UNSHAKEABLE HER: Silence imposter syndrome, build real influence and get promoted on your terms
Doing brilliant work and still getting overlooked?
Unshakeable Her is for ambitious, capable women tired of second-guessing themselves and exhausted by navigating workplace rules nobody explains so you can grow your influence & get promoted.
Hosted by Caroline Esterson, who has spent 30 years helping thousands across hundreds of organisations uncover what is really going on and still get promoted.
This podcast offers practical, repeatable ways to build influence, confidence, and career momentum.
Each week, you’ll learn:
- How to grow your influence without becoming someone you don’t like
- The science behind imposter syndrome and what actually works to overcome it
- How to build confidence so you can stop being overlooked, and finally get the promotion you deserve
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? Start with fan-favourite #56 or jump into Imposter Syndrome with #7
UNSHAKEABLE HER: Silence imposter syndrome, build real influence and get promoted on your terms
#57 | 3 Hidden Reasons Critical Feedback Triggers Imposter Syndrome and Weakens Influence at Work
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Have you ever received one piece of feedback before a big meeting and suddenly stopped trusting your own judgment?
This episode explains what is actually happening inside your brain when critical feedback lands at the worst possible moment. If you’re a capable woman in leadership who tends to soften, over-edit, or second-guess yourself before high-stakes moments, this conversation will help you understand why that response is not weakness, but a predictable mix of biology, conditioning, and workplace dynamics.
- You’ll understand the neuroscience behind why feedback can trigger a threat response right before an important moment
- You’ll learn why highly capable women are often more vulnerable to self-doubt, not less
- You’ll walk away with three practical moves to help you stay grounded, evaluate feedback clearly, and return to your prepared, capable self
Play this episode to understand your threat response, stop shrinking under pressure, and walk into your next big moment with your full voice intact.
References
Brene Brown, vulnerability and high achievement research.
Carol Gilligan, In A Different Voice (1982). Jean Baker Miller, Toward A New Psychology Of Women (1976).
Victoria Brescoll, Yale (2011).
Lieberman et al. (2007) UCLA affect labelling study.
Carol Dweck, Mindset (2006).
Ethan Kross, Chatter (2021). Pete Walker, Complex PTSD (2013).
Valerie Young, The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women (2011).
Contact
Connect with me on LinkedIn
Or email me caroline@inspireyourgenius.com with 'Rachel' in the subject line, and I'll send you the full 90-second pre-performance sequence from Friday's episode as a printable card you can keep in your bag. Small enough to fit. Powerful enough to change what happens before your next big moment.
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.
This podcast explores resilience, imposter syndrome, and credibility while unpacking how boundaries, conflict, and feedback shape the way we handle pressure, influence, and guilt at work. It also looks at promotion, work-life balance, people pleasing, decision making, and visibility, offering honest conversations about how to grow professionally without losing your confidence or yourself.
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