Transform and Lead

Confidence isn’t about feeling a certain way—it’s about knowing a certain way. In this episode, Bron dives into why high-performing women don’t actually lack confidence—they lack clarity. If you’ve ever found yourself second-guessing your instincts, overexplaining your ideas, or feeling like you have to prove yourself over and over again, this episode is for you.

Bron unpacks the four types of clarity every ambitious woman needs to lead with confidence:
✅ Clarity of Your Values & Purpose
✅ Understanding What Holds You Back (Systemic & Internal)
✅ Clarity of What You Want From Your Career & Life
✅ The Missing Piece: Time to Reflect, Plan & Take Intentional Action

She also shares three practical ways to untangle your thoughts and get unstuck:
Find an Outside Ear (Without Advice Overload) – How to set up a conversation that helps you gain clarity without getting unhelpful opinions.
Use ChatGPT as a Thought Partner – The exact prompt to use to get powerful coaching-style questions. Use this prompt:

"I’m a high-performing woman in an executive role, and I feel stuck. I know I’m capable, but I second-guess myself, and I don’t know exactly what I want for my future. Acting as an executive coach, ask me powerful coaching questions that will help me untangle my thoughts, clarify my goals, and reconnect with my confidence."

Journal with These 3 Prompts – Unlock deeper clarity by writing your way through the mental clutter.

This episode will challenge you to see clarity as an investment, not a luxury, and help you take action toward the confidence you’ve been waiting for.

[Listen now on your favourite podcast platform!]

Evidence-Based Research on Leadership Clarity & Reflection:

1. How Self-Reflection Makes You a Better Leader
   This Forbes article discusses how self-reflection enhances leadership by fostering self-awareness and informed decision-making.
2. The Key to Leadership Development Is Critical Reflection
   This piece emphasizes the role of critical reflection in leadership development, offering practical suggestions like maintaining a reflection journal.

Want to take this work deeper?

• DM me on LinkedIn – Let’s talk about how you can step into leadership clarity!
• Join my newsletter for more insights on owning your ambition, femininity, and power.

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• Subscribe & leave a review—it helps more ambitious women like you find this show!
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Music by audionautix.com

In this conversation, we dive into leadership superpowers - how to refine your strengths by understanding their shadow sides to elevate your impact! Too often women are told to tone down their strengths instead of overcoming the shadow side. This often leads to women becoming less effective. It's not intentional, it's simply a result of the fact that for senior femal leaders, 70% of their own leaders are male. This means that the feedback comes from a biased lens.

In this podcast learn how to understand your strengths, identify their shadow sides and unlock your superpowers.

Takeaways

• Women and men start in corporate roles at nearly equal rates and by senior leadership, women make up only 28% of senior vice presidents.
• Leadership norms are shaped by traditionally masculine traits and women often receive vague and unhelpful feedback.
• Strengths can have shadow sides that undermine effectiveness.
• Refining strengths without diminishing them can turn them into leadership superpowers.
• Transform strengths into superpowers through actionable strategies.

Chapters

Key References:

• McKinsey & LeanIn – Women in the Workplace Report
• Harvard Business Review – Women Score Higher Than Men in Leadership Skills
• Research: Men Get More Actionable Feedback Than Women
• Forbes – New Research: Women More Effective Than Men In All Leadership Measures
• Research on Female and Male Leaders White Paper

Get in Touch

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bron-stephens/

In this episode of Transform and Lead, Bron Stephens challenges the conventional wisdom surrounding confidence, particularly for women in leadership roles. She argues that confidence is not a prerequisite for action but rather a byproduct of it. The discussion covers the detrimental effects of the confidence myth, the importance of owning your ambition, recognising leadership superpowers, and addressing the inner critic. Bron emphasizes the need for women to embrace their authentic leadership styles and take action before feeling fully prepared, ultimately encouraging listeners to own their unique identities and capabilities.

Takeaways

• Confidence is a byproduct of action, not a prerequisite. Women should focus on overcoming barriers to confidence rather than trying to build it.
• Women often internalize the message that they need to be more confident.
• Owning your ambition means clearly stating what you want.
• Owning the inner critic is crucial for building confidence.
• Taking action builds resilience and confidence over time.
  

Resources and Referenced Research

• https://hbr.org/2022/10/how-confidence-is-weaponized-against-women
• https://womenrisingco.com/research-report-thank-you/
• https://textio.com/feedback-bias-2024

Get in Touch

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bron-stephens-

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/transformandlead

Welcome to Transform and Lead, a podcast for high-achieving women who want to lead with confidence, own their ambition, and stay true to themselves. No outdated leadership advice—just practical strategies, and stories to help you navigate career moves, big decisions, and the moments that define your success. Whether you’re climbing the ladder, making a pivot, or just looking for that extra edge, this podcast is here to help you step up and stand out.

Connect with my on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bron-stephens/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/transform-and-lead/

This is a special International Women’s Day (IWD) 2025 episode of Transform and Lead. With everything happening in the US and growing noise here in Australia, I wanted to see if we could have a sensible conversation on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). It's too important to see it topple and find ourselves in the same situation yet the conversation is getting messy and worse, it's becoming about men rather than the patriachy (they're not the same thing). This year’s IWD theme, “Accelerate Action”, isn’t about lip service—it’s about doing the work to create workplaces where everyone can thrive.

️ In this episode, I share:
✔️ My personal experience seeing some of the fallout from DEI going wrong.
✔️ Why DEI shouldn’t be divisive—how we move from an “us vs. them” mindset to real, inclusive leadership.
✔️ Three areas of DEI that are at risk of getting lost in the noise: equal parental leave for fathers, workplace flexibility for everyone (not just parents), and fixing leadership pipelines so the next generation doesn’t hit the same barriers.
✔️ Four actions leaders can take right now to support DEI in a way that actually works—without backlash, performative gestures, or exhausting “tick-the-box” exercises.

This episode is about real stories, real change, and real leadership—because DEI isn’t about guilt or exclusion, it’s about making workplaces better for everyone.

What are your thoughts? How are you accelerating action this International Women’s Day? Drop me a message or share your insights!

️ Hit play and let's get into it!

Music by audionautix.com

References:

• The Broken Rung - https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/women-in-the-workplace
• DEI Isn’t Working. Inclusive Economics Might - https://time.com/7022544/inclusive-economics-dei-impact-business/
• Why longer paternity leave is a step forward for gender equality - https://www.weforum.org/stories/2019/12/parental-leave-equal-rights-for-women-and-men/
• Paid paternity leave should be the norm in the US - https://www.weforum.org/stories/2020/11/paid-paternity-leave-in-the-united-states/
• AIFS Fathers and parental leave - https://aifs.gov.au/resources/short-articles/fathers-and-parental-leave
• What is DEI and why is Trump opposed to it? - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/24/diversity-backlash-what-is-dei-and-why-is-trump-opposed-to-it
• Rollback on diversity policies ‘risks undoing decades of progress’, says Co-op - https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/feb/14/ditching-diversity-risks-progress-co-op
• Rollback on diversity policies ‘risks undoing decades of progress’, says Co-op - https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/feb/14/ditching-diversity-risks-progress-co-op
• Could Japan's paternity leave policy narrow the gender gap? - https://www.weforum.org/stories/2023/10/could-japans-paternity-leave-policy-help-narrow-the-gender-gap...