The Breakout – Unleashing Personal Growth

There’s this really old, really crap story that how we got here is about what the guys did. And women were just like some side character behind a hill, just like pounding some tubers, saying, ‘Oh, sorry guys. I see you're busy. I'm just gonna build the future of our species in my actual body’.” That’s how the brilliant and hilarious Cat Bohannon introduces the idea behind her New York Times bestselling book, Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution. Ten years in the making, and making a huge splash internationally, the book is a fascinating, myth-busting tour of biological evolution that re-examines everything we think we know about the human body by placing women at the center of it all. 

In honor of International Women's Day on March 8th, we’re thrilled to talk with Cat about her boundary-breaking book, which puts the female body in the foreground of biological research. It's not that there's a sexist cabal saying, ha ha! We're gonna understudy females”, she tells us, “It's that there’s this pre-existing idea that ovaries don't matter”. Cat shares how there’s a long history of female bodies being excluded from medical, evolutionary and biological research, and why that matters for everyone.

The interview also dives into Cat’s sci-fi movie inspiration for the book, how female figures in evolution were key to the humans of today, why the “male norm” in biological research developed in the first place, and how change in the scientific community is happening…slowly: “paradigm shifts are hard…that’s the hardest thing to break out of. A paradigm shift is the biggest thing there is”. Don’t miss this eye-opening discussion that looks at the human body from a whole different vantage point.

 About the Show

The Breakout is the hit podcast hosted by human resources and change experts Dr. Keri Ohlrich and Kelly Guenther. The founders of Abbracci Group, a results-driven coaching, HR Management and consulting firm, Keri and Kelly are laser-focused on getting the best out of people. They launched The Breakout in early 2023 to find the best stories and advice on busting boundaries and making change, and since then the show has charted #1 in self-improvement, #1 in education, and #7 in all podcasts.

Join Keri and Kelly on The Breakout as they get advice and insights from change experts, and learn from people who have really done it how you can dive into personal growth, increase self confidence, and move your life into bold new territory.

Each episode comes with lessons on living courageously, with topics on self-help, leadership, personal development, building success, setting personal boundaries, growing your confidence, overcoming self doubt, and knowing your self worth. From huge transformations to quiet shifts, The Breakout highlights why every change matters.

At Abbracci Group, Keri and Kelly offer a four-step coaching process to help you increase your self-awareness, break out of expectations, and live life on your terms.  Learn more at abbraccigroup.com.

Keri and Kelly’s new book Whatever the Hell You Want – An Escape Plan to Break Out of Life’s Little Boxes and Live Free From Expectations, is out in October 2024 and available for pre-order now!

Dr. Keri Ohlrich’s book The Way of the HR Warrior is available now.

Connect with Dr. Keri Ohlrich and Kelly Guenther

The Breakout on Instagram 
https://www.instagram.com/thebreakoutpod/

Abbracci Group website 
https://abbraccigroup.com/podcast/

The Breakout Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/thebreakoutpodcast/

Abbracci Group LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/abbraccigroup/

The Breakout on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@thebreakoutpodcast

About Cat Bohannon
Researcher, scholar, writer, freak. Cat completed her PhD in 2022 at Columbia University, where she studied the evolution of narrative and cognition. Her writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Scientific American, Science, The Best American Nonrequired Reading, Lapham’s Quarterly, The Georgia Review, and on The Story Collider. Eve is her first book and a New York Times bestseller. She lives in the U.S. with her partner and two offspring.

Connect with Cat Bohannon

Cat Bohannon’s Website

Cat on X

Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution 

What is The Breakout – Unleashing Personal Growth?

A #1 Self-Improvement podcast, The Breakout tells incredible stories of personal growth with the smart, hilarious thought leaders from Abbracci Group.

Every day, in big and small ways, we put ourselves in boxes. From jobs to relationships, to entire belief systems, many of us are living by rules that someone else wrote for us. On The Breakout, talent specialists and the founders of Abbracci Group, Dr. Keri Ohlrich and Kelly Guenther, dive into the extraordinary stories of people overcoming self-doubt, pushing boundaries, and finding the courage and confidence to get what they want and achieve the success they were destined for.

Every two weeks, our hosts sit down with inspiring change makers and experts who share ways that you can break through boundaries and shift your life into bold new territory, fostering personal development and a growth mindset. With a ton of humor and lots of care, Keri and Kelly also bring their own insights as change experts to every conversation. Their number one desire is that you do whatever the hell you want, and on The Breakout, Kelly and Keri prove you can escape expectations; best of all, they show you how.

Each episode is a lesson in living courageously. The show covers topics on self help, leadership, personal development, building success, setting boundaries, growing confidence, mindset change, overcoming self doubt, and knowing your worth. From huge transformations to quiet shifts, The Breakout highlights why every change matters.

The Breakout has charted #1 in ‘Self-Improvement’, #1 in ‘Education’, and #7 in ‘All Podcasts’ for good reason. It’s chock full of impactful guests. From awe-inspiring change-makers and innovative leaders to renegade rule-breakers, Robin Landa, Erica Rooney, Tyler Nehila, Beth Dana, Liz Alterman, Kim Sorrelle, Danielle Cobo, Clint Hatton, Janet Livingstone, Rob Cross, Jennifer Pestikas, Dr. Brian Davidson have all graced the mic.

Our Hosts:

Meet Dr. Keri Ohlrich. With 20+ years on the front lines of the HR field, it’s safe to say that Keri is considered an expert. As co-founder of Abbracci Group and the co-author of ‘The Way of the HR Warrior’, she continues her mission to share insights from these experiences with others whose passion is to be the best in the HR arena. Keri’s professional roles have led to deep insight and expertise in: leadership and organization development, strategic talent planning and programs, defining and developing culture, change management, team building, employee development, engagement and retention and HR department diagnostics.

And, meet Kelly Guenther. Co-founder of Abbracci Group, Kelly brings a holistic approach to the table when it comes to HR, focusing not only on the organization but on the individuals who create the team. Her unique leadership style allows for opportunities to diagnose needs and offer solutions through a deep understanding of the people, processes, and practices involved.

So, who is Abbracci Group? Abbracci Group is a boutique, results-driven, unconventional coaching, HR management and consulting firm focused on getting the best out of people. The company is on a mission to improve the environment of organizations which in turn improves the lives of employees.​ We help leaders and teams develop increased self-awareness, strong leadership and team-building skills. We transform HR professionals into HR warriors who thrive on creating happier, healthier organizations. We apply a holistic approach when developing sustainable practices and nurturing organization culture. Connect with Abbracci Group at https://abbraccigroup.com/

Keri and Kelly’s new book, Whatever the Hell You Want – An Escape Plan to Break Out of Life’s Little Boxes and Live Free From Expectations, will be out October 2024, and is available for pre-order now at https://bookshop.org/p/books/whatever-the-hell-you-want-keri-ohlrich/20696173

Dr. Keri Ohlrich’s book, The Way of the HR Warrior is available now.

Do you have a story our listeners will love? Apply to be a guest on The Breakout at: https://abbraccigroup.com/podcast/