The 4 Habits Holding Your Career Back & How to Break Them (Stop Saying Sorry)

21 snips

Nov 24, 2025

Women often unknowingly give away their power, starting with the frequent use of "sorry." Discover how this linguistic habit weakens authority and self-esteem. The hosts delve into the tendency to shrink oneself to be liked and how permission-seeking language sabotages leadership. They explore the hidden dangers of toxic gratitude and its impact on career progress. Practical exercises are shared, including rewriting apologetic phrases into powerful alternatives to help boost confidence and reclaim your voice.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Hedging Is Conditioned, Not Earned

Women use hedging language nearly three times more than men, which undermines perceived authority.
This stems from lifelong conditioning toward self-monitoring rather than actual greater culpability.

ANECDOTE

First Boss Modeled Apologetic Leadership

Jean recalled her first corporate manager who constantly said "sorry" and "thank you," which normalized apologetic behavior.
She subconsciously modeled that tone when entering the workplace early in her career.

ADVICE

Replace Sorry With Clear Phrases

Remove unnecessary apologies and clarify instead by using phrases like "thank you for waiting" or "let me be more clear."
Practice gratitude-fronted alternatives to preserve authority and sound confident.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app