This is the last episode of the most meaningful project we’ve ever been part of.

The Amys couldn’t imagine signing off without telling you why the podcast is ending, reminiscing with founding producer Amanda Kersey, and fitting in two final Ask the Amys questions. HBR’s Maureen Hoch is here too, to tell the origin story of the show—because it was her idea, and a good one, right?

Saying goodbye to all the women who’ve listened since 2018 is gut-wrenching. If the podcast made a difference in your life, please bring us to tears/make us smile with an email: [email protected].

If and when you do that, you’ll receive an auto reply that includes a list of episodes organized by topic. Hopefully that will direct you to perspectives and advice that’ll help you make sense of your experiences, aim high, go after what you need, get through tough times, and take care of yourself. That’s the sort of insight and support we’ve spent the past eight years aiming to give this audience, and you all have in turn given so much back—to the Women at Work team and to one another.

What do you do when your request for professional development seems to annoy your manager? Or when you’re aiming for a bigger role but keep hearing that you’re
“too in the weeds”? Or when a team member’s behavior undermines others but you’re not sure whether to call it out because it feels like part of their personality?

The Amys offer advice for advocating for yourself without setting off alarm bells, shifting from tactical execution to strategic thinking, and confronting behavior that’s corrosive but hard to pin down.

Other listener questions they respond to:

• How can I push for a more robust and effective feedback and review system at my company?
• How do I decide which workplace battles are worth fighting?
• How do I remain professional and confident when my soon-to-depart manager is belittling me?
• How can I raise gender equity issues in a department that favors male colleagues?

Resources:

• “How Managers Can Make Feedback a Team Habit,” by Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis
• “Get the Boss to Buy In,” by Susan (Sue) Ashford and James R. Detert
• HBR Guide to Building Your Business Case, by Ray Sheen and Amy Gallo
• “How to Push for Policy Changes at Your Company,” from Women at Work
• “How to Pick Your Battles at Work,” by Amy Gallo
• “Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time,” by Tony Schwartz and Catherine McCarthy
• Speak Up, Speak Out (HBR Women at Work Series)
• “How to Advance in Your Career When Your Boss Won’t Help,” by Kristi Hedges
• “You Can’t Move Up If You’re Stuck in Your Boss’s Shadow” by Rebecca Knight
• Thriving in a Male-Dominated Workplace (HBR Women at Work Series)
• “4 Ways to Improve Your Strategic Thinking Skills,” by Nina Bowman
• How to Demonstrate Your Strategic Thinking Skills,” by Nina Bowman

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Many of us have internal beliefs—I need it done now, I know I’m right, I need to be involved—that feel like truth but actually hold us back as leaders. Executive coach Muriel Wilkins calls these counterproductive beliefs “hidden blockers,” and she talks the Amys through the process of identifying theirs and then reframing them.

They also explore how blockers show up at the team and organizational level, like when lack of trust leads to a bloated meeting culture. Muriel shares how leaders can encourage mindset shifts in their organizations, beginning with themselves, and how to create conditions that allow others to examine what’s driving their behavior without judgment or overreach.

Guest expert:

Muriel Wilkins is an executive coach who hosts the HBR podcast Coaching Real Leaders and whose latest book is Leadership Unblocked: Break Through the Beliefs That Limit Your Potential.

Resources:

• “What Self-Awareness Really Is (and How to Cultivate It),” by Tasha Eurich
• “Becoming More Collaborative — When You Like to Be in Control,” by Jenny Fernandez and Luis Velasquez
• “Are You a Micromanager or Too Hands-Off?” by Carole-Ann Penney
• “How to Manage Someone Who Thinks Everything Is Urgent,” by Liz Kislik
• “The Insidious Effects of Hurrying,” by Kandi Wiens

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Have you ever realized, partway through a project, that you and your boss aren’t on the same page? Maybe your definitions of success differed, or their expectations were unclear. Maybe you couldn’t get them to listen, or you couldn’t figure out why they insisted on doing things a certain way. Managing up means tackling these disconnects head-on—and doing it through honest, well-timed discussions.

Executive coach Melody Wilding joins Amy G to explain why alignment on goals and clarity around working styles are essential. They talk through how to start these conversations without awkwardness, what to say to make them productive, and how to adapt your approach without losing your authenticity. Plus, they answer listener questions and hear from Amy B about how she handles alignment with both her boss and her team.

Guest expert:

Melody Wilding is an executive coach, human behavior professor, and author of Managing Up: How to Get What You Need from the People in Charge.

Resources:

• “The Essentials: Managing Up,” from Women at Work
• “7 Questions to Decode Your Managers Priorities,” by Melody Wilding
• “Before You Start Collaborating with Someone, Talk About Your Work Styles,” by Anke Thiele
• “28 Questions to Ask Your Boss in Your One-on-Ones,” by Steven G. Rogelberg et al.
• “Managing Up When Leadership Is Stuck in the Weeds,” Ian Gross and Samir Ranavat
• “When Your Manager is Ineffective—and You Feel Stuck,” by Sarah Mann and Luis Velasquez

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When our colleague Kevin Evers wrote There’s Nothing Like This: The Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift, we knew we had to talk about it. For so many women, she’s a role model—personally and professionally.

Four HBR Swifties highlight how her instincts and decisions offer lessons in leadership, strategy, and staying power.

Resources:

• “The Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift,” by Kevin Evers
• “What All Leaders Can Learn from Taylor Swift,” from IdeaCast

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Self-disclosure at work can build trust and connection, but it also carries risks—especially for women, leaders, and those whose values or identities set them apart. That tension is what Columbia professor Katherine Phillips explored in one of our earliest episodes of the podcast, back in 2018.

Now, we revisit Kathy’s research on inclusion and authentic relationships, and add a fresh perspective. Amy B speaks with Kathy’s longtime collaborators Tracy Dumas and Nancy Rothbard about how expectations around self-disclosure have shifted. The Amys also reflect on what they’ve learned about sharing personal details at work: when it builds connection, when it complicates things, and when they choose to hold back.

Guest experts:

Katherine Phillips, before her death in 2020, was a professor of leadership and ethics at Columbia Business School.

Tracy Dumas is a professor at Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business.

Nancy Rothbard is a professor at Wharton, as well as the school’s deputy dean.

Resources:

• “Self-Disclosure at Work (and Behind the Mic),” from Women at Work
• “Sharing Personal Information Can Build Trust on Your Team — If You Do It Right,” from HBR on Leadership
• “Research: When Leaders Disclose a Chronic Illness at Work,” by by Peter Ghin and Mladen Adamovic
• “Make It Safe for Employees to Disclose Their Disabilities,” by Laurie Henneborn
• “Why Leaders Should Be Open About Their Flaws,” by Li Jiang et al.
• “How to Get Comfortable ‘Being Yourself’ at Work,” by Lan Nguyen Chaplin

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Young women are entering the workforce full of potential–they graduate with degrees and confidence–but they don’t always have the interpersonal skills they need to succeed and advance. They may not  know how to speak up in meetings, collaborate with people in charge, or ask for what they need. And that’s not just their problem; it’s ours too. If professors, mentors, managers, and parents don’t support young women, we risk losing talented future leaders before they even get started.

In this live conversation from SXSW EDU in Austin, Amy Gallo talks with Neda Norouzi, an architecture professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio, and Aimee Laun, director of the Career Connections Center at Texas Woman’s University. They discuss the gap between what colleges teach and what workplaces expect, and the role educators, managers, and mentors can play in bridging it.

Resources:

• “Sponsorship: Defining the Relationship,” from Women at Work
• “A Better Approach to Mentorship,” by Christopher “CJ” Gross
• “Men Can Improve How They Mentor Women. Here’s How.” by David G. Smith and W. Brad Johnson
• “Investing in the Development of Young, Remote Employees,” by Octavia Goredema
• “The Key to Retaining Young Workers? Better Onboarding.” by Donald Tomaskovic-Devey and Reyna Orellana
• “Academics Can Only Take Students So Far,” from Inspiring Minds

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Imagine having a direct report who sobs every time you give them feedback. Or leading a team of people who’ve told your boss that they don’t trust you. Or taking on your first management position with no training or guidance–and having 43 direct reports! What then?

The Amys offer advice to listeners for getting through these real situations. And not just advice, but actual language for asserting your needs, earning trust, setting boundaries, and holding your ground even when emotions run high.

Other listener questions they respond to:

• How can I push for career growth after maternity leave when senior leaders suggest I slow down?
• What should I do when my manager seems to be holding me back from advancing in my career?
• How can I succeed in a new role under an unsupportive manager who ignores my neurodivergence and offers vague, unhelpful feedback?

Resources:

• “When You Work in a Male-Dominated Industry,” from Women at Work
• “The Essentials: Building and Repairing Trust,” from Women at Work
• “How to Earn Respect as a First Time Manager,” from HBR On Leadership
• “What to Do When Your Boss Is Blocking Your Career Growth,” by Shirley Davis
• “How to Succeed When You’re Not the Boss’s Favorite,” by Dina Denham Smith
• “Building Social Capital When You Work Remotely,” by Aliza Licht
• “What to Say When Someone Cries at Work,” by Deborah Grayson Riegel
• “Bad Bosses: Our Favorite Reads,” by Paige Cohen

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Asking questions at work isn’t just about getting answers. Sure, you need the information you’re requesting, but you’re also showing your colleagues and leaders how you think. When your questions are strategic, clear, and well-timed, they can show that you’re insightful and committed to moving the work forward while also demonstrating you have leadership potential.

Amy G talks with a program manager who wants to get better at asking questions that show executive presence. They’re joined by Harvard Business School professor Alison Wood Brooks, who shares research-backed advice on navigating the complexities of workplace conversations.

Guest expert:

Alison Wood Brooks is a professor at Harvard Business School and the author of TALK: The Science Of Conversation And The Art Of Being Ourselves.

Resources:

• “The Surprising Power of Questions,” by Alison Wood Brooks and Leslie K. John
• “Best of IdeaCast: To Build Stronger Teams, Ask Better Questions,” by IdeaCast
• “Why Asking for Advice Is More Effective Than Asking for Feedback,” by Jaewon Yoon et al.
• “The Essentials: Getting the Feedback You Need,” by Women at Work

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Maria’s boss used to be a mentor—someone she admired, learned from, and enjoyed working with. But after a reorg, he changed. He became critical and dismissive, questioned her commitment to work, and started to undermine her instead of lifting her up. Now she’s struggling to maintain a productive working relationship with someone who is unsupportive at best and out to get her at worst.

How should you handle a boss who’s turned against you? How do you protect your reputation and career while managing the stress?

In this episode, Amy G speaks with Maria and suggests strategies, based on her book Getting Along, for navigating a difficult relationship with a boss whose insecurity has turned him into a tormentor. By the end of their conversation, Maria has a plan for moving forward, setting boundaries, and preserving her well-being.

Resources:

• Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People), by Amy Gallo
• Speak Up, Speak Out, from the HBR Women at Work Series
• “Research: Shifting the Power Balance with an Abusive Boss,” by Hui Liao et al.
• “What to Do When Your Boss Betrays You,” by Ron Carucci
• “Research: Insecure Managers Don’t Want Your Suggestions,” by Nathanael J. Fast et al.

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After 10 seasons, Women at Work is changing things up for the better. We’re shifting to a new, year-round schedule, releasing a new episode every other Monday, starting March 10. That means more episodes that inspire reflection and growth, more practical advice, and more insights and stories that make you feel seen and supported in your career.

We’ll continue The Essentials and Amy B’s How to Manage series. We’re relaunching Getting Along, where Amy G teaches us how to deal with different types of difficult people. Plus, every few months, we’ll dedicate an “Ask the Amys” episode to questions from you.

So, follow the show now, and we’ll be back in your feed next Monday!

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