Send us Fan Mail

In this episode of The Black Woman in the Corner Office, Dr. Ebony Stone sits down with leadership executive, researcher, and author Dr. Takisha Robinson to discuss a challenge many ambitious women know all too well: trying to excel at work, show up for family, lead others, and somehow still find time for themselves.

Drawing from her doctoral research, executive leadership experience, and personal journey as a wife, mother, and caregiver, Dr. Robinson challenges the traditional concept of work-life balance and introduces a more sustainable approach: work-life integration.

Together, they explore the realities of burnout, the hidden weight of guilt, the importance of support systems, and how women can intentionally design lives that align with their current season rather than trying to do everything at once.

Key Points from the Episode

• Why work-life balance may be setting women up for failure

• The difference between balance and integration

• How burnout is often the result of systems that were never designed with caregivers in mind

• The importance of understanding your current season of life

• How energy mapping can help women work smarter and reduce overwhelm

• The power of building a village and learning to ask for help

• Supporting a neurodivergent child while navigating executive leadership

• Why high-achieving women must release guilt in order to thrive

One of the most powerful takeaways from this conversation is that success should not require constant sacrifice. Dr. Robinson reminds us that we were never meant to do this alone. Through intentional support systems, self-awareness, and a commitment to designing our lives around our values and current realities, women can create sustainable success without losing themselves in the process.

If you've been feeling overwhelmed, stretched thin, or questioning whether balance is even possible, this episode offers a refreshing perspective and practical tools to help you move forward.

Connect with Dr. Takisha Robinson

Website:
www.drtakisharobinson.com

Learn more about:
• The Mom Integration Playbook
• Leadership Development
• Executive Speaking Engagements
• Research on Work-Life Integration and Transformational Leadership

Don't forget to like and subscribe so that you can get more content just like this!

Grab your copy of The Power of the Pause today!

Show you are a part of The Corner Office Collective by sporting BWCO apparel, no available.

To learn more about Dr. Ebony Stone, visit www.drebonystone.com

If you enjoyed what you heard, there is much more on my website and you can catch more episodes here and on the Black Woman in the Corner Office YouTube channel.

Looking to read The Power of the Pause, order your copy here - Dr. Ebony Stone - My Book

Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss out on any of the goodness coming your way.

Send us Fan Mail

Ashley Varnado is a former corporate executive, strategist, wealth management leader, philanthropist, and speaker. After spending nearly two decades leading national teams and managing multi-billion-dollar portfolios, Ashley made the bold decision to step away from corporate America following a major health crisis and life-altering personal events.

She is currently working on her upcoming book, Out of the Yazoo Clay, which explores lineage, legacy, burnout, rest, and redefining success for Black women.

Ashley now speaks nationally about leadership, healthy ambition, healing, purpose, and the power of intentional pause. What happens when you achieve everything you thought you wanted… and still feel empty?

In this deeply honest and emotional conversation, Dr. Ebony Stone sits down with former wealth management executive Ashley Varnado to discuss corporate success, generational pressure, burnout, identity, faith, and the courage to walk away from it all.

Ashley shares her journey from humble beginnings in Mississippi to becoming one of the youngest Managing Directors in corporate finance, overseeing multi-billion-dollar portfolios and national teams — only to discover that titles, money, and status could not fill the void she felt inside.

After the sudden loss of her mother-in-law, mounting stress, and surviving three strokes, Ashley made the life-changing decision to step away from corporate America and enter what she calls her “Radical Sabbatical.”

Together, Dr. Ebony and Ashley unpack:

• The hidden pressure of being “the first”
• Black women and burnout in corporate America
• Building legacy while protecting your peace
• Why success doesn’t always equal fulfillment
• The physical toll of stress and overachievement
• The importance of rest, healing, and redefining ambition
• How generational trauma and survival shape our relationship with work
• The courage it takes to pivot when God calls you elsewhere

This conversation is raw, powerful, healing, and necessary for every Black woman navigating leadership, ambition, family expectations, and purpose.

Connect with Ashley Varnado

• Instagram: @theeashleyexchange
• Website: www.theashleyexchange.com
• LinkedIn: Ashley D. Varnado

Don't forget to sign up for early notifications of Ashley's new book, "Out of the Yazoo Clay" on her website: www.theashleyexchange.com

Don't forget to like and subscribe so that you can get more content just like this!

Grab your copy of The Power of the Pause today!

Show you are a part of The Corner Office Collective by sporting BWCO apparel, no available.

To learn more about Dr. Ebony Stone, visit www.drebonystone.com

If you enjoyed what you heard, there is much more on my website and you can catch more episodes here and on the Black Woman in the Corner Office YouTube channel.

Looking to read The Power of the Pause, order your copy here - Dr. Ebony Stone - My Book

Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss out on any of the goodness coming your way.

Send us Fan Mail

There are some conversations that stay with you long after the microphones turn off… and this is one of them.

In this deeply transparent episode of The Black Woman in the Corner Office, Dr. Ebony Stone sits down with transformational coach and entrepreneur Tracey Ilene for a conversation about resilience, reinvention, healing, and what it means to rebuild your life after trauma, layoffs, loss, and disappointment.

Tracey shares her journey from retail sales at Kenny Shoes and Winkleman’s to leadership roles in the wireless and automotive industries — including applying for 49 positions over 10 years before finally landing her dream automotive role. She opens up about navigating corporate America as a Black woman, being downsized, relocating across the country, rebuilding after divorce, and ultimately stepping fully into entrepreneurship.

But this episode goes even deeper.

Tracey courageously shares her personal story of childhood trauma, homelessness, abuse, grief, losing loved ones unexpectedly, and how writing down her pain became the beginning of her healing journey. That healing ultimately led her to create:

• Release Pain to Power
  
  
• Heavenly Connects App
  
  

Together, Dr. Ebony and Tracey discuss:

• Why Black women are constantly forced to reinvent themselves
• The emotional reality of layoffs and downsizing
• Healing through therapy, writing, and faith
• Entrepreneurship after corporate leadership
• Balancing identity, motherhood, marriage, and ambition
• Creating purpose from pain
• Why telling your truth matters — even when it makes others uncomfortable

This episode is raw, inspiring, healing, and incredibly honest.

If you’ve ever had to start over…
If you’ve ever questioned your worth after rejection…
If you’ve ever carried pain silently while still showing up for everyone else…

This conversation is for you.

Connect with Tracey Illene

• Release Pain to Power Website
  
  
• Heavenly Connects App
  
  

Don't forget to like and subscribe so that you can get more content just like this!

Grab your copy of The Power of the Pause today!

Show you are a part of The Corner Office Collective by sporting BWCO apparel, no available.

To learn more about Dr. Ebony Stone, visit www.drebonystone.com

If you enjoyed what you heard, there is much more on my website and you can catch more episodes here and on the Black Woman in the Corner Office YouTube channel.

Looking to read The Power of the Pause, order your copy here - Dr. Ebony Stone - My Book

Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss out on any of the goodness coming your way.