She Leads Collective Podcast: stories, allyship and confidence tools for women

Mary Gregory
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Bold conversations with women leaders & allies.   Real stories, leadership insights, and the “undiscussables” shaping how we work today.    Each season of the She Leads Collective Podcast features three powerful themes:     Real Models – conversations with inspiring women leaders and business owners who share the truth behind their success—the bias they’ve faced, the doubts they’ve overcome, and the wisdom they’ve gained.   Allies – honest insights from men and women who are actively championing gender equity, revealing what true allyship looks like in action.   The Undiscussables – the topics no one talks about, but everyone is impacted by—emotions at work, wholistic leadership, womens health needs, mental health, baby loss, domestic violence—and how they shape our workplaces and leadership.     I’m Mary Gregory—Executive Coach, Author and host of She Leads Collective. My mission is to enable women to step into their full leadership potential and create workplaces where everyone can thrive.   Let’s change the conversation—together.   And if you’re a woman leader who’s ever doubted your confidence, explore my programme “Exploding the Confidence Myth” → https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/exploding-the-confidence-myth-tickets-1617750698889?aff=oddtdtcreator

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  1. S2 Ep1: Why the Gender Equity Conversation Isn’t Over — and Why Leadership Still Needs It.

    EPISODE 1

    S2 Ep1: Why the Gender Equity Conversation Isn’t Over — and Why Leadership Still Needs It.

    Send us Fan Mail In this opening episode of Season 2 of the She Leads Collective Podcast, Mary Gregory reflects on why this podcast still matters — and why now. At a time when there’s a growing narrative that “enough has been done” on gender equity, Mary explores the gap between perception and lived experience. Drawing on her decades of leadership experience and years of coaching women leaders and their allies, she looks at what today’s complex challenges demand from leadership — and why more relational, inclusive and human ways of leading are no longer optional. This episode sets the tone for Season 2, introducing themes of resilience, tenacity and community, and inviting listeners into honest conversations about leadership, confidence, allyship and the long game of change. 🔗 Connect with Mary: marygregory.com 📣 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marygregory  📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mary_gregory/  📰 Newsletter: Subscribe on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7029410958645059584  🎙 Want to be a guest? Get in touch!  ⭐ Subscribe, share & leave a review  ✨ Produced by Mary Gregory Leadership Coaching

    9 min
  2. S2 Ep2: Leading At The Top As A Woman with Penny De Valk

    EPISODE 2

    S2 Ep2: Leading At The Top As A Woman with Penny De Valk

    Send us Fan Mail Why are so many talented women still walking out of organisations — despite decades of investment in leadership development, diversity initiatives and good intent? In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Mary Gregory is joined by Penny De Valk — former MD, CEO and Board Director, and now a global leadership development expert working across the UK, New Zealand and the US. Penny shares her leadership journey and the lived reality of leading at the highest levels: the responsibility, the complexity, and the constant need to balance “taking care” with “taking charge”. Together, Mary and Penny explore how gender and power still show up in subtle but persistent ways — from assumptions about competence to the double binds women face when exercising authority. Penny also shares practical wisdom on learning leadership through experience, building self-awareness, and choosing courage over waiting for confidence. This episode ends by zooming out to the current global climate and the growing pushback on DEI — setting the scene for Part 2, where Mary and Penny dig into the trends behind women leaving workplaces and what leaders can do about it. Connect with Penny on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pennydevalk/ Or visit her website: https://pennydevalk.com/ 🔗 Connect with Mary: marygregory.com 📣 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marygregory  📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mary_gregory/  📰 Newsletter: Subscribe on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7029410958645059584  🎙 Want to be a guest? Get in touch!  ⭐ Subscribe, share & leave a review  ✨ Produced by Mary Gregory Leadership Coaching

    42 min
  3. S2 Ep3: Why Women Are Still Leaving - the systems holding them back with Penny De Valk

    EPISODE 3

    S2 Ep3: Why Women Are Still Leaving - the systems holding them back with Penny De Valk

    Send us Fan Mail Part 2 of 2 episodes with Penny De Valk. Why are organisations still losing talented women — and why does this pattern persist, even when leaders genuinely want things to change? In this second episode of a two-part conversation, Mary Gregory and Penny De Valk move beyond individual leadership journeys to examine the systems shaping women’s experiences at work today. Drawing on Penny’s global work with senior leaders — alongside insights from the McKinsey Women in the Workplace research — this episode explores why the leadership pipeline continues to leak, why women are still promoted and sponsored differently, and how well-intended organisational decisions can quietly disadvantage women. Mary and Penny discuss the broken first rung, sponsorship versus mentorship, invisible and emotional labour, flexibility stigma, and the growing fatigue around gender equity efforts — as well as what actually helps organisations retain and develop female talent. This is a grounded, realistic conversation about why women leaving is not a lack of ambition, but a rational response to systems that still haven’t caught up — and what leaders can do differently if they want to stop losing great people. Free resource: If this conversation has raised questions for you, you can download the Gender Equity Temperature Check — a short, reflective tool designed for HR, DEI and senior leaders to assess the what's really happening beneath the surface for gender equity in your organisation.  Download your Gender Equity Temperature Check here: https://www.marygregory.com/gender-equity-temperature-check Connect with Penny on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pennydevalk/ Or visit her website: https://pennydevalk.com/ 🔗 Connect with Mary: marygregory.com 📣 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marygregory  📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mary_gregory/  📰 Newsletter: Subscribe on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7029410958645059584  🎙 Want to be a guest? Get in touch!  ⭐ Subscribe, share & leave a review  ✨ Produced by Mary Gregory Leadership Coaching

    32 min
  4. S2 Ep4: Self-Leadership First - Values-Led Leadership, Unseen Work and Privilege with Lucy Philip

    EPISODE 4

    S2 Ep4: Self-Leadership First - Values-Led Leadership, Unseen Work and Privilege with Lucy Philip

    Send us Fan Mail What if one of the most powerful things a leader can do isn’t to fix others — but to understand themselves first? In this episode of the She Leads Collective Podcast, I’m joined by Lucy Philip, winner of Best Female Leader at the Best Business Women Awards, founder of Purposefully Blended (now celebrating 10 years), former nurse, coach, and single parent to three children. Lucy shares why leadership begins with self-leadership — understanding your unconscious patterns, noticing what you default to under pressure, and choosing curiosity over control. We talk about the “ask” approach (and why telling people what to do erodes creativity), how perfectionism can keep us disconnected from ourselves, and what it really took for Lucy to shift from Perfectly to Purposefully. We also explore the unseen load many women carry, why it isn’t a level playing field, and how leaders can create genuine opportunity by asking better questions and designing flexibility around real life. Lucy speaks candidly about privilege and allyship too — how to open doors and keep them open for others, without defensiveness or paralysis. If you’re navigating complexity, leading change, or trying to stay human in high-performance environments — this one’s for you. Connect with Lucy: LinkedIn: Lucy Philip Website: purposefullyblended.co.uk 🔗 Connect with Mary: marygregory.com 📣 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marygregory  📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mary_gregory/  📰 Newsletter: Subscribe on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7029410958645059584  🎙 Want to be a guest? Get in touch!  ⭐ Subscribe, share & leave a review  ✨ Produced by Mary Gregory Leadership Coaching

    54 min
  5. S2 Ep5: From Burnout to Allyship - Lee Chambers on Resilience, Masculinity and Gender Equity

    EPISODE 5

    S2 Ep5: From Burnout to Allyship - Lee Chambers on Resilience, Masculinity and Gender Equity

    Send us Fan Mail What happens when success comes at too high a cost — and your body forces you to stop? In this powerful and deeply human conversation, I’m joined once again by Lee Chambers, this time to explore his own leadership journey — one shaped by ambition, adversity, caregiving, and profound personal transformation. Lee shares how burnout and serious illness in his twenties led him to relearn how to walk, rethink masculinity, and redefine success. We talk openly about him becoming a full-time caregiver, the invisible labour carried by women, and how those experiences reshaped his understanding of leadership, inclusion, and resilience. We also explore how this journey led Lee to found Male Allies UK, and what organisations often get wrong when trying to engage men in gender equity conversations — alongside practical insights into what does work. This episode is rich with lessons for leaders, HR professionals and organisations who want to build cultures that are more inclusive, resilient, and genuinely human — without blame, shame or division. To connect with Lee, contact Male Allies UK at https://www.maleallies.co.uk/ Or on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leechambers-1/ Also listen to Lee share Male Allies research findings from their Voice of the Boys report in this podcasts final bonus episode of Season 1 🔗 Connect with Mary: marygregory.com 📣 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marygregory  📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mary_gregory/  📰 Newsletter: Subscribe on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7029410958645059584  🎙 Want to be a guest? Get in touch!  ⭐ Subscribe, share & leave a review  ✨ Produced by Mary Gregory Leadership Coaching

    34 min
  6. S2 Ep6: Resilient Leadership For Women - Confidence, career headwinds and the barriers women face. With Alex Webb and Skye Deane

    EPISODE 6

    S2 Ep6: Resilient Leadership For Women - Confidence, career headwinds and the barriers women face. With Alex Webb and Skye Deane

    Send us Fan Mail What does it really mean to be a resilient leader — and how is that different from simply being resilient and pushing through? Mary Gregory is joined by Alex Webb and Skye Deane, co-founders of Resilient Women Leaders, for a warm, practical conversation about navigating career headwinds, rebuilding confidence, and leading sustainably through uncertainty, change — and even crisis. Together, they explore: The difference between resilience and resilient leadershipWhy leadership is not about title — “everyone is a leader because everyone influences someone”The Resilient Leaders Elements framework (clarity, awareness, leadership presence, and decision-making)The barriers they see holding women back (including internal barriers like confidence and “imposter thinking”, and external barriers like bias and narrow views of leadership)Why community and cross-industry networks help women remove the “mask” and growHow Alex and Skye model collaboration, trust, and healthy conflict as business partnersIf you’re a woman leader who feels capable — but occasionally overwhelmed, unheard, or knocked by self-doubt — this episode will leave you with language, tools, and reassurance to lead in a way that’s both authentic and sustainable. Connect with Alex & Skye: resilientwomenleaders.com Email: hello@resilientwomenleaders.com 🔗 Connect with Mary: marygregory.com 📣 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marygregory  📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mary_gregory/  📰 Newsletter: Subscribe on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7029410958645059584  🎙 Want to be a guest? Get in touch!  ⭐ Subscribe, share & leave a review  ✨ Produced by Mary Gregory Leadership Coaching

    43 min
  7. S2 Ep7: Women’s Safety Is a Societal Issue - Tackling Harassment at the Root with Amy Watson

    EPISODE 7

    S2 Ep7: Women’s Safety Is a Societal Issue - Tackling Harassment at the Root with Amy Watson

    Send us Fan Mail What if women’s safety stopped being framed as something women have to manage — and started being treated as a societal responsibility we all share? In this episode of the She Leads Collective Podcast, Mary Gregory is joined by Amy Watson, social impact entrepreneur and founder of HASSL — a global movement and social enterprise tackling harassment and violence against women at the root. Amy challenges the long-standing narrative that places responsibility for safety on women, and explains why real, sustainable change means addressing the systemic and cultural drivers of harassment and violence — including male violence. Together, Mary and Amy explore why quick fixes and safety tools often increase women’s mental load without solving the problem, why naming the issue matters, and how HASSL is building change through practical tools, education, training, technology and strategic partnerships. A core theme of this conversation is inclusion without dilution: inviting men into responsibility through an “everyone versus perpetrators” approach — and reframing what it means to be “a good man” as the default, not the exception. If you care about gender equity, culture change, leadership, and creating safer public spaces for everyone — this one will stay with you. 🔗 Connect with Mary: marygregory.com 📣 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marygregory  📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mary_gregory/  📰 Newsletter: Subscribe on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7029410958645059584  🎙 Want to be a guest? Get in touch!  ⭐ Subscribe, share & leave a review  ✨ Produced by Mary Gregory Leadership Coaching

    43 min
  8. S2 Ep8: The Cost of Giving - Boundaries, Self-Doubt and Women’s Leadership Before International Women’s Day with Sinead Laverty

    EPISODE 8

    S2 Ep8: The Cost of Giving - Boundaries, Self-Doubt and Women’s Leadership Before International Women’s Day with Sinead Laverty

    Send us Fan Mail As International Women’s Day approaches, the invitation in this episode is to reflect on this year’s theme: Give to Gain. But what happens when women are already giving — generously, consistently, and often invisibly? In this honest and deeply human conversation, Mary Gregory speaks with senior leader and long-time collaborator Sinead Laverty about: The moment Sinead realised she wasn’t visible in her organisation — despite her capabilityNavigating redundancy and becoming a single parent overnightThe cumulative mental load women carry long after the “headline trauma” fadesHow self-doubt leaks into leadership languageWhy boundaries aren’t fixed — they must be continually revisitedThe quiet power of empathy in leadershipThis episode explores what give to gain really means — where generosity fuels leadership, and where, without boundaries, it can quietly erode resilience and self-trust. If you’ve ever felt exhausted from carrying too much — at work and at home — this conversation will help you feel seen, steadied and less alone. Connect with Sinead on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sinead-laverty/ 🔗 Connect with Mary: marygregory.com 📣 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marygregory  📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mary_gregory/  📰 Newsletter: Subscribe on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7029410958645059584  🎙 Want to be a guest? Get in touch!  ⭐ Subscribe, share & leave a review  ✨ Produced by Mary Gregory Leadership Coaching

    45 min
  9. S2 Ep9: Gender Equity Across Cultures - How Cultural Intelligence Shapes Global Leadership with Victoria Rennoldson

    EPISODE 9

    S2 Ep9: Gender Equity Across Cultures - How Cultural Intelligence Shapes Global Leadership with Victoria Rennoldson

    Send us Fan Mail When we talk about gender equity at work, we often focus on bias, representation and leadership behaviour. But equity according to whose cultural rules? In this episode, I’m joined by Victoria Rennoldson, best-selling author of Become a Global Leader and founder of Culture Cuppa. Victoria specialises in cultural intelligence and global leadership, helping organisations navigate communication, power and difference across borders. Together we explore: How culture shapes gender expectations at workWhy assertiveness means different things in different culturesThe risk of placing the burden of adaptation on womenWhat shared adaptation really looks likeThe four capabilities of Cultural Intelligence (CQ)How organisations can embed cultural intelligence strategically — not as a tick-box exerciseIf you work in a global organisation, lead across cultures, or care about creating genuinely inclusive workplaces, this conversation offers both nuance and practical action. Cultural intelligence, as Victoria reminds us, is not awareness — it’s action. Connect with Victoria on LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-rennoldson/ or visit her website: https://culturecuppa.com/ 🔗 Connect with Mary: marygregory.com 📣 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marygregory  📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mary_gregory/  📰 Newsletter: Subscribe on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7029410958645059584  🎙 Want to be a guest? Get in touch!  ⭐ Subscribe, share & leave a review  ✨ Produced by Mary Gregory Leadership Coaching

    45 min
  10. S2 Ep10: Always-On Isn’t High Performance: Harriet Minter on Fixing How Work Works

    EPISODE 10

    S2 Ep10: Always-On Isn’t High Performance: Harriet Minter on Fixing How Work Works

    Send a text What if the way we’ve designed work is quietly undermining the performance we say we want? In this episode, Mary is joined by journalist, speaker and leadership consultant Harriet Minter—founder of The Guardian’s Women in Leadership section and partner at Leap Leadership—to explore why “always-on” has become normal, what it’s doing to our brains and culture, and how we can build workplaces that perform without burning people out. Most organisations are still running on outdated rules: long hours, presenteeism, visibility over value, and responsiveness over reflection—now amplified by technology that makes work constant. Harriet Minter has spent over 15 years at the heart of conversations about women, work and power, and in this episode she offers a grounded, hopeful challenge: performance isn’t just about people trying harder—it’s about systems designed better. We talk about how “nine to five” was originally built for productivity (not devotion), why the loss of boundaries has rewired the way we work, and why burnout is often what happens when an individual’s needs collide with a system that refuses to adapt. Harriet also shares how Leap Leadership is experimenting with a four-day week, and what it forces you to confront about habits, efficiency, and what really matters. In this episode, we explore: Where always-on culture came from—and why it’s not a badge of honourWhy flexibility needs to be a two-way conversation (not a one-size policy)Burnout as a systems-and-relationships issue, not a personal failureThe “pendulum swing” in attitudes to women at work—and what’s resurfacingWhat gives Harriet hope we can build cultures that lastConnect with Harriet: LinkedIn: Harriet Minter Substack: harrietminter.substack.com 🔗 Connect with Mary: marygregory.com 📣 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marygregory  📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mary_gregory/  📰 Newsletter: Subscribe on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7029410958645059584  🎙 Want to be a guest? Get in touch!  ⭐ Subscribe, share & leave a review  ✨ Produced by Mary Gregory Leadership Coaching

    41 min
  11. S2 Ep 11: When Success Stops Feeling Like Success - Deboleena Dasgupta on Career Growth, Sponsorship and Choosing Depth

    EPISODE 11

    S2 Ep 11: When Success Stops Feeling Like Success - Deboleena Dasgupta on Career Growth, Sponsorship and Choosing Depth

    Send us Fan Mail What happens when you’ve done everything right in your career, delivered results, built credibility, and yet still find yourself wondering, is this really it? In this episode of the She Leads Collective Podcast, Mary Gregory is joined by Deboleena Dasgupta, a senior people, culture and change leader with a 25-year career in global banking, including leadership roles at HSBC, Standard Chartered and ABN AMRO. Together they explore what it means to build a successful career inside large organisations while quietly sensing you are capable of more. Debolina shares reflections on nonlinear careers, international moves, cultural expectations, visibility, sponsorship, networking as an ecosystem rather than a transaction, and the subtle ways organisations can leave women feeling unseen. This is also a powerful conversation about identity and transition — including the lightbulb moment that helped Deboleena realise she was punching below her weight, and why leaving well mattered so much to her. They also discuss Deboleena’s forthcoming book, Choose Depth, and the importance of defining success on your own terms. In this episode, we explore: Why high-achieving women can still feel stuck at workThe hidden cost of being praised but not progressedHow culture and upbringing shape self-belief and ambitionWhy women are often over-mentored and under-sponsoredA more authentic way to think about networkingWhat it means to end well when leaving a long career chapterWhy choosing depth may be the path back to your truest selfA thoughtful and deeply resonant conversation for anyone rethinking success, leadership and what comes next. Connect with Deboleena on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/deboleenadasgupta/ 🔗 Connect with Mary: marygregory.com 📣 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marygregory  📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mary_gregory/  📰 Newsletter: Subscribe on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7029410958645059584  🎙 Want to be a guest? Get in touch!  ⭐ Subscribe, share & leave a review  ✨ Produced by Mary Gregory Leadership Coaching

    51 min
  12. S2 Ep12: The Cost of Mum Guilt: Motherhood, Work and the Talent Organisations Are Losing

    EPISODE 12

    S2 Ep12: The Cost of Mum Guilt: Motherhood, Work and the Talent Organisations Are Losing

    Send us Fan Mail What happens when the story of being a “good mother” becomes impossible to live up to? In this honest and powerful conversation, Mary Gregory is joined by entrepreneur, speaker and F*** Mum Guilt founder Leila Green to explore motherhood, identity, work, masking, unrealistic expectations and the hidden pressures women carry when they return to work after having children. Together they unpack the emotional cost of mum guilt, the toll of trying to be perfect at home and infallible at work, and what organisations still fail to understand about supporting mothers well. After two miscarriages, Leila became pregnant with triplets in 2021 and found herself navigating a high-risk pregnancy, neonatal trauma, exhaustion, and the relentless internal voice of mum guilt. What began as a deeply personal struggle has since become a bold movement helping mothers challenge guilt, reject perfectionism and make more self-honouring choices. In this conversation, Mary and Leila explore: the shock of the identity shift into motherhoodbirth trauma and the silence around maternal mental healthwhy so many women feel they have to “mask” at work after becoming mothersthe tension of being expected to be the perfect parent and the perfect employeewhat organisations misunderstand about motherhood and why it is costing them talentLeila’s powerful four-part framework for breaking up with mum guiltThis is a conversation about compassion, unrealistic expectations, self-trust, and the urgent need for more human and mother-friendly workplaces. A must-listen for mothers, leaders, HR professionals and anyone who cares about retaining talented women at work. This is the penultimate episode of Season 2, as we begin to reflect on the powerful themes emerging across this series. Leila Green is a triplet mama and founder of the F*** Mum Guilt Movement, dedicated to helping working mothers break up with guilt for good. A TEDx speaker, co-author of a motherhood book with Stacey Dooley, and one of the UK’s Top 100 Female Entrepreneurs, her unapologetic stance on mum guilt has been featured on Sky News, BBC Radio, Stylist, Metro, OK! and more. Connect with Leila on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leilagreen/ Or sign up for her newsletter: https://www.fmumguilt.com/ 🔗 Connect with Mary: marygregory.com 📣 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marygregory  📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mary_gregory/  📰 Newsletter: Subscribe on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7029410958645059584  🎙 Want to be a guest? Get in touch!  ⭐ Subscribe, share & leave a review  ✨ Produced by Mary Gregory Leadership Coaching

    55 min
See All Season 2 (12)

About

Bold conversations with women leaders & allies.   Real stories, leadership insights, and the “undiscussables” shaping how we work today.    Each season of the She Leads Collective Podcast features three powerful themes:     Real Models – conversations with inspiring women leaders and business owners who share the truth behind their success—the bias they’ve faced, the doubts they’ve overcome, and the wisdom they’ve gained.   Allies – honest insights from men and women who are actively championing gender equity, revealing what true allyship looks like in action.   The Undiscussables – the topics no one talks about, but everyone is impacted by—emotions at work, wholistic leadership, womens health needs, mental health, baby loss, domestic violence—and how they shape our workplaces and leadership.     I’m Mary Gregory—Executive Coach, Author and host of She Leads Collective. My mission is to enable women to step into their full leadership potential and create workplaces where everyone can thrive.   Let’s change the conversation—together.   And if you’re a woman leader who’s ever doubted your confidence, explore my programme “Exploding the Confidence Myth” → https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/exploding-the-confidence-myth-tickets-1617750698889?aff=oddtdtcreator

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