This lunchtime, I hosted a Women in Leadership webinar where 70 incredible women signed up to explore the Centred Leadership Model, a powerful framework we’ll be diving deeper into when my Women in Leadership: Elevate course returns this September.

In my work with female leaders, I’ve identified some core inhibitors that can quietly limit their networking potential and by extension, their career growth. These often show up as subtle but powerful self-limiting beliefs, shaped by personal history, workplace culture, and the spaces women find themselves in.

From my experience, these barriers include:

• A lack of ownership over their unique strengths, both personally and within their industry.

• Shifting confidence depending on the room, especially in male-majority spaces.

• Avoiding ‘risk’ and staying inside familiar networking circles.

• Public speaking anxiety and a dysregulated nervous system.

• Feeling judged or doubting their authority, age, or experience.

• Struggling to articulate the true impact of their work.

• Not knowing where to find networking opportunities or hesitating to take the first step.

• Missing the chance to intentionally connect with people who could create genuine reciprocity.

Here’s the truth: to build a truly diverse and impactful network, a woman must be able to show up as her authentic self; aligned with her goals, grounded in her worth, and able to communicate with impact. When you understand your own patterns, regulate your nervous system, and face your ‘kryptonite’ head-on, you can step into any room and hold it with presence.

But here’s what’s rarely talked about: reaching beyond what’s “normal” for your family, your peers, or even the women who came before you can trigger deep-seated fears. It can create feelings of isolation, guilt, or shame; emotions that, left unchecked, quietly shape business decisions and career moves.

That’s why  in Elevate, I focus on tools to dismantle these hidden barriers. It’s not just about teaching networking strategy, but equipping women to walk into every space with purpose, confidence and clarity.