The Grit & Grace Podcast
Real Women. Real Conversations. Full Lives.
Because no one's just wearing one hat, and these women are here to talk about all of it.
Hosted by Dana Lyons, The Grit & Grace Podcast brings you real, unfiltered conversations with women who are leading, building, navigating change, and living busy, multi-faceted lives. These aren't just interviews. They're honest, life-giving conversations about what it means to show up with faith, courage, and purpose, through every season and assignment.
From building businesses without losing yourself, to balancing marriage, motherhood, and ambition, to walking through menopause and midlife shifts with boldness and grace, this podcast is for women who are done living small.
What you'll hear:
–Bold steps outside comfort zones
–Stories of reinvention, risk, and renewal
–Career pivots, personal growth, and purpose-driven leadership
–Faith-forward wisdom for navigating business and life
–The messy, meaningful behind-the-scenes that don't make it to Instagram–but
matter the most.
If you're looking for insight, encouragement, and the kind of truth that doesn't need a filter, you're in the right place.
Hit play. We're just getting started.
The Grit & Grace Podcast
Networking Tips for Introverts + Leadership Presence | Samantha Irwin | Grit & Grace #14
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In this episode of Grit and Grace, host Dana Lyons sits down with hospitality expert and former boutique hotel owner Samantha Irwin to explore networking, leadership, and the power of authentic human connection.
Samantha shares her practical “3-2-1 Rule” for introverts at networking events, explains the hospitality trifecta—eye contact, a smile, and a greeting, and talks about how women in business can confidently own their authority without shrinking their presence. From nonverbal communication and leadership presence to unexpected coffee alternatives like Mud/Wtr and pistachio milk, this conversation blends business strategy with real-world insight.
In this episode:
- Networking tips for introverts
- How to “host” a networking event even when you’re a guest
- Nonverbal cues that build instant trust and authority
- Leadership confidence for women in business
- Coffee alternatives like Mud/Wtr and pistachio milk
Subscribe for more conversations about leadership, entrepreneurship, hospitality, and personal growth.
Follow Grit & Grace:
Website: https://www.gritandgraceenterprises.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gritandgraceenterprises/
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Connect with Samantha Irwin:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthairwin/
Website: https://kaizen.zone/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samantha_kaizen/
Creating a Culture Deck:
https://kaizen.zone/creating-a-culture-deck/
For your listeners: if they enter the code Culture, they’ll receive a discount.
Aunt Rita’s Peanut Butter Cookies – via Samantha Irwin
1 egg
¾ C. Sugar (I use less)
Hand mix until blended
1 C. Peanut Butter
1 t. Soda
1 t. Vanilla (I almost always forget)
Stir together then add
½ C. Chocolate chips
Dollop small bits (mine are a scant small spoon, maybe 1T. ish) onto a cookie sheet. Use the fork press thing to look like traditional peanut butter cookies (or not – I don’t).
Bake at 350 Degrees 9 minutes (depending on the size of your cookies and your oven, you might need 8 minutes, or 10 minutes).
Original notes say to bake on parchment but I don’t find it necessary on my air bake cookie sheet.
Let them cool for two-three minutes before trying to remove them. They’re crumbly!
Enjoy.
