#122 | The Overlooked Leadership Mistake That Makes Smart, Ambitious Leaders Look “Too Keen” When They’re Trying To Get Promoted: Leadership, Influence & Promotion

Have you ever worked so hard to get your message right that the effort itself became the thing people noticed?Smart, ambitious leaders often respond to high-stakes moments by preparing harder, rehearsing more, and giving every interaction 110%. But when preparation turns into intensity, your audience may feel how much you need the moment to go well before they ever hear the value of what you have to say.In this episode, you’ll explore the difference between intensity and impact, through Cara’s experience of having a genuinely valuable insight overshadowed by how much she wanted to get it right.You’ll learn:How to recognize interaction debt — the specific kind of exhaustion that comes from spending your full cognitive and emotional reserves in every interaction.Why preparation and presence are different — and why burning all your energy before you enter the room can leave you with nothing but your need to succeed.How to shift from intensity to impact by becoming more aware of where your energy goes and creating space to actually connect with the people in the room.Listen to the episode to understand why intensity isn’t the same as impact—and why steady presence may be more powerful than trying harder.New episodes are released every Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.Stuck, simmering, or onto something juicy? I want to hear it. Drop me a line at [email protected] - I read them all.And here is the Spotify Playlist to accompany UnShakeable Her.Unshakeable Her is the podcast for women in leadership who are ready to build real influence, earn the promotion they deserve, and lead with confidence in systems that weren't built for them. Each episode tackles the challenges that shape leadership from the inside out, including imposter syndrome, resilience, credibility, boundaries, conflict, and feedback, while unpacking how pressure, workplace politics, strategic thinking, decision-making, and visibility affect the way ambitious women grow, lead, and get promoted without losing themselves in the process.