Clover: Conversations with Women in Leadership - Founders, Executives, & Change-Makers

Writing the Book I Almost Didn't Publish

More than a decade ago, I wrote The Snow Globe, a middle-grade novel about courage, belonging, and discovering strength you didn’t know you had. I wrote it before I had kids, before many of the leadership experiences that now shape my life. For years, the manuscript sat quietly as my life changed around it.Two years ago, I was ready to self-publish. The book had been edited. The cover was complete. And then someone asked me a single question: Is it your best work? The honest answer forced me to slow down, revisit the story, and give it the time it deserved.In this episode, I share the long arc of writing The Snow Globe, the decision to wait instead of rushing toward closure, and what finishing well has taught me about leadership, integrity, and honoring creative work — especially at the end of the year.If you’ve ever carried a project longer than you expected, this episode is an invitation to reflect on what it means to finish with intention.If you’d like to check out The Snow Globe, you can find it here.If you’d like to follow along behind the scenes, you can find me on Instagram at @erinpatriciageiger.

The Leadership Hangover

The latest episode of Clover went live today, and this one is just me, naming something I think a lot of us are feeling, especially in December, but rarely talk about out loud.In this episode, I unpack what I’ve been calling the leadership hangover. It’s not burnout or a breakdown. It’s that quieter, harder-to-explain exhaustion that shows up after a long year of leading, deciding, carrying responsibility, and being “on” for everyone else, even when things look good from the outside.I talk about:Why leadership hangover often goes unnoticed when you’re still functioning and capableHow emotional fatigue, decision fatigue, and constant responsibility actually show up day to dayWhy December amplifies this feeling; reflection, pressure, goals, gratitude, and zero time to exhaleThe guilt we carry when we’re exhausted but also proud of what we’ve builtThe different ways leadership hangover can look: numbness, irritability, avoidance, or emotional flatnessWhy this isn’t a personal failure, but a nervous system that’s been carrying a lot for a long timeMost importantly, I share what not to do right now — no panic, no reinvention, no aggressive goal-setting — and offer a gentler reframe. A leadership hangover isn’t a sign that something is wrong with you. It’s a signal that you’ve been leading, often quietly and competently, without much space to set the weight down.If you’re ending the year tired in a way you can’t quite explain, this episode is your permission slip: you don’t need clarity yet, you don’t need to fix yourself, and you don’t need to end the year energized. You’re not behind, you’re human and you’ve been leading.🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

Rewriting the Story: From NBC Journalist to Chief Growth Officer with Heather Trumpfheller

In this episode of Clover, I sit down with fellow Austinite, community builder, and multi-pivot queen Heather Trumpfheller for a conversation that hits on career, identity, sobriety, boundaries, and what it really means to build community with intention.We talk about:Her winding career path & permission to pivotGrowing up a storytelling-obsessed kid in Dallas, studying broadcast journalism at Mizzou, and working at an NBC stationThe scary identity shift of leaving journalism, trying PR, and then being “discovered” in the Central Market checkout line and pushed into salesWorking 11 years for the same leader, getting moved to Boston, and realizing she had outgrown a company she deeply lovedThat “make it obvious” moment & walking away from misalignmentThe gut-check prayer the morning she asked for a sign to quitThe wild 1:1 where her boss suggested a new role and she realized the real answer was: “I quit.”How she took six months to get clear on her values, not her job titleNetworking, mentorship & operationalizing relationships (without feeling icky)Why you should never wait until you need a job to start networkingBuilding “relationship capital” with systems: calendar-blocked Friday follow-ups, notes on people, and being intentional about second-degree connectionsHer take on mentorship as seasonal, specific, and often most powerful outside your current companyHow to make a compelling outreach ask that actually gets answeredSobriety, boundaries & redefining worth beyond achievementHitting her two-year sober anniversary and realizing how much she’d been numbing with alcoholRecognizing when your self-worth is tied to numbers, titles, and likabilityUsing how you feel after events and interactions as data to set better boundariesWhy she now sees boundaries as a gift—to herself and to the people around herLeading Austin Women in Tech & building true communityMoving to Austin not knowing anyone and finding Austin Women in Tech through a random MeetupStarting as membership director, then becoming president, and helping grow the org to hundreds of membersWhat it’s like to motivate and lead in a volunteer-only environmentWhy volunteering is a low-risk way to practice leadership, test new skills, and expand your networkHer current work: community, referrals & women-owned businessesHer role as Chief Growth Officer at Switchboard, a platform connecting skilled virtual volunteers with global mission and ministry organizations Switchboard+1Her work with What She Said and the RFRL app, a referral platform that routes everyday recommendations (CPAs, lawyers, favorite coffee shops) to women-owned businesses and rewards the people making referrals What She Said, Inc.+1Why she believes abundance follows alignment—and how these roles line up perfectly with the life she actually wantsInfluence without the titleHow to lead before you have the formal authorityWhy influence isn’t always the loudest person or the biggest title—it’s consistency, clarity, and alignmentLinks & resources mentioned:Connect with Heather on LinkedInAustin Women in Tech (AWT) – the nonprofit community Heather led as presidentWebsite: awtaustin.org Switchboard – virtual volunteering platform connecting skilled volunteers with

Build What Doesn’t Exist — with Tina Sharkey (iVillage, AOL, BabyCenter, USC)

In this episode of Clover, I sit down with the brilliant and wildly accomplished Tina Sharkey for a conversation that honestly feels like three masterclasses in one: community-building, career design, and the future of human connection in an AI-driven world.Tina walks me through her very non-linear career path—from hanging out in her mom’s New York fashion office as a teen, to an unexpected pivot into tech and investing, to co-founding iVillage, bringing Sesame Street online, scaling BabyCenter globally at Johnson & Johnson, and launching community-first CPG brand Brandless. Through it all, she shares how she’s always brought the same “toolkit” with her: storytelling, community, curiosity, and a deep belief in creating products and experiences with people, not just for them.We also dig into her current work at USC, where she’s teaching and backing Gen Z founders, experimenting with GenAI in the classroom, and thinking deeply about what makes us “divinely human” in a world of powerful machines. Tina is both optimistic and clear-eyed: AI can unlock a new kind of renaissance—but only if we protect literacy, critical thinking, and real human connection. And for women in leadership, she shares some tough-love truths about putting your hand up before you feel “ready,” finding hidden doors, and making your career a relay race—not a solo sprint.Conversation highlights:From fashion floors to technology boardrooms How growing up with a single, career-focused mom in New York’s fashion world gave Tina early exposure to women in leadership—and how one moment in an investor’s office completely rerouted her from fashion into tech, media, and investing.Inventing “social media” before it had a name Tina shares the early days of iVillage, why chat rooms and message boards were so revolutionary, and how she coined the term social media to explain this new kind of community-driven content to advertisers and partners.Building iconic brands through community We walk through her roles bringing Sesame Street onto the internet, scaling BabyCenter into a global platform (including the birth clubs so many of us relied on), and designing Brandless as a community-led, access-first CPG brand.Serendipity, hidden doors, and saying yes Tina talks about the role of serendipity—from chance meetings in offices and delis to unexpected board roles—and how being open, curious, and willing to ask respectful questions has shaped every major career inflection point.Humanity as our moat around the machines Tina shares her framework for thinking about AI: why she uses it as a collaborator, not a replacement, and why our empathy, soul, and lived experience are the “moat” that machines can’t cross.Gen Z, consciousness, and going “punk” on attention From her vantage point teaching at USC, she talks about how Gen Z is already pushing back on screen addiction, what excites her about their creativity, and why reclaiming our own consciousness is non-negotiable in an AI world.Literacy, equity, and the stakes of this moment Tina opens up about the crisis of literacy in the U.S., how reading levels are tied to incarceration rates, and why democratizing access to education and healthcare is a core part of her mission.Real talk for women in leadership We close with tactical guidance: stop waiting until you’ve “done the job” to go for it, bring your authentic self everywhere you go, surround yourself with people who are brilliant at what they do, and remember that careers are built in teams and relay races—not through hero moments.Connect with Tina on LinkedIn (her most active platform), Instagram,

AI, CX, and the Human Factor: The Future of Customer Experience Leadership with Jordan Lea

In this episode of Clover, I sit down with my former teammate Jordan Lea, now VP of Customer Experience at Plum, to talk about bold career leaps, people-first leadership, and building a meaningful career on your own terms. Jordan shares her journey from a tiny town in North Carolina with dirt roads and cornfields to moving to New York City with no job lined up, flying standby for interviews, taking an unpaid internship in fashion, becoming employee #5 at a fashion tech startup, and eventually finding her sweet spot in HR tech and customer experience.We dig into what it really looks like to grow up inside startups; wearing every hat, building resilience, and learning to say “give me whatever you’ve got” instead of “that’s not my job.” Jordan talks about how she evaluates new opportunities by looking beyond the job description and title to the company’s mission, timing in her personal life, and whether there’s true alignment with what she cares about. We also get into culture (beyond the buzzword), psychological safety, and her “skill vs. will” framework for coaching and developing people. She shares practical advice for women who feel boxed in or underestimated at work, how to make intentional career pivots into new industries, and how AI can actually free CX teams to be more human, not less.You’ll hear us talk about:Taking big leaps: moving to a new city with no safety net, changing industries, and asking “What’s the worst that could happen?”Startups as a career accelerator: why being early-stage employee #5 shaped her leadership, adaptability, and ability to “Sherpa” others through growth.Skill vs. will: how she decides when to invest in someone’s potential versus when there’s a true mismatch.Building real culture: trust, authenticity, and psychological safety as non-negotiables, not just slide-deck values.Career pivots with intention: how to research new fields, show up prepared to conversations, and decide if an opportunity is a “go” or “no-go” for your life.AI + Customer Experience: using AI to streamline the boring parts so humans can focus on relationships, storytelling, and proactive support.Her surprisingly fun productivity hack (involving a giant medicine ball) If you’re a woman in leadership, or aspiring to be one, who feels ready for your next leap but isn’t sure what it looks like yet, this conversation with Jordan will give you both the mindset and the practical tools to start moving.Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn!