A client of mine recently had her first $17,000 month and not long after, someone told her she was intimidating.
That comment sent us down a rabbit hole that had very little to do with intimidation and a whole lot to do with success, belonging, and the stories women tell themselves when they start creating bigger results.
Many women hear a comment like that and immediately make it mean something has gone wrong, they wonder if they’re coming across as too ambitious, too direct, too confident, or too successful and before they even realize they’re doing it, they begin adjusting themselves.
They share less. They soften their opinions. They downplay the win & they stop doing the things that helped them create the exact result they want. They hesitate before taking up space in the room, raising their prices, putting themselves forward for the opportunity, or speaking with the level of certainty they naturally possess.
Not because they don’t want the success, but because they’re not sure they want what they believe comes with it.
In this episode, we’re talking about:
• Why being called intimidating can feel so uncomfortable
• The stories ambitious women often attach to that word
• Why success can start to feel unsafe when we’ve linked it to rejection, judgment, or separation
• The difference between certainty and arrogance
• How good-girl conditioning shows up in business, leadership, and visibility
• Why people may be responding to your self-trust more than your success
• How to stop shrinking every time someone reflects your growth back to you
• Why warmth isn’t the same thing as shrinking
Most of all, we’re exploring the hidden ways women can sabotage the very results they want because they’re afraid of what those results might cost them.
If you’ve ever been called intimidating or if you’ve ever found yourself making yourself smaller after a breakthrough this conversation is for you!
Kylie Clayborne is a private 1:1 coach for ambitious women who are building businesses, wealth, and lives they genuinely want to live.
When she’s not coaching clients around the globe, you’ll find her living in Brussels with her family, wandering European flea markets, hunting for the perfect gin martini, and collecting stories she’ll inevitably turn into a podcast episode or Substack essay.
If you’re ready for a bigger vision, more momentum, and a strategic partner in your corner, you can book a complimentary 30-minute Expansion Strategy Session here.
