Lead to Soar

Hope is not a strategy. Michelle and Mel show you how to define your full potential, state your ambition with a business lens, and build a roadmap that aligns your moves to real business outcomes. Practical prompts and language you can use this week. In this episode • Why “waiting to be noticed” keeps talented women stuck• What full potential can look like: role level, craft mastery, and financial...

We’ve all met this leader: pleasant, agreeable, and conflict-avoidant—the kind of manager everyone likes but few respect. In this Lead to Soar episode, Michelle Redfern and Mel Butcher dissect the “too nice to lead” phenomenon and offer practical strategies for ambitious professionals who report to an ineffective manager. What you’ll learn: • How to identify when niceness has replaced effectivenes...

This episode asks the big career question: What happens when you stay busy, wait patiently, and hope to be noticed? Michelle and Mel dismantle the “good girl” model of leadership and explain why obedience, helpfulness, and non-promotable tasks (NPTs) won’t get you where you want to go. Instead, they lay out how to move from being merely helpful to being high-impact, and why radical accountability...

Loyalty is still one of the most praised traits in women at work. Loyal to a leader. Loyal to a team. Loyal to an organisation that no longer has your back. In 2025, that expectation hasn’t softened. If anything, it has hardened. In this episode of Lead to Soar , Michelle Redfern and Mel Butcher revisit the idea that loyalty is a virtue for women leaders—and ask harder questions about what loyalty...

In this episode of the Lead to Soar podcast, co-founder Michelle Redfern takes listeners inside the Lead to Soar Network. She explains what actually happens inside: weekly Hour of Power group coaching, monthly themes and challenges, and a highly curated leadership library she calls the “Leadership MBA.” Listeners also hear from member Tam Nguyen, who shares how her confidence, perspective, and pra...

This episode addresses a recurring issue in the Lead to Soar Network: what do you do when your boss—or their boss—is disinterested, disengaged, or outright hostile? Michelle and Mel respond to a recent message from a long-time Network member who was given two options by her boss: accept a demotion or take a redundancy package. Her crime? Delivering measurable, high-value outcomes. The insult? This...

In this Lead to Soar Network session, Michelle Redfern breaks down why strategic networking isn’t just a nice-to-have for ambitious women—it’s non-negotiable if you want influence, visibility, and advancement. Michelle shares practical tips, real talk about the barriers women face, and why “drinking from the fire hydrant” (aka, her sessions) is exactly what’s needed to shift from endless busywork...

In this Lead to Soar webinar episode, Michelle Redfern delivers a focused and strategic workshop on the art and necessity of speaking up and standing out as a woman in the workplace. Drawing on research, lived experience, and her work with women leaders globally, Michelle uncovers the systemic challenges women face when advocating for themselves and why remaining silent comes at a cost. Listeners...

Michelle addresses strategies for women to effectively manage performance reviews, career progression conversations, salary negotiations, and navigate gender biases in the workplace. Key Points: 1. Mindset Shift:   - Performance reviews are business meetings, not tests.   - Move from anxiety to proactive preparation. 2. Effective Performance Review Preparation:   - Gather evidence continuously; do...

In this episode of Lead to Soar, co-hosts Mel Butcher and Michelle Redfern discuss a real-world leadership challenge brought forward by a Lead to Soar Network member. “Jane,” a high-performing consultant in a matrix organisation, found herself unexpectedly blamed when a project she was only lightly involved in started to unravel. Mel and Michelle use this scenario to explore the importance of esta...

In this episode of the Lead to Soar podcast, Michelle Redfern explores why Business Intelligence (BQ) is the missing link for women’s leadership success. She explores how developing and demonstrating BQ—alongside Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and Social Intelligence (SQ)—can help women advance in their careers, close the gender leadership gap, and be perceived as strategic, results-driven leaders. W...

Welcome to Lead to Soar Presents: The Strategic Skills Series —a new series focused on the skills that actually determine leadership progression. In this launch episode, Michelle Redfern sets the record straight on why so much leadership advice for women misses the point—and what needs to change if women are to advance with credibility, influence, and authority. This is not about surface-level fix...

Michelle Redfern sits down with Lizzy Goldfinch to explore the crucial intersection of money, leadership, and women’s potential. Lizzy shares her professional expertise and personal experiences to illuminate how financial literacy and independence are foundational for closing the leadership gender gap. The conversation focuses on breaking down harmful money myths, embracing financial empowerment,...

In this follow-up episode, Michelle and Renata Bernade, host of The Job Hunting Podcast, tackle the other side of the equation—job hunting. For job seekers, the holiday season can be a nerve-wracking time, but Renata offers insights and strategies to stay proactive, avoid burnout, and prepare for success when the market picks up. Topics include: • Navigating the anxiety of job hunting during the q...

In this episode of Lead to Soar, Michelle welcomes back a friend of the pod, Renata Bernarde, to discuss hiring from the manager’s perspective. Does the thought of hiring fill you with joy or dread? They explore this question because managers tell us that hiring often feels like a burden.   Topics include: • Why hiring feels like a chore for many leaders. • Common pitfalls in hiring practices, inc...

Michelle Redfern is joined by Lisa Saunders and Natalie Moore from Own Your Health Collective to explore how workplaces can better support women through perimenopause and menopause, pivotal life stages impacting women at the peak of their careers. Together, they address the often-taboo subject of menopause, highlighting the need for awareness, education, and supportive policies to ensure that wome...

In this episode, Michelle Redfern is joined by Susan Colantuono, founder of Be Business Savvy and co-founder of the Lead to Soar Network, to discuss the transformative coaching approaches needed to support women’s advancement into senior leadership. This conversation focuses on how managers, mentors, and coaches can go beyond traditional coaching frameworks to build their own business acumen—and e...

In this episode of Lead to Soar, host Michelle Redfern is joined by Trina Sunday, founder of Reimagine HR, for a candid conversation about the need for a major overhaul in HR. Michelle and Trina discuss the shortcomings in traditional HR practices, including the “policy police” reputation, and discuss how HR functions must evolve to be effective partners in strategic leadership. They explore why H...

In this episode of the Lead to Soar podcast, Michelle Redfern explores the concept of learning conversations and their role in career and leadership development. Michelle shares how mastering the art of these informal but intentional discussions can significantly enhance your leadership journey. Key Discussion Points: What are Learning Conversations? Michelle defines learning conversations as info...

In this episode, Michelle Redfern discusses the Hour of Power, a weekly group coaching call within the Lead to Soar network. This session provides a safe and consistent space for women to share their career challenges and insights, offering practical advice, support, and a strategic network that empowers women to thrive. Michelle highlights the importance of psychological safety, the value of wome...

In this solo episode, Michelle tackles a deeply challenging issue many women face: hostile workplaces. From subtle microaggressions to outright discrimination, hostile environments can undermine confidence, drain emotional energy, and hinder career progression. Michelle breaks down practical strategies to protect yourself, build resilience, and, if necessary, find your way out. This episode is fil...

In this episode of Lead to Soar, hosts Michelle Redfern and Mel Butcher tackle the crucial topic of taking risks in your career. From deciding whether to apply for new roles to managing toxic work environments, the conversation covers practical strategies for assessing risks, taking bold steps, and learning from past decisions. Michelle introduces the concept of a "risk matrix" to help you evaluat...

In this episode of Lead to Soar , Michelle Redfern and Mel Butcher take on one of the most persistent and damaging stories in women’s leadership: the so-called “Queen Bee.” This is not an episode about labelling women as the problem. It’s about examining why women in power are judged through a different moral lens, why survival behaviours are framed as character flaws, and why organisations are fa...

Mel Butcher and Michelle Redfern are discussing growth leadership on today’s episode. They explore the idea that every employee, regardless of department or career stage, plays a critical role in driving their organisation's growth. Growth is not limited to revenue and sales—it extends to overall impact, customer satisfaction, and internal efficiency. The episode also emphasises that leadership ma...

In this episode of the Lead to Soar podcast, host Michelle Redfern welcomes back Noa Rein, an organisational psychologist and HR advisor, to discuss navigating career crossroads. Together, they explore the concept of being the main character in your career story and the challenges of decision-making during career transitions. Noa shares her expert insights on how individuals, especially women, can...