Wendi McGowan-Ellis  0:11  
Welcome to "Your Authentic Path to Powerful Leadership" with Marsha Clark. Join us on this journey where we are uncovering what it takes to be a powerful woman leader. Well, Marsha, oh, my goodness! We are at 100 episodes today. So, congratulations!

Marsha Clark  0:33  
And congratulations to you as well. We've, you've been, we've been together on this journey every step of the way, and what an incredible milestone for us. And I really appreciate you, Wendi, for being such a great partner on this journey with me.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  0:44  
Well, thank you for including me on this journey. And I want our listeners to know that most podcasts fizzle out after 12 episodes. So we are 88 past that and going strong, and we've got 100 more planned. So it's been an honor and a blast to sit beside you as we have already explored so many powerful topics and met some amazing people. And yes, so 100 episodes is quite a milestone on that.

Marsha Clark  1:15  
Well, and you know, I sit here and I think about it. I didn't even know what a podcast was when we started.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  1:20  
I know. Marsha couldn't spell podcast.

Marsha Clark  1:22  
That's right and I'm a good speller. But you know, I and now I think about we have done, this is our 100th. So it's, it's a little overwhelming.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  1:31  
It is. It is but you know, we got started and we kept going. We've got things to say. So last week, we read, we reviewed the top five episodes based on listener downloads. And that was a fun trip down memory lane.

Marsha Clark  1:46  
It really was. I enjoyed going back and it makes me want to go back and listen to even more and and this week, we wanted to focus again on our listeners. So what we did was we turned to social media, and we asked people to submit questions, and we receive some what I think are thought inspiring questions and can't wait to dig into those questions today.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  2:05  
Absolutely. Me, too. I mean, some of these questions were focused on the podcast itself, specifically and others were centered around learning more about you, Marsha. So this is going to be a really interesting conversation. So let's jump in.

Marsha Clark  2:19  
Let's do it.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  2:20  
Alright, so our first questions are about the podcast itself. Shannon Hammond, one of our recent power video panelists asked, "Do you guys choose your topics on what interests you or on what you think people are interested in?" And so I thought that was a great question to start off with today.

Marsha Clark  2:40  
I agree, Wendi, and thank you, Shannon, for prompting us with that question. And I'd like to say it's 'yes' to both parts, on choosing the topics of what interests us, and the other 'yes', is on what we think people are interested in. And, you know, we want our our listeners to find our podcasts valuable and interesting every single time.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  3:04  
Exactly. And so for those who don't know, for the most part, we have our podcast episode topics mapped out for pretty much a year at a time. I mean, I wasn't kidding when I said that earlier.

Marsha Clark  3:17  
That's right. And when we first kicked off the show back on way back when, on September 22nd of 2021, we already had the first 67 episodes mapped out, which took us through the end of 2022. And we're really doing that same thing with 2023. We've had those episodes planned since late last year.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  3:38  
Yeah. So how do we determine which topics and guests end up on the calendar? What's that process look like?

Marsha Clark  3:46  
Well, I would consider it a creative collaboration and it's between myself and our content director, Tracie Shipman. And, you know, Tracie and I have known each other so long we can kind of finish each other's thoughts (Thank you, Tracie), and the episode topics through 2022, those first 67, they were aligned with the content and chapters of my book, "Embracing Your Power". And for virtually every page of that book, we had a podcast episode related to it.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  4:20  
Yeah, I think that's one of the things that has really elevated the quality and the success of this podcast is that you are so, it's so closely tied to the work that you've dedicated so much of your career to producing and supporting.

Marsha Clark  4:35  
Well, I think that's right, Wendi, and you know, the topics are relevant, and the format is focused on it being an educational experience for our listeners. I laughingly say we're not here, we're not a mystery podcast. You know, it's not that kind of thing. It's not, we're not here to entertain you and yet people tell me it's entertaining because it's real, it's authentic, all that kind of stuff. And you know the question driving every episode is what can our listeners learn from this and then what can they do as a result?

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  5:05  
Yes, the "What, So what and Now what" questions.

Marsha Clark  5:09  
Ah, yeah, yes, that's one of those. So it's a bit of a mantra for us. And so in the what-so what-now what- "What" is the content. Well, that has primarily been driven by the book or other related topics. The "So what" is how does it relate to people situations? How is it relevant to real life? And then the "Now what" is the call to action. Now, what can our listeners do as a result of this new information?

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  5:39  
Yeah, eventually we've covered everything in "Embracing Your Power", the book, though, and we knew we were gonna have to shift to some other sources to develop content until your next book is available. So where did the other ideas come from for those episodes that weren't directly tied to your book?

Marsha Clark  5:58  
Well, you know, we've been inspired from a variety of sources. And sometimes it's one of those moments while we're recording, and a guest will bring up a topic and we look at each other, you know, I've done this and say, oh, let's remember to add that to our episode list. Or someone will reach out and they'll recommend an author or some sort of subject matter expert in a topic that's aligned with our work. So we look for ways to plug that guest in to the overall arch of the other episodes. And, and I think about that in terms of, I also want to support other women. So if other women are doing this work, I want to make sure that we're supporting them in a meaningful way.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  5:58  
Right, exactly. Well, we had some themes running earlier this year as well that centered on women supporting women so we celebrated Black History Month, we celebrated Women's History Month and Random Acts of Kindness Week with special guests. We also interviewed women in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Memorial Day and Mother's Day. And then we even also brought in some awesome dads to talk about their powerful daughters in honor of Father's Day.

Marsha Clark  7:12  
Yeah, I look back on that. And you know, the faces of the people that we had as guests are popping into my head and I it makes me smile. We definitely had a full house in the studio really all spring. And you know, one of the other themes that we celebrated was women supporting women in the field of public education. And a few of those interviews were with people that I had not met before that were a part of my Frisco community. And it was just as educational and inspiring for me as I hope it was for our listeners. And, and I'll say, though, that one of my favorite episodes so far was the one with my granddaughter, Georgia, which we'd also been planning for months.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  7:49  
Yes, for sure. I was definitely jamming with all of her Harry Potter references. We got to cover and that whole, the whole idea of leadership lessons at 10 vibe was both encouraging and super precious.

Marsha Clark  8:04  
Georgia is my full time teacher. She's, she's intellectually and emotionally smart. And I really care about what she thinks. And she helps me to know what's relevant today.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  8:15  
Right, right. Okay, so this episode not only marks a milestone for us hitting 100 episodes, but it's also a turning point content wise, isn't it?

Marsha Clark  8:26  
It is. So I have now written all but one chapter. I'm on my last chapter of book two. So I'm in the final phases of that now. And therefore, our upcoming episodes are going to start to focus on the content and tools from book two. And the title of that is "Expanding Your Power"with a subtitle "A Woman's Opportunity to Inspire Teams and Influence Organizations".

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  8:57  
This is so exciting. And you know, the book two - very few people even write a book one, but book two is going to be even better. And I think next week's episode is literally a sneak peek at the book, right?

Marsha Clark  9:11  
That's right, I you know, and here we are, we're ready for that. So, everyone, tune in next week to learn more about, a bit more of a an overview of that book two.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  9:21  
Excellent. I cannot wait. Okay, so that was a long answer to our first question about where we get our ideas for our content. And I'm sure. It was.

Marsha Clark  9:31  
Yeah, it was a complex answer because anybody who knows me knows I don't give short answers to hardly anything anyway. And if it's got multiple parts, I'm gonna be me.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  9:40  
There we are. Okay, so our second question is related in a way and it's about our format. So one listener asked, "Do you ever have people with opposing views on a certain topic on the show to duke it out on your podcast?" Now, I loved this question when I saw it and I couldn't really wait to talk about it here. So Marsha, what do you think?

Marsha Clark  10:04  
Well, I saw that too, and it got me thinking. And the short answer is no, we've not ever intentionally brought in guests with opposing perspectives to debate an issue. And to be honest, I can't think of an episode where we've had any guests with any significant opposing perspectives. We've had guest offer some alternative viewpoints to some topics, but nothing I would consider, you know, major, and certainly not to the level of duking it out. And, and I also want to say, Wendi, we fight enough in this world. And yeah, we duke it out enough in the world. And I'm all for an intellectual duking it out, but I don't know. It, I have to tell, I'll be honest with our listeners, it doesn't appeal to me.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  10:53  
Right, I think that sometimes we elevate the level of debate, we can put it that way. And we have had guests that are on a range of a spectrum, if you will, be that politically or religious affiliation, or however, you know, just where and age ranges, which, you know, multiple generations that we've had on the show also just innately provides a difference in perspective and opinion and ideas. But, you know, I don't think that that's an experiment that we're ever going to do in here. It's, that feels very, just like you're setting people up for combat.

Marsha Clark  11:32  
So, yeah, you know, I want us to be in service to our listeners, right. So that's the key point. So maybe we work through something like through the dialogue model, or a ladder of inference to see how our viewpoints are developed and built so that we can unpack them. And, you know, we'll toss this idea around and see how we can model more, maybe more exploration of opposing perspectives in what I would describe as a healthy, productive way. That I can get behind.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  12:00  
Exactly. And I've always wanted to moderate some kind of debate just, you know, for my own education. Let's, maybe we can figure out how to do that. Okay, note to Tracie.

Marsha Clark  12:10  
All right. And for our listeners, so if you have any suggestions on either a great debate format, or a model that we could use to demonstrate or, you know, even a topic that might generate some tension for you and your colleagues that you think would be useful to have, and we'll go find the right people who can do that in a professional, you know, courteous, respectful way. Let us know.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  12:33  
Productive way. Yes, please let us know your ideas because we're starting to build out the 2024 episode calendar, so this is perfect timing. So, I'm really excited about where that question took us.

Marsha Clark  12:46  
Yes, me, too. And, you know, I wasn't sure when I first saw it because it is so different from our normal format. But you know, I'm always one who's ready to explore and try something new if it's useful, relevant, significant.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  13:01  
Not just the entertainment of hearing women fighting because yeah, we get enough of that. That's what reality TV is. Okay. So here's another podcast question. What is one topic that you haven't covered yet that you want to add to your list. So, what's something that isn't in your books? So, I'm curious about this one, too, Marsha.

Marsha Clark  13:22  
I want to do more around the topic of men as allies.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  13:26  
Oh, I love that.

Marsha Clark  13:28  
I was inspired by, you know, as we said, our wonderful girl dads that were here. And I think we and I'm speaking for you and me, as well as our listeners, think we have a lot to learn and there's a lot to share around that. What about you, Wendi, do you have a topic that you'd like to see us cover that we haven't yet covered?

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  13:47  
So, I'm, instead of adding something in addition, or original, what I'm really looking forward to is the topics that are going to come out in book two, the team aspect of relationship building, how to be a leader in that, how to be a better listener, how to really read the room better. So I, you know, all of the things that I know are going to come out in all of those topics that we're going to cover in book two. That's really what I'm looking forward to.

Marsha Clark  14:17  
Well, I have to tell you just in reviewing it, I mean, I'm teaching these topics pretty routinely. But I love sitting down to write about them because when I write about them, I have to think harder. I have to put it in order in a better way than when I'm standing up teaching and so I'm looking forward to that part, too.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  14:35  
Yeah. Okay, so one last podcast specific question. One listener asks, or says, rather, "You guys sound so natural and polished on the episodes. Do you ever have any bloopers and have to start over?"

Marsha Clark  14:53  
The magic of editing! The fact that this is audio only and not visual!

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  14:58  
Yes, exactly. I mean, we have an amazing editor, Zach, with Reach Creative Media. I'm giving him a shameless plug. He does a phenomenal job of listening to us. And every once in a while, yes, there is a pause or somebody has to sneeze, or I mean, seriously, we have it all. But you guys don't listen to it, because you don't hear it, because we have Zach.

Marsha Clark  15:24  
Well, and, you know, I also want to share with our listeners, our recording process has tightened up quite a bit for these 100 episodes. So we don't have as many oops moments as we did in the beginning. And there's definitely been a learning curve, especially early on. And I'd say we figured out a flow that's working really well for us. We have Tracie. She and I sit down and talk about the topics. Then, because she has been so familiar and even helped develop the Power of Self program she's very familiar with content. And so she sits and writes the questions for the episodes, I edit the notes, and tighten them up where it's more my authentic response, you know, kind of thing. And then we have moved from our home offices and sitting in front of our laptops to a professional studio to do the actual recordings. And then, you know, Wendi is a master on the control panel during the recordings so that, you know, we make sure. We did have one episode that we forgot to record and we had to re-record but that's only been one.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  16:34  
That was Wendi forgetting to hit the 'record' button. How awesome is that?

Marsha Clark  16:38  
I know. So now, for a while there, it was "did you hit record?" But anyway, so most of the time, and, you know, I also want to say that we've learned how to help our guests not be so overwhelmed if they've never done a podcast. And I think that's been a part of our tightening up process as well.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  16:56  
I agree. And I also want to add that I think you and I in our conversational tone helps calm them down, too. They can feel like they're following Tracie's script, but they're not like handcuffed to it, which is really good.

Marsha Clark  17:14  
I agree. You know, and even the most polished presenters, I mean like, all the talk show hosts, there's bloopers, there's outtakes. There's all those kinds of silly things. And it's all part of taking risks and getting out of those comfort zones. So, I'm actually okay if there's a blooper or two. It keeps it all real.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  17:33  
It keeps it all real here. So it's always a little affirming to know that even our most polished presenters can screw up every once in awhile.

Marsha Clark  17:41  
That's exactly right. That's right.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  17:44  
That's us keeping it real. Now for some other questions. First I found some interesting stats related to this question from the podcast host.com. So they asked podcasters to share where they quote gets stuck when in the process of making a podcast, and nearly 48% said promoting their podcast, then 18% said ideas, scripting and episode planning. Fortunately, that's not a problem for all of us at all, and honestly, none of the other areas really are problems for us either. You know, to your point, Marsha, we've had, we've come a long way in the production of this podcast. And so for those who've responded to the podcast host.com poll, 13% said editing is where they get stuck, 9% said scheduling. And the actual recording itself was the challenge for 8%. And then uploading and publishing dropped down to 3%. So I'm like you. I'm pretty happy overall with how we're doing in this process.

Marsha Clark  18:53  
You know, I'm not seeing these stats so they were interesting just to hear and read about them. And I'll share with our listeners what I share with our guests. First, this is audio, right? I mean, we've done some video ones, but the majority, vast majority are audio. So it's okay to refer to your notes because that's the scary part I think. They're afraid they're not going to say something right or whatever. So you can read from your notes, just read with expression. And then second, we do try to keep it conversational. So if we sound at ease and conversational, it's because we really are in conversation looking at each other across our microphones. And if you mess up on a word, just recover and keep talking, that's what would be in a conversation. So that's just a part of the deal. And if you do miss state your message or your point, just call timeout and we'll do it again. And that's the beauty of the editing process. And you know, we know how to cut it off and we know how to bring it in and, and but even you know that has been a rare occurrence. Many, many of our guests who were so nervous coming in, they were really comfortable and satisfied when they left the studio because it wasn't nearly as hard as they thought it was going to be.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  20:00  
Yeah. Some of them didn't want to leave because they had so much fun with us. So this next question comes from our friend and colleague, Heather Hankamer. And it's a shift away from the podcast. So Heather wants to know, "Over your decades of leadership training, what change has surprised you the most?"

Marsha Clark  20:22  
Yeah. Thank you, Heather. I had to think about that because it's been really 25 years, almost 25 years. So I'll put it in a couple of categories - so, pleasant surprises and / (slash) advancements. So that's, that's the big heading. So one thing that's changed is that women are much better at supporting other women. I can just tell you, in the early days it was a lot harder, and there was more unspoken competition. So that's one change. The second one is women are now being given credit for being risk takers and doing it their way. And by doing "it", I mean, risk. We do it in our own way. And then last, or third, is that women are being included in more research. And this is from health studies, to political studies to leadership bodies of research. So those are all the pleasant surprises. From a negative standpoint I'm surprised, and I am surprised, and I'm very disappointed with some of the legislative and judicial changes and rulings that impact women's equal rights at the state and the federal level. And I'll just leave it there.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  21:44  
Yeah, I'm just gonna leave it there, too, because I don't want to start going down that path. (We could go off.) We could. So this is a somewhat related question. From one of our listeners: "How do you keep up with new research and the ever changing workplace?"

Marsha Clark  22:00  
Well, I continue to be an avid reader and from a wide variety of materials. And my goal is to understand the experiences of women and girls from around the world, from political, to economic, to health, to work, to family, to opportunities, and so on. And I'll be honest with our listeners, you, our listeners, and my clients, I often refer to you as my research department because you're sending me things all the time that you have access to that, especially those in the corporate world that have big subscription services that cost lots and lots of money that a small business could not afford. You send me those things and we have conversations about them, so please keep that up. If you see something, or read something that you think would make for a good topic, we would love for you to just send that to us and let us let us make it an episode. And I also want our listeners to know that I include a lot of articles, things that we don't cover in here, but the articles and some content in I call it my periodic newsletter. And if you go onto the website, marshaclarkand associates.com you can subscribe to that newsletter and receive even more of what I would describe as general information. And it's everything from pay to work cultures, to family situations to caring for aging parents. I mean, it covers a broad spectrum.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  23:30  
Everything women's leadership, definitely. So, these last two questions are a little more personal. The first one is: "So, many of your episodes teach us about being self aware and the importance of reflection. What is your favorite technique or process for reflecting?"

Marsha Clark  23:51  
Yeah, I love that question. I have simplified it over the years. That used to be sort of this overwhelming oh my gosh, meaning of life kind of stuff. And what I have learned over time is to fall back on the learning agility questions. And for our listeners, that first question, learning agility question, is what did I do? You know, in the sense of I prepared for this presentation in this way, I you know, delivered the presentation in this way, I did this research on my target audience, whatever, all those "what did I do?" And then after I did it, what did I learn? Did I learn that this research was helpful, that one wasn't, the meetings before the meetings were helpful or not, you know, that sort of thing. So what did I learn? And then the third one is how will this help me (whatever it is that I learned) going forward? And it's just very simple and straightforward and I can answer in bullets.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  24:49  
Right. Exactly. Exactly. So, for me, it's definitely these three. I think I also add on (I don't know why but this is my nature) I also add on or layer through these questions "How does this make me feel? How do I want to feel?" And that makes me shift to a place where I recognize that I'm choosing my emotions. I'm choosing my mindset about what I did, what did I learn? How will this help me move forward? Just getting the feelings in there and recognizing them, kind of get it out of my head and out of my gut, maybe. So I layer that in.

Marsha Clark  25:37  
Well, I like that. And, you know, this idea of I choose how to respond after something has occurred. I love you know, I love that part. And I think about back in the 80's, there were the quality of phrases of 0% defects and no rework. And I just thought, well, that that was such a dampening effect on our willingness to try something new and different. And so this idea of, we call it learning, I mean, I choose to call it learning, not rework not, you know.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  26:12  
A mistake, a defect.

Marsha Clark  26:15  
I mean, it's, we call it learning. I love that. I love that.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  26:19  
So our listeners are really asking us to dig deep with these questions. Okay, so here's the last one. This is a big one: "What is your source of power?" And go on that one.

Marsha Clark  26:31  
Well, you know, power is, is... So much of what I write about, how I think about it, how sort of the filter through which I see things is around personal power, embracing your power, expanding your power, enriching your power, the power of self, I mean, it goes on and on. So my source of power, first and foremost is my faith. And every day I pray for guidance. I pray for strength, wisdom, and forgiveness. And that, you know, I can know nothing at all and that's why they call it faith, right? And it keeps me going. And second is my curiosity and my quest for learning. And the third is my love of people. I, when I first started doing this work and deciding that I was going to be an entrepreneur, and keep in mind that was 24, almost 24 years ago, I never would have dreamed that this would have kept me engaged because I'm not good at routine and rote, repeat kinds of things. So the fact that we humans are fascinating creatures, and seeing the uniqueness that each of us brings to the world, respecting each other's stories, supporting each other and helping each of us to be seen, heard and valued, that's a part of what you know, drives me and is a source of my power.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  28:00  
So Marsha, who knew we were gonna get such fun and deep questions, Marsha. I mean, this has been a fantastic way to celebrate our 100th episode by bringing listeners into the show and hearing from them directly. Is there, I have another question for you. Is there a question that you expected that you didn't get? Or is there a question that you wanted to get and didn't get through this? I'm totally like throwing her like a curveball right now.

Marsha Clark  28:30  
Yeah. So I have to hmm about a minute. Um, you know, I don't think there was a question I necessarily expected. I've kind of, I'm big on expectations, you know, I am, we're gonna, I  have a whole lot of stuff on that. But what I've learned over the years, both from just pure working as well as being a leader, and then doing what I've done for the last almost 25 years, I've heard a lot. I've been asked a lot. So, I'm not going to say that I never get a new question. But I've learned to just kind of let that go to think that I have to be so well prepared. Just like right now, this is the real answer. I don't, I don't really have anything that I expected to get that I didn't. What I want - this is more of a future - what I want our listeners to do is if there's something that they're wrestling with that they think we can help them with, you know, you don't have to hire me as a coach. You can send me an email and I'll, you know, give you some thoughts and responses. And if it's something that I think would be better served in a phone conversation, we'll set up a phone call. I'm not, I'm not some big person that's not accessible and you know, that's been my word. So, you know, I want to encourage our listeners going forward if they've got questions that they're struggling with, or are, you know, stuck, we can help you. Let us know and we'll be happy to do it.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  30:06  
I love it. So, final question for you, Marsha. What are you most excited about as we look forward to our next 100 episodes?

Marsha Clark  30:15  
I just think about that, and it's gonna be here before we know it because this one got here so fast. And so I have so enjoyed our our guests, all the people that have come to us and been subject matter experts, and some had been friends and some have been colleagues and some had been new people that I've never met. And I loved bringing what they had to offer to our listeners. And I'm also really excited to get about getting back to our book content. Our listeners have, based on what we've heard, have responded well to the content and the tools. And I think about it, it's kind of like when I travel, you know, I can't wait to go right. I can't wait to go to this new place, meet new people, do new things. And I'm nearly always ready to come home when the time is there. And so, knowing that I'm a teacher at heart, I love our guests, I love having topics of the month and that sort of thing, and I'm ready to get back to the content of the teaching of the book.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  31:13  
Oh, that's great. That's great. So I'll just share that what I'm looking forward to the most is being on the other side of the table and being the learner still from Marsha. I mean, this podcast, Marsha and I record on average of about every three weeks. And so I feel like I get a booster shot of reminding of these skills every three weeks. I am the luckiest woman in Marsha's world because, I'm serious, because not only did, besides Tracie because Tracie has been even more immersed in all of your work for even longer but having gone through Marsha's Power of Self program and being class 18, which was 2017 - 2018, and now to have spent almost two years, we're recording this episode in July so in September it will be two years that we've been recording these episodes. You know, I get a very frequent boost from the remindings of all of these skills and lessons and tools. And it just, it makes me sharper because I get to sit here across from you. So that's what I'm looking forward to is continuing to sit across from you.

Marsha Clark  32:36  
Well, you know, we were, I was graduating a class recently and one of them said, Marsha, you just always seem to have these answers at your fingertips. And is there a way that you can, we can just you know, like, think something and or push a button and we'll get your answers? And I don't know how to do that. I wish I could but part of it is the repetition. And each time there's a nuance, right, or a new 'Oh', or 'I never thought of it that way' kind of thing. So, I hope our listeners are experiencing that as well.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  33:07  
Great. Okay, so as we wrap up our celebration here today, is there anything else you want to say?

Marsha Clark  33:13  
Well, Wendi, I thought about this when Tracie gave me this question. You know that we were recently in a marketing conversation referred to as a sonic marketing conversation. I love that. And I love the questions that our new partner and supporter, a gentleman by the name of Josh Risser, asked us so I'll share, I wanted to share that with our listeners. So, he said "What are the words (and he emphasized the emotional words) that reflect your key messages?" And I want to share with our listeners that my answer to that question, my words were power, leadership, authenticity, free will, choice, accountability, and the phrase, women supporting women. So, whatever you hear for me, these are the lanes that guide me, the foundation, yes. And then he asked about what women might be thinking or feeling just before they discover or listen to their first podcast episode that you know, the ones that we offer. And so what is prompting or driving people to us? I mean, I think that was the basis. And here were our answers. Women are frustrated, disappointed, maybe even angry about something that's going on that doesn't seem quite right, doesn't seem quite fair, isn't grounded in logic or reason. And the other thing we think that drives women to us is isolation, feeling so alone, this idea that I'm the only one that this is happening to, I'm the only one that's thinking this because everybody else in the room is clearly on a different page. And I think that's what drives women to us and our work. And he then asked, "Well, what would you want women to be thinking and feeling as they finished one of your development programs or listened to one of your episodes?" And based on what we've heard over the many years that I've been doing this now is my answers to him where I want them to have greater clarity, and they feel greater clarity, they have greater confidence. There's a freedom that they're experiencing, sometimes for the first time ever, a sense of autonomy or independence, I don't have to wait for someone or rely on someone. And then, you know, these words are used interchangeably, they feel strong, or there is strength that they've not had. And I love the questions and you know, even saying these things out loud right now and sharing them with our listeners really does give me chills. I mean, these are words, I can hear a song, and if it's got these words, or this message, the sentiment in it I know it's touching me in some way. And, you know, we've added that we're here to help women of all ages and all walks of life around the world. And the mission is to help women to find success on their own terms and to live their best life. And so, you know, I'll ask our listeners, how does this ring true or not for you about the emotional words that you're hearing and receiving from our messages, how you're thinking before you might listen to an episode or go back and re-listen to an episode? And I do hope that you're gaining ever greater clarity, confidence, freedom, autonomy and strength through what you're learning here. So that's my wish.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  36:53  
Well, again, Marsha, I know I already said this, but I could say it every episode, thank you for offering this incredible content, tools, models, role models, for all of us who learn from you every single week. And it is an honor to be your partner in this experience.

Marsha Clark  37:10  
You know, Wendi, I feel the same way about you. You know, your partners are the ones who will be sitting next to you when you've done something wrong.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  37:21  
With the broom in hand.

Marsha Clark  37:23  
Cleaning it up. But I do thank you. And it has been, it's been fun. I mean, and it's been, it's been easy, you know, even when we don't know what we're doing or we're learning something new. You know you're working with the right people when it just feels easy. And of course, I want to thank our listeners who are at the core of why we do what we do. And, you know, we can't wait to see what the next 100 episodes brings.

Wendi McGowan-Ellis  37:48  
Absolutely. So again, listeners. Thank you for joining us today on this journey of authentic, powerful leadership. Please continue to download, subscribe and share this podcast with the women and men in your world from wherever you like to listen. Visit marshaclarkandassociates.com so that you can sign up for her emails. Stay up to date on what's going on and you'll be the first to know when book number two comes out.

Marsha Clark  38:16  
Well, again, thank you very much, listeners. We wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. And I appreciate your willingness to be vulnerable, to ask hard questions, to look yourselves in the mirror, to want to be the best you that you can possibly be and create the best life that you can possibly live. And if our podcasts can help you or the books can help you in any small way, you know that makes me happy and it helps me know that I am not only living what I think is my purpose, but fulfilling that purpose in relevant and meaningful ways. So, thank you, thank you, thank you for 100 episodes and here is to 100 more and as always, "Here's to women supporting women!"

Transcribed by https://otter.ai