This Is Woman's Work with Nicole Kalil

Grief is not neat, linear, inspiring, or cured by a casserole dish and a “take your time” platitude. In this episode of This Is Woman’s Work, Nicole Kalil sits down with author, podcaster, and storyteller Liz Deacle—author of You Won’t Just Cry When They Die—for an honest conversation about grief, loss, healing, identity, and the brutal reality of what happens when someone you love dies.

Liz shares what losing both of her parents taught her about the physical and emotional reality of grief—experiences she writes about in You Won’t Just Cry When They Die—including how it can dismantle identity, disrupt the body, and leave a person wondering who they even are now. 

Together, they unpack why grief does not follow a timeline, why healing is not about getting back to who someone used to be, and why being “strong” often has a whole lot less to do with holding it together and a whole lot more to do with telling the truth.

They also explore the complicated overlap between grief and midlife, especially for women navigating perimenopause, parenting, caregiving, work, and all the other crap life keeps throwing on the pile. Liz offers deeply human insight into what it means to be held, heard, and supported through loss, and why sometimes the most powerful thing anyone can say is simply, “I’m here.”

This episode is for anyone grieving, anyone loving someone through grief, or anyone who needs the reminder that there is no right way to fall apart and no clean, polished way to stitch yourself back together.

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Connect with Liz:

Website/Book:https://elizabethdeacle.com

Free Meditation: https://elizabethdeacle.com/justforyou

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/its-a-drama-podcast/id1448200711

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ItsaDrama

Related Podcast Episodes:

How To Have A Good Death with Suzanne B. O’Brien, RN | 292

099 / Grief Is Love with Marisa Renee Lee


How Is Your Spiritual Health? with Dr. Lisa Miller | 287

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In this unfiltered and unhinged solo episode, Nicole Kalil shares a story she is absolutely still not over: The Great Sequin Debacle of 2016.

What started as a simple request — “what’s the dress code?” — turned into a full-blown miscommunication, a gold sequin gown moment, and a night she’d very much like to erase from public memory… except now it’s a podcast episode.

Because what seems obvious to you might not be obvious to someone else. And when you’re building a life, a relationship, or even just packing for a trip, assumptions can lead to some very uncomfortable (and very sparkly) consequences.

But beyond the story, this episode gets into something way more important: why miscommunication happens in relationships — and how to fix it.

This episode is equal parts relatable, hilarious, and actually useful! Nicole shares the simple tool she and her husband now use to actually get on the same page: Family Forecasting.

Nicole breaks down how to:


Stop relying on assumptions in your relationship


Get aligned on schedules, priorities, and decisions (and dress codes)


Use family forecasting to avoid unnecessary conflict


Strengthen connection through intentional conversations

Because the goal isn’t to avoid every misunderstanding — it’s to stop creating the ones you could have prevented. And if you can avoid a sequin-level crisis in the process? Even better.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Shopify has everything all in one place, making your life easier and your business operations smoother. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at shopify.com/tiww 

Gusto is online payroll and benefits software built for small businesses. Try Gusto today at gusto.com/TIWW, and get three months free when you run your first payroll.

Refresh your spring wardrobe with Quince. Go to Quince.com/TIWW for free shipping and 365-day returns!

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Connect with Nicole:

Subscribe to Nicole’s Substack: https://nicolekalil.substack.com/ 

Join the Inner Circle: https://nicolekalil.myflodesk.com/newsletter 

Download the Family Forecasting Agenda: https://nicolekalil.com/resources 

Related Podcast Episode

Women Are Tired — Stop Pointing It Out | Unfiltered & Unhinged

The Episode About Balls | Unfiltered & Unhinged

Yell for Help | Unfiltered & Unhinged

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Leadership gets glorified a lot and understood very little—and in this episode of This Is Woman’s Work, Nicole Kalil cuts straight to the part no one wants to talk about: leader mental health.

She’s joined by Melissa Doman, organizational psychologist, former clinical mental health therapist, founder of the Workplace Mental Health Method, and author of Yes, You Can Talk About Mental Health at Work and Cornered Office. Melissa works with global companies like Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, and Estée Lauder, helping leaders and organizations have honest, practical conversations about mental health—especially at the top.

Together, they unpack the outdated leadership norms that reward burnout and punish humanity, the real mental health toll of constant pressure and scrutiny, and what it actually looks like to lead in a way that’s both effective and human. Because if leadership becomes miserable enough, the good ones won’t stay—and that should scare all of us.

In this episode, Nicole and Melissa explore:


Why leadership mental health is still the elephant in the corner office


How outdated ideas about power, stoicism, and authority hurt leaders


Common mental health struggles leaders face, including anxiety, worry, negativity, and helplessness


Why communicating capacity is a leadership skill, not a weakness


How followers can better support leaders 


What companies can do right now to make leadership more sustainable

At the end of the day, this conversation makes one thing clear: if we want better workplaces, stronger teams, and sustainable success, we have to start treating leaders like humans—not machines.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Gusto is online payroll and benefits software built for small businesses. Try Gusto today at gusto.com/TIWW, and get three months free when you run your first payroll.

Refresh your spring wardrobe with Quince. Go to Quince.com/TIWW for free shipping and 365-day returns!

Shopify has everything all in one place, making your life easier and your business operations smoother. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at shopify.com/tiww 

Visit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free!

Connect with Melissa:

Website:https://www.melissadoman.com/

Book:https://www.amazon.com/Cornered-Office-Leadership-Mental-Health/dp/139435035X 

IG: https://www.instagram.com/thewanderingmel/

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissadoman1/

Related Podcast Episodes:

Leadership Unblocked (The Hidden Beliefs Sabotaging Your Ability To Lead) with Muriel M. Wilkins | 367

The Stress Paradox: Why We Need Stress (and How to Make It Work for Us) with Dr. Sharon Horesh Bergquist | 294

What Good Leaders Can Learn from Bad Bosses with Mita Mallick | 351

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Let’s get one thing straight: mindset is not about slapping a positive quote on your anxiety and calling it growth.

In this episode, Nicole Kalil calls out the fluff and gets real about what mindset actually is - and it’s not just vision boards or pretending everything is fine while your brain is running a full-blown disaster simulation.

Joined by Diana Pagano - bestselling author, mindset coach, and expert in breaking mental limits - this conversation dives into what’s actually happening when your brain spirals… and more importantly, what to do about it.

This episode unpacks how to interrupt the spiral, regulate your nervous system, and take grounded, imperfect action anyway. No toxic positivity. No BS. Just real tools that actually work.

What You’ll Learn:


Why mindset has been oversimplified (and how that’s keeping you stuck)


The truth about overthinking, fear spirals, and “what if” thinking


How to interrupt negative thought patterns in real time



The “change the channel” method for shifting focus fast



Why confidence isn’t a feeling — it’s a choice backed by action

The role of belief systems in success, money, and opportunities



Practical tools to stop waiting for confidence and start moving anyway

The Real Talk:

You don’t need another pep talk. You don’t need to “just think positive.”

You need tools to break the loop - and the willingness to take action even while your brain is still arguing with you. Because confidence, momentum, and growth? They don’t come after the fear disappears. They come when you move anyway.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Shopify has everything all in one place, making your life easier and your business operations smoother. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at shopify.com/tiww 

Gusto is online payroll and benefits software built for small businesses. Try Gusto today at gusto.com/TIWW, and get three months free when you run your first payroll.

Refresh your spring wardrobe with Quince. Go to Quince.com/TIWW for free shipping and 365-day returns!

Visit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free!

Connect with Diana:

Website: https://dianapagano.com/ 

Book:https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-more-mindset-diana-pagano/1147998644 

IG: https://www.instagram.com/iamdianapagano/ 

Related Podcast Episodes

Abundance: Secrets to Prosperity and Ease with Cathy Heller | 260

All The Ways We Get In Our Own Way with Thais Gibson | 235

The Power of Enough with Elizabeth Husserl | 299

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In this episode, Nicole Kalil sits down with Faith Roberson, certified life coach, professional organizer, and founder of Organize With Faith, to rip the lid off everything we’ve been told about homemaking, clutter, and what it means to “keep a home.”

Because spoiler alert: it’s not about the damn bins.

Faith introduces a powerful reframe — that organizing isn’t about perfection, aesthetics, or even productivity. It’s about soul work. It’s about identity, values, boundaries, and the emotional baggage (yes, literally and figuratively) we carry into our spaces.

Together, they unpack:


The “Snow White Effect” and how society conditioned women to do domestic labor alone (and smile about it)


Why clutter isn’t a discipline problem — it’s an emotional processing problem


How organizing from the inside out changes everything


The truth about invisible labor, gender roles, and why you don’t have to do it all


How to set boundaries in your home without losing your mind or your relationship


The 3-step framework: Acknowledgement, Action, Alignment to create a home that actually reflects your values

This conversation isn’t about having a perfect home - it’s about creating a life that feels like yours.

Because what stays and what goes… isn’t just about your closet.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Shopify has everything all in one place, making your life easier and your business operations smoother. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at shopify.com/tiww 

Gusto is online payroll and benefits software built for small businesses. Try Gusto today at gusto.com/TIWW, and get three months free when you run your first payroll.

Refresh your spring wardrobe with Quince. Go to Quince.com/TIWW for free shipping and 365-day returns!

Visit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free!

Connect with Faith:

Website: https://organizewithfaith.com/ 

Book:https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/What-Stays-and-What-Goes/Faith-Roberson/9781668011744  

IG: https://www.instagram.com/organizewithfaith/ 

Related Podcast Episodes

How To Declutter Your Life with Lisa Woodruff | 285

Wages For Housework with Emily Callici | 325

Your Guide to a More Organized & Intentional Life with Shira Gill | 304

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