Quietly Visible

In this episode, I delve into courageous conversations for introverted women leaders. I explore practical strategies and insights to help you navigate challenging conversations with confidence and authenticity. From defining what courageous conversations entail to embracing introversion as a strength, I provide actionable tips for building confidence, navigating power dynamics, and creating safe spaces for dialogue.

This episode is different from the norm as it is to announce that the tickets for the first ever conference for introverted leaders taking place in London on 13 September 2024 are now available. You can find out more about the conference at https://aboundingsolutions.com

If you experience imposter syndrome, self-doubt, and a lack of self-confidence, it can be easy to think it is just you. But many women like you across the globe experience it and in this episode, I talk about how widespread it is.

Is a lack of self-belief holding you back from going after what it is that you want to achieve? Or causing you to doubt yourself and lack self-confidence? In this episode I talk about the importance of self-belief, what it is, and how to develop it.

Many people mistakenly think that in order to be seen and stand out, you have to be the loudest in the rooom. But that is not true. I have a saying that goes 'You don't need to be loud to stand out as a leader, but you do need to have presence'. Inspired by a post I saw on LinkedIn, in this episode I talk about not needing to be the loudest in the room, but as a leader, the need to be visible and have presence. Something which many introverted women find challenging.

As human beings, it is part of our nature to want to be accepted, and consciously or subconsciously we tend to seek approval for our everyday and life choices, actions and behaviour from our peer groups. But what if this need for validation and approval means that we grow up believing and trying to be someone who is not who we truly are and therefore not living life on our own terms? In this episode, former lawyer, Louise Lewis, shares her story of being a very driven, motivated typical A Type individual who hit burnout in 2018. During her recuperative phase, she came to the realisation that she had not been taking good care of herself, by living a life based, not on her own terms, and discusses the changes she made/her journey of transformation. Louise, now coaches women to be all of who they are, to not follow the rulebooks of others, and to live life authentically, on their own terms. About Louise Lewis Louise is a ICF accredited coach (PCC level) with a diploma in professional coaching practice. She is also certified in embodied healing systems (with a personal focus on childhood trauma and the impact of dysfunctional family systems on us as adults). https://website.louiselewiscoaching.co.uk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-lewis-acc-coach/

Generally, most introverts shy away from being in the spotlight and having attention focussed on themselves. Demonstrating their thought leadership is a good way for them to become widely known in their organisation and industry for their knowledge and expertise. If you hate self-promotion, it enables you to self-promote in ways that don't make it feel like it is all about you. In this episode, Carol and Kate Pozeznik (founder and CEO of Quirk, a personal branding and career consulting firm), discuss and elaborate on their respective definitions of 'Thought Leadership' and how, as an introvert, you don't have to shout from the rooftops to showcase your knowledge and expertise. Kate also provides listeners on ways you can get started in authentically getting your knowledge out there. About Kate Pozeznik Kate resides in the US and left the corporate world five years ago to launch Quirk, a personal branding and career consulting firm that helps accelerate the careers of women executives and rising professionals who are seeking a life of fulfilment and freedom. Kate has been partnering with C-level executives for nearly a decade in a variety of capacities, currently by equipping leaders with curated career marketing materials, digital personal branding, and client-centered career coaching. She has orchestrated several career transitions of her own, including a shift from stay-at-home mom to the tech world. In her search for the ‘right’ career, Kate gained experience across industries and functions. This includes selling new construction homes for a large builder; fundraising and curriculum development at a marine science non-profit; writing and event planning in academia; and developing marketing collateral and aligning research and advisory services to c-level executives at management consulting companies Gartner and The Hackett Group. Kate is recognised for being a confidence booster, relationship builder, and steadfast promoter of authenticity as a vessel for life and career success. She has been an invited guest career expert on podcasts and social audio events, written business articles for career professionals, developed a library of how-to career guides, and regularly engages colleagues and job seekers through relevant, interesting social media content. Kate is also a ADHD and mental health advocate, supporter of women and minorities, avid traveler, salsa and bachata dancing enthusiast, collector of mid-century modern furniture, single parent, solopreneur, former island dweller, exercise champion, and rescue dog mom. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kpozeznik/ https://quirkpersonalbranding.com/

I attended a woman's leadership conference and the question was asked whether attendees wanted to be CEO of a large corporate. Only a few women raised their hands. The person speaking said that more women should want to and this got me thinking... I can understand why women would not want to, and I can understand why women would. What about you? Do you want to be CEO of a large corporate, or are you simply not bothered?

The Miriam-Webster dictionary defines the word 'brave' as "the quality or state of having or showing mental or moral strength to face danger, fear, or difficulty". Whilst some of us are born braver than others, it is actually a skill that many of us have to learn, develop and build on. In this week's episode, Nicole Trick Steinbach, Founder of Trick Steinbach LLC, the host of the Celebrate Brave podcast, and International Bravery Coach, discusses many of the challenges she has faced throughout her own personal and work life journey which led to her developing her own brave, to now coaching women to intentionally build their skill of bravery - to stress less, work less, and then earn more. About Nicole Trick Steinbach Nicole is the Founder of Trick Steinbach LLC, the host of the Celebrate Brave podcast, and an International Bravery Coach. She helps women build their bravery and shows them how to stress and work less. After spending nearly 20 years working in tech, Nicole had become a Global Senior Director. She spent 13 years living in Germany, travelling the world, and leading global teams across all functional areas in over 25 different countries. In 2008, even with all of her success, Nicole realised that she felt exhausted, unhappy, and alone. Through coaching, Nicole discovered how her relentless pursuit of an ever-changing definition of "success" was pushing away her support network, deflating her confidence, and driving her to burnout. Over the next ten years, Nicole was able to build her own unique, gorgeous, wonderfully fulfilling life, full of connection and appreciation, rest and joy, safety and wealth. The key was realising that bravery Is a skill that she could intentionally develop and practice. Now she teaches women all over the world to build their own brave. Nicole's framework for clarity, momentum, and accountability helps her clients set goals and establish the mindset they need to sustain their success. Nicole coaches women to view all of their successes, mistakes, and even failures as equal stepping stones to building their brave life and career. When Nicole isn’t serving her clients you can find her reading a new book, enjoying the outdoors with her two kiddos, and learning with others on her own podcast. https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicoletricksteinbach/ https://tricksteinbach.com/bravepodcast/

Self-regulation is a powerful tool for navigating the complexities of life. If we don't regulate our emotions, it can lead to a number of challenging situations. Stress, strained relationships, irrational decision making, and a general feeling of not being in control. Self-regulation enhances our decision making, strengthens relationships, helps us to manage stressful situations in a healthy way, and contributes to a more positive outlook on life. In this episode, I talk about the negative impact of not regulating your emotions and the positive benefits (not just for you but also for others), when you self-regulate.

Unfavourable bias towards introversion and any other oppressions as a result of other intersecting identities may have taken away your power. You may have internalised these biases and/or oppression without even realising it. This can show up as self-hate, imposter syndrome, self-doubt, and other self-limiting beliefs. In this episode, I make you aware of the fact that this can happen, so that you can check whether this is the case for you and do something about it so that you reclaim your power. The resources referred to at the end of the episode can be found on the free resources tab at https://aboundingsolutions.com.

Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, is said to be known for the quote 'Your brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room'. For some introverted women leaders, personal branding and self-promotion don't come naturally and can feel inauthentic. However, being clear about your brand and communicating it through self-promotion can give you a competitive advantage. In this episode, I talk about how you can develop your personal brand so that what other people say about you when you leave the room aligns with what you want them to say.

Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, is said to be known for the quote 'Your brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room'. For some introverted women leaders, personal branding and self-promotion don't come naturally and can feel inauthentic. However, being clear about your brand and communicating it through self-promotion can give you a competitive advantage. In this episode, I talk about how you can develop your personal brand so that what other people say about you when you leave the room aligns with what you want them to say.

People need to have confidence in the decisions made by their leaders, and if a leader seems indecisive, it does not instil confidence in them. Introverts are known for thinking and processing information before speaking and making decisions, whereas extraverts are said to speak and process their thoughts whilst they are speaking. Misconceptions about introversion mean people can misconstrue the thinking style of introverts. Whilst quick decisions are not always the best decisions, there will be times when you do need to make an on the spot decision. Particularly if there is an immediate threat to the business. If you want to improve your on the spot decision-making style, in this episode I share some tips.

Every year at the beginning of January, I see untold people setting goals or making New Year resolutions, only to find that within just a few months (weeks even), they've abandoned them. This episode is a recording of a LinkedIn live where I shared what you can do to set yourself up for success.

Why is it important to set intentions? In this episode, I talk about the benefits of setting intentions to help clarify your goals, and enhance your focus and motivation, as well as guiding your actions. I share an example of an intention that I set almost 3 years ago to illustrate how setting intentions can make a difference.

Do you look at other people who you think are 'better' than you, compare yourself to them and put yourself down in the process? If so, it can chip away at your self-belief and self-confidence. In this episode I discuss this and what to do instead. To access my 5 Day Mind Cleanse to help you challenge and change the self-limiting beliefs that hold you back, so that you can confidently pursue your aspirations, go to https://aboundingsolutions.com/5-day-mind-cleanse/ For a free assessment to identify areas to focus on so that you increase your confidence, influence, and impact, go to https://aboundingsolutions.com/taketheimpactassessment/

Unfavourable bias in the workplace towards introversion, may make it more challenging for some people who are introverted to feel a sense of belonging at work. If organisations really want to be inclusive, they also need to look at whether they create an environment where ALL staff feel like they belong. In this episode I talk about the importance of feeling a sense of belonging at work, what can happen if you don't feel like you belong, as well as the positive benefits of feeling like you belong. I also touch briefly on what you can do if you don't feel a sense of belonging at work. For the free resources mentioned, visit https://aboundingsolutions.com/ and click on the free resources tab.

Many introverted women don't like self-promotion. However, research suggests that extroverts get more opportunities at work because their performance is more visible. This is due to them being more likely to speak up about their successes and achievements and what they are working on. In an ideal world, your work would speak for itself and you would get recognition on the basis of your outputs and achievements. However, your work is not always going to be seen by those who need to know about you and if you don't let them know, how will they know how fabulous you are? In this episode I talk about 3 reasons why introverted women don't like self-promotion and what you can do about it. Here's the link to the 5 Day Mind Cleanse that I mention. This 5 day challenge that will get you challenging the self-limiting beliefs you hold so you change what you think and believe about yourself https://bit.ly/3R50ENk. It will help you master imposter syndrome, self-doubt, not speaking up, a lack of confidence and other self limiting behaviours so you can confidently be all you are meant to be.

It can be hard to pick yourself back up and continue moving forward when you've had a setback or failed at something in your career or as a leader. Do you find that you've lost the motivation and the confidence to pursue your aspirations? If so, how you respond to setbacks and failures will determine how you get through them, and in this recording of a LinkedIn Live lunch and learn session, I share tips on what you can do to develop resilience and stay motivated and confident when facing setbacks and failure. Join the 5 Day Mind Cleanse - a free 5 day challenge that helps you rid yourself of self-limiting beliefs that hold you back so that you increase your self-confidence https://aboundingsolutions.com/5-day-mind-cleanse/