This Is Woman's Work with Nicole Kalil

Let’s talk about the thing you replay over and over in your mind at 2 a.m.

The comment in the meeting. The story you shared. The truth that felt a little too honest.

Welcome to the oversharing hangover.

We’ve been taught that credibility requires polish and power lives in restraint. Keep it tight. Keep it tidy. Keep the messy parts to yourself.

But what if that’s wrong?

In this episode, Nicole sits down with Leslie John, Harvard Business School professor and author of Revealing: The Underrated Power of Oversharing, to unpack what the research actually says about vulnerability, trust, and credibility — and why saying less might be costing you more than you think.

In This Episode, We Explore:


Why oversharing can build trust


The difference between thoughtful revealing and emotional dumping


How admitting mistakes can increase credibility at work


The “Goldilocks rule” of vulnerability


How to weigh the cost of revealing vs. staying silent

The research is clear: we consistently trust people who reveal something real more than those who stay guarded.

And thoughtful vulnerability doesn’t weaken your credibility — it strengthens it

Thank you to our sponsors!

Sex is a skill. Beducated is where you learn it. Visit https://beducate.me/bg2602-womanswork and use code womanswork for 50% off the annual pass.

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Connect with Leslie:

Website: https://www.lesliekjohn.com/ 

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Revealing-Underrated-Oversharing-Leslie-John/dp/0593545389

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-john-75928721/ 

IG: https://www.instagram.com/proflesliejohn/ 

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We talk a lot about dreaming bigger — but not nearly enough about what it actually costs to play it safe. Fear of failure keeps brilliant ideas stuck in our heads, careers stalled, and confidence quietly eroding.

In this episode of This Is Woman’s Work, Nicole Kalil is joined by Lorraine H. Marchand, innovation expert, Wharton professor, and author of No Fear, No Failure. Together, they unpack why failure isn’t the enemy — avoidance is. From reframing fear as data, to designing smarter experiments, to creating cultures (and inner narratives) where learning beats perfection, this conversation is a permission slip to try, fail, learn… and keep going.

If you’ve ever felt paralyzed by getting it wrong, worried about failing publicly, or trapped by environments that say they want innovation but punish mistakes — this episode is for you.

We explore:


Why fear of failure shuts down growth faster than actual failure ever could


How to reframe failure as learning (and why that changes everything)


Why women are more likely to internalize failure — and how to stop


How to test ideas without burning it all down


What “failing forward” looks like in real life (not just on LinkedIn)


How to stop being afraid of other people seeing you try

Because growth doesn’t happen without risk — and playing it safe has a cost.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Sex is a skill. Beducated is where you learn it. Visit https://beducate.me/bg2602-womanswork and use code womanswork for 50% off the annual pass.

Shopify has everything all in one place, making your life easier and your business operations smoother. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at shopify.com/tiww 

Connect with Lorraine:

Website: https://www.lorrainemarchand.com/ 

Book: https://www.lorrainemarchand.com/no-fear-no-failure/ 

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorrainemarchand 

Related Podcast Episodes:

197 / Fear & Failure (Part 1) with Amy Green Smith

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VI4P - Perfectionism and Failure (Chapter 6)

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Have you ever read something that felt like it was pulled straight from your own brain? That was me reading Nora McInerney’s Substack about what she calls restless life syndrome — the persistent, low-grade feeling that you’re meant to be living at least 14 different lives… and somehow squeezing them all into this one.

So naturally, I diagnosed myself. 

In this unfiltered and unhinged episode of This Is Woman’s Work, I’m sharing my own wildly impractical, slightly delusional, deeply human “restless life” list.

This isn’t a five-step plan. It’s a permission slip.

Because maybe your 12 open tabs, your urge to burn it all down, and your conviction that fulfillment is one hobby away aren’t signs that you’re broken. Maybe they’re signs that you’re awake.

If you’ve been craving reinvention, dreaming of multiple lives, or quietly wondering what else is possible beyond productivity and responsibility, this episode on restless life syndrome will hit home — and maybe light a tiny, rebellious fire.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Sex is a skill. Beducated is where you learn it. Visit https://beducate.me/bg2602-womanswork and use code womanswork for 50% off the annual pass.

Shopify has everything all in one place, making your life easier and your business operations smoother. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at shopify.com/tiww 

Connect with Nicole:

Subscribe to Nicole’s Substack: https://nicolekalil.substack.com/ 

Join the Inner Circle: https://nicolekalil.myflodesk.com/newsletter 

Related Podcast Episode:

Yell for Help | Unfiltered & Unhinged

Ask the Damn Question | Unfiltered & Unhinged

I’ve Got Beef With The Health & Wellness Industry | Unfiltered & Unhinged

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What if being a “good woman” isn’t actually virtuous — but conditioned? In this episode of This Is Woman’s Work, Nicole Kalil sits down with Elise Loehnen, New York Times bestselling author of On Our Best Behavior: The Price Women Pay to Be Good, to dismantle the centuries-old rules that still dictate how women are expected to behave, desire, rest, earn, and lead.

Together, they unpack how the seven deadly sins — yes, those — quietly shape modern women’s lives, ambitions, bodies, money stories, and relationships. Pride, envy, greed, sloth, lust… turns out they’ve been weaponized against women for generations, rewarding self-sacrifice and punishing visibility, appetite, and power.

This conversation goes deep — into patriarchy, good-girl conditioning, reputational harm, money shame, envy as information, and why women are often both the enforcers and the casualties of these ancient rules. If you’ve ever felt exhausted by trying to be good, likable, selfless, and low-maintenance all at once… this episode is your permission slip to stop.

Because goodness that costs you yourself isn’t goodness. It’s conditioning.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Sex is a skill. Beducated is where you learn it. Visit https://beducate.me/bg2602-womanswork and use code womanswork for 50% off the annual pass.

Shopify has everything all in one place, making your life easier and your business operations smoother. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at shopify.com/tiww 

Connect with Elise:

Substack: eliseloehnen.substack.com 

IG: https://www.instagram.com/eliseloehnen/ 

Book: https://www.eliseloehnen.com/onourbestbehavior 

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pulling-the-thread-with-elise-loehnen/id1585015034  

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We’ve been taught to avoid it — to hide it, shame it, or outwork it. But what if failure isn’t the thing that destroys confidence… what if it’s the thing that builds it?

In this episode of This Is Woman’s Work, Nicole Kalil sits down with Jane Chen, co-founder of Embrace Global and author of Like a Wave, We Break, to talk about what happens when success collapses — and why that moment might be the most honest, transformative chapter of your life.

Jane shares the raw story of losing the company she poured a decade into, how her identity unraveled alongside it, and the healing journey that followed — from redefining resilience and self-worth to learning how to listen to her body, sit with discomfort, and rebuild from a place of authenticity instead of achievement.

This conversation dives deep into:


Why failure is a confidence builder, not a confidence killer


How achievement can become a trauma response


Separating your worth from your results, titles, and accolades


Knowing when to keep pushing — and when it’s time to stop


The role of self-compassion, community, and psychological safety in leadership


Why breaking isn’t the end… it’s often the beginning

Because confidence isn’t built by never falling apart. It’s built by trusting yourself to rise again.

This episode is a powerful reminder that failure, fear, and doubt aren’t detours — they’re part of the path. When we stop chasing perfection and start honoring what’s real, we build the kind of confidence that actually lasts.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Sex is a skill. Beducated is where you learn it. Visit https://beducate.me/bg2602-womanswork and use code womanswork for 50% off the annual pass.

Shopify has everything all in one place, making your life easier and your business operations smoother. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at shopify.com/tiww

Connect with Jane

Website: https://www.janemariechen.com

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Like-Wave-We-Break-Falling/dp/0593582349

IG: https://www.instagram.com/janemarie.chen/?hl=en 

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janemariechen/

FB: www.facebook.com/janemariechen 

Tiktok: @janemariechen

TEDtalk: https://www.ted.com/talks/jane_marie_chen_what_losing_everything_taught_me_about_resilience

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Share the Love:

If you found this episode insightful, please share it with a friend, tag us on social media, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform!

🔗 Subscribe & Review:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices