Powrup

Why are so many of us hanging around waiting for a shoulder tap, an invite, or someone to say ‘go ahead’? Nat and Kristen get into where permission-seeking comes from, why it's a learned behaviour rather than a personal failing, and what you can do about it - starting with the low-stakes stuff like just picking the restaurant. Also featuring: Simone Biles, a deeply uncomfortable rewatch of Nashville, and why your professional development budget is probably sitting there untouched while someone else spends it.

Loved it? Share it and leave us a 5-star review! Got a topic for us? Email [email protected]. Follow Powrsuit on LinkedIn and Instagram, or join us at⁠ www.powrsuit.com⁠ for bite-sized professional development that actually fits into your week. 'Til next time, Powrsuiters!

Nat and Kristen dig into why women speak up to 75% less the moment men enter the room - and no, it's not a confidence problem, but a room problem. They get into the research behind why it takes a supermajority of women on a board before they get equal airtime, and what's actually going on when women go quiet in spaces that weren't really designed for them.

But this one's as much for allies as it is for women - there's a brilliant trick from Obama's White House staff, practical ways to prep so you actually speak up, and why the casual chat after the meeting might be worth paying attention to.

This one's worth sharing around for International Women's Day!

Loved it? Share it and leave us a 5-star review! Got a topic for us? Email [email protected]. Follow Powrsuit on LinkedIn and Instagram, or join us at www.powrsuit.com for bite-sized professional development that actually fits into your week. 'Til next time, Powrsuiters!

Nat and Kristen dig into the growing habit of self-diagnosing every uncomfortable feeling - from 'I'm nervous about this event' becoming 'I have social anxiety' to the ADHD label being casually dropped with zero diagnosis in sight. They're not here to dismiss real mental health struggles (big caveat, they make it very clear), but they do want to talk about what happens when discomfort gets a clinical name, kids get excused from exams because the classroom changed, and your entire personality becomes a list of conditions. Turns out labels aren't neutral - and the ones we fling at ourselves might be doing more harm than good!

Loved it? Share it and leave us a 5-star review! Got a topic for us? Email [email protected]. Follow Powrsuit on LinkedIn and Instagram, or join us at www.powrsuit.com for bite-sized professional development that actually fits into your week. 'Til next time, Powrsuiters!

Nat and Kristen do a deep dive on personality tests - yep, including the bird one from the 90s - before diving into the Business Chemistry assessment and its four archetypes: the Pioneer (40 browser tabs open, hates admin), the Guardian (actually reads the terms and conditions), the Driver (please just get to the point), and the Integrator (felt the tension in the room before anyone said a word). Turns out Nat and Kristen are complete opposites, which explains a lot. Take the free five-minute test, do it on your business partner or colleagues, and finally have language for why you keep talking past each other in meetings.

Business chemistry test: https://bc20questions.deloitte.com/#/

Loved it? Share it and leave us a 5-star review! Got a topic for us? Email [email protected]. Follow Powrsuit on LinkedIn and Instagram, or join us at www.powrsuit.com for bite-sized professional development that actually fits into your week. 'Til next time, Powrsuiters!

Nat and Kristen dig into why everyone assumes the guy did more when men and women work together, even when there's zero evidence for it. From research papers where men get tenured more often to the woman who secretly engineered the Brooklyn Bridge for 11 years while her husband took credit, the examples are wild!

They break down exactly when you need to claim your work - performance reviews, ambiguous projects, when your idea gets recycled by someone else in a meeting - and when spreading credit around actually makes you look like a stronger leader. Plus practical tips like checking how many times you've used 'we' instead of 'I' on your LinkedIn profile, and why Obama's team had to create a whole system to deal with men who literally couldn't hear ideas from women.

Loved it? Share it and leave us a 5-star review! Got a topic for us? Email [email protected]. Follow Powrsuit on LinkedIn and Instagram, or join us at www.powrsuit.com for bite-sized professional development that actually fits into your week. 'Til next time, Powrsuiters!

Heard of the Stockdale Paradox? Neither had we until two incredible expert interviewees in Powrsuit both brought it up. It’s a concept from a Vietnam POW about how to get through seriously hard times - you have to face the brutal facts of how hard things are while at the same time, believing you'll make it through. It sounds contradictory - and that's the paradox. Nat and Kristen dig into why blind optimism kills you faster than pessimism, how this applies to career and life crossroads (plus we share a few of our breakdowns, and what helped!). 

Loved it? Share it and leave us a 5-star review! Got a topic for us? Email [email protected]. Follow Powrsuit on LinkedIn and Instagram, or join us at www.powrsuit.com for bite-sized professional development that actually fits into your week. 'Til next time, Powrsuiters!

A senior leader asked how to support a talented woman who's quiet in meetings and doesn't look like a 'traditional' leader. We break down a simple three-step framework: the reality check (does she actually want the role?), finding her leadership style (there's more than one way to lead, thank god), and creating low-stakes practice opportunities. Whether you're supporting someone or wondering if you need to act like a guy (ahem, no), this one's for you. Plus: why showing up to a first meeting in activewear might actually be a power move, and why we're begging our Apple listeners to figure out how to leave a review!

Loved it? Share it and leave us a 5-star review! Got a topic for us? Email [email protected]. Follow Powrsuit on LinkedIn and Instagram, or join us at www.powrsuit.com for bite-sized professional development that actually fits into your week. 'Til next time, Powrsuiters!

Ever hint that you're going to Hawaii hoping someone offers their private jet? That's guess culture. Ever directly ask to borrow said jet? That's ask culture. Nat and Kristen unpack why some people drop hints while others just ask outright - and why it causes so much confusion at work, at home, and when your friend keeps inviting herself to crash at your place. They cover the mental energy wasted on reading between the lines, why saying no doesn't have to be dramatic, and practical tweaks if you're sick of playing guessing games or tired of seeming pushy.

Loved it? Share it and leave us a 5-star review! Got a topic for us? Email [email protected]. Follow Powrsuit on LinkedIn and Instagram, or join us at www.powrsuit.com for bite-sized professional development that actually fits into your week. 'Til next time, Powrsuiters!

Enjoy a replay of one we wish we'd heard earlier in our careers #redo

One in two people quit over their manager, but here's the thing: this relationship is actually a two-way street, and there's way more you can control than you think. Most managers get about 4 hours of leadership training per month, so it's up to us to manage up. 

In Powrsuit fashion, we lead with self-leadership and serve up actionable tips on how to crack your manager's communication code, stop making assumptions, and take control of the dynamic. When you're stuck with each other anyway, might as well make it work, right? 

Loved what you heard? Pass it on and leave us a 5-star review! 'Til next week, Powrsuiters! Got a topic you want us to discuss? Email us at ⁠[email protected]⁠

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Nat and Kristen admit they've completely forgotten if they even did a word of the year last time, so this year they're making it stick. They break down why 90% of New Year's resolutions fail (know when 'quitter's day' is?), then brainstorm their 2026 words - 'patience' for playing the long game, and 'true' for everything from boundary-setting to not underselling yourself. For anyone who wants a flexible guide that won't collapse the second you eat an entire bag or chips.

Loved it? Share it and leave us a 5-star review! Got a topic for us? Email [email protected]. Follow Powrsuit on LinkedIn and Instagram, or join us at www.powrsuit.com for bite-sized professional development that actually fits into your week. 'Til next time, Powrsuiters!