Episode 109 - When "just speak up in meetings" isn't the answer

Episode 109 - When "just speak up in meetings" isn't the answer

From Career Espresso by Amanda Owen-Meehan

March 4, 2026 · 16 min · Season 7 · Episode 109

About this episode

This episode discusses the challenges of being overlooked in meetings despite speaking up and offers insights on addressing the underlying issues.

You're speaking up. That's the frustrating part. You prepare, you contribute, you make your point clearly. And somehow it still doesn't land. Someone talks over you. Your idea gets a lukewarm response. Then someone else says it five minutes later and suddenly it's the strategy. And the advice you keep getting? Be more confident. Project your voice. Take up space. As if the problem is how you're delivering the message rather than who the room has decided to listen to. This episode of Career Espresso is about what's really going on when your contributions keep getting overlooked and what actually helps when confidence was never the problem. What you'll discover Why the "just be bolder" advice makes things worse when the room is already set up to hear certain voices over others What's behind that slow retreat from contributing - and why going quiet is a rational response, not a personality flaw The small timing shift that changes how people experience your presence in a meeting before the usual dynamics kick in Why one conversation before the meeting can do more than any amount of assertiveness in the moment What to do when you've tried everything and the problem is how the meeting…

People in this episode

Host: Amanda Owen-Meehan

Topics covered

  • communication
  • meeting dynamics
  • confidence
  • leadership
  • women in the workplace

Keywords

  • speak up
  • meetings
  • confidence
  • leadership challenges
  • communication strategies

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