Lead to Soar

Commander Emma Conway has spent her career leading in environments where women are outnumbered, scrutinised, and expected to adapt to systems not designed for them. After 12 years as a sailor in the Royal Australian Navy , Emma transitioned into firefighting and emergency services. She is now a Commander with the Victorian Country Fire Authority , leading teams in high-pressure, high-risk contexts...

“Should I do an MBA?” is one of the most common questions Michelle and Mel hear from women at work. And the honest answer is: it depends . In this episode of Lead to Soar , Michelle Redfern is joined by Jo Thomas , CEO of the Australian Institute of Business , to talk through the MBA decision with clarity and realism. This is not a conversation about collecting credentials for reassurance. It’s ab...

Toxic workplaces don’t announce themselves clearly. They erode confidence, distort judgement, and normalise behaviour that would never pass scrutiny in a healthy system. Women are often told to cope, adapt, or be more resilient—advice that ignores how power, risk, and psychological safety actually operate at work. In this episode of Lead to Soar , Michelle Redfern speaks with organisational psycho...

When the word ambitious is applied to women, it rarely lands as a compliment. It’s coded as selfish, threatening, or unlikable—especially when ambition shows up alongside competence and authority. In this episode of Lead to Soar , Mel Butcher and Michelle Redfern take a hard look at why ambition is still treated as suspect in women, while being actively rewarded in men. The conversation is sparked...

Cindy Gallop does not do incremental change. She dismantles broken systems. In this episode of Lead to Soar , Michelle Redfern and Mel Butcher are joined by Cindy Gallop, a serial entrepreneur, business innovator, and outspoken advocate for gender equality, to discuss power, pay, and leadership in workplaces that still privilege men. This is a conversation about how women build authority, get paid...

In this episode of Lead to Soar , Michelle Redfern and Mel Butcher tackle one of the most common career stall points for women leaders: staying in execution long after their role requires leadership. Women are often rewarded early for being reliable doers. Over time, that same behaviour becomes a liability. Leaders who remain too close to the work are perceived as indispensable operators rather th...

In this episode of Lead to Soar , Michelle Redfern is joined by Helga Svendsen, governance specialist, board advisor, and host of the Take on Board podcast, for a grounded conversation about what it really takes to move into board roles. Board appointments are often talked about as a natural next step for senior women. In practice, many women are encouraged to “put their hand up” long before they...

Money matters for women because money determines choice, access, and long-term security. In this episode of Lead to Soar , Michelle Redfern interviews Mel Butcher about her personal relationship with money and how her thinking shifted from seeing money as incidental to recognising it as a core career and leadership issue. The conversation was sparked by two widely resonant posts Mel shared with wo...

“Who are you, and what does your organisation pay you to do?” That question sounds simple. For many women, it’s where credibility leaks. In this episode, Mel Butcher and Michelle Redfern draw on the research and coaching work of Susan Colantuono to examine why women so often undersell their leadership when they introduce themselves at work — and how to change that. This is not about elevator pitch...

This episode brings together all four Lead to Soar co-hosts for a live Career Q&A with members and listeners. Amal Yusuf, Mel Butcher, Susan Colantuono, and Michelle Redfern draw on their combined experience to answer the questions women ask when the stakes are high and the advice needs to be practical. This is not abstract career theory. It’s direct, grounded guidance based on decades of leadersh...

Gaslighting at work is not a misunderstanding. It is not poor communication. It is a form of workplace bullying. In this episode, Michelle Redfern and Mel Butcher examine how gaslighting operates inside organisations and why it is so damaging, particularly for women. Gaslighting distorts reality, erodes judgment, and destabilises confidence. Over time, it can lead to anxiety, depression, and serio...

Do you have a “brilliant jerk” in your workplace? The brilliant jerk, sometimes called the toxic rock star, is usually high-performing on one visible metric while causing widespread damage elsewhere. Their behaviour includes bullying, intimidation, exclusion, and contempt. It persists because their results are rewarded, defended, or quietly tolerated by leadership. In this episode, Michelle Redfer...

Women face difficult moments at work that demand judgement, composure, and credibility. In high-pressure situations, many women experience a fight, flight, freeze, or fawn response as the amygdala takes over. When that happens, access to clear language can disappear at exactly the moment it is needed most. In this episode, Mel Butcher and Michelle Redfern focus on the role language plays in naviga...

In this episode of the Lead to Soar podcast , Michelle Redfern is joined by Dr Catriona Wallace , a serial entrepreneur, CEO, and global authority on responsible AI, ethics, and the future of work. Catriona has built, led, and exited AI and machine-learning businesses in environments dominated by men, capital, and technical gatekeeping. She speaks candidly about what it takes to lead in AI, ventur...

Recent research tells us, again, that women outperform men on a wide range of leadership metrics. Yet women remain significantly under-represented in senior roles. In this episode of the Lead to Soar podcast , Michelle Redfern and Mel Butcher challenge leaders to stop acting surprised by the leadership gender gap and start taking responsibility for it. Admiring the problem is not leadership. Being...

In this episode of the Lead to Soar podcast , Michelle Redfern and Mel Butcher are joined by Tara Furiani, founder of Not the HR Lady , for a direct conversation about workplace behaviour that organisations excuse, minimise, or dress up as “culture.” This is not a discussion about policies on paper. It is about what actually happens when leaders avoid conflict, HR plays defence, and harmful behavi...

In this episode of the Lead to Soar podcast , Mel Butcher and Michelle Redfern challenge one of the most damaging myths in women’s career advice: that politics is something principled leaders should avoid. Workplace politics already exists. The question is not whether women participate, but whether they understand how power actually operates and how decisions really get made. Viewed through the Le...

In this episode, Mel Butcher and Michelle Redfern take aim at the idea of work–life balance and why it continues to fail women leaders. The balance narrative assumes a neat split between “work” and “life”. That framing ignores reality and quietly reinforces an old expectation: that women are still responsible for managing everything else around work. The result is not balance. It’s overload. This...

In this episode, Michelle Redfern is joined by Amal Yusuf from Delta Airlines to discuss what it really takes to run a women’s Employee Resource Group (ERG) that delivers impact. Too many ERGs are treated as social clubs or passion projects. Amal brings a different perspective. She shares how high-performing ERGs operate as strategic leadership vehicles , influencing culture, talent outcomes, and...

In this episode, Mel Butcher and Michelle Redfern share 10 non-negotiable questions women should ask when interviewing for a role, starting a new job, or resetting expectations with a current manager. Too many women step into roles with incomplete information and untested assumptions, then pay the price later. These questions are about judgement, due diligence, and power , not politeness. They hel...

In this episode, Mel Butcher and Michelle Redfern tackle one of the most persistent career myths women are given: “If you work hard, you’ll be noticed.” Women consistently deliver results, solve complex problems, and carry disproportionate organisational load. Yet many stall because their contribution is not seen, understood, or attributed at decision-making tables. This conversation reframes self...

In this episode of the Lead to Soar podcast, Mel Butcher speaks with Molly Beck , author of Reach Out and CEO of Messy.fm . Molly challenges the way most people think about networking. Instead of chasing contacts when you need something, she advocates for a disciplined, long-term practice of connection. One message a day. Every weekday. To someone on the edge of your network. It’s a simple strateg...

In this episode of the Lead to Soar podcast, Michelle Redfern and Mel Butcher tackle one of the most misunderstood levers of career progression: sponsorship. Inspired by a talk from Carla Harris , this conversation draws a sharp line between mentors and sponsors. Mentors advise. Sponsors advocate. And confusing the two is one of the reasons capable women stall. Mel and Michelle break down what spo...

In this episode of the Lead to Soar podcast, Michelle Redfern and Mel Butcher examine the internal stories many women carry at work, stories often labelled as “lack of confidence” or “imposter syndrome,” but which are more accurately shaped by experience, feedback, and workplace conditions. They talk candidly about the internal dialogue that tells capable women they’re not ready, not enough, or ab...

What does it really take to succeed in the boardroom? In this episode, Mel Butcher and Michelle Redfern are joined by board governance expert Beverley Behan to talk frankly about what boards expect of directors and where women often get misdirected in their preparation. This is not about confidence, polish, or “putting your hand up.” It’s about judgement, contribution, and understanding how boards...