In this episode, Kristi Straw calls out the invisible forces holding mid-career women back...namely, corporate good girl conditioning and the culture of performative allyship.

She shares how emotional intelligence can be learned (and why it’s often misunderstood), the red flags she watches for in coaching engagements, and the cost of building systems that serve companies instead of customers. Kristi also explains why your executive brand needs to sound like you, not like a brochure, especially in the age of AI. This is a no-BS conversation about power, perception, and the courage to lead differently.

Key Takeaways:

• Corporate “good girl” conditioning is killing confidence, and emotional intelligence isn’t optional... it’s a power skill.
• EQ isn’t innate...it can be learned, but most executive leaders are still reacting instead of reflecting.
• In a world of AI noise, authentic personal brands outperform company pages every time.

Connect with Kristi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kstrawmba/

Connect with Alyssa: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alyssanolte/