Setting boundaries in sexist conversations

Raise your hand if you’ve been interrupted mid-sentence - especially in a meeting full of men. 🙋🏽♀️ It happens more often than we’d like to admit. Women are often interrupted, ignored, or talked over, and it can feel frustrating, demoralizing, and exhausting. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Here's how you can assertively take back the conversation and maintain control: 1. Pause: Don’t just keep talking. Pause, make eye contact, and say something like, “I’d like to finish my thought,” or “I wasn’t done speaking.” This sets a boundary without aggression. 2. Be silent: If someone interrupts you, let there be a brief moment of silence. This gives you space to reassert control and shows confidence in your words. 3. Repeat: If you’re cut off, calmly restate your point and say, “As I was saying…” This gently reminds everyone that your contribution deserves to be heard. 4. Use your body language: Be intentional with your posture. Sit up straight, hold your ground, and use confident gestures to reinforce your presence in the conversation. 5. Involve others: If the interruptions continue, invite others into the conversation to back you up. You can say, “I’d love to hear your thoughts on this, [name], after I finish.” Remember: You belong at the table, and your voice matters. Interruptions don’t show how credible you are. They show that others need to respect your boundaries. And you need to be confident in setting them. Don’t let anyone take that away from you. P.S. Have you experienced being interrupted in meetings? How do you handle it?

“I need you to show me trust.” “Please don’t make this complex.” “Will you accept me to be weak?” ➜ These are real messages I received in my DMs. What started as a prospect inquiry quickly turned into: emotional manipulation, persistent boundary-pushing, inappropriate messaging from someone claiming to be “with family.” Let me say this clearly: This is NOT how we do business. No woman or professional of any kind should be expected to: ❌ Leave secure platforms for WhatsApp at a stranger’s request ❌ Accept guilt or pressure tactics disguised as “trust” ❌ Be made to feel like protecting their boundaries is being “difficult” The language used here crossed a line. It wasn’t just a communication mismatch it was manipulative. And the moment he said, “I need you to show me trust,” I realized this wasn’t about business. This was about control. ➜ Trust is built, not demanded. For all the coaches, consultants, and service providers out there: You are not too rigid for having structure. You are not cold for using intake forms. You are not wrong for saying no to communication you’re not comfortable with. ➜ We set boundaries not because we’re closed off but because we care about the integrity of our space. Women in business deserve to feel safe. Not “strong enough” to handle unsafe behavior. ➜ To anyone reading this: If something feels off, it probably is. Protect your space. Back your process. Trust your gut. You’re running a business, not a therapy line on demand. ➜ By the way, this wasn’t the first time this is happened. Men leaving inappropriate messages in my DMs. One actually said “ I know you’re married, but I’m gonna shoot my shot” Me: “Not ok, 100% inappropriate, and You are shooting blanks bro” blocked! ➜ Safety isn’t just personal. It’s professional. Thank you Chelsea Linge for sharing your story and encouraging me to share mine. Have you ever had to shut down inappropriate behavior in your DMs professionally or personally… How did you handle it?

38% of women are regularly interrupted at work. (McKinsey & LeanIn, 2024) I have experienced it myself more than once. And it is a hot topic in my coaching sessions. The thing is, every time you let disrespect slide, It chips away at your confidence, authority, and influence. Here are 7 subtle signs of disrespect and how to respond with confidence to reclaim your authority. 1. They talk over you ↳ It sends the message that your voice holds less value. ✅ “Let me finish my thought, and then I’m happy to hear you. 2. Your ideas are ignored until repeated by someone else ↳ It erases your contributions and gives others credit for your ideas. ✅ “Thanks for bringing that up, it’s the same point I raised earlier.” 3. They dismiss your feelings as “too sensitive.” ↳ It undermines your professionalism and emotional intelligence. ✅ “I’m raising this because it matters, not because I’m emotional.” 4. They ignore your emails or updates ↳ It delays progress and makes your work invisible. ✅ “Hi.. I need your input by [specific date] to move forward.” 5. They use condescending language (“you don’t understand”) ↳ It undermines your credibility and confidence. ✅ “I understand perfectly. Let’s get back to the point.” 6. They take credit for your work ↳ It steals recognition that could lead to promotion. ✅ “Glad you shared that. As you know, I developed it last quarter.” 7. They exclude you from key meetings ↳ It limits your exposure and influence. ✅ “Can you help me understand the decision to leave me out of that discussion?” You don’t need to get louder to be heard. You need to get clearer about what you will and won’t tolerate. Which of these have you experienced? ♻️ Repost to support colleagues setting boundaries at work. 🔔 Follow Fatou Seck Mathon for more.

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂. In work or life, when toxic patterns show up, the goal isn’t to win the argument - it’s to protect your energy. Here’s a tool I teach often: 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗝𝗔𝗗𝗘.
That means don’t:
• Justify
• Argue
• Defend
• Explain These conversations often lead nowhere and cost you your emotional bandwidth. Instead, set a boundary with calm clarity:
💬 “We’ll have to agree to disagree.”
💬 “That’s not my experience.” You don’t have to prove your perspective to someone who’s not open to hearing it. 🎬 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 2 - focused on protecting your peace, staying grounded, and navigating difficult dynamics with intention. (𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵 1? 𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘺’𝘴 𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰. 𝘞𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘤 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮.) #LeadershipDevelopment #WorkplaceWellbeing #ToxicRelationships #Boundaries #CommunicationSkills