In The Room, On Purpose

The playbook was written for men. This show is about rewriting it. In The Room, On Purpose by Alyssa Edwards is for women navigating leadership, ambition, and growth. Through honest conversations with women across industries, the show explores confidence, career pivots, identity, power, and the messy middle of becoming. Here, vulnerability is a strength, mistakes are honored, growth is present, self-love is tangible, and reinvention is always available.

In The Room, On Purpose is a business podcast hosted by Alyssa Edwards, with 13 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Alyssa Edwards hosts In The Room, On Purpose, a business show with 13 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

• 

  Episode #13

  Food Is Feminist: Diet Culture, Shame & Why It Feels Complicated

  Sep 24, 20261h 9m

  Help us bring more stories to you by subscribing to In The Room, On Purpose on YouTube , Spotify or Apple Podcasts . FOOD IS FEMINIST: DIET CULTURE, SHAME & WHY IT FEELS COMPLICATED What if you are not the problem? Alyssa sits down with Rebecca Thomas, founder of Not Another Diet, to explore how food intersects with household labor, relationships, privilege, shame and women’s health. Women entered the workforce but were never fully relieved of the responsibility for feeding their households. That history still shapes who shops, who cooks, who has time to exercise—and how women experience food. Rebecca challenges the idea that health requires more discipline. Instead, she asks us to rely less on willpower and use more agency to shape our environments, relationships and everyday choices. It is an invitation to get curious & think about what influences your relationship with food. IN THIS EPISODE: • Why food is a feminist issue • Diet culture, body image and shame • Privilege and access to whole foods • Why willpower is not a long-term strategy • How relationships influence eating • Understanding processed foods • Creating boundaries without deprivation • Separating weight from personal worth CONTENT NOTE This episode discusses weight, dieting, body image, food shame and eating behaviors. Please support yourself and return when the conversation feels right for you. PARTNER OFFERS COOK! BY NOT ANOTHER DIET Rebecca’s eight-module course teaches you to cook real food without recipes. Make it a date night, get the family involved and have fun with it! Use code INTHEROOM50 for $200 off. https://www.notanotherdiet.co/a/2147847007/hQUqqzW9 THE LOTTURA POST Step away from technology and slow down with this monthly print newspaper for adults—or The Lotturette for children. Use code INTHEROOM10 for 10% off a monthly or annual subscription. https://lottura.com/collections/shop-the-lottura-post Some links and codes are affiliate or partner offers. In The Room, On Purpose may receive compensation from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. What messages about food, weight and health did you inherit? Share what challenged you and what you are still sitting with. This episode is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for individualized medical, nutritional or mental-health care.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #12

  Manipulation Is Out. Good Workplace Politics Are In.

  Sep 10, 202654 min

  Follow our show on Instagram for real time updates and mini stories. Subscribe on YouTube to support our mission. Your support means the world to our small team and the women we sit down with. Manipulation Is Out, Good Work Politics Are In w/ Ashley Rudolph In this episode of In The Room, On Purpose , Alyssa sits down with career coach and founder Ashley Rudolph to talk about ambition, career growth, workplace politics, leadership, and taking more agency over your career. Ashley shares lessons from her career in tech and operations, including navigating difficult leadership dynamics, building strong relationships across an organization, and learning to tell the story of her own work. We also talk about asking for growth, leading before you have the title, productive conflict, feeling overlooked, managing up, and the importance of understanding what you actually want from your next career move. Ashley also opens up about being the youngest person, only woman, or only Black woman in the room, and how those experiences shaped the kind of leader she wanted to become. In this episode: Good workplace politics and relationship building Asking for a promotion with confidence Managing up and leading across Navigating difficult managers and internal dynamics Feeling overlooked and knowing when you’ve outgrown a role Leading before you have the title Ambition, comparison, and career agency Building community for ambitious women About In The Room, On Purpose In The Room, On Purpose shares stories of the female experience through honest conversations about leadership, health, ambition, money, reinvention, and the balance that is so uniquely ours. We deeply believe that her story has the power to change yours. The conversations we needed. The playbook we’re building.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #11

  Money Myths That Could Be Holding You Back

  Aug 29, 202641 min

  Follow what we are up to in real time on Instagram! This conversation covers a range of financial literacy topics, including prenups, investing, loyalty, and building a strong financial foundation. It also delves into the importance of understanding where money is going each month and how to build credit without a traditional credit card. Alyssa & Lauren discusses the importance of establishing credit, the impact of inflation on cash savings, spotting financial scams on social media, starting investing with small amounts, thinking about long-term wealth, hiring in business, prenups and major life decisions, and navigating the high cost of housing. Lauren also provides practical advice for taking the first steps in financial planning. Takeaways Financial literacy is crucial for making informed decisions about wealth building and financial planning. Understanding where your money is going each month is essential for conscious and responsible spending. Building credit without a traditional credit card is possible through secured credit cards and responsible financial management. Establishing credit is crucial for managing expenses and insurance costs. Inflation can erode cash savings, making it important to consider alternative investment options. Spotting financial scams on social media involves recognizing triggers and seeking advice from regulated financial advisors. Starting investing with small amounts is possible through recurring investments and automated brokerage accounts. Long-term wealth requires consistent, incremental decisions and a focus on financial stability. Hiring in business should be based on profitability and the ability to sustain additional costs. Prenups and financial disclosure are essential for protecting future financial interests in a marriage. Navigating the high cost of housing may involve strategic location choices and realistic financial assessments. Taking the first steps in financial planning involves creating a balance sheet and tracking income and expenses. Collaborative financial planning with friends can provide support and encourage open conversations about money. Chapters 00:00 Financial Literacy and Prenups 04:16 Investing and Wealth Building 05:44 Homeownership and Financial Decisions 07:33 Investing and Gender 09:19 Financial Stress and Wealth Threshold 11:24 Student Loans and Career Type 14:34 Loyalty and Financial Decisions 18:41 Risk and Long-Term Financial Decisions 20:29 Building a Strong Financial Foundation 23:39 Understanding Monthly Spending and Building Credit 29:37 Establishing Credit and Inflation Impact 32:14 Spotting Financial Scams and Small Investments 36:37 Long-Term Wealth and Hiring in Business 43:47 Prenups and Major Life Decisions 48:46 Navigating High Cost of Housing and First Steps in Financial Planning Lauren Zangardi Haynes

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #9

  Mental Health v. Corporate Burnout: When Your Body Tells You It’s Time

  Aug 13, 20261h 25m

  Mental Health v. Corporate Burnout: Knowing When It’s Time to Change What happens when you’re ambitious, successful, deeply capable... and the life you’ve built stops working for you? For short stories and what we are up to, follow us on Instagram In this episode of In The Room, On Purpose , I sit down with Jen Mbanu for an incredibly honest conversation about mental health, self-trust, career, motherhood, nervous system regulation, and having the courage to change course. Jen takes us through her experience with trichotillomania beginning at 13, navigating mental health diagnoses as a young woman, building a successful career in healthcare and biotech, raising a family, and eventually reaching the moment when her husband looked at her and said, “You’re quitting your job today, aren’t you?” We talk about what happens when ambition and well-being begin working against each other, the stories we attach to the things that happen to us, and why learning to listen to your body can fundamentally change the way you live and lead. Today, Jen is bringing decades of lived experience together with her background in healthcare, health policy, communications, and coaching to help other women build foundational health and lives that actually feel like their own. In this episode: Mental health, ambition, and corporate burnout Learning to feel safe in your own body Separating what happens to us from the stories we tell ourselves about it Recognizing when your body is telling you something needs to change Building a healthcare and wellness team that works with you Motherhood, marriage, career pivots, and maintaining your own identity Creating space before the world gets a say in your day Coming back to yourself and trusting what you find there Chapter Timeline 00:00 — Welcome to In The Room, On Purpose 00:22 — Meet Jen Mbanu 02:00 — Family, identity & growing up different 07:00 — Reconnecting with your younger self 10:00 — Morning pages & claiming your day 16:00 — Trichotillomania, shame & feeling safe in your body 24:00 — “There’s the thing that happens to us, and then there’s the story we tell ourselves about it” 28:00 — Mental health, college & receiving a diagnosis 36:00 — Building a healthcare team that actually supports you 41:00 — Jen’s career in healthcare 51:00 — Motherhood, marriage & returning to work 59:00 — Building a career in pharma and biotech 1:07:00 — The leaders and mentors who changed her career 1:13:00 — Corporate burnout & the moment everything stopped 1:18:00 — “You’re quitting your job today, aren’t you?” 1:23:00 — Returning to corporate life after a breakdown 1:28:00 — ADHD, career pivots & choosing a different path 1:33:00 — Building Jen Mbanu Wellness 1:40:00 — Your body is always talking to you 1:45:00 — Coming back to yourself Jen Mbanu Wellness Julia Carson’s: The Artists Way The Healthy Deviant by Pilar Gerasimo Hal Elrod: Morning Miracle

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #9

  Inside Wealth Management: Her Story, Her Mentors & Her Why

  Jul 30, 20261h 3m

  To clear your mind and your to- do list from all of the text/email follow up you have: Try https://ref.wisprflow.ai/alyssa-edwards - Simple, time saving & worth it. Let me know what you think! Stay tuned for our follow up Q&A asking YOUR questions about building wealth! The conversation covers a wide range of topics related to finance, wealth management, career development, and personal experiences. It delves into the challenges and opportunities faced by women in the financial industry, the importance of mentorship, and the journey of starting a business. The discussion also explores the impact of early experiences on career choices and the significance of flexibility in work-life balance. Alyssa Edwards shares her journey of launching a business and the challenges of entrepreneurship. She emphasizes the importance of building a client-centered culture and the evolution of leadership in her organization. Alyssa also discusses the therapeutic nature of financial planning and the significance of personal well-being in her life. Takeaways Wealth management and financial advising are evolving fields, and there is a growing need for female advisors and mentors in the industry. The journey of starting a business involves challenges, decision-making, and the need for flexibility and adaptability. Entrepreneurship is driven by a deep guttural feeling of building something on your own terms. Building wealth is about making conscious small choices over decades that actually build and compound. The therapeutic nature of financial planning involves holding space for clients to express their financial concerns and goals. Leadership is an evolution that requires self-reflection, adaptability, and a commitment to building a client-centered culture. Chapters 00:00 Women in Wealth Management 04:16 The Importance of Financial Independence 05:36 Empowerment and Mentorship 08:03 Career Journey and Early Experiences 39:50 Transition to Entrepreneurship 45:31 The Entrepreneurial Journey 48:17 Building a Client-Centered Culture 52:43 The Evolution of Leadership 01:02:13 The Therapeutic Nature of Financial Planning 01:16:13 Personal Well-being and Work-Life Balance Follow us on Instagram for real time updates and research!

  ListenShow Notes

Recent guests on In The Room, On Purpose. Study who booked and why before you pitch.

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.