A year after launching her first podcast in March of 2024, Lisa McCluskey has added a second to her repertoire — this time focusing on successful Chattanooga businesswomen.
“The Empowered Women Podcast” aims to help women in business understand that the path to success isn’t always a straight line. In fact, it often holds some big twists and turns.
A few of McCluskey’s early guests have included Cheri Hale, senior vice president of corporate responsibility for CommonSpirit Health; news anchor for NewsChannel 9, Kim Chapman Whitfield; and Doris Collier, president and CEO of Magic Feet LLC, an orthopedic insert manufacturer that sells products globally.
“These women have incredible advice because they’ve been through the pitfalls, made mistakes, and navigated male-dominated industries,” she says. “They want to share their knowledge — they’re eager to be on the show, to uplift and mentor the next generation. That’s what energizes me about this podcast — getting to meet and learn from these amazing women.”
Women in business is a topic McCluskey has paid attention to her whole life. One of the biggest challenges that hold women back, she says, is a lack of confidence. When it comes to “being a part of the discussion,” many women tend to hold back and over-apologize, literally beginning their comments with, “I’m sorry” before speaking in a group.
“From a leadership perspective, this is something women need to stop — constant apologizing undermines their authority,” she explains. “It’s crucial (for women) to recognize that their perspectives, insights, and opinions are valuable, shaped by their own research and experiences. Having the confidence to speak up is especially important in traditionally male-dominated industries like manufacturing and medicine.”
McCluskey speaks from experience. Before retiring, she had a long career as the vice president of marketing, communication and physician sales for CHI Memorial, working in a male-dominated industry with highly intelligent people with strong opinions.
But reaching that role took time — and plenty of pivots. She began her career in retail, worked in a variety of roles along the way, and even spent time as an undercover agent helping police catch criminals.
One of her biggest life changes came when she was blind-sided by her husband asking for a divorce after decades of marriage.
She channeled that emotional upheaval into something creative and constructive: her first on-air broadcast, “The Silver Divorce Podcast.” Launched in March 2024, she created the show to help herself and others navigate through painful and confusing times. Today, the show is ranked by podcast-engagement tracking database, ListenNotes, as being in the top 10% of all podcasts.
McCluskey feels the podcasts have already served an important purpose, but is hopeful for what’s to come. “The Silver Divorce Podcast” now has two sponsors — Medicare Misty and the Center for Sports Medicine and Orthopaedics — and she’s in talks with another local business to sponsor “The Empowered Career Woman.”
Looking ahead, she’s excited about the potential that both podcasts have to keep growing, with new guests and fresh stories.
“There are always new audiences tuning in — always new information that people need that they don’t have,” she says. “It’s endless.”