How Far We’ve Come: My Journey and Evolution on the Dynamic Women Podcast

In May 2024, I celebrated the fifth anniversary of the Dynamic Women Podcast and a group of dynamic women joined me in a Q&A session. 

One of them is Paula Kent, who is not just a client, but has become a friend of mine. 

In that podcast episode, she said, “I've been with you for a long time and watching all of this transpire in your five years. That was 2019? Wasn't the world a different place then? My question really is to touch on that length of time. Five years isn't that long, but so much in the world has changed. I also imagine in the podcasting world. 

If you think about episode one, and where we are today, how would you describe some of the concerns expressed by dynamic women and other female entrepreneurs? How have you had to adapt your podcast and change the content? Even maybe some of your messages over the last five years?”

Here’s my answer: 

Yeah, good question. Well, I've grown in my business. I feel like a lot of the episodes are around my growth or my challenges, and what I'm seeing in my clients, as you've said, has probably changed. 

But as I've grown in my business over the years, my clients have also grown. I'm attracting a higher level of woman, higher achievers, people with bigger challenges. It's funny, I remember working with my business advisor and saying, “I thought when I got to the next success level, things would be easier.” New level, new devil. You get to that next level of success, and you face different problems. 

But the interesting thing is, a lot of the problems are the same. From earlier in your business to later in your business, there are still issues of life balance, mindset, confidence, and strategy. That doesn't change, it's just at a different level. 

It also doesn't change between the types of listeners I have, or the types of clients…

• Those who work in a career 
• Those who are retired 
• Those who have their own business
• Those who are transitioning

It doesn't matter who you are. It does seem to go across the board. Same with age and culture. It's so crazy how it's the same. 

I think though, over the years, the journey for me has been a little bit more about being more raw, more real, more open, because what I realized is the people online who know me, and out in the world, they get Diane that's on stage, or Diane that's on social media, and I am real, but there is a deeper realness that comes when I'm with my clients. 

You would know that, Paula, and a bunch of the other people here. All of you see that quirkier side of me or the edgier side of me, or the goofball side, and this is what I'm trying to bring in a little bit more to the podcast. 

I think I'm a teacher at heart. I love to teach, to share, and to empower in that way. But a lot of times the response I get the most from is when I show the rougher side and the edgier side, and the softer side and the more vulnerable side. That's where people connect with me more so my evolution has been to share more of that side, not just to let it be seen by the people close to me. 

It's not that I am choosing online to not be my goofball self. But when you have one message I want the content to be the message. 

Paula added, “I think sometimes for myself and listening to the podcast, there are moments of serendipity, when you are speaking what I maybe haven't been able to bring to the forefront. I think most recently was about feeling alone, and women in leadership. I think that you know, you're really touching on that rawness and these words and these emotions that are maybe something that we don't want to face, but we need to talk about it and share. Thank you very much. I would love to say I have listened to every single one of them, but I listened to most and every single one exceeds my expectations. Thank you.”

Here’s how I replied:

Thank you. Thank you for asking that. One other thing I did want to add in is around who I feel like I'm speaking more to now. When I go and record, like today's is amazing, because you're all here and I get to talk to you, which feels like a two-way communication, even though I'm taking more of the mic. 

But when I record the podcasts, I imagine the woman on the other side who's listening, who's folding her laundry while practicing her next presentation, who is working on a project with a deadline, or who's going for a walk midday at work, or whatever it may be. I'm imagining her and that woman has changed slightly over the years. 

Now more so, I want to speak to that same high achiever, the woman who's putting herself out there, but I have such a passion now for women who are choosing to fly under the radar. They're choosing to fly under the radar because it's tiring to be cut down. It's the tall poppy syndrome. It's the crabs in the bucket being pulled down when you try to get out or when you stand out. 

As someone who, over my lifetime, every time I've stood out, I've been cut down somehow. My thing is, I have to just get back up, and keep going, but it's hard. It is so hard. That's where a little bit of why I did that episode around feeling alone is because the strong high-achieving, successful, confident women don't get checked on. 

I wanted to give them a place where they could hear from someone else who's not just trying to keep up appearances. But who will say, “Yeah, this part sucks and that sucks”.  

Another client and friend of mine, Jill, also asked a question that segues really nicely here. 

She said, “How do you deal with unfounded, inappropriate criticisms that being in the public eye exposes you to? Because you rock.”

Here’s my answer: Thank you for your kind words Jill. Thankfully, she put this question in advance because I really wanted to think about this one. 

As a soccer player when I was 10 years old, my own teammates on a boys team didn’t want to partner up with me. They didn't want me there because I am a girl.

Then the coach said, “Do you know why Diane's here? Because she's better than most of you.” Well, great, thank you for that. I know his intention was good, but it did not help at all. Still no one wanted to pair up with me for drills. 

I decided that I didn't want to be there anymore, so I left and I went and played basically a level lower just to be playing with girls who accepted me. 

In high school, I ran for student council president and the guy who was my opponent attempted to turn everyone against me to try to win. He didn’t win, but it was painful to have him say bad things about me and turn people against me. This caused me to not go for valedictorian which had been a dream of mine because he wanted that too and I didn’t want to battle him again.

This just continued. I've been slandered in business. I've even had people be mean to me at a Christian retreat, who later told me she doesn’t like herself and couldn’t understand why I’d be kind to her. It all came from these unfounded inappropriate criticisms. 

The thing that's helped me to get through it is good friends and fans. Oh my goodness, when a lot of those things happened, they're so crazy and unfounded that I had to go to friends and be like, “Am I really like that? Does anyone think that?” They're like, “No, it's so untrue. Don't even think of it.” 

But if you don't have people that you can go to that you trust that you know, and who know you, then you won't be able to get through it. 

I've basically gotten used to people talking about me negatively. There will always be haters and often that means you are successful. The sad thing is, it's people who don't even know me. Then I just remember, I have people who love me, who really know me. If the people that really know me love me, then I'm good. I've worked on myself so much. I'll admit my faults and weaknesses and I've done the work. When inappropriate comments come in, criticisms, and such, I always look at and ask, is there any way their perspective could be valid? What can I learn from that, and then I let everything else go. 

I just saw a quote, by Goi Nasu. “An entire sea of water can’t sink a ship unless it gets inside the ship. Similarly, the negativity of the world can’t put you down unless you allow it to get inside you.” I thought that was so good. So good. So true, right? 

Over the years, as I've shared before I've censored myself. I don't take sides on controversial topics to protect myself. But I'm changing that now.

With a few neighborhood friends, I spoke up to a few things that I don't necessarily agree with. That's based on my faith and building my Christianity. It was uncomfortable to say, and I could see her face change and, I said, I still love you as a friend. But I feel differently. I think that's okay, and that's healthy.

Then the other side of it is when someone gives me a compliment, I search for more. Not that I'm like, “Oh, tell me more about how great I am.” But if someone says, “I really liked your presentation,” like my talk at the WNORTH conference in Whistler and people said, “Wow, you were so great. I reply, “Thank you. Can you tell me what was great about it?” 

Because “so great” doesn't tell you as much as, “Wow, you were so energetic. I really liked it when you said this piece. I felt like you were speaking to me.” Now I really understand what the compliments are based on. I always ask for more and the reasons why, like these: 

• “I really liked your talk.” Why is that? 
• “Thank you for your presentation.” What was your biggest takeaway from that? ​

The last question is what I ask after every coaching session, “What was your biggest takeaway from today?”

After trainings, talks, keynotes I ask, “What's your biggest insight or your golden nugget?” 

I always ask that because I'm going to squirrel that away as positive feedback. Same with when my clients do the Dynamic Year program every year, we list all the accomplishments, celebrate them and grab all the wisdom, so we can pull on the positivity, and reasons why we’re awesome. That way we won’t let those once in a while comments or people hurt us.

Then other things I do is, I just protect my energy as best I can. I think that comes with age as well. ​

Also, a lot of times people are acting out of jealousy, a lack of confidence, feeling not enough or they've been hurt. Hurt people hurt. Where I can, I confront them. I ask them, “Hey, what's going on for you? What happened there? What was your intention for what you said/did?” I remember I come at things with a heart of mercy and grace, as much as I'm able to give that as a human. 

Otherwise, if they are so terrible, I don't engage. That's the hardest thing because I'm like, “That's not fair. What you did is unfair, and it's wrong and you're lying, and you're twisting my words around or whatever it may be.” But sometimes not engaging is the best and then just praying about it. 

It's funny at church, they list off all the people who are sick, or dying, or tragedies hit them and they say now lift up someone that you want to pray for. I often lift up the people who have hurt me the most. In those moments, even though they're not, facing a surgery or in the hospital or dying. I'm still like “Lift these people up”, because that's the only way I cam help them without being hurt again. 

Wrapping Up

Reflecting on these five years with the Dynamic Women Podcast, I’m grateful for the growth that’s come from connecting with listeners and sharing honest conversations. This journey has been about more than just podcasting—it’s been about showing up authentically, embracing vulnerability, and offering a space where women find support and encouragement.

Through challenges and moments of self-reflection, I’ve gained resilience and a renewed commitment to the values that drive me. I’m thankful for every listener who has been part of this path, and I look forward to deepening this journey together, bringing even more inspiration and honesty to each episode.

If you have topic suggestions, email me directly at [email protected] and I’ll be glad to consider them!

Read my other blogs:

1. Stop Being a Good Girl
2. Building My VA Business: What to Delegate and Why it Matters for Success
3. “What Tasks Can a Virtual Assistant Handle for Me?”