Building Confidence in Female Analysts

Yesterday I led a workshop for women in private equity, and one theme kept surfacing: self-advocacy feels impossible when you’re already fighting to belong. It's the paradox these women face every day. They need to speak up more to get noticed, but when they do, they risk being labeled “aggressive.” They need to promote their wins, but they’ve been socialized to let their work speak for itself. They need to build relationships and visibility, but the informal networks often happen in spaces where they’re not invited. Nevertheless, self-advocacy isn’t optional, especially for women working in male-dominated industries. Research shows that women’s contributions are systematically attributed to others, that our ideas need to be repeated by men to be heard, and that our expertise is questioned more frequently than our male colleagues’. Self-advocacy isn’t about being pushy or aggressive. It’s about being intentional with your voice and strategic about your visibility. Here are four concrete ways to advocate for yourself starting today: 1. Master the “credit redirect” When someone repeats your idea, immediately respond with: “Thanks, John. I’m glad you’re building on the solution I proposed earlier. Let me expand on that framework…” This reclaims YOUR ownership while maintaining professionalism. 2. Document your wins in real-time Keep a “victory log” on your phone. After every meeting where you contribute, jot down what you said and any positive responses. Reference these specifics in performance reviews and promotion conversations. 3. Practice strategic amplification Find one trusted colleague who will amplify your contributions in meetings. Agree to do the same for them. When they share an idea, respond with: “Sarah’s point about the data analysis is exactly right, and it connects to…” This mutual support system works. 4. Lose the “self-shrinking” language.  Stop saying “I’m sorry to bother you.” Stop saying “Maybe we could…” Stop saying “I’m wondering if…” Stop saying “I’ll make it quick.” Take up space. Make your mark. Trust that you and your ideas are worthy of other people’s time, energy, and attention (and most certainly your own as well.) The reality is that in many industries, we’re still fighting to be heard. But we don’t have to fight alone, and we don’t have to wait for permission to advocate for ourselves. Your ideas deserve to be heard and you deserve credit for the value you bring. What’s one way you’ve learned to advocate for yourself at work? The women in yesterday’s workshop had some brilliant strategies to share too. #womenleaders #privateequity #womeninmaledominatedindustries

Want To Master the art of building confidence and owning achievements without feeling boastful? Use These 5 Techniques To Promote Yourself. I have been in the Sales industry for 15+ years. During that time, I have closed millions in sales deals while building high-performing teams in male-dominated industries. I recently had the honor of presenting at the INBOUND conference, where I shared insights on how Women Sell Better by Leveraging Diversity to Boost Sales. In fact, I’ve invested so many hours into mastering my craft that I’ve developed frameworks and techniques that not only increase sales but transform how professionals see themselves and their abilities. But do you want to know a secret? I actually use the same five proven techniques every time. Technique #1: The Acknowledge & Affirm Strategy Here’s how it works: - Step 1: When someone compliments you, pause and fully absorb it. - Step 2: Acknowledge the compliment by saying, “Thank you,” but don’t stop there. - Step 3: Affirm it with “It’s true” or by stating the achievement behind the compliment. This simple template allows you to confidently own your accomplishments, transforming compliments into moments of empowerment. Technique #2: The Achievement Reflection Here’s how it works: - Step 1: Regularly reflect on recent successes, no matter how small. - Step 2: Write down your specific actions to achieve them. - Step 3: Share these reflections with others as part of your personal brand story. Quick note: Don’t downplay or brush off your accomplishments. That's a mistake. These steps work better when you fully embrace and communicate your wins authentically. Technique #3: The ‘Lead with Value’ Method Here’s how it works: - Avoid starting conversations with 'I did this' – it can come off as boastful. - Do lead with the value your action brought to the team or the client instead. - If you avoid self-centered language and focus on the value you create, you’ll unlock greater recognition and deeper connections. Easy, right? Technique #4: The Feedback Amplifier Here’s how it works: - Step 1: Ask for feedback on specific aspects of your work. - Step 2: Use the positive feedback to validate your strengths. - Step 3: Incorporate this feedback into your narrative when promoting your skills. Do these 3 things, and you’ll naturally amplify your confidence and others' perception of your expertise. Technique #5: The Confidence Anchor Here’s how it works: - Tip 1: Create a daily ritual where you recognize at least one thing you’ve done well. - Tip 2: Visualize a past success before entering a challenging situation. - Tip 3: Use affirmations to remind yourself of your strengths. That’s it! These techniques help you build unshakable confidence and promote your achievements without feeling boastful. #ThankYouItsTrue #OwnYourAwesome #WomenInSales

Told you're "too confident" at work?  Read this👇 You can be brilliant, have the technical expertise, deliver exceptional results, communicate clearly... And still get labeled as "aggressive" or "too assertive." If you've been in my world for some time, you know that I'm big on women owning their expertise in STEM. That I advocate for speaking up in meetings and not apologizing for your intelligence. But the reality is... There's a fine line between being humble and shrinking yourself. And most early career women in STEM cross it without realizing. I've worked with hundreds of engineers, data scientists, and researchers. Every day I see brilliant women: Downplay their contributions in team meetings. Say "I might be wrong, but..." before sharing expert insights. Credit luck instead of skill for their achievements. Or maybe they do speak up confidently. But then spend the rest of the day wondering if they came across as "too much"...and dial it back the next time. The list goes on. Here's what I've learned: Humble = "I contributed to this project's success" Shrinking = "I just got lucky with the results" Humble= "I have expertise in this area" Shrinking = "I think I might know something about this" Humble = "Here's my analysis" Shrinking = "This might be wrong, but here's what I found" Humble = "I'm still learning" Shrinking = "I don't know enough to have an opinion" Your technical degree isn't an accident. Your problem-solving skills aren't luck. Your insights aren't "just thoughts." So, focus on what you can control: your confidence your voice your presence ♻️ Repost and share this message so that more women in STEM can see it

You don’t need “more confidence.” You need a better mirror. Most of the women I work with fall into a very specific category: Ambitious millennial women with top credentials and a track record of success — who suddenly find themselves considering career coaching. Not because they’re underperforming or have “lost it.” But because they’re in a career season that’s testing them. And if that’s you — you might feel your sense of clarity, momentum, or self-trust start to shake. Maybe you: → Feel uncharacteristically stuck + can’t explain why → Were quietly passed over (or openly laid off) → Are managing a draining boss or dysfunctional team → Are operating way below your level → Are so burnt out, you barely recognize yourself This season is 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 — and I know you'd love to sprint to the other side. But it’s also an opportunity - to rebuild your confidence. Not in a performative, “project confidence” kind of way. But in a deep-rooted, unshakeable, 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘦 kind of way. Here are six ways to start: 1. Resource yourself first. You can’t think or affirm your way to confidence if your body is in survival mode. Start with the basics: sleep, hydration, nourishment. Then add movement — cardio for endorphins, strength training for power. When your body feels safe and strong, your mind follows. 2. Turn down the volume on your inner critics. That voice in your head questioning everything? It’s likely not yours. It’s old feedback, outdated conditioning, a throwaway comment from 2017. Write it all down. Decide what’s true, what’s not, and what gets left in the notebook. 3. Revisit your track record. You haven’t lost your capability — you just forgot the evidence. Pull out old reviews, MBA letters, kudos emails. You’re still the person who did all that. Let it remind you: you are an exceptional professional. 4. Anchor into your strengths. Despite how you feel right now, you do have a zone of genius. Get clear on what energizes you and find ways to do more of it. Need a mirror? The CliftonStrengths Finder is a great place to start. 5. Connect with people who see your brilliance. Reach out to the mentors, colleagues, and peers who know your worth. Ask what they appreciated about working with you. You’re not looking for validation — you’re rebuilding your reflection through trusted eyes. 6. Do something brave. Stepping outside your comfort zone reminds you who you are. It doesn’t have to be career-related — take the hike, sign up for the class, have the hard conversation. Every brave act is a down payment on your self-belief. -- Follow these steps and you’ll stop chasing confidence as a feeling or costume you have to put on. Instead, it will be lit deep from within - a steady flame of self-belief and self-trust. Fueling you to create the career that’s right for you. You haven’t lost your capability or potential. You just forgot to fully believe in yourself.

Negotiation is rigged against women. Conditioning, backlash, bias—it's time to dismantle the myths. For decades, women have been told they’re “worse negotiators.” Spoiler alert: that’s a myth. Society conditions women to approach negotiation differently and punishes them for being assertive. But here’s the truth: When equipped with the right strategies, women can and do excel in negotiation. After decades of teaching negotiation, my biggest lesson didn’t come from a textbook. It came from my 5-year-old daughter, Anabel. She once hesitated to ask for something because she feared rejection. That moment hit me: how many women grow up internalizing this same fear? It’s time to change the narrative—for Anabel and for everyone. Here’s the challenge women face: 🚫 Societal norms condition deference. 🚫 Backlash punishes assertiveness. 🚫 Undervaluation leads to lower anchors. 🚫 Emotional scrutiny creates impossible standards. 🚫 Biases demand women "prove" themselves repeatedly. The antidote: ✅ Prepare relentlessly: ↳ Identify interests, priorities, and BATNAs—yours and theirs.  ↳ Knowledge is your power base. ✅ Reframe negotiations: ↳ Don’t see it as conflict; view it as problem-solving.  ↳ Lead with curiosity, asking, “How can we create value together?” ✅ Communicate assertively: ↳ Use “I” statements and stick to the facts.  ↳ Confidence backed by preparation is unbeatable. ✅ Listen actively: ↳ Ask open-ended questions.  ↳ Listening shows strength and fosters collaboration. ✅ Advocate for yourself: ↳ If you champion others well, apply that skill to yourself.  ↳ Treat your needs as non-negotiable. ✅ Leverage empathy: ↳ Understand the other side’s perspective and use it to craft win-win solutions. ✅ Practice constantly: ↳ Role-play scenarios.  ↳ Build the muscle for confidence under pressure. Negotiation isn’t a gendered skill; it’s a learned one. Women haven’t been “worse”—they’ve been navigating a broken system. Equip them, and the results will speak for themselves. What’s your top strategy for negotiating with confidence? Share it below and help rewrite the rules! PS:  Ever been called "too assertive"? Let’s discuss. Drop a 🙋♀️ in the comments. 

If you’ve worked with me in the past or have been following me for a while, perhaps you’ve heard me say, “Feel your way into a new a way of thinking.” Or even “Act your way into a new way of thinking.” What you’ll never hear me say is “Think your way into a new way of feeling.” Recently I was with a woman who sometimes struggles with confidence. I asked her to close her eyes and imagine how she feels at her best. When you are strong, when you are leading, when you feel confident, what does that feel like in your body? She sat up a little straighter. I watched as her shoulders broadened. She raised her arms like a goalpost and said, “I’m like that mermaid on the prow of the boat” proudly leading the team forward. I could see it in her eyes and her body as she tapped into a felt sense of confidence. Then I asked her to close her eyes and call to her imagination a moment when her competence was questioned or her authority undermined (because that happens all the time to women and if you want the research to back this up, get in touch with me!). Her head went down, her shoulders closed in, she slumped and started ringing her hands. “My chest feels like it’s collapsing.” My advice is when you feel that moment of doubt rising inside of you, take a deep breath and imagine you are that woman on the front of the boat, or whatever powerful image works for you. Breathe into your body and tap into a felt sense of confidence. Get out of your head and into a more embodied presence. Connect with why you are leading or speaking and how it matters to you. Stop trying to intellectualize your way into confidence. Feel it instead. Give this a try and let me know what you think! #womeninleadership #leadershipcoach #executivecoach

𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 ✨ As someone who supervises and mentors young professionals and PhD/master students, through initiatives like Women in Global Health, I've seen firsthand the impact that guidance and support can have on their careers. Mentorship and sponsorship are crucial in helping young women navigate challenges and reach their full potential. Here is a piece of advice from women leaders and CEOs shared by The Female Lead that can inspire and guide you: - 𝘽𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙡𝙙: Pascale Harvie emphasizes embracing your ambitions and seizing opportunities, while fostering connections with mentors and peers. - 𝘿𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙥𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙮 𝙘𝙪𝙥: Dr A-Marie I. stresses the importance of building a supportive community and caring for yourself. - 𝙆𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜: Radha Vyas encourages developing self-belief and speaking up, ensuring your voice is heard in the workplace. - 𝙎𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙪𝙥: Valentina Milanova 🇺🇦 advises speaking up and challenging the status quo to create a more inclusive environment. -𝙏𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙜: Anna Lundstrom suggests staying curious and exploring opportunities, especially when you're young and learning. - 𝙉𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚: Solange Sobral encourages young women to believe in themselves and their abilities, never doubting their potential. - 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙙𝙚𝙡: Nishma Patel Robb 🪩⚡️ highlights the value of finding a mentor who can guide and support you through career challenges. - 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙯𝙤𝙣𝙚: Vivien Wong recommends building confidence by knowing your industry well and preparing to take on new challenges. What other tips or advice have helped you in your career journey? Share your experiences and insights in the comments!

Stop teaching women to be confident. We don’t need another pep talk. We don’t need more “you got this” speeches or workshops on how to feel stronger. Because let’s be real: women already are confident. They study. They deliver results. They lead teams. They launch businesses. They have the expertise. Confidence isn’t the problem. The real gap? 👉 Credibility — when a man speaks, authority is assumed. When a woman speaks, her credibility is questioned. 👉 Self-trust — not “can I do it?” but “do I trust myself enough to stop apologizing, overexplaining, or shrinking when I do it?” And yes, this is maddening to witness: we’ve all seen mediocrity celebrated as authority on one side of the table, while brilliance gets interrogated on the other. Double standards drive me crazy. So instead of pushing women to “fix themselves” with more confidence, the work is two-fold: ⚡ Fix the systems that undermine them. ⚡ Practice the subtle shifts that close the credibility gap. Here’s the simple micro-framework I share with clients when influence feels harder than it should: 1️⃣ Align — Anchor in what actually matters: your values, your expertise, your goals. And ask yourself the hardest question: am I sitting at the right table? Because if you’re at the wrong one, it’s like fighting windmills. No amount of “confidence” will make that worth it. 2️⃣ State — Share your perspective clearly. No hedging. No over-explaining. No apologizing for taking space. This is the one piece where practice is everything — the muscle you build each time you refuse to downplay yourself. 3️⃣ Evidence — Back it up with data, examples, proof. Unfair? Absolutely. Necessary? Yes. Because credibility isn’t handed to us the way it is to others. We build it, brick by brick. Here’s the secret: 👉 Just “being confident” without credibility, without alignment, without self-trust… is like shouting into the wind. 👉 Alignment + clarity + evidence? That’s what shifts the room. And no, you don’t have to wake up every day ready to “fix the system” by yourself. None of us do. But every aligned statement, every piece of evidence, every time you refuse to shrink — you’re not just protecting your seat. You’re reshaping the table. Now tell me: when was the last time you noticed credibility being assumed for someone else… and questioned for you? (And if this hit home: my DMs are open.)

How can women leaders leverage commanding confidence in professional settings? Women and men communicate differently. During Women's History Month, I will post about the mindsets and speech habits that tend to hold us back from our highest potential 💪. For example, a study in Psychological Science cited that women tend to feel more anxious about asking live questions at professional meetings, and are less likely than men to do so. In academic seminars, women are two and half times less likely to ask questions than men are. A similar study found that if a woman asked the first question, women in the audience were more likely to ask their own. When I work with young female professionals, I train them on 🗣 question-asking skills and coach them to never attend a meeting without making their voices heard. Ask a clarifying question, praise what someone else said, thank the speaker for their insights, but don’t leave the meeting without leaving your mark. My Master Communicator Blog 🎤, "Why do women and men communicate differently?" highlights common communication habits that may be harmful to a woman's credibility and perceived authority, and offers six solutions. Click the link below to read the full blog post, but here is a sampling: ✴️ Vary your pitch. Tap the lowest natural register of your voice to signal confidence. Avoid uptalk or upspeak (higher pitch at the end of a sentence that sounds like a question.) ✴️ Cut out the filler words (um, ah, like, you now, etc.) and replace them with breaths and pauses. Fillers are perceived as signs of hesitation and lack of preparation. ✴️ Claim "talking space" by asking questions and warding off interruptions. Stand when you speak in a conference setting to ensure you are SEEN and HEARD. ✴️ Avoid hedging and tagging. Prefacing a question with “This may be a silly question, but...” and "Someone may have asked this already, but...” disempowers you. Similarly, tags dilute your statements and weaken your authority: “I propose we take this action, BUT I COULD BE WRONG.” These and dozens of other communication techniques can help emerging and established women leaders level the playing field to persuade, inspire and move people to action. #leadershipcommunication #executivepresence #womenleaders #executivecommunication #publicspeakingcoach #publicspeakingskills