What no one tells you about confidence, with Ellen Sullivan & Dr Nora Koslowski
Get EVEN Podcast | Dr Nora Koslowski | Ellen Sullivan | Confidence
What if confidence isn’t the thing holding women back at work?
In this episode of the Get EVEN podcast, “What No One Tells You About Confidence”, EVEN founders Ellen Sullivan and Dr Nora Koslowski unpack one of the most persistent narratives in women’s careers: “I just need to be more confident.”
But what if the issue is more complex than that?
Together, Ellen and Nora explore the difference between confidence, self-esteem and self-efficacy, and why these distinctions matter so much for women navigating leadership, career growth and ambition at work.
This episode goes beyond surface-level confidence advice to examine the systems and workplace dynamics that shape self-doubt in the first place. From the double bind women leaders experience, to the ways organisations can reward overconfidence over competence, this is a conversation about leadership, power, identity and the stories many women carry about themselves at work.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
why self-efficacy matters more than “feeling confident”
how confidence is shaped by context, feedback and workplace culture
the difference between confidence and capability
why women in leadership are often judged differently
how the leadership double bind works in practice
practical strategies to challenge self-doubt and imposter phenomenon
how to build an internal “cheerleader” or fierce mentor voice
why creating a “reality folder” can help counter negative self-talk
why women don’t need fixing, and why systemic change matters alongside individual action
This episode is for women navigating mid-career growth, leadership progression, executive presence, career confidence and the complexity of ambition at work.
If you’ve ever thought:
“I’m not confident enough.”
“I need to back myself more.”
“Everyone else seems more certain than me.”
“Why does confidence seem to matter more than competence?”
…this conversation is for you.