The Grey Areas Podcast with Kelsey Donlon
The Grey Areas Podcast with Kelsey Donlon is ready to disrupt corporate America! This is a space for candid conversations and deep dives into the complexities of the workplace. The mission: to empower women with transparent, inspiring narratives and challenge the status quo in corporate culture.
Grey Areas is a safe, non-judgemental digital platform, podcast and community that inspires and empowers women to navigate the grey areas in the workplace. So what does that mean? Well, the ‘grey area’ is an ill-defined situation…or in other words, it’s murky AF. Kelsey is here to help make this vague situation, much clearer. This community and podcast will hold corporations, executives and Human Resources accountable by leveraging legal education, transparency, and shared stories to drive change.
Each episode will tackle aspects of the grey area; managing anxiety in the workplace, tension between coworkers or managers, understanding employer boundaries, working with HR in an appropriate and effective way, navigating job loss, and so much more. So tune in, to hear Kelsey and her guests share a wealth of information and to be part of a safe space for people who have a hard time navigating the toxic workplace.
Let’s navigate grey areas, together!
The Grey Areas Podcast with Kelsey Donlon
Leadership Without the Politics: Ashley Rudolph on Confidence, Influence & Emotional Intelligence
Welcome back to the Grey Areas podcast! Today’s episode is all about navigating the messy middle, that murky space where leadership, influence, and emotional intelligence collide. Our guest is Ashley Rudolph, an executive coach, former tech VP, and the founder of a leadership coaching practice that empowers high achievers to rise fast without losing themselves along the way.
In this episode, we unpack how to build influence before you have the title, what it really means to lead with emotional intelligence, and why knowing your values might be the ultimate leadership hack.
Highlights include:
• 2:10 – How a company-wide layoff became the catalyst for Ashley’s pivot into coaching, and how she showed up as the leader she wanted to be.
• 10:30 – The myth that titles bring influence and why real leadership begins before you’re promoted.
• 13:50 – Generational clashes in the workplace: How to lead Gen Z without pandering and motivate across differences.
• 21:40 – From performance to confidence: Ashley’s framework for helping leaders actually feel as strong as they look on the outside.
• 31:55 – How values-based leadership helps high performers avoid burnout and align ambition with well-being.
• 36:40 – Crying at work? Ashley shares when it’s a powerful human moment and when it might be something else.
• 52:30 – Dealing with a Grey Area: A manager undermined by a long-tenured direct report—and Ashley’s advice on rebuilding trust, setting boundaries, and asserting your role with clarity.
If you're ready to lead with confidence, no matter your title, this episode with Ashley Rudolph is packed with actionable insights to help you navigate the gray areas of leadership with clarity and strength.
Ashley’s Links:
Website- https://www.workwithashleyr.com/
Subscribe to Ashley’s Newsletter- https://newsletter.workwithashleyr.com/
LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyrudolph
Kelsey's Links For You:
Website
Grey Areas Instagram
Kelsey's Instagram
LinkedIn
TikTok
