159. Brave Women At Work with Jenn Pestikas

Our guest on the podcast today is Jennifer Pestikas, an executive leader with 25 years of experience in the financial services industry and the founder of Brave Women at Work. She’s someone who understands firsthand what it takes to rise through the ranks to the C-Suite, navigate challenges, and break through barriers that hold so many women back. Through her coaching, podcast, and writing, she helps women cultivate confidence, embrace their strengths, and take bold steps toward the careers and lives they truly want.

In this episode, we dive into a powerful and deeply relevant conversation about what it truly means to be brave at work. So many of us—especially women—struggle with the weight of expectations, imposter syndrome, burnout, and the tension between ambition and well-being. The journey to leadership, fulfillment, and impact is rarely a straight line. It requires courage, resilience, and a willingness to step into our power, even when we don’t feel ready.

We explore some of the biggest challenges facing women in leadership today—burnout, perfectionism, imposter syndrome, and the importance of both mindset and somatic work in healing and growth. Jenn shares her personal journey of overcoming obstacles, why bravery in the workplace looks different for women, and how we can support each other in stepping into our full leadership potential. We also talk about Jenn’s upcoming women’s leadership conference, Thrive in '25, and what she envisions for the future of women at work. Whether you’re a leader, an entrepreneur, or someone navigating a career transition, this conversation is filled with insights and practical wisdom that will help you show up with more confidence, clarity, and courage.

Key Takeaways

• Jenn's identification with the 'underdog' archetype and personal experiences with overcoming obstacles.
• How the concept of post-traumatic growth helps you triumph over difficult, painful situations
• The very real and different challenges women face in the workplace
• How to overcome imposter syndrome, and learning to manage perfectionism
• Jenn’s advice on how to get to the C-Suite and IF you really want to…

Episode Resources:

• Brave Women At Work Website
• Thrive 25 conference
• Jenn’s LinkedIn Profile
• SacredChangemakers.com
• Our Sacred Community
• Jayne Warrilow on Linkedin

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Sacred Changemakers is a transformation company that believes in change for good. We provide community and resources for changemakers (coaches, consultants, speakers, authors, business owners,