Why “Speak Up” Is Terrible Advice for Women in the Workplace

About this episode

In this episode, Vasavi Kumar discusses why the advice for women to 'just speak up' in the workplace is misguided and rooted in cultural issues rather than confidence.

Let’s get one thing straight: Women aren’t quiet because they lack confidence. They’re quiet because the culture taught them it’s safer that way. In this episode of Say It Out Loud, I’m breaking down why “just speak up” is some of the laziest, most surface-level advice given to women in corporate spaces — and why it completely misses the point. Visibility isn’t a confidence issue. It’s a culture issue. And culture is shaped by leadership, not by how loud someone speaks in a meeting. I’m divi...

People in this episode

Host: Vasavi Kumar

Topics covered

• women in the workplace
• confidence
• corporate culture
• leadership
• visibility

Keywords

• speak up
• women
• workplace
• confidence
• corporate culture
• leadership
• visibility

More episodes of Say It Out Loud with Vasavi Kumar

• She Says It Out Loud | Episode 4: How to Speak Like the Woman You're Becoming (Not the One You Survived As) · April 29, 2026 · 6 min
• She Says It Out Loud | Episode 1: The Real Reason You’re Afraid to Be Seen (It’s Not Confidence) · April 29, 2026 · 8 min
• She Says It Out Loud | Episode 3: The Identity You Need to Stop Shrinking: A Brutal Reset · April 29, 2026 · 5 min
• She Says It Out Loud | Episode 2: How Your Nervous System Exposes the Lies You Tell Yourself · April 29, 2026 · 7 min
• She Says It Out Loud | Episode 5: Why This Work Doesn't Stick Without Practice · April 29, 2026 · 4 min
• Visibility, truth, and the power of your real voice on the COACHED podcast · February 13, 2026 · 32 min