Transcript: Standout Women Podcast - Michelle B. Griffin with Tanya Windman
Michelle B. Griffin (Host):
Welcome to the Standout Women Podcast. I'm your host, Michelle B. Griffin, and founder of Standout Women Media. As an author, speaker, and certified personal brand and PR strategist, I'm here to empower and elevate women just like you to get visible, build your personal brand, and own your lane as a visible brand authority and thought leader in your space.
I'm super excited you're here. Now, let's get going with today's show.
Michelle:
Welcome back, everybody, to another episode of the Standout Women Show. I'm your host, Michelle B. Griffin. Today, we're spotlighting another standout woman. This is the series where I highlight past, current, or future clients—women that are just doing some remarkable things. We're really getting nitty-gritty and learning about their process so that you too can get out there and get visible.
Today, we’re going to hone in on the topic of how to really find that lane, own that lane, and what are some of the things you can do. My guest today, Tanya Windman, is going to share her journey and all the things she’s doing for women. She works with women in certain areas of her business, and she has so many nuggets to share. So, I want to officially welcome to the show, Tanya Windman. Welcome!
Tanya Windman (Guest):
Hi, Michelle. Thank you so much for having me on. I’m super excited to be here and chat with you today.
Michelle:
For those who have not met you yet, please tell us a little bit more about you and your story. Then we’re going to get into all the things about how to be a scientist to figure out where you want to go and grow.
Tanya:
I’ve been in and out of the corporate world for many years and have my own consultancy as well. I came to you on the back of leaving another creative agency, really wanting to start my own thing after working with women in the past to help them grow their businesses and understand what’s beneath the surface, and how to tell a personal story around that.
When I came to you, I had a nugget, the essence of something I wanted to create. I’ve learned that being a scientist is a big part of starting something new. It’s about creating a framework that you can test things out within.
Michelle:
I love that analogy. I do that with my clients. I’m always refining, trying to get clarity, and finding that “aha” moment. What is it that I want to do that’s most unique? Nothing happens overnight—Einstein took what, 10,000 tries to get the light bulb? All great works don’t happen overnight. You have to get out there, but you also need a container, something to guide you. The scientist analogy is perfect because when I work with clients, we do assessments, like scientists or archeologists uncovering things. You’ve got a background in sociology, so that really lights you up too, right?
Tanya:
Absolutely! When we worked together, we found some great themes. I had this personal evolution framework that I sketched out years ago when I was helping women launch their companies or take them to the next level. I realized there was a need for a process that truly worked for me—one that aligns with who I am.
Michelle:
We did uncover some amazing themes, like your love for nature and the incredible work you’ve done with big brands in places like New York, LA, and San Francisco. You’ve had such a rich professional and personal background. We even got into the creative side, uncovering this community you’d built and all the work you’ve done. You were rattling off case studies, and I was like, “Tanya, you’ve done so much!” How did we hone in on the big pillars for you to take out there?
Tanya:
Through our work together, I was able to take what was once an intuitive process and put it into a framework that I can now speak to and share on a different level. It became the creative process with three steps: clarity, fulfillment, and success. It’s about understanding both the internal and external aspects of those stages. You need a container for people to relate to, especially when your concept is novel.
Michelle:
Exactly! You also shared the case study of helping your mom, who was a former CEO in Silicon Valley. We bridged helping women leaders and creative leaders with this process. But, as you got out there and tested things, you started to refine your process, right?
Tanya:
Yes, I learned that taking action is key. It’s not about making things perfect but about testing and refining. Whether it’s the wrong community or the wrong messaging, you learn by doing. The creative process has to allow for adaptability.
Michelle:
You’ve also expanded into a creative studio now, Wendy and Co., where you’re working with heart-centered brands and bringing together design and mindfulness tools. You’ve truly embraced the creative sandbox idea.
Tanya:
Yes, the creative sandbox has been about creating a space to experiment, allowing me to work with individuals, teams, and brands. It’s been a way to test things out and figure out what works best for me and my clients.
Michelle:
As we close, what advice would you give to listeners who want to step out and own their lane?
Tanya:
Just do it. Don’t get stuck overthinking it. Get out there, test things, and refine as you go.
Michelle:
That’s fantastic advice. Tanya, thank you so much for sharing your journey with us. We’ll have to catch up again soon and hear more about your progress.
Tanya:
Thank you so much, Michelle! Looking forward to it.
Michelle:
That’s it for today’s episode of the Standout Women Spotlight Series. Until next time, remember: you have a brand to build, a message to share, and people to impact. Keep putting yourself out there! Take care, everyone.
Michelle:
Are you ready to grow your visibility, personal brand, and thought leadership? Head over to michellebgriffin.com for free resources to get started. Thanks for listening!
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Sure! Here's the transcript, cleaned up and organized by speaker for easier reading, without changing the content but making it more digestible:
Michelle B. Griffin:
Welcome to the Standout Women Podcast. I'm your host, Michelle B. Griffin, founder of Standout Women Media. As an author, speaker, and certified personal brand and PR strategist, I’m here to help elevate women to get visible, build their personal brand, and own their lane as visible brand authorities and thought leaders.
I’m excited you’re here. Let’s get going with today’s show!
Welcome back to another episode of the Standout Women Show. Today, we're spotlighting another standout woman in our series where I highlight past, current, and future clients who are doing remarkable things. We’ll dive into their processes so you can learn how to get visible too.
Today, we’re talking about how to find and own your lane. My guest is Tanya Windman, and she’s going to share her journey. Welcome, Tanya!
Tanya Windman:
Hi, Michelle! Thanks for having me. I’m really excited to be here today.
Michelle:
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your story, and then we’ll dive into how to be a “scientist” to figure out your path.
Tanya:
I’ve been in and out of the corporate world for many years, and I have my own consultancy. When I came to you, I had just left a creative agency and wanted to start something new. I’ve worked with women in the past to help them grow their businesses and tell their personal stories.
I had this nugget of an idea, and over time, I learned that starting something new requires creating a framework to test things out.
Michelle:
I love that analogy. It’s all about refining and finding clarity. Nothing happens overnight—look at Einstein! You’ve got to get out there, but you also need a structure or container to work within. Your scientist analogy is perfect, especially since you also have a background in sociology.
We did assessments and uncovered themes, like an archeologist. You had this Personal Evolution framework already sketched out, so tell us a bit more about it.
Tanya:
I had developed the framework a few years ago when I was helping women launch or scale their businesses. I realized the need for a process that works for everyone and aligns with their personal style. That’s what I brought to you—the concept of Personal Evolution.
Michelle:
Exactly. You’ve got this amazing blend of creativity and professional experience, working with big brands in places like New York, LA, and San Francisco. When we dug into your story, we uncovered even more about your creativity, community, and client work. You had so much experience!
We ended up focusing on some key pillars for you. Can you share more about that?
Tanya:
Through our work together, I was able to formalize my process into a framework: clarity, fulfillment, and success. It’s about breaking down each stage, both internally and externally, and creating a framework people can understand and use.
Michelle:
That framework was key, but you also had a case study from working with your mom, a former CEO in Silicon Valley. We wanted to help both women leaders and creative leaders with your process.
But once you got out there and started testing things, you refined it even more, right?
Tanya:
Yes, I realized that clarity comes from action. You can’t wait for perfection. The creative process is about testing and tweaking—whether it’s the messaging or the audience.
Through that, I expanded into my creative studio, Wendy and Co., where I work with heart-centered brands. I use a toolkit we created called Inside Out, combining design and mindfulness tools for individuals, teams, and brands.
Michelle:
That’s such a great evolution! You now have this creative sandbox where you’re testing things out. Can you share what that’s been like for you?
Tanya:
The creative sandbox has been about giving myself space to experiment and figure out what works best for me. It’s about organizing what’s happening in my life and creating the best environment to achieve my internal and external goals.
It’s been really helpful to have a place where I can play and test ideas, without everything being tied to work.
Michelle:
It’s such a great concept—the sandbox allows you to experiment without pressure. And you’re not just testing blindly; you’re doing it with a framework.
Now, tell us how you went from having so many ideas to feeling more focused today.
Tanya:
When we first talked, I had so many ideas and wasn’t sure where to focus. But through working together, I got clarity on the direction I wanted to take. It’s still evolving, but I’m comfortable with that now. I’ve learned that things will constantly change, and I’m okay with that.
Michelle:
That’s such a beautiful journey, and I’m glad to hear you’re getting clients and putting your process into action. For those listening who want to leave corporate and start their own thing, what advice would you give?
Tanya:
Just do it. Don’t overthink it. Get out there and test your ideas. Things will evolve as you go, and it doesn’t have to be perfect from the start.
Michelle:
Perfect advice! The pain of staying stuck is worse than getting out there. I’ve been there too. You’ve accomplished so much already, and it’s exciting to see where you’ll go next.
Where can listeners connect with you?
Tanya:
You can connect with me at wendyandco.co, or find me on LinkedIn and Instagram.
Michelle:
Thanks again, Tanya, for sharing your journey. This has been such a great conversation. For those listening, keep putting yourself out there—you have a brand to build, a message to share, and people to impact. Until next time, take care!
Michelle:
That’s all for today. Are you ready to grow your visibility and personal brand? Head over to michellebgriffin.com for free resources to get started. Thanks for listening!
