Ep. 90 - Balancing The Scales this International Women's Day

About this episode

This episode discusses the challenges women face in the middle stages of their careers and explores how to redesign workplaces for better inclusivity and support.

Welcome to a special International Women’s Day 2026 episode of Promoted , where Felicity Furey and Renee Wootton Tomlin unpack this year’s theme: Balancing the Scales . But what does “balancing” really mean? In this honest and thought-provoking conversation, Felicity and Renee turn their attention to the hidden middle — the career stage where many talented women quietly disappear from leadership pathways. It’s not entry level. It’s not the executive suite. It’s the messy, demanding, high-potential middle where capability is high, expectations are rising, and life outside work often intensifies. Why do so many women leave at this point? Is it confidence? Capability? Or something deeper within the systems we’ve designed? Drawing on their own experiences in engineering and leadership, Felicity and Renee explore the structural pressures women face during this stage — invisible load, inflexible career pathways, biased performance expectations, and cultures that reward constant availability over sustainable contribution. This episode doesn’t focus on “fixing women.” Instead, it asks the harder question: How do we redesign workplaces so everyone can thrive? You’ll hear practical…

People in this episode

Hosts: Felicity Furey, Renee Wootton Tomlin

Topics covered

• women in leadership
• career progression
• workplace culture
• gender equality
• structural pressures
• work-life balance

Keywords

• balancing the scales
• leadership pathways
• career stage
• invisible load
• performance expectations
• sustainable contribution

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