Hey {{first_name}},

I hope you had a great weekend and you're feeling ready for the week ahead.

This week's episode is one I've been wanting to record for a while.

Because I've spent 12 years in recruitment, and I've seen this pattern play out over and over again:

Incredibly capable women quietly holding themselves back.

Not because they lack talent. Not because they're not driven. But because of habits that feel responsible, and end up costing them promotions, influence, and long-term leverage.

So today I'm breaking down the 4 most expensive career mistakes I see mid to senior career women make, and how to stop making them before it's too late.

Because these mistakes don't look dramatic until someone else overtakes you.

Here's what's happening:

Women make up nearly half of the workforce. But at senior leadership level, that number drops dramatically.

Globally, women hold roughly a third of senior management roles and at the CEO level, under 10% in many markets.

And here's the part that keeps me up at night:

Men are applying for promotions at a significantly higher rate, often when they meet around 60% or less of the criteria.

Women wait until they meet all of it.

That gap compounds over time.

And then you add AI into the mix, where millions of roles are being reshaped by automation, and many of the most exposed roles are functions where women are heavily represented.

So this isn't about confidence. It's about making sure that as the market shifts, you're not accidentally falling behind because of habits that once felt safe.

This is the biggest one.

Waiting until you meet every single criteria, every bullet point, every must-have.

You tell yourself:

"I just need one more project. One more year. A bit more exposure. Then I'll go for it."

But here's the reality:

There is no 100% ready mark. It doesn't exist.

And if you wait for it, you will always be slightly behind someone who didn't.

Because while you're perfecting, someone else is positioning. While you're preparing, someone else is applying.

And that gap in behaviour becomes a gap in experience.

Companies are not sitting there ticking off whether you meet 100% of the job description.

They care about the skills you bring, the problems you solve, and the outcomes you deliver. That's it.

So here's the reframe:

Stop asking, "Am I fully ready?"

Start asking, "Am I capable of learning the rest?"

If you're sitting at around 60% alignment, don't see that as underqualified. That's a stretch. And stretch is where careers accelerate.

Waiting feels responsible. But at a senior level, waiting is expensive.

This one is subtle. It doesn't look like self-sabotage. It looks like humility.

Women say things like:

No.

You led. You delivered. You did this.

But the language you use doesn't reflect that.

And language matters. Because perception is shaped in seconds.

Executive rooms aren't evaluating whether you've worked hard. They're evaluating whether you believe you belong there.

When you qualify yourself, when you soften your contribution, when you minimise your role in outcomes, you signal doubt.

And doubt at the senior level gets amplified.

I've sat in interview debriefs for over a decade. And I can tell you this:

The woman who did 80% of the work will describe it cautiously.

The man who did 40% will describe it as a transformation.

This isn't arrogance. Its accuracy.

If you reduced costs by 20%, say that. If you led the turnaround, say it. If you were accountable, own it.

Here's the shift:

Remove the word "just." Replace "helped with" with "led." Replace "supported" with "delivered." Replace "I was lucky" with "I drove."

You're not exaggerating. You're clarifying.

And clarity builds credibility.

This is probably the most expensive mistake of all.

Because it feels virtuous. It feels professional.

You think: "If I just do excellent work, it will be recognised."

And sometimes it is. But doing great work does not automatically equal progression.

Because progression isn't just about performance. It's about positioning.

It's about being visible in the right rooms. It's about framing your contribution in a way that executive leadership understands your value.

If you are brilliant but quiet, you become operational.

And operational leaders are easier to replace.

I've seen this so many times: the woman holding the team together, delivering results, fixing problems, saving projects.

But when promotion discussions happen, her name isn't framed around strategy. It's framed around reliability.

And reliability alone doesn't get you to the next level.

Here's the shift:

Stop assuming people know the complexity of what you've handled. Start articulating it.

When you complete a major project, don't just say it went well.

Say:

Make the invisible visible.

Because you don't progress by doing more, you progress by making your impact known.

And if leadership cannot clearly articulate what you uniquely bring, you don't have a performance problem. You have a visibility problem.

This one is so costly, and it happens over months or years.

Most women don't feel the cost of it until they need their network.

They're busy. They're delivering. They're firefighting. They're holding the team together.

And networking feels optional. Or worse, uncomfortable.

So they tell themselves, "I'll reach out when I need something. I'll activate my network if I decide to leave. I'm just too busy right now."

But here's the reality:

Your network is not something you switch on. It's something you build continuously.

Because when restructures happen, and they do, when budgets get cut, when roles merge, when AI reshapes functions, the women who move quickly are the ones with warm networks, not cold contacts.

Relying solely on your internal reputation is risky. Because internal reputation is subject to internal politics.

Strategy means building leverage outside of your organisation too.

If the only time you reach out is when you need something, you waited too long.

Strategic women build networks in seasons of stability so that in seasons of change, they have options.

And options are powerful.

In this week's episode, I break down:

This episode is honest, direct, and full of practical shifts you can make right now.

Pick one of these four mistakes and fix it.

Maybe it's applying for that role even though you only meet 70% of the criteria.

Maybe it's rewriting how you describe your last project, with outcomes, not humility.

Maybe it's reaching out to three people in your network just to check in.

Just pick one. And act on it.

🎧 Listen here: The 4 Most Expensive Career Mistakes Women Make (And Don't Notice Until It's Too Late)

Reply and tell me this:

Which mistake hit home for you?

And which one are you going to fix this week?

Send it through, I want to know.

With confidence

Georgie 💜