Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality

Annette Garsteck, Master Professional Career Coach + Sandra Wint, Trauma-Informed Leadership Coach
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Bias, burnout, self-worth, and breaking barriers are not just buzzwords — they are the lived reality of women navigating leadership, workplace dynamics, and workplace culture every single day. Women's experiences take center stage here, exploring intersectionality, identity, and the invisible forces shaping professional visibility, belonging, and psychological safety at work.  Annette Garsteck, MBA, MPCC, is the author of Own Your Career: Take Control + Accelerate Your Professional Growth, a Certified Senior Professional Résumé Writer, and a former Fortune 50 hiring leader. She guides women to take ownership of their careers, increase their visibility, expand their influence, navigate workplace dynamics with confidence, and accelerate their growth while staying true to their values. Sandra Wint, GPCC, Human Design practitioner + Gestalt-certified coach integrating shadow work, mother wound healing, nervous system regulation, emotional safety, astrology, and frameworks like the Karpman Drama Triangle to support deep personal transformation and self-awareness. Delivering these in Women’s Circles + leadership retreats, she helps women better understand themselves, their relationships, and the systems they navigate. Each episode goes deep into trauma-informed leadership, the unspoken rules of power for women, and the influence women already hold but are rarely given permission to use. If you are a woman in leadership, or becoming one, who is done shrinking and ready to claim her space, this is your community.  On Exposing the Hidden Reality, we cover topics such as: Why do high-performing women stay in abusive relationships?  Why do women burn out faster than men at work? How does gender bias show up as "culture fit" in the workplace? How can women overcome imposter syndrome and people pleasing at work? What are the hidden barriers women face in leadership roles? How do working women balance personal and professional identity? Connect with Exposing the Hidden Reality: https://exposingthehiddenreality.com/ LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/exposingthehiddenreality Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/exposingthehiddenreality Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/exposingthehiddenreality 

  1. 2 days ago

    054: Passed Over for a Promotion? What Kind of Support Do You Actually Need?

    Getting passed over for an internal promotion can send you searching for an answer: Was it the company, the manager, the strategy, the skill gap, or something you still cannot see from inside the situation? Sandra and Annette both know the slow erosion that can happen after hearing no again. Annette stopped telling people when she was applying. Sandra eventually stopped putting her hat in the ring at all. But the more complicated question begins when you finally ask for feedback and your body reacts before your mind can make sense of what you are hearing. AI can help you prepare questions, script a conversation, or role-play a manager's response. It cannot recreate the trust, vulnerability, nervous system response, and pattern recognition that happen inside a real relationship. Sometimes the support you need is information. Sometimes it is accountability, perspective, a mentor, a coach, therapy, or simply a place where you can show up imperfectly long enough to see what is actually going on. Join the EHR newsletter at exposingthehiddenreality.com to keep the conversation going between episodes. Connect with Exposing the Hidden Reality: https://exposingthehiddenreality.com LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/exposingthehiddenreality Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/exposingthehiddenreality Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/exposingthehiddenreality Connect with Annette Garsteck: https://www.annettegarsteck.com Connect with Sandra Wint: https://www.me-her-us.com Photography of Sandra Wint + Annette Garsteck taken by Katie Garlock, Portrations

  2. 3 Sept

    053: When You Need an Outside Perspective at Work

    Have you ever talked through the same workplace problem with three different people and still ended up in exactly the same place? Sometimes the issue is not that we need more advice. It is that we have not stopped to ask what kind of help we are actually looking for. A difficult boss, an uncomfortable conversation, a decision we cannot make, or a meeting we keep replaying can take over far more of our attention than the original moment deserves. And the people closest to us may love us deeply while still reinforcing the perspective we already have. Sandra and Annette explore what changes when we get more intentional about outside perspective: when we need someone to listen, when we need a witness, when we want problem-solving, when expertise matters, and when the issue may belong with a coach, consultant, therapist, or another kind of support. They also look at the role AI can play, and where its limits become important. Because the most useful question may not be, “Who can I talk to?” It may be, “What do I need from this conversation?” Connect with Exposing the Hidden Reality: https://exposingthehiddenreality.com LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/exposingthehiddenreality Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/exposingthehiddenreality Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/exposingthehiddenreality Connect with Annette Garsteck: https://www.annettegarsteck.com Connect with Sandra Wint: https://www.me-her-us.com Photography of Sandra Wint + Annette Garsteck taken by Katie Garlock, Portrations

  3. 27 Aug

    052: When the Door Doesn't Exist, Build One

    What do you do when you've worked hard, developed the skills, invested in yourself, and realize the door you're trying to walk through might not actually exist? Voice actor Christy Harst spent five years trying to break further into the male-dominated world of sports promo. She invested in training, workshops, demos, and marketing. Then an industry insider helped her recognize that working harder wasn't necessarily going to change the system she was trying to enter. Christy got angry. Then she built a door. What began as the Building Doors campaign became something much bigger than Christy's own career. She started showcasing other women's voices, opening conversations with major brands, and demonstrating what can happen when women use their collective visibility to create opportunities for one another. Originally recorded in November 2024, this conversation asks a question that reaches far beyond the voice-over industry: What can you do when the opportunity you're ready for doesn't exist yet? Join us for a conversation about systems, visibility, collaboration, influence, and what becomes possible when we stop waiting for someone else to open the door. Join the Exposing the Hidden Reality newsletter at ExposingTheHiddenReality.com. Connect with Christy Harst and the Building Doors Campaign at https://www.christyharst.com. Connect with Exposing the Hidden Reality: https://exposingthehiddenreality.com LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/exposingthehiddenreality Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/exposingthehiddenreality Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/exposingthehiddenreality Connect with Annette Garsteck: https://www.annettegarsteck.com Connect with Sandra Wint: https://www.me-her-us.com Photography of Sandra Wint + Annette Garsteck taken by Katie Garlock, Portrations

  4. 20 Aug

    051: Resume Writing for Career Reinvention: Show Your Value, Not Just Your Job History

    What if the problem with your resume is not that it leaves too much out, but that it is trying to carry too much? Sandra has not updated her resume in ten years. That creates a very real question: how do you represent a decade of building a coaching business while still honoring the thirty years of IT leadership that shaped the work you do now? Annette shifts the question from “How much history should I include?” to “What is relevant to where I am going next?” From there, the conversation gets practical: how to show evidence instead of duties, use numbers to communicate scope, keep LinkedIn and your resume congruent, handle education and older experience, decide which skills have become basic expectations, and use the job description as more than a list of ATS keywords. And with AI making it easier than ever to create polished, interchangeable resumes, the details only you can provide matter even more. If this conversation has you looking at your resume differently, join the Exposing the Hidden Reality email list at exposingthehiddenreality.com. You will get access to additional resume resources from Annette and an invitation to her August 24 interactive workshop, Rethink the Resume: Don't Let AI Make You Average. Connect with Exposing the Hidden Reality: https://exposingthehiddenreality.com LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/exposingthehiddenreality Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/exposingthehiddenreality Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/exposingthehiddenreality Connect with Annette Garsteck: https://www.annettegarsteck.com Connect with Sandra Wint: https://www.me-her-us.com Photography of Sandra Wint + Annette Garsteck taken by Katie Garlock, Portrations

  5. 13 Aug

    050: Career Pivot: How to Know When It’s Time for a Change

    Most career pivots do not begin with a resignation letter. They begin much earlier, with a question that keeps returning: Is this still the life I want to be living? For Sandra, the answer emerged slowly. She liked her company and the people she worked with, but she was exhausted, disconnected from the creative parts of herself, and increasingly aware that she did not want her children to look back and remember “Mom was a ghost.” Annette sees a similar pattern with women whose work may not have changed at all, but whose lives have. Children grow up. Caregiving shifts. Priorities move. What once felt tolerable starts to feel impossible to ignore. The harder part is deciding what those feelings mean. Are you running away from a bad boss or toward something that is calling you? Is it a bad week, a difficult season, or a deeper shift? What happens when your title has become part of your identity, or when a decision affects a partner, children, finances, and the future you cannot see yet? This conversation makes room for the uncertainty, grief, self-trust, and exploration that can exist long before a career change becomes visible. If questions about your own career keep coming back, you do not have to answer them today. You may only need to stop pushing them aside. Continue the conversation with us each week by joining the Exposing the Hidden Reality newsletter at exposingthehiddenreality.com.  Connect with Exposing the Hidden Reality: https://exposingthehiddenreality.com LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/exposingthehiddenreality Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/exposingthehiddenreality Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/exposingthehiddenreality Connect with Annette Garsteck: https://www.annettegarsteck.com Connect with Sandra Wint: https://www.me-her-us.com Photography of Sandra Wint + Annette Garsteck taken by Katie Garlock, Portrations

  6. 6 Aug

    049: Intentional Visibility: The Story People Tell About You

    What if visibility is not about becoming louder, but becoming clearer? People are already forming a story about your work, your leadership, and what they can rely on you for. The question is whether you are participating in writing that story or waiting for someone else to notice you and get it right. Sandra and Annette return to a question that was left unanswered in their previous conversation: What does visibility actually mean? They explore the difference between intentional and accidental visibility, why talking about your accomplishments can feel uncomfortable, and how one-on-ones, stretch assignments, cross-functional relationships, and even mistakes can shape the way your value is understood. The conversation also moves beneath the career strategy. What happens when visibility has felt like touching a hot stove? How do you separate the part of a story that belongs to you from the part created by someone else's perception? And what if the feedback you receive reveals that the problem is not who you are, but where you are? This conversation invites you to stop waiting to be discovered and begin asking a more useful question: What do I want to be known for? Connect with Exposing the Hidden Reality: https://exposingthehiddenreality.com LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/exposingthehiddenreality Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/exposingthehiddenreality Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/exposingthehiddenreality Connect with Annette Garsteck: https://www.annettegarsteck.com Connect with Sandra Wint: https://www.me-her-us.com Photography of Sandra Wint + Annette Garsteck taken by Katie Garlock, Portrations

  7. 30 Jul

    048: Visibility Starts with Safety: Why Choosing Yourself Changes Everything

    Most advice about becoming more visible tells us to speak up, network more, or promote ourselves. But what if visibility isn't a confidence problem at all? What if the real question is whether it feels safe to be seen? Sandra Wint and Annette Garsteck explore how our earliest experiences shape the way we show up at work, in relationships, and even with ourselves. Along the way they unpack nervous system responses, workplace culture, privilege, self-trust, and why so many accomplished women still hesitate to share their voice. One realization becomes the turning point: "I choose me." Because visibility isn't about becoming someone different. It's about becoming safe enough to stop performing and start living from who you already are. If this conversation resonates with you, subscribe, share it with someone who needs it, and join our community at ExposingTheHiddenReality.com where the conversation continues. Connect with Exposing the Hidden Reality: https://exposingthehiddenreality.com LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/exposingthehiddenreality Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/exposingthehiddenreality Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/exposingthehiddenreality Connect with Annette Garsteck: https://www.annettegarsteck.com Connect with Sandra Wint: https://www.me-her-us.com Photography of Sandra Wint + Annette Garsteck taken by Katie Garlock, Portrations

  8. 23 Jul

    047: Uncovering Story through The Success Codex: Ankara Rose on Human Design and Astrology

    On this episode, we continues exploring stories with our guest Ankhara Rose creator of The Success Codex.  Since Episode 42, we've been exploring the stories we carry about ourselves, those we've inherit from other people and the ones we create about others. Today, you'll hear us  share thoughts and insights about authenticity, safety, and what it actually takes to stop performing a version of yourself and start living as the real one. Join our newsletter community at ExposingTheHiddenReality.com. About our guest Ankara Rose is the creator of The Success Codex, a system that blends human design and astrology through the lens of business, entrepreneurship, and leadership. She has spent more than twenty years as an entrepreneur and has trained a community of practitioners to use these tools without turning them into a new set of rules to live inside.  She is also a certified menopause doula, a musician, and a mother of two. The conversation opens with a question that comes up constantly in Sandra and Annette's coaching work: why is it that learning something about yourself so rarely translates into actually living differently? Ankara offers a way to think about that gap, moving from gathering information, to testing it in real life, to the point where the change simply becomes who you are without conscious effort. From there the conversation turns toward fear, and specifically the fear of being rejected for showing up as yourself.  We share personal experiences and the freedom that is possible when we see ourselves more clearly.  We talk honestly about the limits of any self-knowledge system, astrology and human design included. Ankara is candid that these tools are meant to be a starting point for self-trust, not a new authority to obey, and she describes how she asks consent before offering intuitive guidance to a client so that the relationship never tips into her being someone else's decision maker. The episode closes with a discussion of free will, and the idea that a chart or a codex hands you ingredients, but what you choose to bake is still entirely yours. Connect with Ankara Rose To generate your own Success Codex, visit freesuccesscodex.com and enter your birth date, time, and location. Ankara shares live readings most Fridays on Substack, searchable under The Success Codex at this link: https://thesuccesscodex.substack.com/ Connect with Exposing the Hidden Reality: https://exposingthehiddenreality.com LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/exposingthehiddenreality Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/exposingthehiddenreality Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/exposingthehiddenreality Connect with Annette Garsteck: https://www.annettegarsteck.com Connect with Sandra Wint: https://www.me-her-us.com Photography of Sandra Wint + Annette Garsteck taken by Katie Garlock, Portrations

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About

Bias, burnout, self-worth, and breaking barriers are not just buzzwords — they are the lived reality of women navigating leadership, workplace dynamics, and workplace culture every single day. Women's experiences take center stage here, exploring intersectionality, identity, and the invisible forces shaping professional visibility, belonging, and psychological safety at work.  Annette Garsteck, MBA, MPCC, is the author of Own Your Career: Take Control + Accelerate Your Professional Growth, a Certified Senior Professional Résumé Writer, and a former Fortune 50 hiring leader. She guides women to take ownership of their careers, increase their visibility, expand their influence, navigate workplace dynamics with confidence, and accelerate their growth while staying true to their values. Sandra Wint, GPCC, Human Design practitioner + Gestalt-certified coach integrating shadow work, mother wound healing, nervous system regulation, emotional safety, astrology, and frameworks like the Karpman Drama Triangle to support deep personal transformation and self-awareness. Delivering these in Women’s Circles + leadership retreats, she helps women better understand themselves, their relationships, and the systems they navigate. Each episode goes deep into trauma-informed leadership, the unspoken rules of power for women, and the influence women already hold but are rarely given permission to use. If you are a woman in leadership, or becoming one, who is done shrinking and ready to claim her space, this is your community.  On Exposing the Hidden Reality, we cover topics such as: Why do high-performing women stay in abusive relationships?  Why do women burn out faster than men at work? How does gender bias show up as "culture fit" in the workplace? How can women overcome imposter syndrome and people pleasing at work? What are the hidden barriers women face in leadership roles? How do working women balance personal and professional identity? Connect with Exposing the Hidden Reality: https://exposingthehiddenreality.com/ LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/exposingthehiddenreality Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/exposingthehiddenreality Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/exposingthehiddenreality 

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