#13 Why Women Struggle With Leadership
You’re not lacking leadership skills. You’re leading from wounds.
In this episode, I unpack why so many high-functioning, capable women still struggle to step into their full power despite doing “all the work.”
It’s not mindset. It’s not a skills gap. It’s deeper. And I’ll show you where to look.
Key Highlights + Timestamps
[00:00] – The real reason women stay stuck in leadership
“You’re exhausted because you’re leading while disconnected from your own truth.”
[02:45] – Why women overperform, over-function, and over-give
How patriarchal conditioning wires women to seek approval and perform instead of lead.
[05:20] – When confidence doesn’t fix it
You’ve worked on mindset, you’ve done the courses, but you’re still holding back. Why?
“You don’t trust yourself to speak your truth because it was never safe to.”
[09:15] – What no one tells you about burnout and leadership
Leading from suppression, emotional bypassing, and inherited trauma.
[13:50] – The alpha vs the good girl: internal war
The deep split between the woman you are and the one you were taught to be.
[17:30] – How trauma, rage, and grief block true power
“Most women don’t realise how much emotion they’re suppressing just to survive.”
[21:45] – Why your nervous system fights your visibility
Visibility feels unsafe because your body remembers being punished for speaking up.
[26:10] – The leadership wound: betrayal, abandonment, and fear
How early trauma shows up in business, leadership, and motherhood.
[30:25] – Reclaiming your own definition of power
Why you must stop borrowing confidence and start embodying truth.
[35:00] – What it really means to lead as a whole woman
A different model of leadership: grounded, embodied, and led from self.
Your Reflection Questions
- Where do I still hide or shrink to be liked?
- When did I learn that my truth wasn’t welcome?
- Who would I be if I no longer needed to earn my place?
DM me on Instagram @thecorporatemedium and tell me where you’re stuck.
This is the kind of work we do inside 1:1 coaching and The Journey Home.
