She Leads Collective: Women, Leadership and What It Takes to Thrive at Work

Mary Gregory

What does it really take for women—and the people around them—to thrive at work? She Leads Collective brings together women leaders and allies for bold, honest conversations about leadership, workplace culture and the realities that too often remain unspoken. Through personal stories and practical insight, we explore: Real Models — women sharing the reality behind their leadership journeys: the decisions, doubts, barriers and breakthroughs that shaped them. Allies — men and women helping to create fairer, more inclusive workplaces, and what meaningful allyship looks like in practice. The Undiscussables — the human experiences that influence how we lead and work, but rarely make it into conventional leadership conversations: caring responsibilities, health, identity, confidence, emotion, loss, power and belonging. I’m Mary Gregory—Executive Coach, Leadership and Culture Consultant, Author, and host of She Leads Collective. For more than 30 years, I’ve helped leaders understand themselves more deeply, navigate complexity and have a more positive impact on the people around them. I work with senior leaders who want to strengthen their confidence, influence and leadership range—and with organisations that want to build cultures where talented people can do their best work. If something you hear in these conversations reflects a challenge you, your team or your organisation is facing, I’d be delighted to hear from you. Find out more about working with me or start a conversation:https://www.marygregory.com/ Better leadership creates workplaces where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

  1. Episode 1

    Season 4 Preview - What's Really Getting in the Way of People Thriving at Work

    Send us Fan Mail What’s really getting in the way of people being able to thrive at work? As She Leads Collective returns for Season 4, I’m exploring a question that has stayed with me after more than 50 conversations with women leaders, business owners, allies, academics and changemakers. We often focus on helping individuals become more confident, capable and resilient. But what about the environments they are being asked to succeed in? The cultures we create, the behaviours we tolerate, the expectations we place on women and men, and the structures that influence who progresses, who gets heard — and who quietly decides a workplace simply isn't for them? In this short opening episode, I introduce some of the conversations coming in Season 4, including: parenting, caring and the realities of combining work with lifewhy gender equity also requires us to talk about menmeaningful male allyship and changing workplace systemsimposter phenomenon and whether we're asking the right questions about confidencebias, bullying and harassment in male-dominated industrieswhy depth, humanity and human connection may matter more than ever in an increasingly technology-driven worldUnderneath it all is an even bigger question: What would work look like if it were designed around the reality of being human? And you don't have to wait for the first conversation. My opening guest episode with Amie Kendall is also available today, exploring how parents' experiences at work can reach far beyond the employee — and potentially shape the next generation's relationship with work. Welcome to Season 4 of She Leads Collective: Real Models. Allies. The Undiscussables. 🔗 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

    Season 4 Preview - What's Really Getting in the Way of People Thriving at Work
  2. Episode 2

    S4 Ep2 - Why Family-Friendly Leadership Is the Future of Work

    Send us Fan Mail What if supporting working parents wasn't simply an employee benefit—but one of the smartest leadership decisions an organisation could make? In this first guest episode of Season 4, Mary Gregory is joined by Amie Kendall, Business Director at Regenerate, to explore why family-friendly workplaces are no longer just an HR issue—they are a strategic leadership priority. Together they discuss how the earliest years of a child's life shape future health, learning and resilience, why business leaders have far more influence than they realise, and how organisations can improve retention, engagement and productivity by creating cultures where working parents can thrive. Amie also shares the thinking behind Regenerate's national Working Families Roadshow, developed alongside the Department for Education, which is helping organisations rethink the role they play in supporting families and the next generation. Whether you're a CEO, HR leader, line manager or parent, this conversation challenges us to see leadership through a much wider lens. In this episode you'll discover: • Why supporting working parents is a leadership issue—not just an HR policy  • The business case for family-friendly workplaces  • Why culture matters more than policy alone  • How better support for families benefits business, society and future generations  • Practical ideas leaders can implement immediately If we're serious about building better organisations, perhaps we need to start by thinking differently about the people raising tomorrow's workforce. This episode is part of the She Leads Collective Caring & Leadership mini-series, exploring the realities of parenting and caring responsibilities and what organisations can do to better support the people carrying them. Connect with Amie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amiekendall/ Or visit Regenerate: https://www.re-generate.org/ 🔗 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

    S4 Ep2 - Why Family-Friendly Leadership Is the Future of Work
  3. Episode 3

    S4 Ep3 - Leading While Caring: Holding It All Together When Life Demands More

    Send us Fan Mail When we talk about caring responsibilities, we often picture parents with young children. But millions of leaders are quietly carrying another responsibility that receives far less attention: caring for ageing parents. In this deeply honest conversation, Mary Gregory is joined by Amy Kiernan, Group Chief Growth Officer at McCann, to explore what happens when a demanding leadership role collides with dementia, grief, ageing parents, perimenopause and life lived alone. Amy shares the emotional reality of supporting her father through dementia, the ongoing care of her mother, and how those experiences have shaped the leader she has become. Together they explore:  caring for ageing parents whilst leading at senior level  anticipatory grief and emotional resilience  balancing leadership with personal responsibility  managing energy during perimenopause  why self-awareness changes everything  how organisations can better support carers  the role of compassionate workplace cultures  practical strategies for protecting your own wellbeing This episode is part of the She Leads Collective Caring & Leadership mini-series, exploring the realities of caring responsibilities and what organisations can do to better support the people carrying them. Whether you're a leader, a carer, an HR professional or someone trying to hold everything together, this conversation offers reassurance, practical wisdom and hope. Connect with Amy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/askiernan/ 🔗 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

    S4 Ep3 - Leading While Caring: Holding It All Together When Life Demands More
  4. Episode 4

    S4 Ep4 - The Working Parent Penalty: Why Great People Leave — and What Employers Can Do

    Send us Fan Mail Why are so many working mothers, parents and carers stepping back from careers they have spent years building? In this episode of the She Leads Collective Parenting & Caring mini-series, I’m joined by Tracey Gunn and Michelle O’Keeffe, co-founders of Platform 55, to explore the motherhood penalty, returning to work after maternity leave, parental leave for fathers, caring responsibilities and what employers can do to retain talented people when work and life collide. Supporting working parents and carers isn't simply about employee wellbeing. It affects retention, gender equality, the gender pay gap, succession planning, leadership and business performance. We explore the reality of returning to work after having children, why so few men take their full parental leave entitlement, and the often-unspoken assumptions about what it takes to progress into senior leadership. But this conversation goes beyond parenting. Tracey and Michelle make a compelling case for supporting people through major life moments — from caring responsibilities and fertility treatment to menopause, miscarriage and family leave — and explain why line managers and leaders have such an important role to play. We also discuss why policies alone aren't enough, and what empathetic leadership really looks like when leaders still have performance and business results to deliver. Organisations don't employ part of a person. They employ whole people, with whole lives. And supporting those lives well might just be a competitive advantage. This episode is part of the She Leads Collective Caring & Leadership mini-series, exploring the realities of parenting and caring responsibilities and what organisations can do to support the people carrying them. Connect with Tracey and Michelle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracy-gunn/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelleplatform55/ Or visit their website: https://platform55.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

    S4 Ep4 - The Working Parent Penalty: Why Great People Leave — and What Employers Can Do
  5. Episode 5

    S4 Ep5 - Paternity Leave That Works: How Lewis Silkin Achieved 100% Take-Up with Jo Farmer, Joint Managing Partner

    Send us Fan Mail What if one of the most powerful ways to advance women at work is to give men more time away from it? Jo Farmer is Joint Managing Partner of international law firm Lewis Silkin—and the first woman to hold the role. In this deeply human and practical conversation, Jo shares how the firm introduced six months’ paid parental leave for everyone and achieved an extraordinary result: 100% of eligible men have taken it. But this isn’t simply a conversation about policy. Jo explains why giving fathers meaningful time to care can begin to dismantle the assumptions holding women back, from the mental load and gender pay gap to unequal career progression. She also reveals what Lewis Silkin did to ensure its policy felt genuinely safe to use—including supporting senior men to take leave and promoting one colleague to partner while he was away. We also explore Jo’s remarkable personal journey: born to a 17-year-old mother, raised in a working-class family in Darlington and becoming the first person in her family to attend university before progressing to the top of her profession. Jo talks candidly about learning to fit in, navigating the unwritten rules of unfamiliar environments and why we should never mistake someone else’s polish for greater potential. This is an inspiring conversation about social mobility, gender equity and what becomes possible when leaders use their influence to leave their organisation—and their profession—better than they found it. In this episode: • Why paternity leave is fundamental to gender equity • How Lewis Silkin achieved 100% take-up among eligible men • Why policy alone cannot create cultural change • The commercial impact of care, including retention, recruitment and performance • Jo’s journey from a financially precarious childhood to senior leadership • Why curiosity and tenacity can matter more than polish • What leaders can do to widen opportunity for others This is the final episode in our CARE mini-series, exploring what’s really getting in the way of people thriving at work. To connect with Jo Farmer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jo-farmer-3569b62/ Or visit Lewis Silkin's website: https://www.lewissilkin.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

    S4 Ep5 - Paternity Leave That Works: How Lewis Silkin Achieved 100% Take-Up with Jo Farmer, Joint Managing Partner
  6. Episode 6

    S4 Ep6 - The Imposter Syndrome Myth: Why Women Don't Need Fixing, with Kay Tear

    Send us Fan Mail What if imposter syndrome isn’t a syndrome at all? Many highly capable women find themselves overthinking, doubting their abilities or holding back from opportunities they are more than ready for. We’ve learned to call this “imposter syndrome”—but business psychologist, executive coach and author Kay Tear believes that label may be part of the problem. In this thought-provoking conversation, Kay challenges some of our most familiar assumptions about confidence, anxiety and performance. She argues that imposter thinking is not evidence that something is wrong with us, but a very human response to uncertainty, social conditioning and the environments in which we are expected to succeed. Together, Kay and Mary explore: • How imposter phenomenon became labelled a “syndrome” • Why confidence may not be something we need to acquire • The relationship between overthinking, state of mind and performance • How to recognise the thoughts that stop us speaking up • Why women often experience these patterns more acutely • The double bind of being expected to appear both competent and likeable • Why confidence training alone won’t create gender equity • The importance of sponsorship, advocacy and fair progression • How reconnecting with our natural selves can help us lead with greater clarity and freedom Kay also explains why women’s leadership programmes must go beyond “fixing” confidence and connect more closely with succession planning, access and genuine sponsorship. This conversation is an invitation to question the labels we have absorbed and recognise that you may be far less broken than your thinking sometimes convinces you that you are. Connect with Kay: Website: https://businessreimagined.co.uk/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaytear/ Listen now and follow the She Leads Collective Podcast for more honest conversations about women, leadership and creating workplaces where everyone can thrive. 🔗 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

    S4 Ep6 - The Imposter Syndrome Myth: Why Women Don't Need Fixing, with Kay Tear

About

What does it really take for women—and the people around them—to thrive at work? She Leads Collective brings together women leaders and allies for bold, honest conversations about leadership, workplace culture and the realities that too often remain unspoken. Through personal stories and practical insight, we explore: Real Models — women sharing the reality behind their leadership journeys: the decisions, doubts, barriers and breakthroughs that shaped them. Allies — men and women helping to create fairer, more inclusive workplaces, and what meaningful allyship looks like in practice. The Undiscussables — the human experiences that influence how we lead and work, but rarely make it into conventional leadership conversations: caring responsibilities, health, identity, confidence, emotion, loss, power and belonging. I’m Mary Gregory—Executive Coach, Leadership and Culture Consultant, Author, and host of She Leads Collective. For more than 30 years, I’ve helped leaders understand themselves more deeply, navigate complexity and have a more positive impact on the people around them. I work with senior leaders who want to strengthen their confidence, influence and leadership range—and with organisations that want to build cultures where talented people can do their best work. If something you hear in these conversations reflects a challenge you, your team or your organisation is facing, I’d be delighted to hear from you. Find out more about working with me or start a conversation:https://www.marygregory.com/ Better leadership creates workplaces where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.