Abounding Solutions

What menopause can teach us about self-advocacy, confidence and being quietly visible  After a recent conversation on the Quietly Visible podcast with Elaine Sinclair-Freeman, I found myself reflecting on how much menopause can affect how women see themselves, how they lead, and how they advocate for the support they need.  Although awareness of menopause has

Have you ever tried generic confidence building tips such as ‘Fake it till you make it’, and wondered why it didn’t work? Perhaps you stood taller, spoke louder, and forced yourself to look confident, yet still felt anxious, stressed or full of self-doubt. If so, the problem may not be your confidence. It may be

Being knocked back from promotion can be discouraging, especially when you know you are capable of doing the role. But capability on its own is not always enough. The question is whether decision-makers can see the evidence, confidence, judgement, and readiness they need to trust you at the next level. This is not about becoming

You’re in a meeting. You make your point. Then someone cuts across you. Sharply. They talk over you, or brush your point aside as though it is already settled. Most people feel this in the body first. A tightening in the chest, maybe. A drop in the stomach. But it can happen so quickly that

Many of the introverted women leaders I coach don’t have a capability problem. They have a confidence problem. Or at least that’s what they’ve been led to believe. Over time, messages from family, workplaces, leaders and organisational cultures can shape how we see ourselves. What looks like imposter syndrome is often a perfectly understandable response

Recently, I looked back over hundreds of exploration calls I’ve had with people considering coaching, to see what patterns emerged in the reasons they approach me. One thing came through very strongly. Many of the people who contact me are already successful. They are senior leaders, Heads of Service, Directors and experienced professionals. They have

  In an ideal world, talent would be recognised for what it is, regardless of whether it is loud or quiet. But we do not live in an ideal world. In many workplaces, those who are most visible are often the ones who are seen, heard, recognised, rewarded, and offered opportunities. And visibility is not

When you’re under pressure, the voice in your head gets louder, but not more accurate. When leaders are stressed, they are more likely to not think rationally or clearly. This can negatively affect their confidence in their decision making and their ability to influence at senior levels. It’s when you are stressed that you’re more

Have you ever been promoted… but secretly wondered if they made a mistake? The transition to senior or executive leadership can be fraught with many challenges. We often hear about adaptations needed to be more strategic, more visible, steering the direction, and other outward facing issues. But what rarely gets talked about are the internal,

No one warns you that leadership can get lonelier the more senior you become. It’s often assumed that once a leader gets to senior and executive levels, they’ve got everything about themselves sorted. And whilst externally, they may appear to have it all together –– after all they’ve navigated the barriers and challenges and made