I almost didn’t say yes to co-hosting WomenShare.
Not because I didn’t love the idea. Not because I didn’t believe in the mission. But because the little voice in my head kept whispering:
Who are you to do this?
You don’t have podcasting experience.
What if you’re not good at it?
My co-host, Leah Alter, had the original idea for WomenShare, and she is someone who trusts her gut. She didn’t hesitate to move forward, and if I had let my own self-doubt get in the way, the show would still exist—just without me.
But Leah believed I had something valuable to bring to the table. And deep down, I knew she was right.
So I did something different: I gave myself permission to be bold. And that single decision changed everything.
Why We Hesitate (Even When We’re More Than Capable)
In our recent conversation with Sheena Yap Chan, a bestselling author and expert on self-confidence, she shared something that stuck with me:
Men apply for jobs when they meet 60% of the qualifications. Women? We wait until we meet 100%.
Why? Because we’ve been conditioned to believe that we need to be perfect before we put ourselves out there. We fear failure, judgment, or simply not being “enough.”
But the truth is, the most successful women aren’t the ones who waited until they felt ready. They’re the ones who took action before they felt ready.
How to Stop Waiting and Start Leading
If you’re holding yourself back from stepping into something bigger, here are three lessons I’ve learned firsthand:
- Confidence Comes from Action—Not the Other Way Around
I thought I needed to feel confident before I started co-hosting the podcast. Turns out, confidence came because I started co-hosting the podcast. The more episodes we recorded, the more natural it felt. The same will be true for whatever you’re hesitating on—whether it’s speaking up in meetings, applying for a promotion, or launching your own project. - Progress is More Important Than Perfection
Our first few podcast episodes weren’t perfect. But we kept going, learning, and improving. And reminding ourselves that our goal is authentic conversations, not perfection. If you’re waiting until you can do something flawlessly, you’ll wait forever. Instead, focus on getting started and improving as you go. - Fear Means You’re Growing
Feeling uncomfortable? Good. That’s where growth happens. Instead of seeing fear as a stop sign, start seeing it as a green light. It means you’re stepping outside your comfort zone—and that’s exactly where bold, confident leaders are made.
Your Permission Slip to Be Bold
If you’ve been waiting for a sign to take the next step—this is it.
Start before you feel ready. Say yes before you have it all figured out. Take the leap before your inner critic talks you out of it. Because the truth is, you’ll never feel 100 percent ready. And that’s okay. You don’t need to be ready—you just need to be willing.
So go for it. You’ve got this.
