Why So Many Successful Women Lose Their Voice

What if you are not struggling to speak up because you lack confidence—but because you have spent years learning to stay silent?Elaine Lin Hering, author of Unlearning Silence, joins Betsy to explore how women withhold their opinions, needs, goals and emotions to make life easier for everyone around them. That silence may earn you a reputation as agreeable, helpful and easy to work with, but it can also leave you feeling overlooked, exhausted and disconnected from who you are.Elaine shares why women often lose touch with what they think and need, how narrow expectations around leadership and executive presence silence talented people, and why your perspective becomes one of your greatest professional assets as you advance.You’ll learn:How learned silence shows up beyond simply staying quietWhy women are often rewarded for being agreeable and easy to work withHow narrow definitions of leadership and executive presence silence talented peopleWhy your perspective becomes more valuable as you advance in your careerTwo questions that can help you reconnect with what you think and needHow low-risk experiments can help you start using your voice againA simple phrase that can turn potential conflict into conversationBecause being loud is not about dominating the room. It is about having the agency to show up fully as yourself.Chapters00:00 Why Women Learn to Stay Silent01:50 What “Unlearning Silence” Really Means05:05 Why We’re Rewarded for Being Easy and Agreeable07:45 How Workplaces Silence People Without Realizing It10:16 The Problem With “Executive Presence”12:03 Start Speaking Up With Low-Risk Experiments15:24 How to Help Other Women Find Their Voice16:37 Two Questions: What Do I Think and Need?17:25 Why Your Perspective Is Your Career Value19:57 Sharing What You Need Isn’t Selfish21:06 When High-Achieving Women Lose Themselves30:31 Voice Is About Choice—not Constantly Talking31:30 What Being “Loud” Actually Means32:13 A Simple Phrase for Speaking Up at Work33:53 Practical Steps to Start Unlearning SilenceLinksConnect with ElainePurchase Unlearning Silence