In today’s episode of the Quiet Warrior Podcast, we have the pleasure of speaking with Susan Callender, a certified success coach, the host of the Social Skills Mastery Podcast, and the founder of Social Confidence Pro. Susan shares her journey from being a shy, reserved child to becoming a successful professional and coach who now helps socially reluctant high achievers build confidence and improve their social skills. This episode is studded with valuable insights for introverts and quiet achievers who struggle with stepping into the spotlight and speaking up, whether at work or in social situations.

Key Takeaways:

• The Roots of Shyness: Susan reflects on her childhood, describing herself as "lifelong shy," and discusses how social reluctance impacted her professional aspirations, particularly in sales and public speaking.
   
   
• The Fear of Rejection: She dives deep into how fear of social judgment and rejection can hold introverts back, even when they are highly skilled and competent in their jobs.
   
   
• The Turning Point: Susan shares a pivotal moment when a publicist’s blunt words made her realize that shyness was holding her back from fully embracing her success. Despite her achievements, she was avoiding the spotlight.
   
   
• Overcoming Social Fear: With the help of coaching, Susan reprogrammed her thoughts to move from overthinking and self-doubt to taking small, actionable steps to step up and own her brilliance.
   
   
• Neuroplasticity and Rewiring Your Brain: Susan emphasizes how you can rewire your brain to become more socially confident, sharing how changing your thoughts and perceptions can lead to professional success and personal transformation.
   
   
• Overcoming Overthinking: Learn how overthinking can be detrimental to progress, and how learning to trust yourself and make quick, confident decisions can open doors in both your personal and professional life.
   
   

Reflective Questions for Listeners:

• When was the last time you held yourself back in a professional setting due to fear of rejection or self-doubt?
   
   
• What thought patterns do you have that may be hindering your ability to speak up and be seen?
   
   
• Can you recall a childhood experience that shaped how you show up socially today?
   
   

Resources:

Susan’s Program – The School of Social Mastery: a selective, small-group cohort program designed to help rising professionals and entrepreneurs overcome social reluctance and build the confidence to speak up and stand out. Through coaching, participants learn to navigate their fears and step confidently into social situations, professionally and personally.

Find Susan:

• Website:Social Confidence Pro
  
  
• Instagram:@socialconfidencecoach
  
  
• YouTube:Social Confidence Coach
  
  
• LinkedIn:Susan Calendar
  
  

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This episode was edited by Aura House Productions

What if choosing a career didn’t have to feel overwhelming? 

What if quiet achievers, deep thinkers, and introverted students had tools designed just for them?

In this insightful episode of The Quiet Warrior Podcast, I’m joined by Lucy Sattler, a former teacher turned career practitioner and founder of Study Work Grow. Lucy has made it her mission to demystify the career decision process for young people, especially those who feel unseen or uncertain about the future.

With her calm, thoughtful approach, Lucy offers practical strategies for navigating the world of work and education as a student, jobseeker, or lifelong learner—especially if you're an introvert or someone who prefers clarity and structure over loud enthusiasm.

We explore the emotional pressure many students and parents face, how to ask better questions about what you want, and why having “one dream job” may be the wrong goal.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The hidden challenges introverts face when planning their careers
  
  
• Why quiet achievers often struggle to feel “ready enough” to choose a path
  
  
• How to create space for self-discovery without rushing the process
  
  
• Tools and frameworks for students and jobseekers to explore meaningful options
  
  
• The role of lifelong learning in today’s changing career landscape
  
  
• Why Lucy believes we should stop asking “What do you want to be?” and start asking “What problems do you want to help solve?”
  
  
• Encouragement for introverted young people to find a voice in career conversations
  
  
  

Whether you're a student standing at a career crossroads, a jobseeker reinventing yourself, or an introverted professional supporting the next generation, this conversation is packed with reassurance, strategy, and inspiration.

Connect with Lucy Sattler:

Website: https://studyworkgrow.com.au
LinkedIn: Lucy Sattler

Enjoyed this episode?

• Subscribe and leave a 5-star review to support more quiet voices being heard.

Download Your Free eBook:
The Introvert Toolkit - your guide to understanding the introvert you work with, live with, or socialize with.

Grow Your Visibility:
Join The Visible Introvert community and receive case studies, frameworks, and strategies that help you to be S.E.E.N. without having to perform extroversion.

This episode was edited by Aura House Productions

In this insightful episode of The Quiet Warrior Podcast, Serena speaks with Elizabeth Williamson, a relationship coach, trauma-informed facilitator, and leadership mentor who has spent over two decades helping individuals, couples, and leaders navigate conflict, repair trust, and communicate with courage.

Elizabeth brings a wealth of experience from psychology, somatic therapy, and systemic constellations to teach us how to hold respectful, clear, and boundary-honouring conversations—especially when the stakes feel high. 

In this episode, we explore:

• What makes conflict feel threatening—and how to work through the nervous system’s response
  
  
• Why silence and people-pleasing often stem from trauma, not weakness
  
  
• How to prepare for a difficult conversation with presence, clarity, and respect
  
  
• The role of resilience and emotional regulation in sustainable leadership
  
  
• What it means to hold both compassion and boundaries in relationships
  
  
• Why conflict, when handled well, can actually strengthen connection
  
  
• Practical tools for self-awareness, repair, and relational safety
  
  
  

Whether you're a quiet achiever navigating leadership, or someone working to improve your personal relationships, this episode will help you move through conflict with more confidence and care.

Connect with Elizabeth:
Website: https://elizabethwilliamsonsolutions.com
LinkedIn: Elizabeth Williamson on LinkedIn

Enjoyed this episode?
Subscribe, rate, and leave a 5-star review on your favourite podcast platform to help more introverts and quiet leaders rise.

Free Resource for Quiet Achievers
Download the eBook: The Introvert Toolkit
https://mailchi.mp/87cf08f92464/the-introvert-toolkit

This episode was edited by Aura House Productions

In this episode, I sat down with Pretty Kubyane, a multi-award-winning tech entrepreneur and co-founder of eFama, an app revolutionising Africa’s agricultural supply chain. From humble beginnings in a South African village to leading a pan-African tech movement, Pretty shares how growing up with impact-driven parents shaped her conviction to build businesses that serve both community and innovation.

A self-proclaimed introvert, Pretty opens up about navigating the tech world as a woman of colour, facing underestimation in boardrooms, and how compassion—not bitterness—fuels her leadership. You’ll hear how her hatred of poverty, deep spiritual grounding, and fierce belief in dignity over hustle gave her the courage to speak up, stay consistent, and lead with vision.

In this episode, we explore:

• What Pretty learned about leadership and purpose from her father’s woodcutting business
   
• How eFama started as a response to systemic barriers for small producers
   
• The 3 C’s of entrepreneurial growth: Conviction, Consistency, and Clarity 
   
• Cultural intelligence in working across African communities
   
• The power of social fasting to protect your energy and mental health
   
• Why introverts should build on their strengths, not chase extroverted norms
   
• How faith and vision sustain Pretty’s entrepreneurial mission
  
  

This episode is a masterclass in quiet conviction, community-focused innovation, and redefining what leadership can look like when it’s grounded in both substance and soul.

Resources & Links:

• Learn more about eFama and their work with African farmers:https://efama.africa

• Follow Pretty Kubyane on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prettykubyane/

Loved this conversation?

Subscribe, rate, and leave a 5-star review to help us bring more powerful, purposeful conversations to introverts and quiet achievers around the world.

Want to understand how introverts tick? 

Whether it’s that quiet team member or your introverted child, The Introvert Toolkit is your go-to resource.

Download it HERE.

This episode was edited by Aura House Productions

In this episode of The Quiet Warrior Podcast, I sit down with Cathy Derksen — Founder of Inspired Tenacity, speaker, and 19-times #1 best-selling author — whose mission is to amplify women's voices through the power of collaborative books.

Cathy didn’t start out in publishing. Her career began in medical genetics, followed by a decade in financial planning, before she answered a deeper calling: to help women transform their lives through storytelling. What began as a single contribution to a multi-author book has now grown into a thriving publishing platform that gives women around the world a safe space to share their wisdom, elevate their visibility, and expand their impact.

We talk about what holds introverts back from being visible, how collaborative books open unexpected doors, and why sharing your story might be the most generous and healing act you ever do—for yourself and others.

💡 In This Episode, We Explore:

• Cathy’s journey from science to finance to soulful storytelling
   
   
• Why introverts don’t need to be flashy to be influential
   
   
• How collaborative books help you build confidence, grow your network, and attract new clients
   
   
• The mindset shifts that happen when you call yourself an “author”
   
   
• What it means to lead quietly — and courageously
   
   
• How visibility becomes meaningful when it’s rooted in purpose

Whether you’re an aspiring author, an introverted entrepreneur, or someone with a story waiting to be told, this episode will help you see new possibilities for your voice, your message, and your mission.

🔗 Connect with Cathy:
 🌐 Website:inspiredtenacity.com
💼 LinkedIn:Cathy Derksen on LinkedIn
📚 Explore Cathy’s collaborative book series or get involved in an upcoming project.

📘 Bonus Resource – Download my free eBook: The Introvert Toolkit

• Learn how to support and advocate for yourself at work as an introvert.
• Understand how your introverted child or co-worker experiences the world differently - and how you can better support them.
   
   👉 https://mailchi.mp/87cf08f92464/the-introvert-toolkit

💬 Loved this episode?
 Subscribe, rate, and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. It helps The Quiet Warrior Podcast reach more introverts and quiet achievers around the world—so they can rise with clarity, purpose, and power.

This episode was edited by Aura House Productions

In this episode, I speak with Sarah Cannata, creator of Storytelling for the Soul, embodied processing practitioner, and long-time introvert who believes in the healing power of writing. Sarah helps women in midlife and beyond reconnect with themselves through a unique blend of body-based trauma-informed support and embodied journaling.

We explore how writing can be more than self-expression—it can be a path home to ourselves. Sarah shares how trauma lives in the body, why safety is the foundation of healing, and how introverts can use journaling to process difficult emotions, navigate tricky conversations, and feel more seen and heard—without having to perform or pretend.

If you've ever struggled to speak your truth, or felt that your quiet nature holds you back, this conversation will affirm your worth, your voice, and your way of being.

Key Talking Points:

• What embodied processing is—and how it supports healing at a nervous system level
  
  
• Why journaling is a powerful tool for introverts, especially during midlife transitions
  
  
• How to begin journaling in a trauma-informed way (hint: don’t start with your hardest memory)
  
  
• The importance of attunement, presence, and holding safe space in client work
  
  
• How introverts can honour their energy while still showing up visibly and courageously
  
  
• The surprising role of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in Sarah’s quiet warrior journey
  
  
• Why being visible isn’t about being loud—it’s about being authentic and aligned
  
  

Resources & Links:

Learn more about Sarah’s work: www.sarahcannata.com
Follow Sarah on socials: @storytellingforthesoul on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn

Call to Action:

• If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to The Quiet Warrior Podcast for more inspiring insights and leave us a 5-star rating on your podcast app to help introverts and quiet achievers worldwide find their voice.  
  
  
• Sign up for The Visible Introvert newsletter for a real, tell-it-like-it-is look at life and work through the eyes of introverts and those who work with them.
  
  
• Join The Visible Introvert Academy if you’re ready to elevate from quiet achiever into a Quiet Warrior in your life and work.

This episode was edited by Aura House Productions

Serena speaks with Vimala Thangaveloo, a former Fortune 500 attorney turned executive coach. Vimala’s journey from the courtroom to coaching is a story of embracing transitions and using personal differences as superpowers. She shares her transformative GPS framework, which helps professionals — especially those who feel like outsiders — step into their career genius zones and increase their income while remaining true to themselves.

Vimala talks about how to navigate the corporate world as an outsider, particularly when your personality or background doesn’t fit the typical mold. She explains the importance of building authority and how visibility plays a key role in advancing your career. Whether you identify as an introvert or simply feel out of place in a loud, extroverted environment, Vimala’s insights will inspire you to take ownership of your career path with clarity and confidence.

Key Highlights:

• The Outsider’s Journey: Vimala reflects on her career transition from a litigator to an executive coach, helping outsiders leverage their unique perspectives as strengths.
  
  
• Building Career Authority: Learn why building authority early in your career is essential, even if you believe you’re in a “recession-proof” industry.
  
  
• The Power of Knowing Yourself: How self-awareness, understanding your value, and aligning your messaging with your strengths are key to creating a powerful personal brand.
  
  
  

3 Key Takeaways:

1. Know Yourself: Start by identifying what makes you unique and what energizes you. Self-awareness is the foundation of career success and helps you align your skills and passions with your professional goals.
   
   
2. Build Authority: Don’t wait for the “perfect” moment—build your authority consistently, whether through your LinkedIn profile, internal resume, or public visibility. Position yourself as a go-to person for solving specific problems.
   
   
3. Embrace What Makes You Different: Instead of trying to fit into traditional molds, embrace your outsider perspective and turn it into a superpower. Leadership today requires authenticity, and the world needs your unique contributions.
   
   
   

Resources:

• Follow Vimala Thangaveloo on LinkedIn.
  
  
• Sign up for Vimala’s Outsiders Edge newsletter for practical, actionable steps to elevate your career.
  
  

Call to Action:

• If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to The Quiet Warrior Podcast for more inspiring insights and leave us a 5-star rating on your podcast app to help introverts and quiet achievers worldwide find their voice.  
  
  
• Sign up for The Visible Introvert newsletter for a real, tell-it-like-it-is look at life and work through the eyes of introverts and quiet achievers and those who work with them.
  
  
• Join The Visible Introvert Academy if you’re ready to elevate from quiet achiever into a Quiet Warrior in your life and work.

This episode was edited by Aura House Productions

In this episode, we’re joined by Ella Zhang, an organisational development consultant and executive coach who shares how she has navigated multiple cultures and languages and embraced her bilingual identity to build confidence and communicate effectively.

Ella takes us through her story of migrating from China to Australia, overcoming challenges as a non-native English speaker, and how she transformed her accent from a barrier into a strength. This conversation offers powerful insights for bilingual, non-native English speakers and introverts who want to improve their communication skills, take responsibility for their personal growth, and use their unique cultural perspectives as an advantage.

Key Takeaways:

• Owning Your Bilingual Identity: How Ella embraced her accent as a unique superpower rather than something to hide, and how others can shift their mindset around language barriers.
  
  
  
• Self-Acceptance and Growth: The importance of accepting all parts of ourselves, including the parts we find uncomfortable, as a pathway to personal and professional growth.
  
  
  
• Feedback as a Tool for Growth: How asking for feedback, especially from those who are willing to give you constructive criticism, can accelerate your development and improve your communication skills.
  
  
  
• Self-Responsibility in Career Development: Why taking responsibility for your own growth is crucial, and how to use resources around you—books, mentors, and feedback—to continue evolving.
  
  
  
• Bicultural and Bilingual Advantage: Ella highlights how being bilingual and bicultural allows you to draw on the best from different cultural perspectives, giving you a unique advantage in communication and leadership.
  
  
  

Ella also shares insights from her upcoming book Upgrade, which explores the four internal operating systems that shape our personal and professional lives: mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical. This book is a guide to understanding how to keep these systems updated to maximize performance, especially for young professionals navigating cultural and language differences.

Resources Mentioned:

• Check out Ella Zhang’s book Upgrade
• Connect with Ella on LinkedIn to learn more about her work and leadership development strategies.
  
  
  

If you found this episode insightful, please rate and review The Quiet Warrior Podcast to help us reach more introverts and quiet achievers around the world.

This episode was edited by Aura House Productions

• How Data-Driven Leaders Can Be Promoted: Why doing the work is not enough—leaders must also learn how to speak about their accomplishments and engage with others in meaningful ways.
  
  
• The Humble Brag Formula: A simple yet powerful way to share your achievements without feeling cringey, and how to frame your accomplishments to highlight the impact.
  
  
• Overcoming the Spotlight Effect: Tips for introverts on stepping into the spotlight without shrinking, including how to control the spotlight and focus on your message rather than yourself.
  
  
• Effective Communication Frameworks: The importance of understanding your audience and speaking to their cognitive style, whether it’s focusing on the “why,” “what,” “how,” or “what if.”
  
  
• Building Emotional Intelligence: How practicing empathy and actively listening to others’ concerns can improve communication and strengthen relationships in high-stakes situations.
  
  
• The Power of Integrity and Authenticity: Why staying true to yourself and your values is key to building trust and presence, and how to maintain that sense of authenticity in challenging conversations.
  
  

• Visit YouThenMePlaybook.com to learn more about Salvatore’s approach to leadership communication and check out his resources.
  
  
• Connect with Salvatore Manzi on LinkedIn for more insights and opportunities to work with him.
  
  
  

This episode was edited by Aura House Productions

In this solo episode, I delve into the process of finding the right next step in life, especially when it feels like you need to have all the answers before moving forward. I reflect on my own experiences of overthinking and the pressure to please others, and how that led me to miss the joy of simply being curious and exploring the unknown.

Through this episode, I share how reconnecting with my younger self has allowed me to embrace my authentic self and take the next step in my journey with confidence. This practice of self-acceptance, compassion, and deep inner work is a powerful tool for introverts and quiet achievers, especially those navigating the challenges of perfectionism and the need for external validation.

This episode is an invitation to take the time to sit with your younger self, offer the compassion and support you may not have received, and embrace your authenticity. If you're ready to go beyond intellectual understanding and do the deeper work needed for lasting transformation, reach out to me for support.

If you found this episode helpful, please rate and review The Quiet Warrior Podcast to help us reach more quiet achievers who are ready to step into their power and embrace their authentic selves.

Connect with Serena:

Subscribe to The Visible Introvert newsletter for weekly tips and stories of how to amplify your quiet strengths without having to act extroverted.

Join me on LinkedIn where I actively share empowering ways to show up professionally and socially as my highest introverted self.

This episode was edited by Aura House Productions