101 | Stop Asking Permission to Lead—Just Lead

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What if the only thing standing between you and next-level leadership… is waiting for permission that no one’s coming to give?

You don’t need another leadership book—you need to stop playing small in your own company.

In this fiery Thursday Rant, Dawn calls out a silent epidemic among female founders: waiting for permission to lead the very business they built.

From shrinking in the boardroom to apologizing in Slack, this is your wake-up call to drop the people-pleasing and embody the CEO your business actually needs.

No fluff. No permission slip. Just a velvet-boot kick toward clarity, confidence, and power.

If this episode hit home, you’re ready for Dawn’s private email community where real leadership shifts happen. Get the hard truths, frameworks, and strategic moves to lead like the CEO your business deserves. Join now—it’s free

Key Takeaways

• Leadership isn’t granted—it’s claimed. Stop waiting for a title or team approval. Decide to lead.
• Clarity is more effective than “nice.” Your team doesn’t need soft—they need specifics.
• People-pleasing ≠ leadership. Shrinking helps no one—not your vision, not your team.
• One clear directive can shift the entire room. You don’t need to get louder—you need to stop apologizing.
• Your business reflects your standards. Don’t let vague expectations drive your operations.
  
  

Resources & Links

• She’s That Founder Insider Email Community

Related Episode

• 071 | Say It Like a Leader: The Feedback Framework Every Female Founder Needs
  Focuses on giving clear, direct feedback, which aligns with your point about clarity being leadership.
  
  
• 080 | The Wednesday Panic Triage. How AI helped me to choose what matters in my business
  Tackles decision overload and taking control of your leadership time, which ties into stepping into that authority seat.
  
  
• 094 | 3 Signs Your Loyal Employee Is Now Holding Your Business Back, And How to Use AI to Fix It Fast
  Talks about when your “team” is actually blocking your lead and what to do.

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