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218 - Standing Your Ground Without Losing Your Cool
In this episode, Cindy Esliger explores the difficult balance between standing up for ourselves at work and maintaining professionalism. This is especially true in environments where women in STEM are talked over or subjected to inappropriate comments. She explains that staying silent in the face of disrespect can quietly damage confidence and credibility and, over time, will impede career growth. Cindy explores the beliefs that keep us trapped in silence, including the pressure to keep the peace to avoid being labeled difficult. She points out that we’re trained to prioritize everyone else’s comfort over our own boundaries, and ultimately shares how to respond with more authority.
Cindy discusses the professional and personal costs of tolerating disrespect, including burnout, resentment, damaged self-esteem, and missed leadership opportunities. Unaddressed boundary violations tend to compound over time, and she explains why staying silent teaches others how we’re willing to be treated. She outlines six red flags that make workplace dynamics worse: 1. Avoid overcompensating with aggression, 2. Stop apologizing for having boundaries, 3. Don’t back down when people test you, 4. Stop making it your job to comfort others, 5. Don’t be vague about what we need, and 6. Inconsistent enforcement destroys the integrity of our word. She also breaks down the manipulation tactics people may use to avoid accountability and why recognizing those tactics matters.
To help us respond more effectively in difficult situations, Cindy shares practical strategies for reclaiming authority without escalating conflict. She shares four common scenarios and how to handle them: 1. What to say when we’re talked over, 2. What to say when somebody makes an inappropriate comment, 3. How to get time when we need to process what just happened, and 4. The options for explaining when our boundaries have been violated. Cindy encourages us to prepare phrases ahead of time, pay attention to physical signals from our bodies, and get clear on our limits before situations arise. Taking the high road does not mean becoming a doormat. It means holding firm boundaries while remaining calm, tactful, and aligned with personal values.
Resources discussed in this episode:
—
Contact Cindy Esliger
Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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By Cindy EsligerIn this episode, Cindy Esliger explores the difficult balance between standing up for ourselves at work and maintaining professionalism. This is especially true in environments where women in STEM are talked over or subjected to inappropriate comments. She explains that staying silent in the face of disrespect can quietly damage confidence and credibility and, over time, will impede career growth. Cindy explores the beliefs that keep us trapped in silence, including the pressure to keep the peace to avoid being labeled difficult. She points out that we’re trained to prioritize everyone else’s comfort over our own boundaries, and ultimately shares how to respond with more authority.
Cindy discusses the professional and personal costs of tolerating disrespect, including burnout, resentment, damaged self-esteem, and missed leadership opportunities. Unaddressed boundary violations tend to compound over time, and she explains why staying silent teaches others how we’re willing to be treated. She outlines six red flags that make workplace dynamics worse: 1. Avoid overcompensating with aggression, 2. Stop apologizing for having boundaries, 3. Don’t back down when people test you, 4. Stop making it your job to comfort others, 5. Don’t be vague about what we need, and 6. Inconsistent enforcement destroys the integrity of our word. She also breaks down the manipulation tactics people may use to avoid accountability and why recognizing those tactics matters.
To help us respond more effectively in difficult situations, Cindy shares practical strategies for reclaiming authority without escalating conflict. She shares four common scenarios and how to handle them: 1. What to say when we’re talked over, 2. What to say when somebody makes an inappropriate comment, 3. How to get time when we need to process what just happened, and 4. The options for explaining when our boundaries have been violated. Cindy encourages us to prepare phrases ahead of time, pay attention to physical signals from our bodies, and get clear on our limits before situations arise. Taking the high road does not mean becoming a doormat. It means holding firm boundaries while remaining calm, tactful, and aligned with personal values.
Resources discussed in this episode:
—
Contact Cindy Esliger
Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.