Somewhere between earning your authority and exercising it, you stopped trusting your own voice. You did not lose it; you loaned it out to a committee that was never invited, never qualified and never dismissed.
3 Key Takeaways from this Episode:
The committee running your decisions was never invited. I’ll walk you through how to identify the uninvited voices still casting votes on your pricing, your pace, and your worth, and why naming them is the first step to dismissing them.
Authority questioning isn’t in your head — it’s in the data. I’ll share the 2025 PNAS longitudinal study (Williams et al.) showing women face more frequent authority questioning than men, and that this pattern directly predicts increased burnout and reduced intention. Plus the Rudman & Glick research on the backlash effect: women are penalized for the same direct, confident communication that gets men labeled as leaders.
How to reclaim your authority using three of the Five A’s. I’ll teach you the Awareness-Alignment-Action framework for this episode.
Join Us at the Level Up Summit
The women I work with aren’t waiting for permission anymore. They’re dismissing the committee, auditing the qualifiers, and making decisions from their own authority.
If you’re ready to be in a room where that energy is the standard — the Level Up Summit is where it’s happening. 24 experts. 2 days. 14 sessions. This is the kind of strategic partnership that helps you see your own blind spots and move with the precision your ambition deserves.
Get Your Seat at Level Up Summit
Research & Resources
Williams, M.J. et al. (2025). “Women’s Authority Questioning Experiences at Work.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Vol. 122, No. 20. Longitudinal, multisite study from Emory University. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2415826122
Rudman, L.A. & Glick, P. (2001). “Prescriptive Gender Stereotypes and Backlash Toward Agentic Women.” Journal of Social Issues, 57(4), 743–762.
McKinsey & LeanIn.Org (2025). Women in the Workplace Report.
Books
Frankel, Dr. Lois P. Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office (10th Anniversary Edition): Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their Careers. A Nice Girls Book.
Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office
Davis, Viola. Finding Me: A Memoir. HarperOne, 2022. New York Times bestseller.
Share
Know a woman who needs to hear this? Text them this episode. The one who always starts her sentences with “I might be wrong, but...” The one who has fifteen years of expertise and is still waiting to feel legitimate. The one who hasn’t raised her rates because a voice from three years ago is still the deciding vote. She needs this. When one woman dismisses the committee, she models a different way forward for every woman watching.
Next Episode
When you stop running on everyone else’s urgency, you’re going to have to face your own and what you find might surprise you. You’ve been overriding it for so long, treating every season like it should look identical, that you’ve forgotten how to read yourself.
Next week, we’re going somewhere that might make you uncomfortable.
Let’s Connect
Where are you wearing the cape of false authority this week? What happens when you imagine dismissing the committee? Drop me a DM:
Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase through them — at no additional cost to you. I only recommend resources I’ve actually used or genuinely believe will support your growth
