UNSHAKEABLE HER: Get Promoted by Building Leadership, Influence and Confidence (For Women Done Being Overlooked)
You're already leading. So why does it still feel like nobody's noticed?
Unshakeable Her is the leadership podcast for ambitious women who are done second-guessing themselves in systems that weren't designed for them. Every week we get into the promotion strategies that get you recognised for the leader you already are by exploring the real science of leadership confidence, the unwritten rules of influence, and how to build the kind of presence that makes promotion inevitable.
Hosted by Caroline Esterson - a leadership development specialist with 30 years inside hundreds of organisations, who knows exactly why brilliant women get overlooked and what to do about it.
This podcast offers practical, repeatable ways to build influence, confidence, and career momentum.
Each week you'll learn:
- How to build the visibility and strategic positioning that gets you promoted.
- How to lead with more influence without losing yourself in the process.
- The science behind imposter syndrome in leadership (and what actually shifts it) so you can get promoted.
With new episodes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, ‘Unshakeable Her’ delivers stories, strategy, and insight to help you become someone nobody can shake.
New here? Episode #7 is your imposter syndrome reset. Episode #56 is where leadership finally clicks.
UNSHAKEABLE HER: Get Promoted by Building Leadership, Influence and Confidence (For Women Done Being Overlooked)
#48 | Leadership Happens on a Random Tuesday & the Give To Gain Moves That Build Influence & Create Fairer Promotions.
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International Women’s Day is a moment - but leadership is what happens on a random Tuesday when nobody’s watching.
This episode is for managers and senior leaders who genuinely want fairer outcomes… and who are ready to stop relying on good intentions and start using better habits. We’re using the IWD 2026 theme Give To Gain to break down the four “gives” that change careers in real life: credit, access, opportunity, clarity (with a bonus: protection).
In this episode, you’ll learn
- Why “supporting women” isn’t a slogan — it’s a set of leadership decisions
- The four career-shaping levers leaders control every week:
Credit • Access • Opportunity • Clarity (and why each one matters) - How busy brains default to familiarity and convenience — and what to do instead
- How to run a simple Give Audit without turning your life into a spreadsheet
- The 2mm move leaders forget: Create a moment (turn private gratitude into public visibility)
Key moments
- The Big Idea: where careers are really won and lost (hint: not in the annual initiative)
- The Give Audit: who did you give credit/access/opportunity/clarity to in the last 30 days?
- The “Create a moment” reframe: gratitude is private, moments build reputation
- Career Quote Crime: “I treat everyone the same.” (why sameness isn’t fairness)
- Leader toolkit: scripts for giving credit and access that actually travel
- Quickfire moves: three simple leadership actions you can take this week
Practical scripts you can steal
- Credit in the moment:
“Quick pause — I want to credit that properly. That came from X. Let’s build on it.” - Access that matters (not just meetings):
“I’m introducing you to X — they influence this decision.”
“You present the recommendation — I’ll be in the room backing you.” - Clarity (so bias has less room to hide):
“This is what good looks like. This is what excellent looks like. Here’s the evidence we’ll use.”
Your action for this week
Choose one “Give” and do it deliberately within the next 24 hours:
- Give credit publicly
- Give access to people/context
- Give opportunity with visibility
- Give clarity in writing
- (Bonus) Give protection: time + air cover
If you’re not a manager:
Flip the audit: when did you last receive credit, access, opportunity, protection — and what’s one clear ask you can make this week?
New episodes are released every Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.
Stuck, simmering, or onto something juicy? I want to hear it. Drop me a line at caroline@inspireyourgenius.com - I read them all.
And here is the Spotify Playlist to accompany UnShakeable Her.
Unshakeable Her is the podcast for women in leadership who are ready to build real influence, earn the promotion they deserve, and lead with confidence in systems that weren't built for them. Each episode tackles the challenges that shape leadership from the inside out, including imposter syndrome, resilience, credibility, boundaries, conflict, and feedback, while unpacking how pressure, workplace politics, strategic thinking, decision-making, and visibility affect the way ambitious women grow, lead, and get promoted without losing themselves in the process.
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