290. I'm Sorry, But Someone Had to Say It (On Apologizing For Everything)

I recently apologized to my shower handle.

No, really. I turned off the water before rinsing out my conditioner, reached back to flip it on again, and instinctively said sorry to a cold, metal, completely inanimate faucet. And that moment stopped me dead in my tracks, because if I'm apologizing to shower handles, what else am I unnecessarily apologizing for in my life and business?

This episode is a little different. I'm reading you an essay I originally published on my Substack, Beyond Business, because I genuinely believe so many of you need to hear it, not just read it. It's something I was almost too scared to put out into the world. But here's what I know: the over-apologizing so many of us do, especially as women in business, is costing us. It's costing us deals, visibility, clients, confidence, and the kind of success we've worked incredibly hard for.

In this episode, you'll hear…

• Why so many of us learned to over-apologize long before we ever started a business, and how that pattern is still running the show
• The jaw-dropping (and infuriating) moment at a law firm that made me feel like my ambition was something to be ashamed of
• Where over-apologizing shows up in your business, including in your marketing, your pricing conversations, and how you manage your team
• A reflection prompt to help you identify where you might be apologizing unnecessarily, and what to do about it

Click here to find the full show notes and transcript for this episode.

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