone, so long as the team is supported by the right technology and leadership that encourages autonomy, best use of time, and ensures that all team members contribute equitably. There are new ways of working that we should embrace – using new collaboration tools that are able to thread together conversation, documentation, and running brainstorms to keep teams connected in a global world.

Women come to me seeking healing community with other women, advice on how to navigate their careers and the challenges of the modern working lifestyle. If corporate America could provide more flexible jobs with sustainable work life balance, they would find a much happier and productively engaged workforce. Women are leaving the workforce in record numbers because companies are not evolving with their needs (See the Leanin.org and McKinsey report: https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/women-in-the-workplace) of flexibility.

From an inclusivity standpoint, corporations often push most of the work onto volunteers who run equity groups for little to no recognition or incentives. These high performers are carrying the load of equity work in corporate and are burning out.

Mandy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I got into women’s coaching after experiencing the healing power of women in community. I attended a women’s circle facilitated by Sherylyn Pitt, LCSW, in person and then virtually for 18 months. This circle helped heal me and carry me through the pandemic and the death of my mother. These women came from different backgrounds but shared a desire to connect on a deeper level and tap into the soul-healing powers of indigenous teachings and women’s wisdom. It was incredibly healing to be seen at that level by other women.

I believe strongly in women’s circles as a unique place for women to heal from their patriarchal and religious wounds and to witness each other in their pain and growth.

The pandemic was also a catalyst for me to get training as a coach, after I experienced so much satisfaction in volunteering as a career coach for Dress for Success. I signed up when between jobs for to help with coaching, thinking I would be a much better asset in volunteering doing this than other tasks, having rebounded after a number of layoffs and job changes. Helping to encourage and empower women to achieve their full potential gives me such fulfillment. After hearing my first client got that new job after our coaching session, I was hooked!

After those wins at Dress for Success, I completed coach training through Authentic Leadership Advisors and have been taking private clients and hosting women’s circles online. My circles are focused on the divine feminine and the healing power of women in community. My individual coaching is tailored to the client’s needs, whether they be in the area of life, spirituality or career.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn the lessons of the “good girl archetype.” My family’s Christian beliefs and the society of my upbringing taught me that it was better to fit in, to make peace, and to obey rather than to pay attention to my own needs and assert myself. In the bible, women were portrayed as mostly bit players, sinners or temptresses. As a highly sensitive person who dealt with rejection growing up, I inhabited the roles of victim and good girl, being afraid to assert myself in many situations.

Years of work in therapy and healing practices have helped me to learn how to harness my power more effectively and to help other women set boundaries and reckon with the roles they have unconsciously played.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

My monthly email newsletter is the one thing I keep going back to for keeping in touch with clients and sharing with them what is top of mind for me. I often get replies. I find keeping up with social media draining, so I limit my time there.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://mandysteinhardt.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mandysteinhardtcoaching/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mandysteinhardtcoaching
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandysteinhardt/

Image Credits
Elena Lewis