Pull The Thread

You found out. Maybe it was a slip in conversation, maybe a document left open on the wrong screen, maybe someone just told you outright. And the number wasn't close. It wasn't a rounding error. It was a gap wide enough to have a name.This episode is about that moment and everything that comes after it. Why the pay gap in communications and marketing isn't just a compensation problem, but a signal about how the work is valued and who gets to define that value. We get into why these conversations stay so quiet, what that silence actually protects, and why the discomfort so many women feel talking about money is not an accident or a character flaw. It is a learned response to a system that benefits from keeping us from comparing notes.If you have ever done the math, felt the floor shift a little, and then watched the conversation get hushed before it could go anywhere, this one is for you.

On this episode, we explore the gap between having a title and having a seat at the table, where decisions are actually made. It discusses the structural problem in the communications field, where responsibility is given without authority, leading to a lack of real influence. The episode provides a real example of a title without a seat at the table and encourages taking strategic action to shift the dynamic and influence decision making.TakeawaysResponsibility without authority is a ceiling, not a stepping stoneCommunications is positioned as a downstream function, lacking real influenceShowing up with your own strategy can lead to a shift in the organization's approach

This conversation explores the hidden cost of success, burnout, identity, and renewal. It delves into the impact of societal expectations, the struggle to find purpose, and the journey of reclaiming authenticity and freedom.TakeawaysAuthenticity and freedom are the greatest gifts of the journeyRecognizing the signs of burnout and making small adjustments can prevent a breaking point

Most organizations don't have a talent problem. They have a leadership pipeline that keeps filtering women out. This episode is about the moment that made that undeniable.In the first episode of Pull the Thread, Erika Matallana tells the story of sitting in a room full of women and watching the most senior one edit herself in real time before she spoke. Not because she lacked confidence. Not because she lacked competence. Because the system had trained her to. That moment became the question this entire show is built around.If you are a woman in communications or marketing who is excellent at her job and still fighting for the authority her work has already earned, you are exactly who this show is for.Subscribe to Pull the Thread on LinkedIn for weekly intelligence for communications leaders who know the real story is always underneath.