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Speak Your Mind Unapologetically Podcast

Speak Your Mind Unapologetically Podcast

For People Leaders Leading Bold Conversations | Ivna Curi 448 Episodes Jul 3, 2026

Speak Your Mind Unapologetically is a leadership communication podcast for people leaders—managers, directors, and VPs—who want to speak up, lead bold conversations, and influence outcomes. Hosted by Ivna Curi, a Fortune 500 speaker and TEDx speaker, the podcast offers practical strategies for communicating with clarity, confidence, and conviction. Topics include addressing conflict, delivering feedback, leading meetings, and navigating difficult conversations. With over 400 episodes, it is trusted by leaders across Fortune 500s, healthcare, tech, startups, and global organizations.

Episodes

"If You Don't Tell Us What You Want, We Can't Help You Get There." VP Erika on Breaking Out of People-Pleasing and Advocating for Your Career Jul 3, 2026 40:40 She Won a 40 Under 40 Award and Kept It Private. It Took Her 12 Years to Say Out Loud She Wanted to Be an Executive. People2.0 VP Erika on Self-Advocacy for People Pleasers She received the SIA 40 Under 40 award. It was a big deal. And she kept it almost entirely to herself. She didn't know how to celebrate it externally without coming across as cocky. She treated it like a private accomplishment
She Didn't Know Who to Pitch Her Idea To, So She Pitched Everyone. How an AWS Leader Built Alliances and Attracted a Sponsor by Talking to Anyone Who Would Listen Jun 26, 2026 45:06 She Moved to the US with $800, Changed Her Name to Fit In, and Built a Career at Merck, Oracle, Tableau, and Amazon. Helen on Going From Terrified to Outspoken Her legal name is Hongyi, which means "the water is deep and wide." When she moved to the United States from China, she changed it to Helen so people could pronounce it more easily. She arrived with $800. She was terrified. At grad school,
Speaking Up Doesn't Have to Be Heroic: How PVH VP Shatabdi Uses Small Moments of Courage to Shape Cultures, Careers, and Global Teams Jun 19, 2026 44:12 She Asked Her CIO for a New Challenge at Lunch. Got a "Poison Chalice" Role. Flew to Japan in December 2019. Beat COVID by Three Weeks. PVH VP Shatabdi on Small Acts of Courage With Big Consequences. At a lunch with her CIO, she asked a simple question: "Is there a specific role where you need help? I'm ready to take a new challenge, even change my domain completely." The answer was an invitation
On Her First Day, They Dismissed Her Idea. Six Months Later, She Had the Budget, the Buy-In, and a Legacy That Outlasted an Acquisition. CHRO Deepashri on Getting Your Ideas Heard Jun 12, 2026 47:39 He Interrupted Her Mid-Sentence and Said "I Don't Agree." She Asked: "How Many Recruitment Drives Have You Led?" CHRO Deepashri on Standing Your Ground It was her first day in a new role. The leadership team was deep into planning the launch of a major production system. She raised her hand and asked: "What about the people strategy?" Everyone looked at her like she was speaking a different langu
She Trembled for 60 Minutes Straight in Front of 60 Students. She Went Back the Next Day. Thomson Reuters CTO Anuradha on Facing Fear and Disrupting Yourself First Jun 5, 2026 45:15 Disrupt Yourself Before Someone Else Does: How Thomson Reuters CTO Anuradha Turned Fear, Bias, and Discomfort Into Career Fuel She grew up in a small town in India, first daughter in a middle-class family, educated in her mother tongue through 10th grade. She was culturally trained to listen more and speak less. Then she accepted a role as an assistant professor straight out of university, in fro
They Said No — Here's Exactly What to Say Next (8 Steps to Overcome Workplace Resistance) May 29, 2026 37:41 Getting a "no" at work isn't the problem. Not knowing what to do with it is. In this episode, you'll get a proven 8-step framework to turn workplace resistance into genuine cooperation — without pressure, without losing your composure, and without damaging the relationship. Whether you're asking for a raise, requesting flexibility, pitching an idea, advocating for resources, or handling a perfor
She Waited for Someone to Offer Her a Promotion. Nobody Did. Ceridian SVP Geetanjali on Owning Your Career May 22, 2026 44:08 A Recruiter She Never Asked for Advice from Told Her to Lower Her Ambitions. It Derailed Her for Months. What Geetanjali Learned About Who Gets to Define Your Ceiling. She was doing great work, getting strong reviews, and waiting for someone to recognize she was ready for the next level. Nobody came. Finally, she went and asked. They said: "Yeah, we think you're ready." She walked away with one p
"Success Isn't About Who You Know. It's About Who Knows You." How a J&J Senior VP Went from Waste Picker to the Top May 15, 2026 46:46 His Boss Told Him He'd Never Rise Above Engineer Level. Three Years Later, That Boss Reported to Him. Samuel Santos on Getting Noticed at Work Early in his career, his manager told him the company had a prototype for success: blonde hair, green eyes. Samuel Moody Santos was mixed race, Black, an immigrant who had started his working life as a waste picker. His manager told him he would never adva
She Told Both Job Interviewers She Wanted to Be CIO. They Hired Her Anyway. Calendly's Head of IT Darlene on Being Unabashedly Ambitious May 8, 2026 44:50 Her Dad Found a Rolex and Returned It. What That Taught Her About Asking for Everything. Her father came to the United States in 1989 with next to nothing. He found a Rolex in a locker room while working as a janitor and returned it. The owner gave him a job. He stayed 27 years. In that time, he asked his employer for a green card. They sponsored it. He asked for college tuition. They paid for hi
She Was a Shy, Introverted Child Who Became a Chief Strategy Officer. The Realization That Changed Everything. (with Lisa, CSIO at Lee Health) May 1, 2026 40:01 She missed the scholarship deadline for her MBA. She asked anyway. She got it. She was the only woman in her group project cohort, a single mom with a one-year-old, living paycheck to paycheck. She told her group on day one exactly what she could do and when she was leaving. They respected it. On a business trip with a relatively new manager, she admitted mid-conversation that she wanted to move
Every Man in the Room Ignored Her and Started the Meeting. She Interrupted. What Happened Next. (with Lisa, CSIO at Lee Health) — Part 2 May 1, 2026 35:55 The Mirror Method, the WAIT Acronym, and Why "Learn Fast" Beats "Fail Fast": Lee Health CSIO Lisa on Challenging the Status Quo — Part 2 She walked into a conference room as the only woman in a room full of men in technical data roles. They introduced themselves to each other and started the meeting without acknowledging her at all. She paused, said "excuse me," stated her name, her role, and why
Years of Being Called "Hardworking and Quiet." How Revolut's Head of Strategy Daisy Rewrote Her Professional Brand Apr 24, 2026 49:15 For years, Daisy's performance reviews said the same things: hardworking, great team player, result-driven, quiet. Cycle after cycle, different managers, same words. Then she realized: those were her brand hashtags, and they were never going to get her to where she wanted to go. She wanted "confident," "influential," "driven," "leadership." And nobody was going to give her those labels. She had t

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