Authentic Leadership: How Leading Without Masks Makes Women Entrepreneurs 40% More Effective and 2.5x More Satisfied
Oct 28, 2025Episode 19: Authentic Leadership - Leading Without Masks
THE WAKE-UP CALL: My Darkness Season
For years in corporate, I wore the "perfect professional woman" mask so tightly I forgot what my own voice even sounded like.
I said the right things in meetings. I dressed the right way for client presentations. I kept the parts of me that were bold, fiery, intuitive—even human—completely hidden.
It worked on paper. I looked successful. I had the promotions, the respect, the seat at the table.
But behind the mask? I was numb. I was angry. I was suffocating.
The Breaking Point
The breaking point came in what I now call my "darkness season."
I realized I wasn't just dimming myself metaphorically—I was literally dimming the lights.
I stopped turning on the overhead lights in my office. I worked in near darkness, lit only by the glow of my computer screen and the cabinet under-lighting.
As if dimming the room could somehow make the mask easier to carry.
That's when I realized: I wasn't leading. I was performing.
And the cost of performance was my authenticity, my energy, and my power.
Trading Corporate Masks for Entrepreneurial Ones
When I started my business, I thought I'd left the masks behind.
But all I'd done was trade corporate masks for entrepreneurial ones:
The "Always Available" Mask – Answering emails at 11 PM
The "Never Too Expensive" Mask – Underpricing to be "accessible"
The "Easy to Work With" Mask – Saying yes to scope creep
The "Perfect Expert" Mask – Never admitting when I didn't have every answer
The "Never Too Expensive" Mask – Underpricing to be "accessible"
The "Easy to Work With" Mask – Saying yes to scope creep
The "Perfect Expert" Mask – Never admitting when I didn't have every answer
The masks looked different. But the suffocation felt the same.
The Shift: What If My Real Self Was What My Business Needed Most?
The shift began when I asked myself:
"What if my real thoughts, my real boundaries, my real leadership style were the very things my business needed most?"
When I started leading from that place—saying what I actually thought, setting boundaries without apology, leading in alignment with my values, showing up as my whole self—everything shifted:
âś… My team trusted me more
âś… My decisions became clearer
âś… My clients respected me more
âś… My business began to finally reflect ME—not the version of me I thought was acceptable
âś… My decisions became clearer
âś… My clients respected me more
âś… My business began to finally reflect ME—not the version of me I thought was acceptable
THE RESEARCH: Why Authenticity Creates Long-Term Success
Masks might create short-term safety. But authenticity creates long-term success.
Harvard Business Review 2023
Authentic leaders are:
- 40% more effective
- Experience less decision fatigue because their choices align with their values
McKinsey 2023
Women who shed professional masks are:
- 2.5 times more likely to report career satisfaction
- Significantly less likely to burn out
Stanford Research
Leaders who suppress parts of themselves to fit in:
- Lose up to 30% of their cognitive energy to self-monitoring instead of innovation
That's 30% of your brain power spent managing your mask instead of leading strategically.
Dr. Brené Brown's Work
Clear, authentic leaders:
- Increase trust by 64%
- Reduce conflict by nearly half
Journal of Applied Psychology 2023
Entrepreneurs who lead authentically:
- Attract more aligned clients
- Are less likely to struggle with imposter syndrome
The evidence is undeniable: Masks might create short-term safety, but authenticity creates long-term success.
THE 4 MOST COMMON MASKS HIGH-ACHIEVING WOMEN WEAR
Mask #1: The Perfect Expert Mask
What It Looks Like:
- Never admitting uncertainty
- Over-preparing, over-researching, over-delivering
- Delaying launches until you know "everything"
- Hiding behind credentials instead of leading with wisdom
The Cost:
- Delays and missed opportunities
- Constant imposter syndrome
- Clients who expect perfection instead of partnership
Mask #2: The Always Agreeable Mask
What It Looks Like:
- Avoiding conflict at all costs
- Softening your voice or your standards
- Saying yes when you mean no
- Prioritizing being liked over being respected
The Cost:
- Weak client fit (attracting people who don't value your expertise)
- Underperforming teams (no accountability)
- Diluted leadership (no one knows what you actually stand for)
Mask #3: The Never Too Much Mask
What It Looks Like:
- Dimming your personality to fit in
- Hiding your boldness, intuition, or fire
- Underpricing or downplaying your expertise
- Making yourself small so others feel comfortable
The Cost:
- Invisibility in a crowded market
- Clients who don't value your brilliance
- Resentment from constantly shrinking yourself
Mask #4: The Endlessly Available Mask
What It Looks Like:
- Immediate responses expected 24/7
- Weekends on call
- Treating every request as an emergency
- No boundaries around your time or energy
The Cost:
- No focus for higher-value work
- Endless burnout cycles
- Clients who don't respect your capacity
When you lead with masks, you're performing. When you lead with authenticity, you're leading.
YOUR MASK AUDIT (4 Steps)
Step 1: Identify the Mask
- Where are you performing instead of leading?
- Which mask shows up most often for you?
- When do you feel like you're "putting on a show"?
Step 2: Name the Cost
Energy: How does it drain you to hold this mask in place?
Opportunity: What have you avoided because you were afraid of being "too much"?
Trust: How does it affect your relationships when people sense they're not getting the real you?
Step 3: Experiment with Removal
Choose one small place this week to consciously take the mask off:
- Maybe it's stating your real opinion in a meeting
- Maybe it's quoting the rate you actually want without justification
- Maybe it's setting a boundary without over-explaining
- Maybe it's admitting "I don't know, but I'll find out"
Step 4: Anchor the Experience
Notice how you feel afterwards. Write it down:
"When I lead authentically, I gain [blank]."
Because authenticity compounds. The more you practice, the lighter it gets.
THE TRANSFORMATION: Leading Unapologetically You
This is why RISE Module 2: Reveal isn't just about shadows, leaks, and boundaries.
It's about authenticity—integrating everything into leadership that is unapologetically YOU.
Inside Module 2, we go deeper into:
Your Authentic Leadership Map
Spotting where you're still performing instead of leading
Spotting where you're still performing instead of leading
Mask Deconstruction Tools
Understanding how each mask formed and how to let it go
Understanding how each mask formed and how to let it go
Authenticity Anchors
Practices that make real leadership automatic instead of scary
Practices that make real leadership automatic instead of scary
Visibility Strategies
Showing up in ways that reflect your truth, not someone else's expectations
Showing up in ways that reflect your truth, not someone else's expectations
Because when you lead authentically:
- Your energy frees up
- Your leadership is trusted
- Your business finally reflects who you really are
THE QUESTIONS YOU CAN'T IGNORE
Where are you still wearing a mask?
What is it costing you in energy, in trust, in missed opportunities?
What would become possible if you led without apology, without performance, without fragmentation?
Masks may have kept you safe in the past, but they're suffocating your future.
Every day you lead from behind a mask is a day you rob the world of your real leadership.
And the world doesn't need another perfect performer. It needs YOU.
Ready to lead without masks? RISE enrollment is open now. Take the Identity Mask Quiz and discover where you're still performing instead of leading.
Your unapologetic, authentic self is the most powerful leader you will ever be.
You’re not just here to listen. You’re here to rise.
This is your space to reconnect with the woman beneath the roles.
These companion notes aren’t fluff. They’re the fuel and the framework behind each episode—crafted to help you integrate the real talk, power prompts, and shifts you’re craving.
Because growth isn't a hack. It's a homecoming.
