UNSHAKEABLE HER: Real-World Leadership, Influence and Promotion for Ambitious Women.

International Women’s Day can spark great conversations… and then Monday arrives and everything snaps back to “busy.”

This episode is the follow-through.

If you manage people, this is your practical guide to turning fairness from a once-a-year moment into decision hygiene: the everyday habits that shape who gets seen, backed, and promoted.

In this episode, you’ll learn

• Why most workplaces don’t have a “women problem” - they have a decision hygiene problem
• The hidden ways careers get shaped: credit, access, opportunity, clarity, protection (and why “treat everyone the same” isn’t fairness)
• The difference between confidence and confidence performance (and why “be more confident” is lazy feedback)
• How to stop rewarding “the ask” by default - without turning work into a bureaucracy festival
• A simple, repeatable leadership habit: Give Audit → Give Plan → Give Proof (15 minutes a week)

Key moments

• The uncomfortable truth: how informal decisions quietly shape progression
• Brain stuff (without the TED Talk): why “equal treatment” doesn’t create equal outcomes
• Career Quote Crime: “Just be more confident” (and what to say instead)
• Listener dilemma: “I’m being overlooked - how do I ask for support when my manager is slammed?”
• The manager-proof ask: how to request visibility and growth with clarity, not emotion
• Your weekly system: the quickest way to rebalance credit, access, and opportunity

Practical scripts you can steal

• If you’re the team member:
  “Can I grab 15 minutes? In the next 4 weeks I’d like to own one visible stretch piece and present it to [X]. I’ve got two options that would help the team - which would you back?”
• If you’re the manager (instead of ‘be more confident’):
  “I want more visibility of your thinking - let’s define what that looks like in meetings and stakeholder moments.”

Your action for this week

Book 15 minutes on Friday and run:

1. Give Audit: who got credit, access, opportunity, protection?
2. Give Plan: one deliberate “give” next week
3. Give Proof: one line you can point to (so it becomes a habit, not a hope)

If you want to go further

Try the “Create a moment” move:
A thank you is a compliment. A moment is a reputation.
Name the person, name the value, name the result - where other people can hear it.

New episodes are released every Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.

Stuck, simmering, or onto something juicy? I want to hear it. Drop me a line at [email protected] - I read them all.

And here is the Spotify Playlist to accompany UnShakeable Her.

Unshakeable Her is the podcast for women in leadership who are ready to build real influence, earn the promotion they deserve, and lead with confidence in systems that weren't built for them. Each episode tackles the challenges that shape leadership from the inside out, including imposter syndrome, resilience, credibility, boundaries, conflict, and feedback, while unpacking how pressure, workplace politics, strategic thinking, decision-making, and visibility affect the way ambitious women grow, lead, and get promoted without losing themselves in the process.

International Women’s Day is a moment - but leadership is what happens on a random Tuesday when nobody’s watching.

This episode is for managers and senior leaders who genuinely want fairer outcomes… and who are ready to stop relying on good intentions and start using better habits. We’re using the IWD 2026 theme Give To Gain to break down the four “gives” that change careers in real life: credit, access, opportunity, clarity (with a bonus: protection).

In this episode, you’ll learn

• Why “supporting women” isn’t a slogan — it’s a set of leadership decisions
• The four career-shaping levers leaders control every week:
   Credit • Access • Opportunity • Clarity (and why each one matters)
• How busy brains default to familiarity and convenience — and what to do instead
• How to run a simple Give Audit without turning your life into a spreadsheet
• The 2mm move leaders forget: Create a moment (turn private gratitude into public visibility)

Key moments

• The Big Idea: where careers are really won and lost (hint: not in the annual initiative)
• The Give Audit: who did you give credit/access/opportunity/clarity to in the last 30 days?
• The “Create a moment” reframe: gratitude is private, moments build reputation
• Career Quote Crime: “I treat everyone the same.” (why sameness isn’t fairness)
• Leader toolkit: scripts for giving credit and access that actually travel
• Quickfire moves: three simple leadership actions you can take this week

Practical scripts you can steal

• Credit in the moment:
  “Quick pause — I want to credit that properly. That came from X. Let’s build on it.”
• Access that matters (not just meetings):
  “I’m introducing you to X — they influence this decision.”
  “You present the recommendation — I’ll be in the room backing you.”
• Clarity (so bias has less room to hide):
  “This is what good looks like. This is what excellent looks like. Here’s the evidence we’ll use.”

Your action for this week

Choose one “Give” and do it deliberately within the next 24 hours:

• Give credit publicly
• Give access to people/context
• Give opportunity with visibility
• Give clarity in writing
• (Bonus) Give protection: time + air cover

If you’re not a manager:

Flip the audit: when did you last receive credit, access, opportunity, protection — and what’s one clear ask you can make this week?

New episodes are released every Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.

Stuck, simmering, or onto something juicy? I want to hear it. Drop me a line at [email protected] - I read them all.

And here is the Spotify Playlist to accompany UnShakeable Her.

Unshakeable Her is the podcast for women in leadership who are ready to build real influence, earn the promotion they deserve, and lead with confidence in systems that weren't built for them. Each episode tackles the challenges that shape leadership from the inside out, including imposter syndrome, resilience, credibility, boundaries, conflict, and feedback, while unpacking how pressure, workplace politics, strategic thinking, decision-making, and visibility affect the way ambitious women grow, lead, and get promoted without losing themselves in the process.

Are you leading a hybrid team and quietly wondering whether you’re creating clarity or just managing chaos?

Hybrid working promises flexibility, but for many leaders it often feels fragmented, messy, and harder than it should. In this episode, Caroline Esterson explores why hybrid leadership can feel especially challenging for new leaders and shares practical ways to make it work better for both you and your team.

You’ll hear why hybrid working often creates disconnection around priorities, visibility, and inclusion, and why connection is not a “nice to have” but a core part of helping work move smoothly. Caroline breaks down five small leadership moves that can make a big difference, from narrating your thinking more clearly to leveling the room in meetings, building visibility rituals, and creating informal moments of connection on purpose.

You’ll learn how to:

• spot the hidden connection gaps making hybrid work feel harder
• create more clarity, inclusion, and visibility across your team
• use small, natural leadership habits to reduce friction and build trust

Play this episode to learn how a few small shifts can help you lead your hybrid team with more confidence, connection, and ease.

New episodes are released every Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.

Stuck, simmering, or onto something juicy? I want to hear it. Drop me a line at [email protected] - I read them all.

And here is the Spotify Playlist to accompany UnShakeable Her.

Unshakeable Her is the podcast for women in leadership who are ready to build real influence, earn the promotion they deserve, and lead with confidence in systems that weren't built for them. Each episode tackles the challenges that shape leadership from the inside out, including imposter syndrome, resilience, credibility, boundaries, conflict, and feedback, while unpacking how pressure, workplace politics, strategic thinking, decision-making, and visibility affect the way ambitious women grow, lead, and get promoted without losing themselves in the process.

Stepping into leadership can feel exciting… and quietly overwhelming.

In this reflective episode of Little Moves, Big Careers, Caroline pulls together the key lessons from four powerful career conversations - each revealing what leadership really looks like behind the scenes.

From curiosity over certainty to identity over perfection, this episode explores the truths nobody spells out when you first step up at work.

If you’ve ever questioned whether you’re ready, capable, or doing enough, then this one’s for you.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why curiosity matters more than having the answers
• How progress often starts with trade-offs, not doing more
• Why agency can move your career forward even when circumstances feel tough
• The hidden power of relationships in shaping opportunity
• How embracing your identity at work builds confidence and momentum

Tune in for reassurance, perspective and one tiny move you can take this week.

Follow the show so you don’t miss future conversations on confidence, visibility and navigating early leadership with clarity.

New episodes are released every Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.

Stuck, simmering, or onto something juicy? I want to hear it. Drop me a line at [email protected] - I read them all.

And here is the Spotify Playlist to accompany UnShakeable Her.

Unshakeable Her is the podcast for women in leadership who are ready to build real influence, earn the promotion they deserve, and lead with confidence in systems that weren't built for them. Each episode tackles the challenges that shape leadership from the inside out, including imposter syndrome, resilience, credibility, boundaries, conflict, and feedback, while unpacking how pressure, workplace politics, strategic thinking, decision-making, and visibility affect the way ambitious women grow, lead, and get promoted without losing themselves in the process.

Discipline isn’t about willpower. It’s about trade-offs.

In this episode of Little Moves, Big Careers, Caroline chats with Dr. Keith Dorsey about the habits that quietly shape extraordinary careers - from martial arts at six years old, to the US Air Force, to leading major corporate turnarounds and serving on boards.

They explore:

• Why discipline is a muscle; not a personality trait
• The leadership mistake that even high performers make
• What separates management from governance
• Why most people think about board roles too late
• How curiosity and reflection create long-term momentum

If you’ve ever wondered how to move from doing the work… to influencing the direction of the work - this conversation is for you.

Keith's website

The Boardroom Journey Book

New episodes are released every Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.

Stuck, simmering, or onto something juicy? I want to hear it. Drop me a line at [email protected] - I read them all.

And here is the Spotify Playlist to accompany UnShakeable Her.

Unshakeable Her is the podcast for women in leadership who are ready to build real influence, earn the promotion they deserve, and lead with confidence in systems that weren't built for them. Each episode tackles the challenges that shape leadership from the inside out, including imposter syndrome, resilience, credibility, boundaries, conflict, and feedback, while unpacking how pressure, workplace politics, strategic thinking, decision-making, and visibility affect the way ambitious women grow, lead, and get promoted without losing themselves in the process.

What if leadership isn’t about having the answers at all?

In this episode, I’m joined by leadership coach and former senior police leader Zoe Thompson, whose 20-year career in policing offers some of the most honest, grounded lessons I’ve heard about trust, ego, and what leadership really looks like when the pressure is on.

We talk about leading people who know more than you, being comfortable saying “I don’t know”, and why ego (not a lack of capability) is often the thing that quietly undermines teams and performance.

We also reframe imposter syndrome, explore why decision-making feels so hard in modern organisations, and unpack what great leaders actually do when things are messy, uncertain, or emotionally charged.

This is a reflective, practical conversation for anyone who leads others,  or is figuring out how they want to lead.

What We Cover

• Why leadership isn’t about expertise (and what it is about instead)
• How ego shows up as control, certainty, and defensiveness at work
• The difference between psychological safety and “open door” policies
• A powerful reframe of imposter syndrome as self-awareness, not weakness
• How good leaders make decisions without waiting for perfect information
• What it really means to clear the way for your team
• Trust as a two-way relationship (and how quickly it can be lost)
• Navigating redundancy, identity shifts, and values-led career moves

Key Takeaway

Great leadership doesn’t come from knowing more. Instead, it comes from listening better, letting go of ego, and creating the conditions for other people to do their best work.

Often, the smallest shift - one better question, one moment of restraint, one honest conversation - is where the real change begins.

Links & Resources

• 🔗 Zoe Thompson – leadership coaching and development (link in show notes)
• 🔗 Free Values Assessment (there are tons of great resources on this site too)
• 🔗 Connect with Caroline here

If this episode stirred something, don’t rush to fix it.
Sit with it. Those quiet moments are often where the biggest career shifts begin.

New episodes are released every Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.

Stuck, simmering, or onto something juicy? I want to hear it. Drop me a line at [email protected] - I read them all.

And here is the Spotify Playlist to accompany UnShakeable Her.

Unshakeable Her is the podcast for women in leadership who are ready to build real influence, earn the promotion they deserve, and lead with confidence in systems that weren't built for them. Each episode tackles the challenges that shape leadership from the inside out, including imposter syndrome, resilience, credibility, boundaries, conflict, and feedback, while unpacking how pressure, workplace politics, strategic thinking, decision-making, and visibility affect the way ambitious women grow, lead, and get promoted without losing themselves in the process.

Careers don’t follow straight lines. They zig, they stall, they fall over… and sometimes they completely reinvent themselves.

In Part 2 of my conversation with the brilliant Sonia Allen, we dig into the transferable skills that future-proof your career, how to bounce back from big professional knockbacks, and why sometimes the scenic route turns out to be the smartest one.

From walking away from costly business decisions, to rebuilding after failed ventures, to redefining success around purpose, people and wellbeing - this is a powerful, honest conversation about what really keeps you moving forward when things don’t go to plan.

If you’ve ever thought:
“Did I just mess up my career?” Then this episode is for you.

New episodes are released every Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.

Stuck, simmering, or onto something juicy? I want to hear it. Drop me a line at [email protected] - I read them all.

And here is the Spotify Playlist to accompany UnShakeable Her.

Unshakeable Her is the podcast for women in leadership who are ready to build real influence, earn the promotion they deserve, and lead with confidence in systems that weren't built for them. Each episode tackles the challenges that shape leadership from the inside out, including imposter syndrome, resilience, credibility, boundaries, conflict, and feedback, while unpacking how pressure, workplace politics, strategic thinking, decision-making, and visibility affect the way ambitious women grow, lead, and get promoted without losing themselves in the process.

Ordinary choices, extraordinary resilience and a career built with courage, curiosity and a lot of grit.

What does real resilience actually look like over a lifetime (not just in the highlight reel)?

In this powerful and deeply personal conversation, Caroline sits down with her lifelong friend Sonia Allen to explore a career built on grit, curiosity, and bold decisions (even when the odds were stacked high).

• From running a household alone at 17, to sleeping on college floors to keep her further education dream alive…
• From rising fast in the leisure industry to having her career derailed by a serious car accident…
• From leadership roles in education to facing cancer and completely rethinking what “success” means…

Sonia’s story is a masterclass in adaptability, transferable skills, and choosing to keep moving forward when life throws serious curveballs.

In Part One, we explore:

• Why “making it work” became Sonia’s default response to setbacks
• The bold move she made at 22 that changed her career trajectory
• How leadership is really about people, not job titles
• What happens when your identity is wrapped up in your work and it’s suddenly taken away
• How illness forced a rethink of priorities, purpose, and pace

This is not a neat, linear career story.
 It’s a real one. And that’s exactly why it matters.

🎧 Part Two drops next week, where we dive into transferable skills, bounce-back-ability, and how Sonia rebuilt a whole new working life on her own terms.

RESOURCES

• You can contact Sonia here
• And Caroline here or [email protected]
• You can explore the work of The Tea Leaf Trust or donate here
• All Hands and Hearts Disaster Relief here
• www.inspireyourgenius.com

New episodes are released every Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.

Stuck, simmering, or onto something juicy? I want to hear it. Drop me a line at [email protected] - I read them all.

And here is the Spotify Playlist to accompany UnShakeable Her.

Unshakeable Her is the podcast for women in leadership who are ready to build real influence, earn the promotion they deserve, and lead with confidence in systems that weren't built for them. Each episode tackles the challenges that shape leadership from the inside out, including imposter syndrome, resilience, credibility, boundaries, conflict, and feedback, while unpacking how pressure, workplace politics, strategic thinking, decision-making, and visibility affect the way ambitious women grow, lead, and get promoted without losing themselves in the process.

This is a very special episode of the podcast.

Today’s conversation is with Jon Turner, Managing Director of Siemens Electrification & Automation in the UK and Ireland AND the very first person I interviewed for the book research that sparked this whole project. It was in this conversation that the “little moves” pattern first became impossible to ignore.

Jon’s career was shaped by sliding-door moments, chance conversations, small risks, great mentors, and a deep willingness to learn. From a lift conversation that led to a life-changing opportunity, to navigating career pivots, leadership challenges, and glass ceilings, Jon’s story is a powerful reminder that careers are rarely linear and that patience, curiosity and relationships matter more than perfect plans. 

What really stands out in this interview, though, isn’t just what Jon did; it’s how he did it.

He talks openly about:

• Why making mistakes early in your career is not just normal, but essential
• The danger of ambition running ahead of learning
• Why authenticity matters more than trying to “fit the mould”
• How mentoring (and reverse mentoring) shapes better leaders
• Why strong teams are built on trust, energy and everyday human connection
• And why being an avid learner is the most important career strategy of all

Jon also speaks beautifully and proudly about his wife, Alison, and the partnership behind his career, reminding us that success is never a solo sport, and that the people who support us matter just as much as the roles we hold. 

Very sadly, Jon passed away suddenly in November after a short battle with kidney cancer. With the generous blessing of his wife, Alison, I am honoured to share his words in this episode and to help keep Jon’s legacy of warmth, curiosity, generosity and belief in people alive.

If you’ve ever felt pressure to have your whole career mapped out…
If you’ve ever worried about making the “wrong” move…
 Or if you simply want a reminder that great careers are built one small, human step at a time…

This episode is for you.

🎧 And if you take something from Jon’s words, Ali and I would love to hear it. You can share your reflections with me at [email protected]
- your messages mean more than you know.

New episodes are released every Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.

Stuck, simmering, or onto something juicy? I want to hear it. Drop me a line at [email protected] - I read them all.

And here is the Spotify Playlist to accompany UnShakeable Her.

Unshakeable Her is the podcast for women in leadership who are ready to build real influence, earn the promotion they deserve, and lead with confidence in systems that weren't built for them. Each episode tackles the challenges that shape leadership from the inside out, including imposter syndrome, resilience, credibility, boundaries, conflict, and feedback, while unpacking how pressure, workplace politics, strategic thinking, decision-making, and visibility affect the way ambitious women grow, lead, and get promoted without losing themselves in the process.

Before we dive into real-life career stories, let’s talk about something seriously underrated: noticing.

Big career changes rarely start with big decisions.  They start with small signals we almost ignore.

In this short, punchy bridge episode, Caroline shares a personal story and explains why the moments that don’t look like turning points often matter most.

You’ll learn

• Why your emotional reactions at work are actually useful data
• How to spot early career signals before frustration turns into burnout
• The simple CPR check (Content, Process, Reaction) to decode what’s really going on
• And how to turn tiny clues into 2mm career moves that build momentum

Plus, there’s a quick game of Signal or Static? to help you practise spotting what’s worth paying attention to ... and what’s just background noise.

This is your warm-up before we launch into real career stories next week.
Listen like a detective. Your future self will thank you.

What We Cover

• Why meaningful things often start with random, tiny moments
• The brain’s habit of explaining away other people’s success
• Emotional reactions as early warning signs (or growth signals)
• The CPR Career Check: Content, Process, Reaction
• Game time: Signal or Static?
• Turning noticing into small, brave, practical next moves

You can also download this episode’s Bold Moves Brief for a one-page action guide to noticing and nudging your next step.

👉 www.inspireyourgenius.com/podcast

Coming Up Next

We’re moving into real, human, behind-the-scenes career stories - the moments of doubt, sideways moves, lucky breaks, and brave conversations that actually change things.

Make sure you’re following so you don’t miss them.

New episodes are released every Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.

Stuck, simmering, or onto something juicy? I want to hear it. Drop me a line at [email protected] - I read them all.

And here is the Spotify Playlist to accompany UnShakeable Her.

Unshakeable Her is the podcast for women in leadership who are ready to build real influence, earn the promotion they deserve, and lead with confidence in systems that weren't built for them. Each episode tackles the challenges that shape leadership from the inside out, including imposter syndrome, resilience, credibility, boundaries, conflict, and feedback, while unpacking how pressure, workplace politics, strategic thinking, decision-making, and visibility affect the way ambitious women grow, lead, and get promoted without losing themselves in the process.