Women Who Lead Change

Michelle shares how systems are more important than discipline and willpower.

Corporate language is full of phrases that mean something other than what they say. And honestly? Sometimes you just have to laugh.

But beneath the humour, there are real challenges that women in corporate life face every day. Gender bias. Difficult personalities. Workplace bullying. Unhealthy conflict.

In this episode, we explore both. The memes that make us smile and the strategies that help us navigate what's genuinely hard. Because when you can see the absurdity and the seriousness, you become a much more grounded, effective leader.

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In this episode Michelle provides a life update with some key takeaways:

• Apply Perato’s principle of 80/20 
• Do you have any family triggers you’d like to conquer
• Mentors: can just find you and sometimes you want to be intentional 
• Self-compassion: are you more hard on yourself than you are to others? 
• Negativity bias is a real human thing 

In this episode, I update you on my morning and evening rituals and other habits. Creating new habits or making changes is hard, so I hope to inspire you to keep experimenting and making incremental changes for a long and healthy life.

This week, consider:

• What "cloak" are you wearing? What version of yourself are you performing?
• What would it cost you to take it off? What might you gain?
• Who holds space for you? If no one, who could you reach out to?

Share your thoughts: DM me on Instagram @womenwhochange.official

Michelle shares some key lessons from 15 years of working in change:

1. You Cannot Out-Strategise Human Emotions
2. Every Person Responds to Change Differently
3. You Must Lean In, Listen, and Empathise to Understand
4. Your Change Plan Must Address the Human Side
5. You Must Meet Organisations Where They Are
6. Change Projects Always Have Challenges—That's Normal
7. Change Is a Journey, Not an Event

Michelle talks about exhaustion and how to be more sustainable in your leadership.

The quiet, creeping depletion that so many high-achieving women carry around. The constant low-level hum of tiredness that we've normalised to the point where we barely notice it anymore.

This week's reflection:

1. On a scale of 1 to 10, how sustainable is your current pace? Not how productive you are. Not how much you're achieving. How sustainable.
2. What's one change you could make this week—not a grand overhaul, just one thing—that would move the needle toward more sustainable leadership? Maybe it's a boundary. Maybe it's a conversation. Maybe it's saying no to something. Maybe it's asking for help.
3. Check on someone else. Who around you seems to be running on empty? Could you reach out? Could you normalise the conversation about exhaustion by naming it in yourself?

Come find me on Instagram @womenwhochange.official. Tell me what sustainability means to you. Tell me what gets in the way. Tell me what helps.

In this episode, we talk about Sponsorship.

A mentor is someone who gives you advice. They meet with you periodically. They share their wisdom, help you think through challenges, and offer guidance based on their experience. Mentors are valuable. 

A sponsor, on the other hand, is someone who uses their political capital on your behalf. They advocate for you in rooms you're not in. They put your name forward for stretch assignments. They defend you when you're not there to defend yourself. They stake their reputation on your potential.

Mentors talk to you. Sponsors talk about you.

Leading Through Uncertainty: The Psychology of Change

Each stage of the Change Curve needs something different from you.

• In denial: People need information, repeated calmly.
• In anger: People need to be heard, not corrected.
• In bargaining: People need boundaries, gently held.
• In depression: People need support and hope.
• In acceptance: People need direction and tools.

The confidence conversation isn't wrong. Many of us do need to back ourselves more. But it's incomplete. It places responsibility on individuals while leaving systems untouched.

So this week, I invite you to reflect:

• Where have you seen the "confidence gap" narrative play out in your career—in ways that helped, or in ways that obscured deeper issues?
• What's one thing your organisation could do differently to create a level playing field—not just for confident women, but for all women?
• And if you're willing to share: When have you stretched into something you didn't feel ready for, and surprised yourself?

Come find me on Instagram @womenwhochange.official. Send me a DM. Let's continue this conversation.