She Leads Collective Podcast: stories, allyship and confidence tools for women – Détails, épisodes et analyse

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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/

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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/

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What would change if you gave yourself full permission—not just to lead—but to speak with courage, clarity and intention? In this uplifting conversation, lawyer-turned-coach, TEDx licence holder and “Queen of Joy” Ronke Kokoruwe shares how women can stop waiting to “feel confident” and start speaking from intention, presence and joy.

We trace Ronke’s journey from the law to coaching, unpack the myth of confidence, and explore practical ways to move from freeze to flow. Ronke introduces powerful prompts (“Why am I talking?” and “Why am I there?”), the role of breathwork, journaling and visualisation, and how “permission” unlocks action—on stages, in meetings and in life. We also discuss inside-out communication, naming our saboteurs, and why levitas (lightness) belongs alongside gravitas in leadership. If your voice has been hovering at the edge of the room, this episode will nudge it centre stage—joyfully.

Connect with Ronke on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronke-kokoruwe/

🔗 Connect with Mary: marygregory.com

📣 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marygregory

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mary_gregory/

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Are women-only leadership programmes a solution—or part of the problem? Dr Rob Sayers Brown joins me to explore leadership identity, human vs social capital, and why inclusive design must go deeper than “fix the woman.”

In this candid conversation, occupational psychologist Dr Rob Sayers Brown unpacks what actually helps women (and other under-represented leaders) thrive. Drawing on his professional doctorate research into women-only leadership programmes—and his lived experience as a gay man—Rob explains why leadership is still shaped by narrow, gendered and heteronormative norms, and what to do about it.

We explore the difference between human capital (confidence, clarity, psychological wellbeing, leadership identity) and social capital (networks, advocacy, visibility)—and why the second is still harder to access if you don’t fit the “default” mould. Rob shares a practical Identity Map tool that reframes lived experience into recognised strengths, and we dig into programme design that avoids the “fix the woman” trap through intersectionality, strengths-based psychology, and acceptance & commitment coaching.

We also tackle the often-ignored gate at the start: how participants are selected. Rob argues for transparent, inclusive criteria that prioritise predictors of growth (drive, curiosity, self-awareness, interpersonal skill) over tenure or tap-on-the-shoulder nominations.

You’ll learn:
• Why women-only spaces still matter—and how to pair them with ally/line-manager learning
• How identity collisions can forge leadership strengths (resilience, empathy, systems awareness)
• Practical ways to design programmes that build authentic confidence and real transfer of learning
• A simple reframe organisations can adopt today: move from “we are inclusive” to “we’re working on it—honestly”

Connect with Rob on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/robsayersbrown/

And also at Kiddy & Partners - https://gateleyplc.com/people/dr-rob-sayers-brown/

🔗 Connect with Mary: marygregory.com

📣 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marygregory

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mary_gregory/

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This week on the She Leads Collective Podcast, host Mary Gregory is joined by Vanessa White, accredited Relationship and Divorce Master Coach, to mark Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Together they open up an important and often hidden conversation: how abuse at home can impact confidence, performance, and leadership at work.

Vanessa shares her lived experience of domestic abuse and how it shaped her mission to support others through recovery, resilience, and rediscovery. The conversation explores:

• The subtle signs of abuse and coercive control — and why they’re so easily missed
• How trauma can show up in confidence, behaviour, and leadership
• What leaders and organisations can do to create trauma-informed, compassionate workplaces
• Why emotional safety and trust are at the heart of recovery and empowerment

This powerful and sensitive episode invites us all to lead with greater empathy, awareness, and humanity.

Connect with Vanessa on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessa-white-332a03287/

Or on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/vanessawhitecoaching/

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, please reach out for help:
 📞 National Domestic Abuse Helpline – 0808 2000 247
🌐 nationaldahelpline.org.uk

🔗 Connect with Mary: marygregory.com

📣 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marygregory

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mary_gregory/

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Released the week of World Menopause Day (18 October), this episode features Helen Tomlinson, the UK’s first Menopause Employment Champion. She shares why midlife isn’t a decline—it’s a power stage—and how employers can move from token gestures to real culture change. 

What happens when a musical-theatre dream becomes a mission to transform workplaces for millions of women? Helen Tomlinson—Head of Inclusion at Adecco and the UK’s first Menopause Employment Champion—has used her voice to shift policy, challenge stigma and help organisations get practical about women’s health.

In this conversation, Helen shares her unconventional career path and the people-first thread that runs through it—from recruitment leadership to national advocacy. We explore the biggest misconceptions about menopause (hint: brain fog outranks hot flushes), why “policy PDFs” aren’t enough, and her four pillars of cultural change: education, allyship (and advocacy), lived experience and leadership. Helen also explains how inclusive, intergenerational cultures support midlife women to thrive, and why self-care and lifestyle changes are as critical as any workplace intervention.

We cover:

• Why midlife can be your most productive, purpose-filled season
• How to build psychologically safe spaces for male allies to learn and help
• Practical steps for menopause action plans that actually change behaviour
• Connecting inclusion with employability so more women over 50 can (re)enter work with confidence

Connect with Helen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-tomlinson-4a954211/

If this resonates, check out my programme Exploding the Confidence Myth—details in the show notes.

🔗 Connect with Mary: marygregory.com

📣 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marygregory

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mary_gregory/

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What happens when the loss that shapes your life is the one the world rarely talks about? In this deeply human conversation released to mark Baby Loss Awareness Week (9–15 October, UK), Shelley Kay—Talent & Development Business Partner and co-lead of the Gender Perspectives Network at the Adecco Group—shares her personal experience of five miscarriages and how she transformed private heartbreak into advocacy at work.

Shelley and I explore why baby loss remains shrouded in silence in many organisations, what that silence costs people trying to show up at work, and the practical, compassionate steps leaders and colleagues can take—listening without fixing, person-led support, flexible workload, and sensitive language. Shelley also describes the initiatives she helped seed inside Adecco: resources for managers and colleagues, signposting to specialist support, a “Holding Hands” network, and a memorial tree programme—simple acts that signal belonging.

If your organisation wants to move from good intentions to real care, this episode offers a roadmap.

Content note: this episode includes discussion of pregnancy and baby loss. UK support: The Miscarriage Association:  info@miscarriageassociation.org.uk , Sands helpline@sands.org.uk and Tommy’s mailbox@tommys.org

🔗 Connect with Mary: marygregory.com

📣 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marygregory

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mary_gregory/

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What does it take to turn good intentions into real change? In this conversation, Robert Baker—founder of Potentia Talent Consulting, board member at European Women on Boards, UN Women UK, and Women in Quantum Development, and former co-president of PWN Global—shares how to engage men as allies and build inclusive, gender-balanced cultures that last. 

We explore the “aha” moments from his men’s workshops (including stereotypes we don’t notice), how to counter the “zero-sum” fear when women rise, and why psychological safety and accountability matter more than one-off training. Robert also talks boards, redefining success for men, and practical steps leaders can take—starting this week. If you care about moving from statements to systemic change, then this one’s for you.

 Listen in and share with a colleague who’s ready to lead differently.

Connect with Robert on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-baker-potentia-talent-consulting/

🔗 Connect with Mary: marygregory.com

📣 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marygregory

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mary_gregory/

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What happens when someone tells you “women aren’t funny”? If you’re Lynne Parker BCAa, you build a movement. In this episode, Lynne — Founder & CEO of Funny Women CIC and host of How to Have Fun at Work podcast— shares the origin story of Funny Women, the growth of the Funny Women Awards (from 70 entrants to 2,000+ across performance, writing, film and content creation), and why comedy is one of the most powerful confidence tools in leadership and life.

We talk about platforming new talent (not managing it), the loyalty and pay-it-forward culture among alumni, HERlarious workshops for business audiences, and the bold “Edinburgh Fringe challenge” that took nine first-timers from boardroom to five minutes on stage. Lynne also reflects on receiving the British Citizen Award for Services to the Arts (BCAa), why recognition matters for the arts, and what great leadership looks like when you’re building social impact.

Expect practical ideas, a few behind-the-scenes stories, and a lot of heart. If you’ve ever thought, “I’m not funny,” this one’s for you.

To connect with Lynne: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynneparker/

Instagram - funnywomanlynne       website: https://www.funnywomen.com

🔗 Connect with Mary: marygregory.com

📣 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marygregory

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mary_gregory/

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What if the most powerful intelligence today isn’t artificial — but authentic?

In this episode of the She Leads Collective Podcast, I’m joined by the incredible Nishma Patel Robb — Ex Google Brand Chief, past President of WACL (Women in Advertising and Communications Leadership), and now Founder of Glittersphere, a movement that’s part TED Talk, part Studio 54, all about making women visible.

Nishma shares her story of growing up as the youngest of three daughters in a creative South Asian/British household, navigating barriers in the media and tech industries, and learning how to find her voice in the most male-dominated rooms. From her turning point moment working with Geena Davis on representation in media, to her reinvention at 50, Nishma speaks with candour, humour, and sparkle about visibility, fairness, and building unapologetic presence.

We explore:

• How her eyes were opened by the actress Geena Davis and Miriam Gonzalez to the bias women face 
• The impact of having a powerful female role model in her CEO at Google
• Why authentic intelligence is the “other AI” every leader needs to master
• How to stop self-editing and start speaking up in rooms that matter
• The role of fear, reinvention, and alignment in building a career you love
• Why women’s stories matter — and how Glittersphere is helping them shine

If you’ve ever held back your brilliance, this conversation will inspire you to step forward, speak up, and be seen.

🔗 Connect with Mary: marygregory.com

📣 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marygregory

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mary_gregory/

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