949: LEADERSHIP MINDSET: How to Own the Room as a Woman Leader Over 40

Shameless Leadership

Sara Dean

Education, Management, How To, Business, Self-improvement

4.7 • 800 Ratings

🗓️ 22 July 2025

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Last year, Google invited me to come lead trainings for Aging Awareness Week. This was a truly enjoyable opportunity to work with some brilliant leaders. When I asked about who to expect in the audience, I expected to be told, “People over 55.” Instead, I was told, “This ERG is for folks over 40.” 40! I don’t think of 40 as “aging” just yet. But, I guess it is when society and culture start to stigmatize us, isn’t it?? If you are a woman over 40 who is done shrinking and ready to lead with the clarity, power, and confidence that comes from your decades of wisdom, with zero apologies, this episode is for you! In this episode, I’m speaking directly to women over 40 who are ready to start leading with the full force of their lived experience. I know what it feels like to be in rooms where youth, speed, and loud voices are mistaken for leadership - but I’m here to tell you that your depth, clarity, wisdom, perspective, and emotional intelligence are exactly what’s needed right now. We’re not the past. We are the future of work. And, data backs this up: 42% of labor force growth in the next decade will come from people 55 and older, mostly women. Together, we’ll explore how to navigate the double bind of age and gender, where you’re expected to stay relevant but not be perceived as “too much.” I identify the forces at play (such as the intersectionality of ageism and sexism) and provide tools to help you reclaim your space with power and intention. You’ll hear how your ability to read a room, speak with clarity, and lead for legacy, not ego, is your greatest asset. Your ability to listen deeply, ask better questions, and build meaningful collaborative (not competitive) relationships? That’s the edge younger leaders are still learning. This episode is your reminder that you don’t need to fight for a seat at the table—you are the table. Your leadership is expansive, rooted, sturdy, and deeply needed. So if you’ve been waiting for permission to own the room, this is it. Links Mentioned: Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks Watch Shameless Leadership episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@saradeanspeaks Article: Five Facts on Older Women in the Labor Market Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to shameless leadership. I'm your host, Sarah Dean. This show is for women, transgender people, non-binary folks, as well as allies, who are committed to advancing their leadership while also advancing the leadership of those around them. In each episode, we will offer practical tips, leadership strategies, and inspiring
0:21.9	stories to help you become a more confident, compassionate, and inclusive leader. The truth is,
0:27.5	you were born to lead. What might happen for you if you were to wholeheartedly embrace that
0:32.2	part of yourself? So let's start now, together. Hello, shameless leaders.
0:39.3	I'm thrilled to be here with you today.
0:42.9	And if you're watching on YouTube, which if you haven't checked us out on YouTube, please do that.
0:43.6	If you go to serradine.com slash YouTube, you can see the show there.
0:47.9	If you're watching on YouTube, you're going to see that I'm looking like cozy and
0:52.1	unshowered and just extra comfortable today. And I have to say I was laughing at
0:57.3	myself this morning because I knew I needed to record today. My morning did not go as planned for a
1:01.9	million different reasons. And I thought this is why I didn't want to record the show on YouTube.
1:05.9	Because when I thought about starting the show on YouTube, I thought, I'm going to have to get a lot of
1:09.9	cute clothes and like new shirts to be on video all the time. And this morning, I didn't have time to put on a cute shirt or even take a shower for that matter. It was like messy, messy bun and my son's little league sweatshirt, which is dirty. Like, this is what I got this morning. And I thought, this is exactly why I didn't want to do YouTube, because this is what I normally look like. And then I realized that's exactly why I should show up
1:34.4	just like this for YouTube, right? I should show up in this version of myself because, yes,
1:40.0	sometimes I'm wearing a cute shirt and sometimes I'm on stage in cute shoes. And a lot of the time,
1:45.2	I'm this version of myself. And I think sometimes we get in our own way as women leaders, as we age,
1:52.4	that like we have to show up with this certain look or this fit into a certain box in terms of
1:58.3	the level of professionalism we bring from a visibility perspective.
2:03.7	And why do we do that to ourselves? We don't need to do that to ourselves. So here I am in my
2:08.8	unshowered, messy bun, dirty little league hoodie glory to dig into our topic today. And our topic
2:15.9	is kind of right along these lines. So my topic
2:17.9	or our topic today is how to own the room as a woman leader over 40. And so this is part of how
	...

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