She Leads Collective: Women, Leadership and What It Takes to Thrive at Work

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What if the way we’ve designed work is quietly undermining the performance we say we want? In this episode, Mary is joined by journalist, speaker and leadership consultant Harriet Minter—founder of The Guardian’s Women in Leadership section and partner at Leap Leadership—to explore why “always-on” has become normal, what it’s doing to our brains and culture, and how we can build workplaces that perform without burning people out.

Most organisations are still running on outdated rules: long hours, presenteeism, visibility over value, and responsiveness over reflection—now amplified by technology that makes work constant. Harriet Minter has spent over 15 years at the heart of conversations about women, work and power, and in this episode she offers a grounded, hopeful challenge: performance isn’t just about people trying harder—it’s about systems designed better.

We talk about how “nine to five” was originally built for productivity (not devotion), why the loss of boundaries has rewired the way we work, and why burnout is often what happens when an individual’s needs collide with a system that refuses to adapt. Harriet also shares how Leap Leadership is experimenting with a four-day week, and what it forces you to confront about habits, efficiency, and what really matters.

In this episode, we explore:

• Where always-on culture came from—and why it’s not a badge of honour
• Why flexibility needs to be a two-way conversation (not a one-size policy)
• Burnout as a systems-and-relationships issue, not a personal failure
• The “pendulum swing” in attitudes to women at work—and what’s resurfacing
• What gives Harriet hope we can build cultures that last

Connect with Harriet:
LinkedIn: Harriet Minter
Substack: harrietminter.substack.com

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When we talk about gender equity at work, we often focus on bias, representation and leadership behaviour. But equity according to whose cultural rules?

In this episode, I’m joined by Victoria Rennoldson, best-selling author of Become a Global Leader and founder of Culture Cuppa. Victoria specialises in cultural intelligence and global leadership, helping organisations navigate communication, power and difference across borders.

Together we explore:

• How culture shapes gender expectations at work
• Why assertiveness means different things in different cultures
• The risk of placing the burden of adaptation on women
• What shared adaptation really looks like
• The four capabilities of Cultural Intelligence (CQ)
• How organisations can embed cultural intelligence strategically — not as a tick-box exercise

If you work in a global organisation, lead across cultures, or care about creating genuinely inclusive workplaces, this conversation offers both nuance and practical action.

Cultural intelligence, as Victoria reminds us, is not awareness — it’s action.

Connect with Victoria on LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-rennoldson/

or visit her website: https://culturecuppa.com/

🔗 Connect with Mary: marygregory.com

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As International Women’s Day approaches, the invitation in this episode is to reflect on this year’s theme: Give to Gain.

But what happens when women are already giving — generously, consistently, and often invisibly?

In this honest and deeply human conversation, Mary Gregory speaks with senior leader and long-time collaborator Sinead Laverty about:

• The moment Sinead realised she wasn’t visible in her organisation — despite her capability
• Navigating redundancy and becoming a single parent overnight
• The cumulative mental load women carry long after the “headline trauma” fades
• How self-doubt leaks into leadership language
• Why boundaries aren’t fixed — they must be continually revisited
• The quiet power of empathy in leadership

This episode explores what give to gain really means — where generosity fuels leadership, and where, without boundaries, it can quietly erode resilience and self-trust.

If you’ve ever felt exhausted from carrying too much — at work and at home — this conversation will help you feel seen, steadied and less alone.

Connect with Sinead on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sinead-laverty/

🔗 Connect with Mary: marygregory.com

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What if women’s safety stopped being framed as something women have to manage — and started being treated as a societal responsibility we all share?

In this episode of the She Leads Collective Podcast, Mary Gregory is joined by Amy Watson, social impact entrepreneur and founder of HASSL — a global movement and social enterprise tackling harassment and violence against women at the root.

Amy challenges the long-standing narrative that places responsibility for safety on women, and explains why real, sustainable change means addressing the systemic and cultural drivers of harassment and violence — including male violence. Together, Mary and Amy explore why quick fixes and safety tools often increase women’s mental load without solving the problem, why naming the issue matters, and how HASSL is building change through practical tools, education, training, technology and strategic partnerships.

A core theme of this conversation is inclusion without dilution: inviting men into responsibility through an “everyone versus perpetrators” approach — and reframing what it means to be “a good man” as the default, not the exception.

If you care about gender equity, culture change, leadership, and creating safer public spaces for everyone — this one will stay with you.

🔗 Connect with Mary: marygregory.com

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What does it really mean to be a resilient leader — and how is that different from simply being resilient and pushing through?

Mary Gregory is joined by Alex Webb and Skye Deane, co-founders of Resilient Women Leaders, for a warm, practical conversation about navigating career headwinds, rebuilding confidence, and leading sustainably through uncertainty, change — and even crisis.

Together, they explore:

• The difference between resilience and resilient leadership
• Why leadership is not about title — “everyone is a leader because everyone influences someone”
• The Resilient Leaders Elements framework (clarity, awareness, leadership presence, and decision-making)
• The barriers they see holding women back (including internal barriers like confidence and “imposter thinking”, and external barriers like bias and narrow views of leadership)
• Why community and cross-industry networks help women remove the “mask” and grow
• How Alex and Skye model collaboration, trust, and healthy conflict as business partners

If you’re a woman leader who feels capable — but occasionally overwhelmed, unheard, or knocked by self-doubt — this episode will leave you with language, tools, and reassurance to lead in a way that’s both authentic and sustainable.

Connect with Alex & Skye: resilientwomenleaders.com
Email: [email protected]

🔗 Connect with Mary: marygregory.com

📣 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marygregory

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What happens when success comes at too high a cost — and your body forces you to stop?

In this powerful and deeply human conversation, I’m joined once again by Lee Chambers, this time to explore his own leadership journey — one shaped by ambition, adversity, caregiving, and profound personal transformation.

Lee shares how burnout and serious illness in his twenties led him to relearn how to walk, rethink masculinity, and redefine success. We talk openly about him becoming a full-time caregiver, the invisible labour carried by women, and how those experiences reshaped his understanding of leadership, inclusion, and resilience.

We also explore how this journey led Lee to found Male Allies UK, and what organisations often get wrong when trying to engage men in gender equity conversations — alongside practical insights into what does work.

This episode is rich with lessons for leaders, HR professionals and organisations who want to build cultures that are more inclusive, resilient, and genuinely human — without blame, shame or division.

To connect with Lee, contact Male Allies UK at https://www.maleallies.co.uk/

Or on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leechambers-1/

Also listen to Lee share Male Allies research findings from their Voice of the Boys report in this podcasts final bonus episode of Season 1

🔗 Connect with Mary: marygregory.com

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What if one of the most powerful things a leader can do isn’t to fix others — but to understand themselves first?

In this episode of the She Leads Collective Podcast, I’m joined by Lucy Philip, winner of Best Female Leader at the Best Business Women Awards, founder of Purposefully Blended (now celebrating 10 years), former nurse, coach, and single parent to three children.

Lucy shares why leadership begins with self-leadership — understanding your unconscious patterns, noticing what you default to under pressure, and choosing curiosity over control. We talk about the “ask” approach (and why telling people what to do erodes creativity), how perfectionism can keep us disconnected from ourselves, and what it really took for Lucy to shift from Perfectly to Purposefully.

We also explore the unseen load many women carry, why it isn’t a level playing field, and how leaders can create genuine opportunity by asking better questions and designing flexibility around real life. Lucy speaks candidly about privilege and allyship too — how to open doors and keep them open for others, without defensiveness or paralysis.

If you’re navigating complexity, leading change, or trying to stay human in high-performance environments — this one’s for you.

Connect with Lucy:
LinkedIn: Lucy Philip
Website: purposefullyblended.co.uk

🔗 Connect with Mary: marygregory.com

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Part 2 of 2 episodes with Penny De Valk.

Why are organisations still losing talented women — and why does this pattern persist, even when leaders genuinely want things to change?

In this second episode of a two-part conversation, Mary Gregory and Penny De Valk move beyond individual leadership journeys to examine the systems shaping women’s experiences at work today.

Drawing on Penny’s global work with senior leaders — alongside insights from the McKinsey Women in the Workplace research — this episode explores why the leadership pipeline continues to leak, why women are still promoted and sponsored differently, and how well-intended organisational decisions can quietly disadvantage women.

Mary and Penny discuss the broken first rung, sponsorship versus mentorship, invisible and emotional labour, flexibility stigma, and the growing fatigue around gender equity efforts — as well as what actually helps organisations retain and develop female talent.

This is a grounded, realistic conversation about why women leaving is not a lack of ambition, but a rational response to systems that still haven’t caught up — and what leaders can do differently if they want to stop losing great people.

Free resource:
If this conversation has raised questions for you, you can download the Gender Equity Temperature Check — a short, reflective tool designed for HR, DEI and senior leaders to assess the what's really happening beneath the surface for gender equity in your organisation. 

Download your Gender Equity Temperature Check here: https://www.marygregory.com/gender-equity-temperature-check

Connect with Penny on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pennydevalk/

Or visit her website: https://pennydevalk.com/

🔗 Connect with Mary: marygregory.com

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Why are so many talented women still walking out of organisations — despite decades of investment in leadership development, diversity initiatives and good intent?

In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Mary Gregory is joined by Penny De Valk — former MD, CEO and Board Director, and now a global leadership development expert working across the UK, New Zealand and the US. Penny shares her leadership journey and the lived reality of leading at the highest levels: the responsibility, the complexity, and the constant need to balance “taking care” with “taking charge”.

Together, Mary and Penny explore how gender and power still show up in subtle but persistent ways — from assumptions about competence to the double binds women face when exercising authority. Penny also shares practical wisdom on learning leadership through experience, building self-awareness, and choosing courage over waiting for confidence.

This episode ends by zooming out to the current global climate and the growing pushback on DEI — setting the scene for Part 2, where Mary and Penny dig into the trends behind women leaving workplaces and what leaders can do about it.

Connect with Penny on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pennydevalk/

Or visit her website: https://pennydevalk.com/

🔗 Connect with Mary: marygregory.com

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In this opening episode of Season 2 of the She Leads Collective Podcast, Mary Gregory reflects on why this podcast still matters — and why now.

At a time when there’s a growing narrative that “enough has been done” on gender equity, Mary explores the gap between perception and lived experience. Drawing on her decades of leadership experience and years of coaching women leaders and their allies, she looks at what today’s complex challenges demand from leadership — and why more relational, inclusive and human ways of leading are no longer optional.

This episode sets the tone for Season 2, introducing themes of resilience, tenacity and community, and inviting listeners into honest conversations about leadership, confidence, allyship and the long game of change.

🔗 Connect with Mary: marygregory.com

📣 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marygregory

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 ✨ Produced by Mary Gregory Leadership Coaching