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Lead to Soar: Career Advice and Guidance for Ambitious Women Leaders
The Strategic Skills Every Woman Leader Needs to Soar in Her Career
Welcome to Lead to Soar Presents: The Strategic Skills Series—a new podcast series where real leadership meets real career growth. In this launch episode, Michelle Redfern drops three truth bombs every ambitious woman must hear about the state of women’s leadership, the flawed advice we’ve been given, and what it really takes to advance.
This isn’t about surface-level fixes or being told to “raise your profile.” This is about the strategic skills that matter—skills that get women promoted, paid, and positioned for power.
Michelle lays out the three pillars of effective leadership taught inside the Lead to Soar Network and in her book The Leadership Compass:
• Business Intelligence (BQ): Strategic, financial, and commercial acumen.
• Emotional Intelligence (EQ): Mastering self-awareness, self-regulation, and leadership of others.
• Social Intelligence (SQ): Building influence, credibility, and strategic visibility.
You’ll also hear about the real reasons women are underestimated at work, why traditional career advice keeps missing the mark, and how to speak the language of business to shift perceptions and outcomes.
This series features live coaching sessions, exclusive workshops, and no-nonsense conversations with women from inside the Lead to Soar Network who are navigating complex leadership challenges and rising—strategically.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
• Why being seen as a high-impact, commercial leader is essential for advancement
• How BQ, EQ, and SQ combine to form the leadership trifecta
• What advice to stop listening to—and what to ask for instead
• How to navigate systems built by men, for men, without losing your ambition or your edge
• Why confidence is not the issue—access to strategic skill-building is
Key Resources:
• The Leadership Compass by Michelle Redfern
• No Ceiling, No Walls by Susan Colantuono
• Lead to Soar Strategic Skills Audit and Career SWOT tool (exclusive to network members)
Join the Lead to Soar Network:
Membership is $255 annually or $30 monthly (USD). Inside, you’ll gain access to strategic tools, live coaching, mentoring, and a powerful global community of women leaders. This is not another networking group. It’s a leadership lab for ambitious women ready to lead with purpose, power, and commercial impact.
Subscribe now to Lead to Soar Presents: The Strategic Skills Series and visit www.leadtosoar.network to become a member.
From conversation to action. From overlooked to in-demand. From busy to strategic. Lead to Soar.
Lead to Soar is a podcast for ambitious women and the leaders who support them. Hosted by Michelle Redfern and Mel Butcher, it delivers evidence-based, practical advice on leadership, career progression, and closing the gender gap. Join the Lead to Soar Network at leadtosoar.network or get Michelle’s book The Leadership Compass at michelleredfern.com/book.
More episodes
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199. Professional Jealousy: What Is It & How Does it Show Up?
32:33||Season 9, Ep. 199In this episode, Michelle Redfern and Mel Butcher tackle a workplace issue most people experience but rarely discuss openly: professional jealousy. They walk through how jealousy shows up, how it can be weaponised through policy or gossip, and why it can have serious consequences for someone’s reputation and career if it isn’t handled well.198. The Dissenting Voice: Why Women’s Courage Will Define Leadership in the Age of AI
33:35||Season 9, Ep. 198Technology is racing ahead — but courage and conscience must lead the way. In this episode, Michelle Redfern and Mel Butcher explore how women leaders can be the dissenting voices that keep ethics, empathy, and humanity at the centre of progress.197. How to Play the Long Game: A Career Strategy for Ambitious Women
27:27||Season 9, Ep. 197Your future self is counting on you. In this episode, Michelle Redfern and Mel Butcher explore how ambitious women can play the long game — building strategy, visibility, and momentum that leads to real career success.196. Why Credibility PLUS Visibility Is Essential for Career Success
19:46||Season 9, Ep. 196Competence alone doesn’t create credibility. Michelle and Mel reveal why visibility and credibility must work together if you want to be chosen for high-value work. They share how to talk about your achievements without the cringe, use language that lands with decision-makers, and demonstrate leadership that moves the business forward.195. From Hope to Strategy: How to Reach Your Full Potential
26:54||Season 9, Ep. 195Hope is not a strategy. Michelle and Mel show you how to define your full potential, state your ambition with a business lens, and build a roadmap that aligns your moves to revenue, margin, and growth outcomes. Practical prompts and language you can use this week.194. Too Nice to Lead? How to Manage Up to an Ineffective Boss
29:49||Season 9, Ep. 194In this episode of Lead to Soar, Michelle Redfern and Mel Butcher tackle a quiet but costly leadership issue: the boss who’s “too nice to lead.” They’re kind, approachable, and well-intentioned—but decisions stall, standards slip, and teams burn out.You’ll learn how to recognise this pattern, manage up with evidence and courage, and raise the standard without burning out or doing their job for them. Michelle also unpacks why organisations keep rewarding comfort over competence, and what real leadership development should look like.193. Why Being Busy and Obedient Is a Poor Strategy for Ambitious Women
21:15||Season 9, Ep. 193Why being busy and obedient is a poor strategy for ambitious women. Michelle and Mel share why obedience isn’t leadership, how to ditch non-promotable tasks, and why radical accountability drives career growth.192. Real Talk for Women at Work: Why Loyalty Is for Labradors and Leadership Matters
20:00||Season 9, Ep. 192Michelle and Mel are back with fresh energy for a new season of Lead to Soar. They tackle why DEI work is going underground, why “loyalty is for Labradors” hit home, and how to lead when brilliant jerks and gendered feedback still thrive.191. Inside Lead to Soar: Real coaching, real community, zero noise
27:40||Season 9, Ep. 191In this episode of the Lead to Soar podcast, co-founder Michelle Redfern takes listeners inside the Lead to Soar Network. She explains what actually happens inside: weekly Hour of Power group coaching, monthly themes and challenges, and a highly curated leadership library she calls the “Leadership MBA.”Listeners also hear from member Tam Nguyen, who shares how her confidence, perspective, and practical leadership toolkit have grown through the community.The Lead to Soar Network is for women (inclusive of cisgender, trans, gender-diverse, and non-binary people who want a women-only space) who are ambitious for themselves, their teams, and their organisations. It is deliberately not social media—there are no algorithms, no noise, and no toxic commentary. In six years, the community has required zero moderation of posts or comments, making it a psychologically safe and outcomes-focused space.What Listeners Will Learn• Why the Lead to Soar Network exists and who it serves (early-career, mid-career, and senior women).• How the Hour of Power works—and why real-time, real-world coaching accelerates leadership.• The monthly rhythm: theme, challenge (Stop-Breathe-Reflect), and member discussions.• How to link work to reputation and credibility as a leader.• Why a women-only space matters for psychological safety and accelerated growth.• What a 30-day guest pass includes.• Membership options and value for both individuals and organisations.Featured Guest: Tam Nguyen, who "helps organisations realise their financial and long-term growth objectives by being a trusted commercial partner.”Tam describes how the network has sharpened her leadership lens—from practical career moves and risk management to building confidence through competence and results.Want a guest pass? Contact us.