You thought perimenopause would be about hormones. Hot flashes. Mood swings. And yes it is. But for many high-achieving women, that's not the hardest part.

The hardest part is watching the strategies that made you successful stop working. The confidence that suddenly feels shaky. The brain that forgets names. The patience that disappears. The body that refuses to perform on command.

In this episode, I share the symptoms nobody warned me about, the private conversations I am having with senior women who rarely speak about this publicly, and the 8 leadership shadows perimenopause brings to the surface.

Because perimenopause isn't creating these struggles: it's exposing them.

And for many women in sport and male-dominated industries, that exposure is the thing they have been most carefully avoiding.

Because underneath all of it sits one question:

Who are you when pushing harder is no longer an option?

Want to work or connect with me?

• The Golden League Retreat: https://thegoldenleague.co/⁠
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"If I get that promotion, then I'll finally feel good enough."

Maybe your version sounds different:

• "Once I get that role..."
• "Once I'm leading a bigger team..."
• "Once I've proven I can do it..."

But the promise is always the same:

Then I'll finally feel enough.

The problem?

The promotion won't make you feel good enough.

Neither will the title, the salary increase, the recognition or the next big opportunity.

Trust me, I've tried.

For years, achievement was my strategy. If I worked harder, achieved more, proved myself enough, surely I'd finally feel worthy.

I didn't.

In this episode, I share how feeling inferior shaped my ambition, why achievement became my strategy for proving my worth, and the hidden trap I see in so many high-achieving women: building successful careers while still feeling they have something to prove.

Because there's a huge difference between wanting more and needing more to prove your worth.

And one of them will keep you running forever...

Want to work or connect with me?

• ⁠⁠⁠Click here to book a match call⁠⁠⁠
• LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/esther-huijsmans/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/estherhuijsmans/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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You learned how to succeed in masculine environments.

How to be respected.
How to be taken seriously.
How to become acceptable.

It built credibility.
It built your career.

And it taught you to suppress the very qualities your next level of leadership now requires.

In this episode, you discover what success asked you to disconnect from - and why reclaiming it is key for unshakeable leadership.

Want to work or connect with me?

• ⁠⁠Click here to book a match call⁠⁠
• LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/esther-huijsmans/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/estherhuijsmans/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Subscribe to my free Inspiration Boost: ⁠https://estherhuijsmans.com/inspiration-boost/

You want more authority, impact, and influence.

But in the moments that matter, you still hold back because you don’t want to be seen as “a b*tch.”

This episode breaks down why that happens, how it shows up in your leadership, and what it’s really costing you.

Want to work or connect with me?

• ⁠Click here to book a match call⁠
• LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/esther-huijsmans/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/estherhuijsmans/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Subscribe to my free Inspiration Boost: https://estherhuijsmans.com/inspiration-boost/

Ever wondered what truly separates confident female leaders in sport from those that simply survive the pressure?

In this episode of Own Your Game, I pull back the curtain on leadership in environments where the stakes are sky-high and performance isn’t optional.

Drawing from two decades at the highest levels of international sport, in this podcast I share unfiltered lessons about what pressure reveals, not just how it tests.

Why do some women stay steady while others brace and tighten? How does your nervous system shape how you show up and lead, long before anyone hears your words? And what if the patterns that got you here are holding you back from your next level?

If you’re ready to challenge your assumptions about high-pressure leadership and discover what elite athletes and powerful leaders have in common, tune in and see why the real work is nothing you might expect.

Want to work or connect with me?

• Click here to book a match call
• LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/esther-huijsmans/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/estherhuijsmans/⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Subscribe to my free Inspiration Boost: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://estherhuijsmans.com/inspiration-boost/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Lessons from working in and around the Olympics

Walking across Medals Plaza, national anthems playing, athletes on the podium - and feeling nothing.

Not because it wasn't special, but because of what it had taken to get there.

Working at the Olympics is a dream assignment in the sports industry. It was for me too.
But what you see on the outside is only the surface.

A few days earlier, Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games.... the rooms were shut down for three hours. Security sweep; we couldnt' do anything. They reopened twenty minutes before 3,800 guests walked in.
No option to postpone.

Want to receive regular inspiration and/or connect with me?

• Subscribe to my free Inspiration Boost: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://estherhuijsmans.com/inspiration-boost/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠
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• S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Programme: ⁠https://estherhuijsmans.com/success-programme⁠

Lessons from working in and around the Olympics

What would you do if you were told you couldn’t use your own name at work?

In this episode, I share an almost surreal experience from my early career - an Olympic project where I was asked to leave her identity at the door.

Instead of medals and ceremonies, this story dives into unexpected lessons about choice, boundaries, and what we sacrifice (or claim) while climbing the ladder in high-performance environments.

I share what happened, how I responded, and what this moment taught me about ownership and true leadership.

Which decision would you have made?

Want to receive regular inspiration and/or connect with me?

• Subscribe to my free Inspiration Boost: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://estherhuijsmans.com/inspiration-boost/ ⁠⁠⁠
• LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/esther-huijsmans/⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/estherhuijsmans/⁠⁠
• S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Programme: https://estherhuijsmans.com/success-programme

Who's running the show when you hesitate, hold back, or play it safe?

In the final episode of the Leading Presence Podcast Experience, we’re exposing the parts of you that quietly sabotage your next level.

You’ll hear:
🔹How the people pleaser, the perfectionist, and the control freak take the lead when you don’t
🔹 Why your fear of being “too much,” “not enough,” or “a disappointment” runs deeper than you think
🔹 What it really costs you — your credibility, your energy, your impact — when you let those shadow sides call the shots

🎧 Listen now - before the episode disappears.

✨ Ready to lead with presence - every single day?The warm-up is over. It’s time to Own Your Game.

Join me inside in the upcoming year programme '⁠⁠⁠Own Your Game⁠⁠⁠' for ambitious female leaders in sport, starting October 2025.

In case of questions:

📅 Book a ⁠⁠⁠Match Call⁠⁠
💬 DM me on ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠

What makes someone a great leader?

In today’s episode of the Leading Presence Podcast Experience, you hear how many women unknowingly suppress their feminine strengths - and what happens when we lead from presence instead of performance.

You’ll discover:

• Why the most admired leadership traits are actually feminine

• Signs you’re still downplaying your feminine edge - and how to reclaim it

• How to reconnect with the qualities that make your leadership magnetic

🎧 Listen now — before the episode disappears.

✨ Want to integrate this into how you lead every day?

Join me inside in the upcoming year programme '⁠⁠Own Your Game⁠⁠' for ambitious female leaders in sport, starting October 2025.

In case of questions:

📅 Book a ⁠⁠Match Call⁠⁠

💬 DM me on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠Instagram⁠

Even when you’re smart, strategic, and ambitious - you might still be playing small without realising it.

In today’s episode of the Leading Presence Podcast Experience, you’ll uncover the 8 deeper patterns that are costing you visibility, energy, and leadership opportunities.
Not because you’re not good enough, but because you’re following rules you didn’t even choose and think that is the only way to succeed.

👉 It’s time to let go of what no longer serves you.
You’ll hear:
🔹 The other 8 invisible habits that keep you stuck in overwork, doubt, and proving
🔹 The real cost of playing it safe (and why it feels so logical)
🔹 How to spot the stories that no longer fit - and start rewriting your own

📅 Book a ⁠Match Call⁠

💬 DM me on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ or ⁠Instagram