#49 | Your Workplace Does Not Have a Women Problem It Has a Decision Hygiene Problem and Here Is How to Fix It.

International Women’s Day can spark great conversations… and then Monday arrives and everything snaps back to “busy.”This episode is the follow-through.If you manage people, this is your practical guide to turning fairness from a once-a-year moment into decision hygiene: the everyday habits that shape who gets seen, backed, and promoted.In this episode, you’ll learnWhy most workplaces don’t have a “women problem” - they have a decision hygiene problemThe hidden ways careers get shaped: credit, access, opportunity, clarity, protection (and why “treat everyone the same” isn’t fairness)The difference between confidence and confidence performance (and why “be more confident” is lazy feedback)How to stop rewarding “the ask” by default - without turning work into a bureaucracy festivalA simple, repeatable leadership habit: Give Audit → Give Plan → Give Proof (15 minutes a week)Key momentsThe uncomfortable truth: how informal decisions quietly shape progressionBrain stuff (without the TED Talk): why “equal treatment” doesn’t create equal outcomesCareer Quote Crime: “Just be more confident” (and what to say instead)Listener dilemma: “I’m being overlooked - how do I ask for support when my manager is slammed?”The manager-proof ask: how to request visibility and growth with clarity, not emotionYour weekly system: the quickest way to rebalance credit, access, and opportunityPractical scripts you can stealIf you’re the team member: “Can I grab 15 minutes? In the next 4 weeks I’d like to own one visible stretch piece and present it to [X]. I’ve got two options that would help the team - which would you back?”If you’re the manager (instead of ‘be more confident’): “I want more visibility of your thinking - let’s define what that looks like in meetings and stakeholder moments.”Your action for this weekBook 15 minutes on Friday and run:Give Audit: who got credit, access, opportunity, protection?Give Plan: one deliberate “give” next weekGive Proof: one line you can point to (so it becomes a habit, not a hope)If you want to go furtherTry the “Create a moment” move: A thank you is a compliment. A moment is a reputation. Name the person, name the value, name the result - where other people can hear it.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.