Introducing the Self-Trust Project

What if one of the biggest barriers to women’s advancement ins’t capability or confidence?

There is no shortage of advice telling women how to become better leaders.

Be more confident. Speak up. Take more risks. Build your network. Develop executive presence.

But after more than 1,000 hours coaching women leaders, I’ve become increasingly convinced that we may be overlooking something much more fundamental: a woman’s relationship with herself.

Too many accomplished women have spent their careers looking outside themselves for validation, questioning their judgment, second-guessing their instincts, softening their opinions and waiting for someone else to confirm they’re ready.

Not because they lack capability. And not simply because they need more confidence.

Something deeper is happening.

Why study self-trust?

The Self-Trust Project is a qualitative research initiative examining a central question:

Why do so many accomplished women lose trust in themselves as leaders — and what helps them reclaim it?

Through in-depth conversations with women leaders and experts, alongside insights from more than 1,000 hours of executive coaching and an academic literature review, I’m exploring the experiences, environments and turning points that shape women’s relationship with their own judgment, instincts and voice.

The research will inform my next book and a growing body of work focused on self-trust, women’s leadership and executive positioning.

How is this different from existing research?

For decades, much of the conversation about advancing women has focused on what women need to develop or do differently.

But what if we’ve been asking the wrong questions?

What if instead of continually teaching women how to adapt to existing models of leadership, we became more curious about what allows them to trust themselves enough to lead from their own authority?

And what if understanding that could help us not only develop women differently, but reimagine what leadership itself can look like?

That is the bigger ambition behind The Self-Trust Project.

Lend your voice to the project

I’m speaking with accomplished women across industries, functions and leadership experiences about the moments that have shaped how they see themselves, trust themselves and lead.

These are confidential, one-on-one conversations designed not only to contribute to the research, but to offer women the opportunity to reflect on their own leadership journey.

If you’d like to contribute your perspective to The Self-Trust Project, I’d love to hear from you.