We Are Women Unapologetically

Announcement week isn’t the whole reorg.It’s the spike.This is where everything intensifies.Questions increase.Rumors spread.Work either stalls or explodes into activity that looks productive but isn’t.And your team is looking to you for direction… while you’re still waiting for answers yourself.This is the moment most leaders get wrong.They either freeze and wait.Or they overwork and create more noise.Neither creates stability.In this episode, I break down exactly how to lead during announcement week so your team stays focused, work keeps moving, and you don’t burn yourself out trying to hold everything together.We’re talking what to actually do this week.How to communicate when you don’t have clean answersHow to reduce rumor cycles without shutting people downHow to set clear priorities so your team knows what mattersWhen to pause work and protect qualityHow to stop becoming the unofficial crisis hotlineBecause your team doesn’t need you to be perfect.They need you to be steady.This is Part 2 of the reorg leadership series.Part 1 covers what happens before the announcement and how to lead through the uncertainty leading up to it.If you’re in the middle of this right now, this episode will meet you there.Key TakeawaysWhy announcement week creates a spike in stress, noise, and decision pressureThe difference between productive work and anxiety-driven activityHow to reset priorities so your team doesn’t scatterWhat to say when people ask questions you can’t fully answer yetHow to protect your team’s time, focus, and energyA practical playbook to lead through this week without losing controlHow to ConnectIf this episode hit, share it with someone navigating a reorg right now.If you need a fast reset, download the Clarity in 10™ tool to get focused in minutes.If you’re leading through this and want support specific to your situation, book a clarity call with me. We’ll map out exactly how to lead through it without burning out.Connect with me on LinkedIn: ⁠JessicaCumming⁠04Explore coaching and speaking: www.⁠JCNew Beginnings.com⁠

Something shifts before a reorg is ever announced.

Meetings move. Priorities change. Conversations happen without context. And the people who usually have answers stop sharing them.

This is the phase most leaders and managers struggle with, because you’re still expected to deliver, keep your team focused, and answer questions you don’t have answers to.

In this episode, I break down how to lead during that exact moment. Not after the announcement. Not once everything is clear. But while things are still uncertain.

I walk through what’s actually happening behind the scenes, why leadership often goes quiet, and how that silence impacts your team’s confidence, focus, and performance.

More importantly, I give you a clear way to operate so you’re not stuck reacting, over-explaining, or second-guessing every decision.

If you’re the one people are looking to right now, this will help you create direction without pretending you have all the answers.

This is Part 1 of a two-part series.
Part 2 will focus on how to lead during announcement week and what to do in the first few days once everything becomes public.

Key Takeaways

• How to recognize the early signals of a reorg before it’s announced
• Why leadership goes quiet and what that usually means behind the scenes
• The impact uncertainty has on team behavior, trust, and productivity
• How to communicate clearly when you don’t have full information
• The difference between trying to sound confident and actually creating stability
• A simple 72-hour reset to help your team regain focus and direction

This episode is for you if you’re:

• Leading a team or influencing outcomes, even without the title
• Noticing changes but getting little to no communication
• Being asked to keep work moving without clear priorities
• Tired of overthinking decisions and want a more grounded way to lead

If this episode hit, share it with someone who’s navigating the same situation.

If you’re looking to strengthen how you make decisions, communicate in high-stakes moments, and lead without second-guessing, this is the work I do with leaders and organizations every day.

How to Connect

Connect with me on LinkedIn: Jessica Cumming
Explore coaching

Explore speaking

Why don’t you trust yourself… even when you know what to do?In this episode of We Are Women, Unapologetically, Jessica Cumming sits down with psychotherapist, speaker, and mindset coach Elaine Belson to unpack the real reason so many high-achieving professionals struggle with imposter syndrome, people pleasing, and self-doubt.This isn’t about a lack of confidence.It’s about a breakdown in self-trust.And when you don’t trust yourself, you hesitate.You overthink.You delay decisions you already know need to be made.With over 30 years of experience, Elaine shares the psychology behind these patterns and what it actually takes to shift them—so you can stop second-guessing and start leading yourself with clarity.In this episode, we discuss:Why imposter syndrome doesn’t go away with successHow people pleasing quietly weakens your voice and authorityThe real cost of perfectionism in your career and decisionsThe difference between perception and intent in communicationHow emotional intelligence shapes your choices and reactionsWhy you already have the answers—and what’s stopping you from trusting themWhat therapy and coaching actually do (and when to consider each)If you’ve ever stayed quiet when you should have spoken up, delayed a decision that mattered, or questioned yourself in moments when you needed clarity—this conversation will challenge the way you think.Because the issue isn’t capability.It’s whether or not you trust yourself enough to act on it.Connect with Elaine Belson:Visit http://www.DitchYourInnerBully.com for tools to help you stop being hard on yourself and start trusting your decisions.Ready to reconnect with your clarity?Download the Clarity in 10™ Reset https://www.jcnewbeginnings.com/clarity-in-10If this episode resonates, share it with someone who needs to hear it and follow the podcast so you don’t miss what’s next.Because shifts happens, but you don’t have to do it alone.

Episode Summary

Thinking about a career pivot but not sure what comes next?

In this episode of We Are Women, Unapologetically, I sit down with Gloria Bell to talk about career transitions, women in tech, transferable skills, and what it really takes to reinvent yourself professionally. If you’re feeling stuck, burned out, or ready for your next chapter, this conversation will help you get clear on what you want and take the next step with intention.

What We Talk About

• Gloria’s journey from a stable career into entrepreneurship and tech
• What it really takes to pivot your career successfully
• How to identify and leverage your transferable skills
• Why networking is critical during career transitions
• Overcoming imposter syndrome and self-doubt
• How to know when it’s time to make a change
• Why reinvention is available at any stage of life

Key Takeaways

• You don’t need to have everything figured out to take the first step
• The skills you already have are more valuable than you think
• Career pivots require both courage and intention
• Clarity comes from action—not overthinking
• The right network can open doors you didn’t know existed

Connect with Gloria:

 [email protected] https://www.linkedin.com/in/gloriabell/

Ready for Your Next Chapter?

If you’re in a season of transition and feeling stuck or unclear on what’s next:.

Connect with me on LinkedIn— https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicacumming04/

Download the Clarity in 10 Reset
Or book a 1:1 clarity call to map out your next move

You’ve worked hard, delivered results, stayed loyal, and still somehow… you’re being overlooked.

In Episode 20 of We Are Women Unapologetically, Jessica Cumming breaks down the truth so many high-achieving women learn too late: hard work alone will not get you promoted.

At a certain level, performance is expected. What actually creates more opportunities is visibility, advocacy, sponsorship, and strategic relationships.

If you’ve ever watched someone less qualified move ahead, felt stuck in the same role for too long, or wondered why your work isn’t speaking for itself anymore, this episode is for you.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why hard work stops being enough for career growth
• What separates high performers from women who actually move up
• The real difference between mentors, cheerleaders, and sponsors
• Why networking feels fake and how to make it feel natural
• How to communicate your impact clearly and confidently
• The “impact brief” that helps people advocate for you in rooms you’re not in
• How to build visibility without becoming someone you’re not

This episode is for women navigating career transitions, leadership growth, workplace visibility, confidence, and personal reinvention.

Especially if you’re ready to stop waiting to be noticed and start getting clear on what’s next.

Your Clarity in Action Reset:

This week, identify one person with influence, access, or proximity to the kind of opportunity you want and send the message.

Resources:

• Download the Clarity in 10 Reset
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If this episode resonated, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who’s been doing all the right things… and still feels invisible.

Have you built a successful career but still feel stuck inside? If you’re navigating a career transition, burnout, or wondering what to do next, Dawn Butler shares how women can move beyond survival mode and start reinventing their lives with intention.

In this episode of We Are Women Unapologetically, Jessica Cumming interviews Dawn Butler, a cybersecurity leader and podcast host with over 20 years of experience, to discuss career transitions for women, feeling stuck in your career, and how to rebuild after burnout or unexpected life changes.

Dawn shares her journey through survival mode, career pivots, layoffs, and rediscovering her voice. From growing up with limited resources to building a successful career in tech, she reflects on how operating in survival mode shaped her decisions and how it disconnected her from her ability to dream.

This conversation explores what many women experience during a midlife career change: external success paired with internal misalignment. Dawn opens up about mentorship, identity shifts, divorce, and the courage it takes to pause and ask, “What do I actually want now?”

Jessica and Dawn also discuss how to navigate uncertainty, rebuild confidence after setbacks, and begin creating a more aligned life and career. They break down how mindset shifts, vision boards, and intentional thinking can help you move forward—even if you don’t have all the answers yet.

If you’re feeling stuck in your career, burned out, or ready to reinvent your life, this episode will help you take the first step.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why many women feel stuck in their careers during life transitions

• How burnout impacts decision-making and confidence

• What it really means to be in survival mode

• How to navigate a career change at 40 or midlife transition

• Why personal and professional lives are deeply connected

• How to start dreaming again after disappointment

• The role of mentorship in long-term career growth

• How to rebuild after layoffs and unexpected changes

If you’re ready to stop surviving and start intentionally rebuilding your next chapter, the next step is to get clear on what you actually want.

Connect with Jessica Cumming

Clarity in 10

The Courage to Pause Waitlist

 Book a 30-minute clarity call

Connect on LinkedIn

Connect with Dawn Butler

Podcast: Bites, Bits & Brilliance

Resources Mentioned:

Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés
Life Is in the Transitions by Bruce Feiler

Chaos does not mean you are failing. Sometimes it means you are being challenged to lead differently.

In this episode of We Are Women Unapologetically, Jessica sits down with Maartje van Krieken, a Dutch executive, fractional CEO/COO/CSO, and founder of Chaos Games Consulting, to explore what it really takes to lead through chaos.

With more than 20 years driving complex, high-stakes initiatives around the world, Maartje has built a career in what she calls the gray space. She never fit neatly into a traditional corporate ladder, yet she consistently stepped into leadership when situations were messy, high pressure, and uncertain.

This conversation goes beyond business strategy. It is about resilience, identity, and self-trust.

Together, Jessica and Maartje discuss:

• Navigating career misalignment in male-dominated industries
• Building a path when you do not fit the box
• The reality of global moves and starting over repeatedly
• Pregnancy loss, depression, and surviving emotional chaos far from home
• Motherhood without becoming the poster child
• Learning to filter outside advice and trust your own instincts
• Helping organizations make decisions when everything feels unstable

If you are in a season where your career or life feels uncertain, this episode will help you pause, reflect, and get clear on what comes next.

🎁 Need your own clarity moment? Download Jessica’s free Clarity in 10 Reset .

If this episode resonated, follow/subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a woman navigating a career or life pivot.

Scope creep isn’t just a project management problem — it’s a leadership gap.

In this episode of We Are Women Unapologetically, Jessica Cumming breaks down why high performers are often the ones quietly absorbing the cost of unclear agreements, shifting priorities, and undefined expectations.

If you’ve ever said “yes” to something and immediately felt resentment…
If your evenings are disappearing because “it’ll only take 10 minutes”…
If you pride yourself on being capable — but secretly feel stretched thin…

This episode is for you.

Jessica unpacks:

• What scope creep really is (and why 52% of projects experience it, according to the Project Management Institute)

• How high performers unintentionally fund their own overload

• The hidden “taxes” of over-delivering — time, mental load, opportunity, respect, and identity

• Why undercharging isn’t about money — it’s about unclear terms

• Practical boundary scripts you can use immediately in corporate, business, or personal settings

This isn’t about working harder.
It’s about making agreements real.

When expectations are undefined, high performers pay the price. But when leaders clarify scope, standards, and access, chaos goes down — and performance improves.

If you are ready to stop funding your own hesitation and start leading with clarity, this episode will give you the language and the structure to do it.

Ready for Deeper Support?

Start with the Clarity in 10 Reset—a practical reset to help you define what you want and stop absorbing invisible overtime.

Want to go deeper?
Join the waitlist for The Courage to Pause or book a personal Clarity Call with Jessica to redefine your standards, boundaries, and next move.

Because leadership begins with clear terms.

I’m joined by Orly Zeewy, author, brand strategist, and the woman who makes fuzzy clear. If you’ve ever felt like your work is valuable but your message is hard to explain, or your pricing still feels like a guess, this episode will land.

We talk about how to identify your zone of genius, communicate it in a way people understand quickly, and charge like the expert you actually are. Orly breaks down why women tend to underprice, how “being nice” shows up in money decisions, and what it looks like to stop defending your rates and start standing in them.

You’ll also hear us get real about imposter syndrome during career shifts, why negotiation matters more than most women were taught, and how the future of work is rewarding human skills like relationship-building, critical thinking, and cultural fluency. If you’re building a business, pivoting careers, or simply ready to own your value without overexplaining, this is your episode.

In this episode, we cover:

• What “zone of genius” really means and how to spot yours

• How to turn clarity into premium positioning

• Why women undercharge and how to shift the mindset behind it

• Pricing with confidence without negotiating against yourself

• How to talk about your work in a noisy, short-attention world

• The skills that will matter most as work and technology keep evolving

• A healthier definition of success, especially for high-achieving women

Connect with Orly :
Website: zeewybrands.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/orlyzeewy
Book: Ready Launch Brand: The Lean Marketing Guide for Startups (Amazon)

Connect with Jessica:

Clarity in 10

The Courage to Pause Waitlist

 Book a 30-minute clarity call

Connect on LinkedIn

Until next week, stay fierce, stay bold, but most importantly, stay unapologetically you.

You changed the chapter.
The role.
The schedule.
Maybe even the whole direction of your life.

And still, the pace feels familiar. The pressure feels familiar. The push through mindset shows up like it never left.

In this solo episode of We Are Women, Unapologetically, I’m talking about the reason your new chapter can feel like your old one. Your brain is still running old default settings. Patterns that were built in seasons where you had to stay sharp, stay needed, stay on, and stay ahead.

We’re going into the neuroscience behind automatic habits, why context triggers matter, and why exhaustion makes change harder than it needs to be. I also share what this looked like for me recently, the moment I knew my body was done negotiating, and how choosing rest became part of my leadership, not a break from it.

You’ll walk away with a simple reset you can use in real time, even if you’re listening while driving and you never touch a journal.

Key Takeaways

• Why old patterns can follow you into a new chapter

• How automatic habits get triggered by familiar cues

• What habit formation research teaches us about lasting change

• Why rest plays a real role in decision making and behavior change

• Three questions to interrupt autopilot in the moment

• One weekly reset that helps you update a default setting without overhauling your life

Clarity Reset for the Week

Pick one default thought you keep running. Choose a replacement sentence you can actually believe. Practice it once in a real moment this week.

Work With Me

Clarity in 10

The Courage to Pause Waitlist

 Book a 30-minute clarity call

Connect on LinkedIn