226: Look Me in the Eye: Why It's Time to Stand Tall with Ushi Patel

In this empowering episode, Brand Expert Ushi Patel joins me to discuss how women can break free from the habit of shrinking and start standing tall in leadership roles. She shares strategies to build confidence from within and create habits that support stepping fully into our greatness, rather than holding back. We dive into the challenges women face in male-dominated industries, from bias to the subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) pressures to silence our voices, and emphasize the importance of "going for gold", advocating for yourself, and setting boundaries—like asking others to truly see you by looking you in the eye. We also tackle the difficult topic of isolation and the societal stigma around asking for help, offering strategies to help you connect, self-advocate, and embrace your own strengths as a leader. Join us to discuss building healthy habits, surrounding yourself with supportive evidence of your capabilities, and taking ownership of your greatness.  We dive into: Ushi's career journey and her passion for helping women The habit of shrinking and its impact on women in leadership roles Bias in tech, confidence challenges, and building evidence of your greatness Self-advocacy, vulnerability, and the "going for gold" mindset Asking for help and overcoming isolation And more   **Useful links** Connect with today's guest and sponsor, Ushi:  https://ushi-ink.com/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/ushipatel/ Ushi's current read: Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin If you are ready to uplevel your career, get unstuck or you are simply ready to unlock those leadership time-management techniques then join us in my monthly career & leadership coaching program exclusively for women in tech: https://www.tonicollis.com/academy  Catch the show notes, and more details about today's episode here: https://tonicollis.com/episode226 Check us out on Youtube. Join the Leading Women in Tech community in Slack where we discuss all-the-things for women's tech leadership, covering everything from early-career leadership to C-level executives.   This episode was sponsored by our guest, Ushi Patel. Thank you Ushi for helping to bring Leading Women in Tech to this community!