Unlearning in Progress

A podcast for women rising - not just in title, but in self. ​ Unlearning in Progress is a podcast for women who did everything “right” - earned the titles, checked the boxes, read the books, took the trainings, and did what they were told. But there’s now a feeling that they can’t shake and are now left wondering, “So why doesn’t this feel like success?” ​ Hosted by two recovering perfectionists and corporate veterans, Jaime Waterfield and Angela Cope unpack the parts of leadership no one puts on LinkedIn: the doubts behind the confidence, the burnout behind the ambition, the growth that doesn’t come with a promotion, and the exploration of self. ​ Each episode explores what it looks like to rise, not just in title, but in self. Through real talk, lived experience, and lessons learned the hard way. Jaime and Angela are on a mission to keep learning, growing, and teaching others how to lead with more self-trust, less performance pressure, an

Unlearning in Progress is a society podcast hosted by Angela Cope & Jaime Waterfield, with 28 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Angela Cope & Jaime Waterfield hosts Unlearning in Progress, a society show with 28 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.

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  Episode #10

  Stop Checking the Box: Rethinking Mentorship

  Sep 28, 202625 minS2

  Career Series | Part 10 What if the person who could change the course of your career is already willing to help, but you're the one talking yourself out of asking? In this episode of our Career Series, we're joined by Alexis Meruelo , founder of Business of Her and author of Getting You Ready for Power: A Woman's Guide to Building Confidence, Community, and Career Success . Together, we unpack the beliefs that keep women from building the relationships that could help them grow. We talk about why asking for mentorship can feel so uncomfortable, what makes a mentoring relationship actually useful, how to know when the fit isn't right, and why one mentor was never supposed to be everything. Alexis Meruelo also shares how a mentor who discouraged one of her biggest ideas ultimately shaped the kind of mentor she wanted to become. The bigger unlearning? Mentorship isn't a box to check. It's a support system to build. Because careers have ups, downs, pivots and moments when we question everything. And we were never meant to navigate all of them alone. In this episode: Why we talk ourselves out of asking for mentorship How to make mentorship specific and useful Why your mentor network should span ages, industries and perspectives When it's okay to let a mentoring relationship go How to build your own career support team before you need it

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  Episode #9

  Starting Over Doesn't Mean Starting From Scratch

  Sep 21, 202632 minS2

  Career Series | Part 9 What do you do when the path you planned suddenly disappears? Jaime and Angela sit down with product-development strategist, entrepreneur, and mentor Cydney Mar , whose 45+ year career has been shaped by resilience, reinvention, and a belief that we never truly start from zero. After a life-changing accident ended her career as a Canadian National figure skater, Cydney rebuilt around design, eventually selling her collections on live television across eight countries and generating more than $300 million in global sales. Decades later, a near-death illness forced another unexpected pivot, leading her to found Cydney Mar Wellness and a proudly Indigenous-owned consulting practice that now mentors product founders around the world. But this conversation isn't about titles or accomplishments. It's about how we navigate the moments when life takes an unexpected turn, how we recognize the value of the skills we've already earned, and why starting over doesn't mean starting from scratch. Together, we explore: • Recognizing the experience and strengths you already have • Moving forward when the path you planned disappears • Turning setbacks into opportunities for growth • The power of reflection, journaling, and asking for help • Building your next chapter with the skills you've carried all along Whether you're considering a career change, navigating a setback, or wondering what's next, Cydney offers a powerful reminder that every chapter of your life has prepared you for the one you're about to write. Connect with Cydney: https://www.cydneymarwellness.com/ https://www.facebook.com/cydneymarwellness/ https://www.instagram.com/cydneymarwellness

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  Episode #8

  Failure Is What I Did, Not Who I Am

  Sep 14, 202625 minS2

  Career Series | Part 8 What if the biggest thing holding you back isn't failure itself, but what you've been taught to believe about failure? In this episode of the Career Series , we sit down with Rachel Franco , founder of Fail Smarter , to explore how our relationship with failure shapes our careers, confidence, decisions, and willingness to pursue meaningful change. Drawing from her work in innovation enablement, leadership development, and organizational transformation, Rachel shares what she observed time and again: people often leave workshops, coaching sessions, and planning meetings energized and equipped with new skills, but when it's time to take a risk, try something new, or admit something isn't working, fear takes over. Together, we unpack why so many of us see failure as something to avoid at all costs, how those beliefs become embedded through our experiences and workplaces, and what it means to build a healthier, more productive relationship with failure. Rachel also shares the principles behind her Fail Smarter Framework , a practical approach that helps individuals and teams move beyond blame, reflect more intentionally, capture lessons learned, and turn setbacks into opportunities for growth and innovation. One of the most powerful ideas from the conversation: "Failure is what I did, not who I am." Whether you're considering a career pivot, pursuing a dream you've been putting off, recovering from a setback, or simply trying to build more resilience, this episode offers a refreshing perspective: failure isn't something to fear. When approached thoughtfully, it becomes one of our greatest sources of learning, courage, and forward momentum. In This Episode We Discuss: Why fear of failure keeps us stuck How our beliefs about failure are formed The difference between failure and identity Psychological safety and smart risk-taking Rachel's Fail Smarter Framework Turning reflection into learning and action Career pivots, experimentation, and self-trust How to recover more quickly and confidently when things don't go as planned Connect with Rachel: https://www.fail-smarter.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelfranco/

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  Episode #7

  Sitting in the Unknown: Redefining Career, Purpose, and What Comes Next

  Sep 7, 202631 minS2

  Career Series | Part 7 In this mid-series check-in, Angela and Jaime get vulnerable about their own career transitions and what they’re learning when there is no clear roadmap for what comes next. One year after leaving the corporate world, Jaime reflects on building a coaching business, rediscovering parts of herself outside of work, and realizing that the next chapter may look different than she expected. She opens up about missing collaboration and being part of a team, questioning what she actually wants from work, and redefining ambition so that her career fits into her life instead of her life fitting around her career. Angela shares what the first five months outside of corporate have revealed about identity, purpose and the masks we wear at work. After years of defining herself through “corporate Angela,” she’s reconnecting with a part of herself she thought she had failed at decades ago: storytelling. Together, they explore career change, purpose, identity, ambition, fear and the uncomfortable unknown between one chapter and the next. Because maybe figuring out your next career move isn't always about finding the perfect job or creating the perfect plan. Maybe it starts with asking a different question: Who am I now and what do I actually want my life to feel like?

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  Episode #6

  When Survival Patterns Become Career Strengths: Knowing When to Let Go

  Aug 24, 202627 minS2

  Career Series | Part 6 You’re driven, capable, and the person people can count on. But you feel stressed, burned out, disconnected, or just generally off. In this episode of our Career Series, Jaime and Angela sit down with Lauren Golen, founder and strategic advisor, to explore the survival patterns and identities we carry into our career. From people-pleasing and perfectionism to control, overfunctioning, pushing through, and feeling like everything depends on us. These patterns aren’t necessarily weaknesses. In fact, they may be part of the reason you’ve been so successful. They can make you dependable, ambitious, hardworking, and someone who always gets the job done. But when those same patterns begin driving how you work, lead, and make career decisions, success can start to come at a cost. Lauren shares how to recognize when an old survival identity is still “running the show,” why feeling off or burned out at work may be telling us something deeper, and how we can begin letting go of the versions of ourselves we no longer need. We also explore the role of intuition in our careers: how to reconnect with your body when you’ve spent years pushing through what you feel, how to rebuild trust in yourself, and what it means to move toward your next chapter before you have the entire plan figured out. In this conversation: How survival identities like people-pleasing, control, and “if I don’t do it, it won’t get done” can fuel career success, until they start costing us Why Lauren asks women to thank the identity they’re ready to let go of and how separating who you are from who you learned to be creates space for something new What it means to move from the constant hum of striving, proving, and earning your seat to leading from freedom, trust, and creative expression How to “feel into the vision in the dark” by trusting your intuition and taking the next step in your career even when you can’t see where it will lead If you’ve been successful in your career but lately find yourself feeling burned out, stuck, stressed, or simply like something is off, this conversation is an invitation to look beneath the job itself and ask a different question: What patterns are you still carrying and who could you become if you finally let them go? Connect with Lauren https://www.instagram.com/laurengolen/ https://substack.com/@laurengolen

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