Stellar Women

Understanding your value is imperative for professionals today. According to Sonia Chowdhury, doing your research is a key step in having a better grasp on your market value and what you bring to your team and organization.

In this episode, Mila and I chat with Sonia about her experience in the compliance world, engaging in conversations with your managers, and mentorship.

For this Stellar Women episode, co-hosts Mila Taylor and Mary Rechtoris chat with Gina O'Neill from Herbert Smith Freehills. Gina highlights the importance of undergoing regular training so you stay current in the latest technical trends and advance your professional development.

Having been in the industry for 29 years, Gina also shares how the industry has evolved, and how gender norms have shifted over the years. Check out the episode to hear more!

Mila and I enjoyed our conversation with Heena Bhambhlani about her motivation for entering the legal field and how she is a fierce advocate for her teams. While based in Mumbai, Heena and her team handle e-discovery matters for EY’s clients across the globes. According to Heena, she lets the team’s excellent work speak for itself.

Check out this episode to learn about mentoring your teammates and how to champion your team’s works with clients and throughout organizations.

Embracing and celebrating inclusion and diversity is imperative. During this episode, BDO’s Beth Finkle and Corinne Cartwright share why embedding inclusion and diversity into their culture is important for them personally as well as for BDO as an enterprise.

Stellar Women chatted with Beth and Corinne on what BDO has done to create a more inclusive and diverse workforce, and how to instill confidence in yourself when you may be the only female in a pitch meeting, or an important client call. We also dove into the importance of mentorship and sponsorship and how these individuals can help shape your career and be your voice in the room.

In this episode, Mary and I were joined by Ellen Blanchard, director of e-discovery and information governance at T-Mobile. Ellen took us through her journey from sports photography to a position on the board of Mother Attorney Mentoring Association.

This year has posed challenges for many in our Stellar Women community. Some have had to navigate remote work with virtual learning, others have had to find new ways to connect with colleagues and loved ones, and many have found new opportunities in the wake of the chaos.

This year’s Stellar Women Innovation Award Winner, Kenya Dixon, joined Mila and myself to share what she’s learned about herself this year, connecting with mentors both inside and outside of your industry, and why you should always have a plan (and be OK if that plan shifts in a completely new direction).

Mila and I were really excited to have Betty Nguyen on Stellar Women. In addition to being a DJ and rugby player, Betty is part of our inaugural Relativity Fellows program, which welcomes motivated individuals from overlooked communities to learn with us and on our software.
Betty is not one to shy away from taking the path less traveled. She has followed her passion and skillset throughout her life, whether that is becoming a DJ (who met Joe Jonas) to playing professional rugby to ultimately, embarking on a career in tech. Check out this episode to learn how Betty pivoted when life through an unexpected curve her way and she fostered a new path.

For this month’s Stellar Women, Mila and I had a lot of fun catching up with JND eDiscovery’s Rachel Billstein and Heidi Girod. The duo share their takes on mentorship, with Heidi noting that there are often times where people come into your life and present opportunities that can change the course of your future.

Tune into the episode to learn about all things sun and moon signs, the importance of giving yourself grace, and tips for navigating these unprecedented times in both your work and personal life.

To build a strong pipeline of leaders, organizations should invest in training and professional development opportunities, according to this month’s Stellar Women guest Kamaka Martin. Not only is it essential to provide these resources, leaders should also have an awareness of who they are as a leader and person so they can understand their strengths, and their areas for growth.

In this episode, Mila and I caught up with Kamaka on practical tools for navigating difficult conversations and why it is important to lead with positivity.

For this Stellar Women episode, we spoke to Lesley Chan about the many mentors who she seeks for advice on navigating her career. As senior legal counsel at AMP Capital, Lesley discusses the transition from working in a law firm to going in-house, and how her curious nature makes her well-suited to that type of work environment.

Check out this episode to see what Lesley enjoys about the corporate world and why she embraces the spillover between her work and personal life.