Over the years, I’ve done dozens—possibly hundreds—of interviews, podcasts, and panels. Each one is its own little mirror.

Sometimes it reflects my identity.Sometimes my leadership.Sometimes my advocacy.Sometimes my frameworks.

And the more of them I do, the more I’ve come to realise something:

Interpretation is part of impact.How someone sees the work is itself part of the work.And every version reveals something back to me—sometimes familiar, sometimes surprising.

This short reflection is about what I’ve learned from being interpreted so many different ways—and how I hold space for all of them.

📖 Transcript (for accessibility)

I’ve done dozens—maybe hundreds—of interviews, podcasts, and articles over the years.

And what strikes me, more and more, is how each one reflects something different back to me.

Some focus on identity.Some on personal story.Some on the technical side of inclusion.Some go deep into leadership or mentoring.

And every single one is a form of interpretation.

It’s intriguing—because the more of these I do,the more people are getting to know about me…but not always in the way I expect.

They’re not just learning my identity.They’re offering their lens on the work.Their take on what I’m building.

And that’s become part of the impact.

Interpretation isn’t distortion—it’s dimension.It’s a mirror, sometimes foggy, sometimes clear.And once in a while… it’s sharp enough to reveal something I hadn’t even fully seen yet.

💬 Your Turn

Has someone ever reflected your work back to you, and it surprised you?Did it feel accurate? Unexpected? Affirming? Misaligned?

Interpretation is part of how we’re received—and it can shape how we grow.Let me know what it’s revealed to you.

#InterpretationAsImpact#LeadershipInTheMessyMiddle#InclusiveLeadership#AcceptanceWithoutUnderstanding

Sometimes people focus on my story.My identity. My journey.

And I understand why—it’s visible. It’s human. It’s real.

But the work I do?The leadership strategy, the inclusion frameworks, and the economic models?That often lives beneath the surface.

Recently, I read a forthcoming article for which I was interviewed—it won’t publish until later this summer.But when I read the draft, I felt something rare:They didn’t centre my identity.They saw the strategy.

It’s not just a profile—it’s the most accurate articulation of what I actually do that I’ve seen in print.

So before the article goes live, I wanted to mark the moment.

This is the first in a short video reflection series about what it means to be seen—in the complexity, in the nuance, and in the work.

📖 Transcript (for accessibility)

I’m used to people focusing on my story—my identity, my journey.And I understand why. That’s visible. That’s personal.

But the work I do? The strategy? The leadership models, the systems thinking?That often stays beneath the surface.

Recently, I read a forthcoming article I was interviewed for—it’ll be published later this summer—and for the first time in a long while… someone really saw the work.

They talked about the 24+ metrics I use to help organisations measure inclusion.They named the models.They framed inclusion not as a side initiative, but as a business strategy.

And honestly? That moment landed.

Because it’s rare to feel seen not just for who you are—but for what you build.

I’ll share the article once it’s live, but this moment felt worth sharing now.

Being seen for the strategy behind the work? That’s a kind of recognition we don’t talk about enough.And it means a lot.

💬 Your Turn

Have you ever had a moment where someone really got your work, not just your role, but your impact?

I’d love to hear about it. You can share in the comments or reply directly if you’d prefer a quieter space.

Welcome to the first official episode of Holding It Both Ways — a podcast about leadership, paradox, humanity, and strategy. In this opening conversation, Cynthia Fortlage and Katie Allen dig into the hard-to-name, often-unspoken realities that shape how women show up in leadership.

Katie brings deep insight from her time in the male-dominated petrochemical industry, where she both challenged and conformed to workplace norms. She reflects on the internalised misogyny that shaped her leadership journey, the trade-offs she made to succeed, and the lingering impact those choices may have had on others.

Cynthia shares her own story of being a poor ally before her transition and explores the emotional weight of learning how to truly listen. Together, they discuss how societal expectations and professional pressures often force women to overperform, adapt, or self-silence.

Katie also speaks candidly about the idea of fitting in—a phrase that echoes Brené Brown’s insight from The Gifts of Imperfection: “Fitting in is about assessing a situation and becoming who you need to be to be accepted. Belonging, on the other hand, doesn't require us to change who we are; it requires us to be who we are.”

This is not a conversation about blame. It’s a conversation about becoming. And it invites each of us to reflect on the ways we’ve been shaped by systems—and how we might lead differently from here.

🎧 Key Themes

* Internalised misogyny and its workplace impact

* Navigating leadership in male-dominated industries

* The paradox of belonging vs. authenticity

* Allyship, listening, and lived experience

* Pressure, perfectionism, and self-validation

* Practical approaches to inclusive leadership

#HoldingItBothWays #InclusiveLeadership #AcceptanceWithoutUnderstanding

📄 TranscriptTranscript available with the video on YouTube.