Harriet Waley-Cohen

From Imposter to Invincible

In this workshop, Harriet explores research insights that will help the audience to abandon seeing imposter syndrome as a mindset, individual issue to understanding corporate, cultural and structural triggers. The biggest myths around imposter syndrome will be exposed, enabling better understanding and breakthroughs. The audience will learn and move beyond the mistakes individuals make that can embed imposter syndrome and be taken through mindset shifts and practical actions steps to empower them to stop feeling like a fraud, show up confidently, step into their power and have the success and respect they deserve.

Own Your Brilliance: Turn Your inner Critic into an Inner Cheerleader

In this transformative interactive workshop, Harriet teaches her audience the science behind the inner critic. By going through the mistakes ambitious men and women make in their quest for confidence and success, and presenting some powerful guiding principles, participants leave being able to own their brilliance and expertise. The result? Confident, successful professionals who are in control of their inner world, no longer restrained by their inner critics. 

Progress, Not Perfection: The Toxicity of Perfectionism and How to Break Free

In this interactive talk, Harriet will explain the different aspects to perfectionism including its positive and negative behavioural, emotional and mindset markers. She will share research findings into the causes and impact of toxic perfectionism, including how it affects men and women differently. Harriet will then explore how intersectional factors can contribute to perfectionism. The final part of the workshop is dedicated to empowering the audience to shift to the healthier, more productive paradigm of progress and self-validation, thus ensuring far greater wellbeing, confidence and success in the future. 

Before You Lead Others, Lead Yourself

In this keynote, Harriet creates a clear contrast between leadership of others and self-leadership. She outlines the power of self-leadership as a key driver of success, being respected by others and seen as having leadership potential, as well as feeling confidently in control.  This talk will enable participant to move beyond limiting beliefs and behaviours that will prevent them from having excellent self-leadership. The audience will learn key pillars of self-leadership including practical actions steps to take immediately: mindset, confidence, self-awareness and more. 

Women & The Self-Worth Crisis: A Call to Action

In this powerful, eye-opening keynote, Harriet explores why women don’t women feel good enough, through outlining the impact on women’s self-worth of cultural, media, political, medical, corporate and religious paradigms. Harriet will also outline the additional impact of intersectional factors and individual life experiences. The detrimental impact of women feeling inadequate is outlined at individual, organisational and global levels. Harriet works with the audience to co-create a vision for the future, ensuring that personal and organisational pledges plus action steps are defined, with the aim of creating a new future where women are valued and know their worth. 

Why should we care about gender balance? How could this be important contributor to future success?

In this workshop, Harriet shifts the conversation around gender balance far beyond the moral case to encompass several more layers through her unique framework, supporting her audience to become pro-active allies for gender balance, inclusion and belonging. Risks and opportunities are discussed at the business, brand and individual career level. A powerful part of this session is an open conversation exploring how the current, patriarchal system hurts men as well as women, albeit in different ways. A shared vision is created for a different way forward on a bigger picture level: how would we like it to be for men in the future, and what difference would that make? How might gender balance and a different culture in the workplace be part of this? What kind of difference will it make for women, humanity and the planet?

From the conceptual to the practical at the individual level: the future of allyship and leadership

In this session, Harriet outline what someone would be like who is either upholding the current system of inequality, or to be neutral or to be proactively part of change. Allyship is for all, not just an expectation for men to change. The identity, mindset and behaviour of an excellent ally. This session includes permission to get it wrong and an opportunity to air concerns. Part of being an excellent ally is being a leader for the future: research insights on leadership traits and career cycle norms, how these interplay with gender stereotyping, and barriers to diversity, equity, inclusion and gender balance. The latest research into the behaviours, skills and values the leaders of the future need, and the role of self-leadership within this. 

From the conceptual to the practical at the organisational level

What could change at the organisational level to help your organisation lead the way in the industry on diversity and gender balance? Hiring/promoting processes, general culture, performance measurement, remuneration criteria, parental, caring responsibility and flexible working policies. Measuring and tracking. 

Create a top level project plan. The staff and especially the leadership team know best how to create change and make it happen internally – so what works and what commitments are realistic now, and in the future. Time frames. Communication plan.