349: Take Up Space

Last week we built the foundation — self-trust. This week we take it to work.Think about the last high-stakes room you were in. A meeting where direction was being set, where something important was being decided. Did you say everything you came in with? Or did you leave with something still in your chest — an idea you held back, a pushback you softened, a point you never made because the moment had already moved on?That's not a knowledge problem. That's not a preparation problem. I know, because I've been that person — the most prepared woman at the table, with the clearest perspective in the room, who said nothing. And watched us make the wrong call. And had to sit in the follow-up meeting three months later when we walked it back.This episode is about what drives that quiet. And what it actually takes to stop.Executive presence isn't a personality type. It's not about being louder or more aggressive or projecting some version of confidence you don't feel. It's self-trust made visible. And the shrinking — the internal audit before every sentence, the softening reflex, the waiting for the invitation — isn't who you are. It's a habit. Built in rooms that may have required it. That you're carrying into rooms that don't.In this episode:The four specific ways women shrink in professional rooms — and why none of them are character flawsWhy the most prepared person in the room is often the quietestThe direct bridge between speaking up and self-trustThe meeting I don't talk about — and the shift that came afterThree practices to start showing up differently this weekYour presence is a contribution. Your silence is a withholding.Last week we talked about trusting yourself. This week we talk about showing it.