What is staying quiet costing you?

Self-advocacy is often associated with asking for a pay rise, negotiating a promotion or learning to be more assertive. But it goes much deeper than that.

Self-advocacy is your willingness to participate in the decisions that shape your health, career, relationships, business and future.

In this episode of Leading You, I explore why self-advocacy is an essential, yet often overlooked, leadership skill and why staying silent is rarely neutral.

Every time we choose not to ask the question, seek clarification, challenge an assumption, contribute our perspective or communicate what we really want, we are still making a decision. And sometimes the cost of that decision is far greater than the discomfort of speaking up.

I share how my understanding of self-advocacy changed following my diagnosis with stage three melanoma. I was surrounded by highly experienced specialists who understood cancer, but I came to realise something incredibly important: they knew cancer, but I knew myself. Both forms of knowledge mattered.

That lesson reaches far beyond our health.

How often do we conform because we don't want to create tension? Hope our hard work will eventually be noticed instead of communicating where we want to go? Advocate fiercely for our teams, clients, families and friends while accepting less for ourselves?

And how often do we confuse being kind with being compliant?

Self-advocacy isn't about dominating conversations, demanding your own way or becoming confrontational. Sometimes it starts with something much simpler: a thoughtful question.

In this episode, I explore:

• Why silence is a decision, rather than a neutral position
• What my cancer experience taught me about questioning, clarification and trusting yourself
• Why self-advocacy begins before you ever speak
• The career cost of waiting for someone else to notice you
• Why your work can demonstrate your capability but can't communicate your ambition
• How conformity can stop us contributing perspectives that matter
• Why kindness, respect and collaboration don't require constant agreement
• Why we often advocate more strongly for others than ourselves
• How thoughtful questions can create clarity without creating unnecessary confrontation
• A simple place to begin if speaking up doesn't come naturally

Your voice, perspective and needs deserve a place in the decisions that affect your life.

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome to Leading You
00:37 Why Self-Advocacy Matters
01:33 The Melanoma Wake-Up Call
03:48 Self-Advocacy Starts With Believing Your Needs Matter
05:13 Lead.Her Collective Invitation
06:07 Conformity, Silence and Speaking Up
07:05 Stop Waiting to Be Chosen
08:18 Why We Advocate for Others, But Not Ourselves
09:26 Kindness Is Not Compliance
10:20 The Power of Asking Better Questions
11:00 Where Is Staying Quiet Costing You?
12:37 Thanks and Reviews

 

Links:
Learn more about my group coaching program here
Get the Clarity Compass here
Join our Lead.Her Collective Dinner. Find out more and register here

 

Connect with Julie:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-hyde/
Instagram: @juliehydeleads
Website: https://juliehyde.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trigger warning

This episode includes discussions of vicarious trauma, suicide, child death, sudden death and breast cancer.

 

What happens when you've achieved the career you once dreamed of... but something inside you knows it no longer fits?

In this episode of Leading You, Julie Hyde sits down with former Deputy State Coroner Jacqui Hawkins to explore what it means to walk away from a prestigious career, navigate burnout, and reconnect with yourself after years of putting achievement first.

Jacqui shares her deeply personal journey through vicarious trauma, motherhood, breast cancer and reinvention, along with the practices that helped her quiet the noise and trust her inner wisdom.

In this episode:

• What it feels like to succeed in a career that no longer feels aligned.
• The hidden impact of vicarious trauma and chronic stress.
• The tension between achievement, identity and inner wisdom.
• Why changing careers doesn't automatically change old patterns.
• How journalling, meditation and breathwork created clarity.
• Why noticing life's "glimmers" can help you reconnect with yourself.
• Why meaningful change doesn't require you to blow up your life.

 

Timestamps

00:00 Wisdom Within
00:22 Meet Julie and Jacqui
01:50 Chasing the Coroner Dream
03:44 Vicarious Trauma Toll
06:05 Masks and Motherhood
08:33 Lead.Her Collective Invite
09:28 Ego Versus Soul
12:17 Journalling for Clarity
15:10 Breast Cancer Wake-Up
19:18 Finding Glimmers Daily
21:52 Ancient Practices and Coaching
24:47 Get Quiet and Listen
26:48 Closing Thanks and Review

 

Links:

Learn more about my group coaching program here
Get the Clarity Compass here
Join our Lead.Her Collective Dinner. Find out more here

 

Connect with Julie:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-hyde/
Instagram: @juliehydeleads
Website: https://juliehyde.com.au

 

Connect with Jacqui:
Website: Lit Within
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jacqui-hawkins-2215a1295
Instagram: @litwithincoaching
Podcast: That Day podcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How many warning signs have you ignored because you convinced yourself you could just keep going?

In this solo episode of Leading You, Julie Hyde explores a pattern she sees far too often in high-achieving women and leaders... pushing through exhaustion, ignoring the signals their bodies are sending, and wearing over-functioning as a badge of honour.

Drawing on her own experience with cancer, Julie challenges the belief that resilience means never slowing down and asks one powerful question:

What are you trying to prove... and to who?

In this episode:

• Why high performers are particularly vulnerable to burnout.
• The difference between resilience and constantly pushing through.
• How over-functioning quietly becomes our identity.
• The warning signs your body may already be sending.
• Why leadership today requires a different way of operating.
• The questions every leader should ask before their body forces them to stop.

 

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome to Leading You
00:48 The Push Through Trap
02:34 Burnout Signs and Statistics
07:24 Mental Load and Over-Functioning
09:18 When Your Body Forces You to Stop
10:05 Clarity Compass
11:20 My Wake-Up Call
14:09 Why We Need to Lead Differently
16:58 Questions Worth Asking Yourself
17:31 Final Thoughts

 

Links:

Learn more about my group coaching program here
Get the Clarity Compass here

 

Connect with Julie:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-hyde/
Instagram: @juliehydeleads
Website: https://juliehyde.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if one of the biggest factors affecting your leadership isn't another course, another strategy or another productivity hack... but the quality of your sleep?

In this episode of Leading You, Julie Hyde is joined by behavioural scientist and performance expert Dr Jemma King to explore the science of sleep and why it's one of the most overlooked drivers of leadership performance.

Together, they unpack what really happens when you wake at 3am, how sleep impacts your ability to think, regulate emotions and make decisions, and the simple habits that can help you perform at your best.

In this episode:

• Why sleep is a leadership strategy, not a luxury.
• What happens to your brain while you sleep.
• Why so many people wake at 2am or 3am.
• How poor sleep affects decision-making, resilience and emotional regulation.
• The role of cortisol, caffeine and circadian rhythms.
• Practical ways to improve your sleep and performance.

 

Links:

Learn more about my group coaching program here
Get the Clarity Compass here

 

Connect with Julie:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-hyde/
Instagram: @juliehydeleads
Website: https://juliehyde.com.au

 

Connect with Dr Jemma: 
Website: https://jemmakingbio-pa.com.au/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.jemma.king/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-jemma-king-phd-76013328/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if the biggest thing holding you back isn't a lack of confidence...but caring too much about what other people think?

In this episode of Leading You, Julie Hyde shares a simple moment from a morning walk that became an unexpected lesson in self-leadership. Watching a father joyfully sing to his baby daughter without worrying who might be listening sparked a powerful question...

How much of your life are you editing because of an audience that isn't even watching?

Julie explores why fear of judgement shapes our decisions more than we realise, how self-editing chips away at our confidence, and why authentic leadership begins with giving yourself permission to simply be yourself.

In this episode:

• Why fear of judgement quietly influences our choices.
• How self-editing affects confidence and leadership.
• The hidden cost of trying to meet other people's expectations.
• Why authenticity is one of the greatest acts of self-leadership.
• A simple question that could change the way you show up.

 

Timestamps

00:00 A Morning Walk That Made Me Think
01:28 The Invisible Audience We Carry
03:42 Where Are You Editing Yourself?
06:05 Confidence vs Approval
08:37 The Cost of Playing Small
10:56 Leading From Authenticity
13:14 One Question to Take Away

 

Links:
Learn more about my group coaching program here
Get the Clarity Compass here

Connect with Julie:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-hyde/
Instagram: @juliehydeleads
Website: https://juliehyde.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if happiness wasn't something you had to chase, but something you could learn?

In this episode of Leading You, Julie Hyde is joined by happiness expert, speaker and author Declan Edwards to explore the science behind happiness, emotional intelligence and why so many of us fall into the "I'll be happy when..." trap.

Together they unpack why achievement alone doesn't create fulfilment, how our emotions influence those around us, and why happiness is less about circumstance and more about the skills we build every day.

In this episode we discuss:

• Why we're pursuing happiness more than ever, yet feeling less fulfilled.
• The "hedonic treadmill" and why the goalposts keep moving.
• Why happiness is a learnable skill, not a personality trait.
• The link between emotional intelligence, leadership and wellbeing.
• How perfectionism, people pleasing and external validation affect happiness.
• Why relationships have a greater impact on happiness than success.
• A simple two-word exercise to improve emotional awareness.

 

Timestamps

00:00 From 75 Skills to 5
00:43 Meet Declan Edwards
01:48 Why We Are Less Happy
04:17 Declan's Personal Turning Point
08:46 Building a Happiness Toolkit
09:54 Sponsor – Clarity Compass
10:39 Happiness Is Contagious
14:49 Leadership's Ripple Effect
17:24 Five Core Happiness Skills
23:26 The Two-Word Emotional Check-In
27:26 Book Launch and Final Thoughts

 

Links:
Learn more about my group coaching program here
Get the Clarity Compass here

 

Connect with Julie:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-hyde/
Instagram: @juliehydeleads
Website: https://juliehyde.com.au

 

Connect with Declan:
Website: https://declanedwards.com.au/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/declan-edwards-bu-happiness-college/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/declanedwards_bu/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How many times have you told yourself:

"I'm going to do that."
"I really should get onto that."
"This year will be different."

And then… nothing changes?

In this episode of Leading You, Julie Hyde explores one of the biggest reasons capable people fail to create meaningful change: the difference between being interested in something and being truly committed to it.

Using a simple but surprisingly powerful story about homemade muesli bars, Julie unpacks the psychology behind why good intentions rarely lead to consistent action. She explores the "intention-behaviour gap"—the space between what we say we want to do and what we actually follow through on.

Drawing on the research of psychologist Peter Gollwitzer, Julie explains why people are dramatically more likely to achieve their goals when they move beyond vague intentions and make specific commitments about when, where and how they'll take action.

Whether it's your leadership, health, relationships or personal growth, this episode will challenge you to stop confusing wanting something with deciding to do it.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The difference between being interested and being committed
• The psychology behind the intention-behaviour gap
• Why good intentions rarely create lasting change
• How procrastination keeps capable people stuck
• Why language shapes mindset and behaviour
• The power of specificity, structure and accountability
• Why clarity matters more than motivation
• How commitment changes focus, energy and follow-through
• Leadership habits that stay stuck in "interested" mode
• Practical strategies to turn intention into action

This is a practical, honest and highly relatable conversation about self-leadership, accountability and closing the gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it.

 

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome and Theme
00:16 The Muesli Bars Lesson
02:21 The Intention vs Action Gap
03:27 The 50/50 Problem
05:23 Interested or Committed?
08:01 How Language Shapes Behaviour
10:09 Three Practical Steps
10:22 Step One: Name It
11:40 Step Two: When, Where and How
13:05 Step Three: Meaning and Honesty
15:23 Wrap Up and Next Actions
16:51 Clarity Compass and Farewell

 

Links:
Learn more about my group coaching program here
Get the Clarity Compass here

 

Connect with Julie:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-hyde/
Instagram: @juliehydeleads
Website: https://juliehyde.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens when you've achieved everything you thought would make you happy… but something still feels missing?

In this episode of Leading You, Julie Hyde sits down with Saru Gupta to explore a reality many high-achieving leaders experience but rarely talk about openly: emotional flatness.

On paper, life looks successful. The career is progressing. Relationships are intact. Goals are being achieved. Yet underneath it all sits a quiet sense of disconnection that many leaders struggle to explain.

Drawing on her own journey through corporate leadership, burnout, grief, divorce and personal transformation, Saru shares why mindset alone is not always enough. Together, Julie and Saru explore the connection between nervous system health, emotional regulation and embodied leadership, and why reconnecting with ourselves may be the missing piece many ambitious people are searching for.

This conversation challenges the belief that the answer is always another promotion, another goal or another achievement. Instead, it offers a different perspective: that sustainable leadership starts by understanding what your body, emotions and nervous system have been trying to communicate all along.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why high achievers often mistake emotional flatness for burnout
• The difference between mindset work and nervous system regulation
• Why constantly chasing the next achievement doesn't create lasting fulfilment
• How emotional awareness helps us become stronger leaders
• The signs you may be disconnected from yourself without realising it
• Why curiosity is more powerful than self-criticism
• The role of embodied leadership in sustainable success
• How nervous system health influences performance and wellbeing
• Practical ways to reconnect with yourself
• Three powerful questions to help you slow down and listen

If you've ever felt successful on paper but disconnected on the inside, this episode offers a refreshing perspective on what it really means to thrive.

 

Timestamps

00:00 Nervous System First
00:22 Podcast Introduction & Meet Saru Gupta
01:56 Success on the Outside, Disconnection on the Inside
03:38 Chasing the Next High
05:28 Leaving Corporate and the Crash That Followed
06:24 The Whole Self Method Explained
09:12 Why We Avoid Difficult Feelings
12:11 What Emotional Flatness Really Feels Like
14:21 Clarity Compass Break
15:13 Mindset vs Nervous System Regulation
18:22 Why Internal Safety Matters More Than Strategy
18:40 The Whole Self Method Pillars
19:46 Rewiring the Nervous System
21:58 The Ordinary Signs You're Reconnecting
23:19 The Messy Middle and Burnout Recovery
24:20 The Self-Criticism and Burnout Cycle
25:52 Starting with Curiosity
28:14 The Two-Minute Daily Practice
30:34 Three Questions to Ask Yourself Daily
31:46 Closing Reflections and Farewell

 

Links:
Learn more about my group coaching program here
Get the Clarity Compass here

 

Connect with Julie:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-hyde/
Instagram: @juliehydeleads
Website: https://juliehyde.com.au

 

Connect with Saru:
Website: https://sarugupta.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saru-gupta/
Instagram: @iamsarugupta

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens when a woman becomes so good at responding to everyone else’s needs that she completely loses connection to her own?

In this deeply reflective episode of Leading You, Julie Hyde explores a question that stops even the most capable women in their tracks:

“What do you want when nobody needs anything from you?”

It sounds simple. But for many high-performing women, the answer is far more difficult than expected.

This episode dives into why so many successful women lose touch with their own desires, needs and sense of self after years of being rewarded for competence, responsibility and reliability. Julie unpacks the hidden cost of constantly being the “safe pair of hands” — the person everyone depends on — and why that identity can quietly crowd out personal fulfilment, joy and direction.

Through stories from coaching clients and insights from years working with leaders and ambitious women, Julie explores:

• Why high-performing women struggle to answer what they truly want
• The difference between knowing what to do and knowing what you desire
• How responsibility, identity and fear bury personal fulfilment
• Why many women feel foggy, flat or disconnected despite looking successful on the outside
• The emotional cost of constantly living in response mode
• The role of people pleasing, obligation and performance identity
• How to reconnect with yourself without needing to blow up your life
• Why silence and space are essential for clarity
• The danger of building a life around “should”
• Small but powerful ways to reconnect with your own voice again

Julie also shares the story of a highly accomplished client who realised she had spent years knowing exactly what everyone else needed from her — but no longer knew what she needed for herself.

This episode is an invitation to pause long enough to ask yourself an honest question many women have not considered in years.

What do you actually want?

 

Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome and Big Question
02:15 Why the Silence Happens
02:41 Client Story Feeling Stuck
04:21 Doing Next vs Wanting
06:42 Three Ways Desire Gets Buried
11:32 The Hidden Cost of Not Knowing
12:25 Penny and Reconnecting
14:39 Three Starting Points
15:11 Silence and Small Questions
18:12 Separate Wants from Shoulds
19:32 Closing Reflection and Choice
21:25 Clarity Compass Invitation
22:07 Thanks and Goodbye

 

Links:
Learn more about my group coaching program here
Get the Clarity Compass here

 

Connect with Julie:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-hyde/
Instagram: @juliehydeleads
Website: https://juliehyde.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens when the life that looks successful on the outside is slowly costing you everything on the inside?

In this powerful episode of Leading You, Julie Hyde sits down with leadership expert, former corporate executive and author Fleur Marks to explore the hidden cost of perfectionism, burnout and achievement addiction.

For years, Fleur appeared to have it all. A successful corporate career, leadership credibility, a loving family and a reputation for delivering exceptional results. But beneath the surface, she was exhausted, overwhelmed and carrying impossible expectations.
Then her body forced her to stop.

Following a life-threatening health crisis, multiple surgeries, autoimmune disease and cancer, Fleur found herself confronting a reality she could no longer push through. What followed became the catalyst for a complete reset of how she lived, worked, led and defined success.

Together, Julie and Fleur explore why so many high-performing women tie self-worth to achievement, how perfectionism disguises itself as excellence, and why sustainable leadership requires boundaries, recovery and self-compassion.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Perfectionism and high-functioning burnout
• The overachiever identity and achievement addiction
• Leadership pressure and emotional exhaustion
• Chronic stress and the impact on physical health
• Why ambitious women struggle with "being enough"
• Sustainable success and redefining achievement
• Boundaries, rest and recovery for leaders
• The neuroscience behind overachievement
• Excellence without self-sacrifice
• How to break the overachiever cycle

One of the most powerful moments in the conversation centres around a simple but confronting question:

"How different would your life be if you truly believed you were enough, had done enough and had enough?"

This episode is for leaders, founders, professionals and ambitious women who are tired of carrying everything while quietly running on empty.

 

Timestamps

00:00 The Hidden Cost of Perfectionism
00:42 Meet Fleur Marks
02:16 Success on the Outside, Drowning on the Inside
05:17 The Waiting Room of Death
10:03 Losing Control and Learning Acceptance
12:54 Clarity Compass Break
13:46 Understanding the Overachiever Cycle
20:36 The "You Are Enough" Question
22:27 Redefining Success
25:14 The Sequins Squad and Support Systems
26:37 Final Reflections and Farewell

 

Links:
Learn more about my group coaching program here
Get the Clarity Compass here

Connect with Julie:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-hyde/
Instagram: @juliehydeleads
Website: https://juliehyde.com.au

Connect with Fleur:
Website: https://fleurmarks.com.au/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fleurjmarks/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fleurmarks/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.