Fear in Disguise: What Really Holds Women Back at Work - Alexandra Watson - Ep. 159

In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, I sit down with Alexandra Watson, founder of the Leadership School for Women. Alexandra has spent 30 years coaching women at the highest levels of business, from Olympic athletes to board directors, and she started her career working for Prince. We do get into that story. The heart of this episode is fear. Alexandra says fear is the thing that gets in the way of everything, and that the most dangerous version of it disguises itself as being rational, sensible and even-minded. She describes herself as her clients' fear's nemesis, and explains how she teaches women to hear the difference between the fear voice and their own. We also talk about people pleasing, and I share the story of how my own business started out built entirely around keeping everyone else happy. Alexandra reframes people pleasing as a symptom, with self-esteem as the cause, and makes the case that letting go of it is a duty, not a luxury, because it makes you a better leader. We finish on the bigger picture: burnout, senior women leaving in droves, the equality legislation coming in 2027, and a recruitment story that sums up the difference between men and women at work in one phone call. Key takeaways · Fear is clever, it disguises itself as sensible caution · People pleasing is a symptom, self-esteem is the cause · Letting go of people pleasing makes you a better leader · Failure is stopping, not falling short · Companies do better with women at the top and a firm pipeline behind them About Alexandra Watson Alexandra Watson is the founder of the Leadership School for Women. She has spent 30 years coaching women at the highest levels of business, from Olympic athletes to board directors, and is recognised as a leading voice on female leadership performance in the UK. Find her on LinkedIn or email [email protected]. This is Part 1. Part 2, where Alexandra shares her five keys to being heard and we talk about the money conversation every couple should have, follows on Monday. If you want more from the podcast, take our quiz. We'll give you playlists that are full of exactly the information you want from the podcast: https://allmylink.me/YtLK Watch and listen here · YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@rebeccarobertsonifa · Spotify: Accelerating Your Wealth on Spotify · Apple: Accelerating Your Wealth on Apple Podcasts