Over the first half of Season 2, we’ve been exploring the best ways to create meaningful change - and whether it happens within our systems or on the outside. But no matter which approach you take, you have to be able to effectively communicate with others  - and that can be hard, especially when you need to speak up in spaces that may not seem as open to hearing from you.  How do you read the room and communicate more strongly to achieve our goals? And how do you do it without ever compromising our own values or sense of self? That’s precisely what Jeanne Sparrow is helping people discover. Author, actor, radio host, podcast host - not to mention a valued member of the AnitaB.org family - Jeanne’s book Fearless Authenticity is a guide to identifying and embracing your unique experience, perspective, and opinions, in order to chart a path that can serve you and others. It’s a skill that’s more crucial than ever, now, when there’s so much resistance to challenging the status quo.  Jeanne and Brenda talk about letting go of our own wrong assumptions - the ones about ourselves, the difference between being “fearless” and just being a jerk, and how the goal of fearless authenticity isn’t an inflated sense of a self, but a deeper connection with others. For more on Jeanne and her work check out... Instagram - @jmsparrow Facebook - /msjeannesparrow Threads - @jmsparrow X - @JMSparrow LinkedIn - /jeanne-sparrow-7409053/ YouTube - @msjeannesparrow Find out more about Jeanne's book, Fearlessly Authentic, here, and check out her podcast! Might we humbly suggest you start with Brenda's episode? --- At our heart, AnitaB.org is a connector: we connect women in tech to the organizations, opportunities, and tools they need to advance, thrive, and transform the future of technology. We convene transformative events, lead essential discussions, produce groundbreaking research and white papers, and support the tech ecosystem to shape the future for women in tech.  --- Connect with AnitaB.org Instagram - @anitab_org Facebook - /anitab.0rg LinkedIn - /anitab-org On the web - anitab.org  --- Our guests contribute to this podcast in their personal capacity. The views expressed in this interview are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology or its employees (“AnitaB.org”). AnitaB.org is not responsible for and does not verify the accuracy of the information provided in the podcast series. The primary purpose of this podcast is to educate and inform. This podcast series does not constitute legal or other professional advice or services. --- B The Way Forward Is… Hosted and Executive Produced by Brenda Darden Wilkerson. Produced by Avi Glijansky Associate Produced by Kelli Kyle Sound design and editing by Ryan Hammond  Mixing and mastering by Julian Kwasneski  Additional Producing help from Faith Krogulecki Operations Coordination for AnitaB.org by Quinton Sprull. Creative Director for AnitaB.org is Deandra Coleman Executive Produced by Dominique Ferrari, Stacey Book, and Avi Glijansky for Frequency Machine  Podcast Marketing from Lauren Passell with Tink Media in partnership with Coley Bouschet at AnitaB.org For more ways to be the way forward, visit AnitaB.org