A Splash More: Hayley Spitaleri on Leadership, Connection, and Giving Women Permission to Be Heard
- Mar 6
- 3 min read
By Hayley Spitaleri
To start things off, I’m Hayley Spitaleri, host of the podcast A Splash More. Growing up in a big family taught me that having a voice doesn’t mean filling every silence. When there are a lot of people in a room, you learn quickly that speaking just to be heard isn’t the same as saying something that actually matters. One of the biggest lessons I carried with me is the value of being intentional with my words, listening first, observing, and then contributing in a way that adds something meaningful.
That lesson still shapes how I lead today. I don’t feel pressure to talk the most. I care about making sure that when I do speak, it’s thoughtful, clear, and purposeful. I believe community isn’t built on volume.
It’s built on trust. People trust you when your words carry weight and your presence feels steady. Early in my career, I was focused on achievement in the traditional sense. I wanted to build something, move quickly, and prove I could succeed in the ways the world typically measures success. But becoming a mother while launching a purpose-driven business forced me to rethink leadership entirely. Success stopped being about performance and started being about impact. I began asking different questions about what I was contributing, who it served, and the example I was setting at home.
That shift led to the creation of A Splash More. The podcast is an extension of that realization. It’s a space where we talk honestly about growth, womanhood, business, and the messy work of becoming. For me, leadership means creating room for real conversations. It’s service in the form of visibility. When women hear someone say the thing they’ve been carrying quietly, it gives them permission to take up space in their own lives.
My focus has evolved from “How do I succeed?” to “How do I build something that helps other people feel less alone?”That’s the kind of impact I care about now. What surprised me most about building the podcast is how personal it became. I thought I was creating a show about growth, but I didn’t realize how much that growth would be required of me in real time. Some conversations center on ambition and business. Others explore forgiveness, acceptance, and the shame many women quietly carry. Every episode asks me to show up honestly, not as a finished version of myself, but as someone still doing the work.
The experience has grounded me. I’m more intentional with my voice, more comfortable admitting I don’t have everything figured out, and more aware of the responsibility that comes with holding space for other women and honoring their stories with care. When choosing guests, I return to one guiding question: does this conversation move women forward? I’m drawn to stories about pivots, doubt, and reinvention because that’s where growth lives. Growth isn’t found in the polished highlight reel. It lives in the figuring-it-out stage, in the courage to keep going before clarity arrives.
What I hope each episode adds is permission. Permission to become the fullest version of yourself and then aim higher. Permission to stretch past limits that once felt fixed. Permission to speak more honestly about ambition, identity, and womanhood. If someone leaves feeling braver or more expanded in what they believe is possible, then we’ve done our job. Conversations with guests like Nicole Travolta and Shira Lazar reinforced why this platform matters. Nicole spoke openly about debt, divorce, and rebuilding her life, creating space for women carrying quiet shame. Shira brought clarity and insight that shifted perspective and energized listeners.
At the heart of everything I create is a simple hope: that women understand there is real power in connection and vulnerability. The parts of ourselves we try to hide are not weaknesses. They are often the doorway to doing remarkable things and becoming more fully ourselves.
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