161. From Admin to Influential Leader: How Visibility Accelerates Internal Career Growth | Gail Pearson

From Admin to Influential Leader: How Visibility Accelerates Internal Career Growth | Gail Pearson   As part of celebrating 10 years in business, I wanted this mini-series to reflect the full spectrum of women I've worked with — not just those I met years ago, but women I've worked with recently, where we can see just how quickly things can shift when someone decides to step forward. And that's exactly why I invited Gail Pearson onto the podcast. Gail is the Policy and Research Manager at Magna Housing Ltd. She supports the business to develop and maintain their policy and procedure portfolio to enable them to reflect new business demands and initiatives, ensure that they are operating within legal and regulatory obligations and that they effectively manage risks. In her spare time she enjoys running having completed 3 marathons and 7 half marathons. Something I am surprised we don't talk about more as I am slightly obsessed with running myself. Gail joined the RiSE programme in September last year, and what I love about her story is that she's built her career internally — starting in an admin role nearly 16 years ago and progressing into leadership. This episode is such a powerful example of what happens when organisations invest in the women they already have. When they see potential. When they back it. We talk about the fear so many women have around visibility — especially reaching out to people on LinkedIn or building connections outside their immediate team. Gail shares honestly about how daunting that felt at first… and how quickly that fear dissolved when she realised something simple but profound: people are human. Most people want to connect. They want to share. They want to help. There's a huge lesson in that. For women listening, this is your reminder that you don't have to have it all figured out before you reach out. One message, one conversation, one brave step can create momentum you didn't expect. And for organisations, this conversation reinforces something I say all the time: career progression doesn't just happen because someone has been there a long time. It happens when confidence, visibility and strategic support come together. When you invest in your internal talent, the impact can be both immediate and long-term. Gail's story shows that growth doesn't always mean leaving — sometimes it means stepping up, speaking up, and expanding your influence right where you are. So if you're wondering whether visibility really makes a difference… or whether investing in development programmes actually creates change… this episode is one to listen to.   I want to hear from YOU so get in touch with me: Book a chat with Gemma - This is the place to book a call to see how Gemma can help you or your company support female leaders to raise their profile, increase performance and visibility and build more allies. Get the White Paper > 'Visibility at Work: The Importance of Self Promotion for Women's Career Progression Connect with your host Gemma Stow: Website: https://www.gemmastow.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gemmastow/ LinkedIn: Business Page https://www.linkedin.com/company/no-more-hiding/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nomorehidingco Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/gemmastow.bsky.social