Podcast · Business

High Heels Higher Standards

by Ashley Werner · English · Business

High Heels, Higher Standards is a bold, unfiltered podcast where two executive women get real about power, purpose, and the pressure to play small in careers, relationships and life. Ashley & Heidi blend ambition with authenticity and humor with hard-hitting advice to help high-achieving women own t

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 33 min
Latest: 22 Jul 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

22 Jul 2026 · 37 min

WHEN SUCCESS ISN'T ALIGNMENT: ART, AIRPORTS & 15 YEARS OF BECOMING High Heels Higher Standards | Special Episode

What if the thing you built successfully no longer fits? Ashley and her 15-year friend Laura on walking away from applause to protect what's sacred. SPECIAL OFF-CYCLE EPISODE: We're taking a breath this week. July's series on money, power, and the stories we inherited will be right here waiting for you next week. But it's summer. And this conversation — recorded earlier this year with one of Ashley's longtime, beloved friends — felt exactly right for this moment. Sometimes the most powerful t...

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

S1 · E53 · 15 Jul 2026 · 38 min
Negotiating When You're the Only Woman at the Table
You're not bad at negotiating. You're negotiating a harder game. Heidi breaks down the visibility tax, the double bind, and the five moves that actually work. You did the research. You know the market rate. You walked in prepared. And you still left money on the table. If you've ever wondered why negotiating feels fundamentally harder for you than it seems to for everyone else in the room — you're not imagining it. In this episode, Heidi and Ashley break down exactly what's happening, why it'...
S1 · E52 · 8 Jul 2026 · 32 min
The First Money Memory That's Still Running Your Life
Your money habits aren't a discipline problem. They're a memory problem. Heidi and Ashley trace your financial behavior back to the moment it actually started. You can know your worth on a spreadsheet and still flinch every time you talk about money out loud. That's not a confidence problem. That's not a strategy problem. That's a story problem — and it started long before your first paycheck. Welcome to July on High Heels Higher Standards. This month's theme is Money, Power & the Stories...
S1 · E51 · 1 Jul 2026 · 36 min
Hard-Wired or Conditioned? What We Were Taught About Being Enough
You weren't too much. Somebody just needed you smaller. Ashley and Heidi get personal about the conditioning that's still running your career — and how to finally update it. You've been following a rulebook you didn't write. This week, we're finding out where it came from. In the June finale of High Heels Higher Standards' "Lead From the Inside Out" series, Ashley and Heidi close out the by going somewhere they've never gone on mic before — back to the beginning. The moments, the rooms, the t...
S1 · E50 · 24 Jun 2026 · 30 min
Why Women Are Promoted for Performance But Men Are Promoted for Potential
Why Women Are Promoted for Performance While Men Are Promoted for Potential | High Heels, Higher StandardsHave you ever been the person who keeps the team running, solves every problem, exceeds expectations, and still gets passed over for a promotion? You're not imagining it. In this episode of High Heels, Higher Standards, Ashley and Heidi tackle one of the most frustrating realities facing ambitious women in the workplace: why women are often evaluated based on proven performance while men ...
S1 · E49 · 17 Jun 2026 · 32 min
The Nervous System Is Your Leadership Tool | Leadership, Burnout Recovery, Boundaries & Emotional Intelligence for Women
The Nervous System Is Your Leadership Tool | Leadership, Burnout Recovery, Boundaries & Emotional Intelligence for Women What if the biggest thing holding you back at work isn't a lack of skills, confidence, or ambition—but a dysregulated nervous system? In this episode of High Heels, Higher Standards, Heidi interviews Ashley to explore why so many high-achieving women struggle with burnout, people-pleasing, perfectionism, overworking, and setting boundaries, even when they know exactly w...
S1 · E48 · 10 Jun 2026 · 41 min
Career Advice: What Corporate doesn’t teach you about Power & Leadership
In this episode of High Heels, Higher Standards, we’re pulling back the curtain on the leadership lessons corporate America rarely teaches women. If you’ve ever wondered why the hardest-working person isn’t always the one getting promoted, why executive presence seems so difficult to define, or how workplace influence really works, this conversation is for you. Ashley sits down with executive leader Heidi Hushak to discuss the hidden dynamics of power, authority, and leadership in corporate e...
S1 · E47 · 3 Jun 2026 · 33 min
Adult Friendships, Boundaries, Brunch Disasters and the Return of Social Season
Patio season is back. Group chats are suddenly active. Brunch reservations are impossible to get. And somehow everyone has plans again after disappearing all winter. In this funny episode of *High Heels, Higher Standards*, Ashley and Heidi dive into the return of social season and the surprisingly complicated dynamics that come with it. From seasonal friendships and flaky group plans to public behavior, brunch disasters, and social burnout, we're talking about the things everyone notices—but...
S1 · E46 · 27 May 2026 · 32 min
Closet Crisis: Who Told You That Looked Good?
Closet Crisis: Who Told You That Looked Good? | Spring Fashion Identity, Personal Style & Closet Reset The coats come off, the panic sets in… and suddenly you’re standing in front of a full closet convinced you have absolutely nothing to wear. In this episode of High Heels, Higher Standards, Heidi and Ashley dive into the annual spring closet crisis—the emotional spiral that hits the second the weather warms up. From panic shopping and identity shifts to trend overload and personal brandi...
S1 · E45 · 20 May 2026 · 21 min
Spring Delulu Season & Feral Girl Summer: Why Women Revisit Men They Should’ve Left in Winter
Why does everyone suddenly think they’ve healed the second the sun comes out and the weather gets nice? In this episode of High Heels, Higher Standards, Ashley and Heidi unpack the phenomenon we’re officially calling *Spring Delulu Season* — the time of year when confidence and delusion skyrocket, boundaries weaken, and women everywhere start reconsidering men, situationships, and decisions they barely survived three months ago. From texting someone you absolutely should not text… to ...
S1 · E44 · 13 May 2026 · 40 min
Hot Girl Hobbies: Who Are You Becoming?
What do Pilates girls, pickleball women, running influencers, golf girls, farmer’s market aesthetics, and 'boat girl summer' all have in common? They’re not just hobbies anymore. They’re identity shifts. In this episode of High Heels, Higher Standards, Ashley and Heidi unpack the psychology behind “hot girl hobbies” and why so many women are reinventing themselves through wellness trends, fitness culture, social hobbies, aesthetic lifestyles, and curated routines. Because women don’t just ...
S1 · E43 · 6 May 2026 · 35 min
Financial Red Flags, In Relationships & In Business
Financial Red Flags (In Relationships & In Business) | Hot Girl Finances Series Money talks, and sometimes, it whispers warnings you don’t want to hear. In this episode of High Heels, Higher Standards, we’re diving into the financial red flags that show up in both romantic relationships and business dynamics—and why they matter far beyond your bank account. Because this isn’t about how much money someone has. It’s about how they think about money, handle pressure, communicate responsibili...
S1 · E42 · 29 Apr 2026 · 24 min
Soft Life vs. Smart Money: Can You Have Both?
The “soft life” is everywhere right now—slow mornings, ease, rest, and living beautifully. But so is the pressure to be financially disciplined, invest wisely, and build real wealth. So what happens when those two worlds collide? In this episode of High Heels, Higher Standards, we’re breaking down the tension between soft life culture and smart money habits—and asking the question high-achieving women are quietly wrestling with: Do women have to choose… or can you actually have both? We redef...
S1 · E41 · 22 Apr 2026 · 27 min
Get Paid What You're Worth: Salary, Negotiation, & Self Worth
Are you being underpaid—and quietly accepting it? In this episode, we break down how to negotiate your salary, advocate for your value, and finally get paid what you’re worth. In this empowering and strategic conversation, Heidi and Ashley unpack the real reasons women stay underpaid—and how to change it. This isn’t just about salary negotiation. It’s about self-worth, confidence, and the standards you set in your career. We cover why high-performing women often get paid less, the mindset shi...
S1 · E40 · 15 Apr 2026 · 32 min
Love Is Not a Financial Strategy: The Marriage That Cost Me Everything | Financial Literacy for Women
What happens when you financially support a relationship… but give up control of your own money? In this candid and surprisingly funny episode of High Heels, Higher Standards, Ashley interviews Heidi about the financial reality of her first marriage—a relationship where she paid for her partner’s grad school, funded their lifestyle, carried the household… and still lost financial power. And when it ended? She had to pay him alimony. This episode kicks off our Financial Literacy series with a ...
S1 · E39 · 8 Apr 2026 · 47 min
Leading People, Not Just Teams: The Real Lessons of Leadership
What does it actually mean to lead people—not just manage them? In this episode of High Heels, Higher Standards, Ashley sits down with Heidi to unpack the real, unfiltered lessons of people leadership—beyond titles, beyond authority, and far beyond performative boss energy. Because leadership isn’t about being the smartest person in the room. It’s about creating a room where other people can be brilliant. Drawing from years of experience leading teams, navigating high-stakes decisions, and de...
S1 · E38 · 1 Apr 2026 · 29 min
Stop Playing Small: How Women Reclaim Their Voice, Power & Visibility
At some point, many high-achieving women have the same quiet realization: Why do I feel invisible at work… even when I know I’m capable? In this episode of High Heels, Higher Standards, Ashley and Heidi unpack what it really means to stop playing small—and why so many women unconsciously edit themselves in rooms they’ve worked hard to enter. Because the truth is, most women aren’t lacking confidence or competence. They’ve just been conditioned to soften their voice, second guess their ideas, ...
S1 · E37 · 25 Mar 2026 · 43 min
Modern Feminine Leadership: What we are building
In this episode of High Heels, Higher Standards, Ashley and Heidi are redefining what leadership looks like for the modern woman—and why the old corporate playbook is officially outdated. If you’ve ever thought, “I want to lead… but I don’t want to lose myself in the process,” this conversation is for you. Ashley and Heidi break down the shift happening in leadership right now—from outdated, performative models rooted in dominance and visibility, to a more effective, human-centered approach b...
S1 · E36 · 18 Mar 2026 · 38 min
The Cost of Ambition for Career Women (Then vs. Today)
What does ambition really cost women—and has anything actually changed? In this powerful episode of High Heels, Higher Standards, Ashley and Heidi unpack The Cost of Ambition for Women (Then vs. Today)—from the overt barriers women faced decades ago to the subtle, internalized pressures high-achieving women navigate now. Historically, ambition cost women likability, safety, and acceptance. Today, women have more opportunity and visibility—but still face a persistent double standard. Why is a ...
S1 · E35 · 11 Mar 2026 · 33 min
Women in STEM Who Changed the World | Marie Curie, Katherine Johnson & More
This Women’s History Month, High Heels, Higher Standards honors the brilliant women whose discoveries helped build the modern world — even when history didn’t give them the credit they deserved. In Part Two of our Women’s History Month series, Ashley sits down with Heidi to explore the extraordinary female scientists, mathematicians, and innovators who reshaped medicine, space exploration, and molecular biology. From Marie Curie’s groundbreaking research in radioactivity, to Katherine Johnson...
S1 · E34 · 4 Mar 2026 · 35 min
Women Who Changed the Rules (and Didn’t Ask Permission)
March is Women’s History Month — and this week on High Heels, Higher Standards, we’re moving beyond surface-level celebration and into strategy. In this powerful conversation, Heidi interviews Ashley about the women who didn’t just succeed within broken systems — they rewrote them. From Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s legal strategy to Madam C.J. Walker’s economic empire, from Katherine Johnson’s NASA calculations to Vera Wang’s bold reinvention at 40, this episode explores what it really means to chan...
S1 · E33 · 25 Feb 2026 · 40 min
Main Character Energy Is a Wellness Practice
What if burnout isn’t a personal failure—but a sign you’ve been living as a supporting character in your own life? In this episode of High Heels, Higher Standards, Ashley and Heidi explore why main character energy isn’t a trend or mindset hack—it’s a legitimate wellness practice for high-achieving women. From chronic exhaustion and people-pleasing to nervous system overload and self-abandonment, they unpack how constantly prioritizing others quietly erodes your health, confidence, and vitali...
S1 · E32 · 18 Feb 2026 · 39 min
The Lifestyle Audit: Designing a Life That Supports The Woman You're Becoming
Are you actually tired… or is your lifestyle optimized for a version of you that no longer exists? In this episode of High Heels, Higher Standards, Heidi and Ashley introduce the concept of a Lifestyle Audit — a powerful personal growth tool designed to help ambitious women realign their schedule, habits, environment, and energy with the woman they’re becoming. Because wellness isn’t just about workouts, green juice, or meditation. It’s about your calendar. Your relationships. Your wardrobe. ...
S1 · E31 · 11 Feb 2026 · 25 min
Wellness Isn’t Weak: The Discipline Behind Feeling Good
Is your “self-care” actually helping… or just helping you survive burnout? In this episode of High Heels, Higher Standards, Heidi and Ashley break down the real difference between aesthetic self-care and disciplined self-respect — and why high-achieving women need to stop confusing exhaustion with ambition. If you’re a driven woman juggling career, leadership, family, and high personal standards — but still feeling tired, resentful, or constantly behind — this conversation is for you. We’re t...
S1 · E30 · 4 Feb 2026 · 32 min
Wellness as Strategy: Designing a Life That Supports Your Ambition
Wellness isn’t self-care. It’s strategy. In this episode of High Heels, Higher Standards, Ashley interviews Heidi to reframe wellness as a deliberate system that supports ambitious women, not a reaction to burnout. This conversation is for high-performing women who are done normalizing exhaustion and ready to design lives that actually sustain success. Together, they break down why constant recovery is a sign of a broken system, how your calendar reveals your true priorities, and why structur...
S1 · E29 · 28 Jan 2026 · 28 min
Choosing Focus Over Frenzy: How We’re Thinking About Priorities This Year
January is loud. Declarations. Reinventions. “New year, new me” energy everywhere. In this episode of High Heels, Higher Standards, we’re doing something different. Instead of chasing more goals, we’re talking about choosing wisely—and why focus, not frenzy, is the real power move this year. As we close out January, Ashley turns the mic toward co-host Heidi for a grounded, strategic conversation about priorities, restraint, and intentional ambition. This episode is for the woman who’s capable...
S1 · E28 · 21 Jan 2026 · 33 min
Creating a Life That Feels Like Yours: Curiosity, Joy, and Intentional Living
What if joy wasn’t something you waited for—but something you intentionally designed? In this intimate and expansive episode of High Heels, Higher Standards, Ashley sits down solo with her dear friend Doctor Kirsten Phillips for a conversation about building a life that actually feels like yours. One rooted in curiosity, community, intentional joy, and the courage to follow desire without needing it to make sense to anyone else. This episode is not about hustle culture, productivity hacks, or...
S1 · E27 · 14 Jan 2026 · 36 min
What I’m Not Fixing About Myself This Year (And Why I’m Done Trying to Be Palatable)
What if you’re not broken—just exhausted from trying to be palatable? In this deeply honest January episode of High Heels, Higher Standards, Heidi and Ashley opt out of "New Year New Me" and fix-yourself culture that tells women they’re perpetually unfinished. As part of our Goals, Not Resolutions series, we’re challenging the idea that growth has to come from self-criticism, endless healing, or constant self-editing. Ashley shares what she’s not fixing this year—from her sensitivity and emot...
S1 · E26 · 7 Jan 2026 · 29 min
January is for Stabilizing, NOT Transforming (You’re Right on Time)
January doesn’t have to be about reinvention. It can be about regulation, steadiness, and coming back to yourself. Join us for our Goals, NOT Resolutions Series in this quietly rebellious episode of High Heels, Higher Standards, Ashley and Heidi dismantle the pressure to “start over” in January and offer a radically calming alternative: stabilization instead of transformation. If you’re feeling tired, slow, emotionally tender, or resistant to becoming a “new you,” this conversation will remin...
S1 · E25 · 31 Dec 2025 · 36 min
Goals, Not Resolutions: A Grown-Woman Guide to Setting 2026 Up for Success
This New Years Eve ditch the dramatic resolutions and enter 2026 with clarity, confidence, and champagne. 🥂 In this vibrant New Year’s episode of High Heels, Higher Standards, Heidi and Ashley redefine what it means to set goals in a way that ambitious, growth-minded women actually achieve. If you’re searching for “personal growth,” “personal development goals,” or “how to set meaningful goals,” this episode is your fast track to success. We kick things off with a heartfelt year-in-revi...

About High Heels Higher Standards

High Heels Higher Standards is a English business podcast from Ashley Werner. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Ashley Werner
Language: English
Category: Business
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 33 min
Latest episode: 22 Jul 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1826784663

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