Cutting Through the Noise: Helping Women Rise Above Executive Dismissal
- Nada Johnson
- Jul 21
- 4 min read
👩🏽💼 By Potential Unlocked | Workplace Conflict Coaching for Women
If you’re a woman in a leadership role and you’ve ever felt invisible in meetings like your ideas only matter when someone else says them, you're not imagining things.
Maybe you’ve come prepared with smart, strategic input, only to be interrupted, brushed aside, or overlooked completely.
It’s frustrating. It’s disheartening. And unfortunately, it’s far too common.
Why It Happens (And Why It’s Not Your Fault)
These experiences don’t mean you’re doing something wrong. They’re rooted in deeper problems with workplace culture.
According to a recent article by Andie Kramer (2023), women often hit what she calls a “sound barrier” in the workplace, a wall where their voices don’t seem to carry, no matter how confident or qualified they are.
Even when women communicate clearly and effectively, they’re often seen as less authoritative. And as Change in Content points out, women are 33% more likely to be interrupted in meetings and 20% less likely to receive credit for their ideas (Neurotic Nayika, 2025).
You may have noticed this yourself: you share a solution, it gets ignored, and ten minutes later, someone else rephrases it and suddenly, it’s brilliant.
That’s not just annoying. It’s exhausting.
The Real Cost of Being Overlooked
When your contributions are constantly dismissed, it doesn’t just sting, it adds up.
You start second-guessing yourself. You may feel pressure to overwork or overprepare just to be taken seriously. You might even start holding back in meetings, not because you don’t have something valuable to say, but because it feels like no one’s really listening anyway.
That hesitation? That self-doubt? You’re not alone.
According to Change in Content, women who are regularly interrupted or ignored become 2.5 times more likely to stay silent even when they know they have something important to offer (Neurotic Nayika, 2025).
But silence shouldn’t be the solution.
How Potential Unlocked Can Support You
At Potential Unlocked, I work with women just like you smart, capable professionals who are tired of being dismissed. It’s practical, focused coaching designed to help you handle workplace conflict and regain your voice, power, and presence.
We’ll work together so you can:
Speak in a way that commands attention and respect, even in executive spaces (Kramer, 2023)
Build your visibility beyond the boardroom because great work shouldn’t go unseen
Find allies and advocates in your workplace who will amplify your voice
Reclaim your space as a leader without over-explaining, overworking, or burning out
You deserve to be heard. Not eventually. Not when someone else repeats your idea. Now.
Your Voice Matters—Even If They’ve Tried to Tune It Out
If you’ve been talked over, underestimated, or shut down, please hear this: the problem is not you. You are not too quiet, too emotional, too direct, or too anything. You’re a leader. And it’s time your workplace saw that, too.
Together, we can cut through the noise and help you rise with confidence and clarity.
Want more guidance?
Do the following:
Contact me at info@potentialunlocked.ca to book a free 10-minute consultation call to determine how I can assist you in your career
Subscribe to our biweekly newsletter by clicking the link here: Potential Unlocked
Subscribe for career clarity exercises, mindset and motivation tips, and a community of professionals navigating similar changes
I look forward to unlocking your potential with you! 💜
With clarity & strategy,
Nada Johnson,💜
Certified Career Strategist, Workplace Conflict Resolution Specialist, & Online Empowerment Dating Coach
Founder of Potential Unlocked™
🌍Website: www.potentialunlocked.ca
📩 Contact: info@potentialunlocked.ca
💌Click here to join our newsletter and follow our platforms for insights on career planning and strategy, workplace conflict resolution techniques, and navigating online dating confidently. Please share this post to help others find support and guidance in their career planning stages 🤍
Looking for Mental Health Counselling?
💙Try Nada Johnson Consulting & Counselling Services
In addition to career planning and online dating coaching, Potential Unlocked offers coaching through our sister brand, Nada Johnson Consulting & Counselling services designed specifically for women in their 30s, 40's and 50's coping with childhood trauma, low self-esteem, and racism and discrimination.
Nada support clients with:
A safe, supportive and confidential space to openly discuss your fears, concerns and challenges
Guided discussions and self-reflections to gain a deeper understanding of your thoughts, emotions and behavior. We get to the heart of "why you do what you do"
Improving your communication skills and learning to express your needs more effectively both in the workplace and in personal life
Providing tools and skills needed to manage stress, cope with difficult emotions and enhance your resilience
👉 Visit www.nadajohnsonservices.com to learn more or book a free 10-minute consultation call.
References
Kramer, A. (2023, December 11). Why women face a sound barrier in their fight to be heard. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/andiekramer/2023/12/11/why-women-face-a-sound-barrier-in-their-fight-to-be-heard/
Neurotic Nayika. (2025, March 4). Interrupted and ignored: The authority gap at work. Change in Content. https://www.changeincontent.com/authority-gap-at-work-women-interrupted-and-ignored/
Comments