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women, leadership, ambition,


Why Ease Feels Wrong and Why So Many Women Struggle to Trust It
Why does success feel uncomfortable when it finally gets easier? In this episode, Erica explores why so many ambitious women struggle to trust ease, how hustle becomes identity, and what it really means to lead without burnout. A grounded conversation about ambition, rest, and redefining worth.
Erica Rooney
Feb 104 min read


Broken Rungs and Baby Bumps: Why Working Mothers Are Still Falling Behind
Working mothers keep falling behind because of two overlapping barriers: the "broken rung"—the missed first step up to manager—and the motherhood penalty, a measurable drop in pay and promotion after childbirth. In this transatlantic collaboration with executive coach and former midwife Rachel Erasmus, Erica unpacks the data, the identity shift no one prepares you for, the manager moments that make or break a return, and nine proven fixes to keep women rising. The problem isn
Erica Rooney
Oct 15, 20258 min read


Leading with Emotional Intelligence: Why empathy is a power skill, not a soft one, and how to lead with it without burning out
Leadership isn’t about having all the answers — it’s about creating the kind of trust and connection that makes people want to find the answers with you. Emotional intelligence (EQ) is the secret weapon of today’s most impactful leaders, blending empathy, self-awareness, and authenticity to inspire real results. This article explores how EQ drives influence, how women can harness it without burning out, and why empathy is not a soft skill — it’s a power skill that transforms
Erica Rooney
Oct 9, 20254 min read


The Rise of the Mom Exodus: What happens when flexibility disappears — and why 212,000 women leaving the workforce should alarm us all
Since January 2025, more than 212,000 women have left the U.S. workforce, and a closer look shows it's overwhelmingly mothers with young children. Flexible work is vanishing, inclusive workplaces are retreating, affordable childcare is still nowhere to be found. Erica calls it what it is: the Mom Exodus. Drawing on her own return from maternity leave a decade ago, she breaks down why moms are leaving, what it costs all of us, and what has to change before the ripple effects l
Erica Rooney
Aug 31, 20256 min read
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