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She Leads Collective: Women, Leadership and What It Takes to Thrive at Work
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.
Episodes
68 episodes
Season 4 Preview - What's Really Getting in the Way of People Thriving at Work
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 o...
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S4 Ep2 - Why Family-Friendly Leadership Is the Future of Work
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...
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S4 Ep3 - Leading While Caring: Holding It All Together When Life Demands More
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 deep...
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S4 Ep4 - The Working Parent Penalty: Why Great People Leave — and What Employers Can Do
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 Michell...
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S4 Ep5 - Paternity Leave That Works: How Lewis Silkin Achieved 100% Take-Up with Jo Farmer, Joint Managing Partner
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 an...
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S4 Ep6 - The Imposter Syndrome Myth: Why Women Don't Need Fixing, with Kay Tear
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 synd...
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S4 Ep7 - Women in Construction: Taking Off the Armour with Faye Allen
What does it take to succeed as a woman in construction—and what does that success cost when you feel you have to protect yourself behind a tough exterior?Faye Allen has spent more than three decades in the industry, often as one of very...
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S3 Ep1 Women at Work: Progress, Reality & What Still Needs to Change | Season 3 Opening with Mary Gregory
Welcome to Season 3 of the She Leads Collective Podcast.In this opening episode, I explore a question that sits at the heart of this season:If progress for women at work is real… why do so many day-to-day experiences s...
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S3 Ep2: Steph Douglas on Building Don’t Buy Her Flowers: From New Mum Insight to Acquisition
What if the best business ideas don’t come from grand strategy, but from noticing something small that others simply accept?In this episode, Mary speaks with Steph Douglas, founder of Don’t Buy Her Flowers, about how a deeply pers...
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S3 Ep3 The Mental Load at Home: Steph Douglas on Equality, Relationships and Women’s Leadership
Why do so many high-performing women still carry the invisible weight of running everything at home?In this second conversation with Steph Douglas, we shift the focus from business to what’s happening behind the scenes — and why it matte...
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S3 Ep4: It’s Not a Confidence Problem: Lauren Neal on Bias, Leadership and Women in STEM
What if the problem isn’t your confidence, but the system you’re trying to succeed in?In this episode of the She Leads Collective Podcast, Mary Gregory is joined by Lauren Neal, chartered engineer, chartered project professional, founder...
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S3 Ep5: Women in STEM, Neurodivergence and Quiet Leadership with Akua Opong
What does leadership look like when you do not fit the traditional mould?In this episode of the She Leads Collective Podcast, Mary is joined by Akua Opong, Senior Engineer at the London Stock Exchange Group, advocate for diversity, equit...
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S3 Ep6: Women, Money and Financial Confidence with Yasmine El Mehairy
So much of the conversation around women and money focuses on gaps — pay gaps, pension gaps, investment gaps and funding gaps.But what if the deeper issue is also about confidence, exposure, access and invitation?In this episode, ...
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S3 Ep7: Women Founders and the 2% Funding Gap with David B Horne
Why are women still receiving only around 2% of venture capital funding in 2026 — despite the evidence showing that businesses led by women consistently outperform?In this eye-opening episode of the She Leads Collective Podcast, Mary Gre...
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S3 Ep8: Financial Confidence Starts Young with Jayne Brewer CEO, 2B Enterprising
What if we are waiting far too long to teach confidence, money and leadership?By the time many women step into the workplace, beliefs around money, ambition and possibility may already have formed.In this episode of The She Le...
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S3 Ep9: Leadership, Courage and the Power of Encouragement with Helen Gibson MBE
What can leading in war zones, disaster zones and some of the world's most complex environments teach us about leadership?In this inspiring episode of the She Leads Collective Podcast, Mary Gregory is joined by award-winning entrepreneur...
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S3 Ep10: Womens Health and Gender Equality with Tina Backhouse
This week on the She Leads Collective Podcast, I'm joined by women's health advocate, senior leader and Co-Chair of Menopause Mandate, Tina Backhouse.Tina's story is extraordinary. After losing both parents as a baby and growing up in ca...
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S3 Ep11: - Divorce, Work and the Hidden Cost for Women with Tamara Glanvill
What happens at work when life falls apart at home?We talk openly about maternity, menopause, wellbeing and bereavement, but one major life transition remains largely invisible in many workplaces: divorce.In this episode of the Sh...
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S3 Ep12 - Leading With Kindness: Purpose, Reinvention & Entrepreneurship with Carmel Saulbrey
What happens when outward success no longer feels enough?In this episode of the She Leads Collective Podcast, Mary is joined by entrepreneur and founder Carmel Saulbrey. After building and selling one of the UK's largest school photograp...
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S3 Ep13 Leading Yourself Through Uncertainty - Lessons in Courage and Compassion with Isabelle Courtney-Guy.
What happens when the biggest leadership challenge isn't at work—but in your own life?Leadership consultant and coach Isabelle Courtney-Guy has spent more than twenty years helping organisations navigate complexity, culture...
S3 Ep 14- Leading Beyond Expectations: Reinvention, Inclusion & Legacy with Fara Butt
Fara Butt never expected to lead a manufacturing business.Originally training as a teacher, she was on the path to becoming a headteacher before gradually finding herself helping to transform her family's mattress manufacturing company. ...
S3 Ep15 - Women's Visibility and Influence - from Expertise to Impact with Sue Rizzello
Why do so many brilliant women remain invisible despite their expertise?In this episode of the She Leads Collective Podcast, Mary Gregory is joined by thought leadership strategist Sue Rizzello to explore why influential ideas aren't alw...
S3 Ep16 Leadership Lessons That Change Everything with Mary Gregory
This season wasn't simply a collection of conversations about women in leadership.Looking back across thirteen remarkable guests, Mary reflects that something much bigger has emerged. Together, Mary and her guests have explored what lead...
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S2 Ep1: Why the Gender Equity Conversation Isn’t Over — and Why Leadership Still Needs It.
In this opening episode of Season 2 of the She Leads Collective Podcast, Mary Gregory reflects on why this podcast still matters — and why now.At a time when there’s a growing narrative that “enough has been done” on gend...
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S2 Ep2: Leading At The Top As A Woman with Penny De Valk
Why are so many talented women still walking out of organisations — despite decades of investment in leadership development, diversity initiatives and good intent?In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Mary Gregory is joined by Penny D...
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