Leading Women in Tech Podcast

Office politics. Just reading those words probably made you want to click away — and that reaction is exactly why this episode exists.
 
If you're a high-achieving woman in tech who has built your career on results, integrity, and doing excellent work, the idea of navigating office politics probably feels like a compromise. Like you'd be becoming someone you don't recognise.
 
But here's what nobody says out loud: not engaging with office politics is itself a political choice. And for most high-performing women in tech leadership, it's one that is quietly costing them promotions, visibility, and influence — regardless of how good their work is.
 
In this episode, Executive Coach Dr Toni Collis breaks down the critical distinction between the toxic version of office politics (which you should absolutely avoid) and the strategic, integrity-consistent leadership work of building influence, visibility, and advocates — which most high-achieving women have been avoiding along with it.
 
This is not about becoming a different person. It's about leading fully in the organisation you're actually in.
 
What you'll learn in this episode:
⏹ Why we as high-achieving women often resist office politics — and the specific career cost of that resistance
⏹ The two completely different things most women are calling "office politics" — and why separating them changes everything
⏹ Five practical moves for building influence and strategic visibility without compromising your values
⏹ How to build advocates (not just allies) who speak up for you in the rooms you're not in
⏹ The integrity check that tells you whether you're building genuine influence or drifting into game-playing
 
Links and resources mentioned:
⏹ Take the Office Politics Quiz for Women in Tech: tonicollis.com/resources/office-politics-quiz 
⏹ Book a strategy call: tonicollis.com/lets-chat/ 
⏹ Learn more about building your advocates: Episode 292 — From Tactical to Strategic: The Unspoken Rules for Women in Tech Stepping Into Executive Leadership
⏹ Learn more about communication: Episode 243 — Struggling to Be Heard? Master Leadership Communication Strategies and Coach Upwards
If this episode resonated, please leave a review and share it with a woman in tech who needs to hear this conversation.
 
Chapters:
00:00 — The coaching conversation that changed everything 
01:15 — What this episode is and isn't about 
03:08 — Why high-achieving women avoid office politics — and what it's costing them 
09:44 — What navigating office politics with integrity actually looks like: three core reframes 
18:49 — Five moves that build influence and strategic visibility without selling out 
19:12 — Move 1: Map the landscape before you need it 
21:25 — Move 2: Invest in relationships before you need them 
24:33 — Move 3: Make your impact visible — strategically, not constantly 
27:31 — Move 4: Learn to read the room and the organisation 
30:15 — Move 5: Build advocates, not just allies 
34:22 — The integrity check: how to know you're building influence, not playing games 
37:39 — The Office Politics Playbook for Women in Tech
Related episodes:
⏹ Episode 112 — If You Don't Openly Celebrate Your Achievements, Who Will?
⏹ Episode 228 — Mastering Your Value: Strategies to Stop Underselling Yourself
⏹ Episode 243 — Struggling to Be Heard? Master Leadership Communication Strategies and Coach Upwards
⏹ Episode 256 — No More Crickets: The Networking Strategy That Lands Jobs in 2025
⏹ Episode 276 — Busy Does Not Equal Valuable: How to Prioritise Work That Gets You Promoted

What does it actually take to become a transformational leader in the age of AI? Catherine Wong, Chief Product Officer at Entrata, joins Toni to share the career philosophy, leadership mindset, and honest hard-won lessons that took her from software engineer to CPO — via architecture, M&A, product, and operations.
Catherine built her career on range, not a straight line. She calls it the jungle gym — and she believes it's more relevant now than ever. In this episode she gets real about diversity as a product quality issue (not just a values issue), why AI adoption is the biggest change management challenge of our careers, and what authentic leadership actually means when the pressure is on.
If you're navigating a non-linear career, trying to lead your team through AI change, or wondering whether you need a perfect plan to reach the C-suite — this one is for you.
What we cover:
◾ Why range matters more than specialisation at the executive level
◾How empathy becomes your most powerful leadership tool across functions
◾Why diversity is a product quality issue — and what's at stake as that conversation disappears
◾AI adoption as a change management challenge at unprecedented speed
◾The "hit song" principle: why consistent messaging is the job
◾How to stop minimising yourself — and what to do if you don't have the right mentors
◾Authentic leadership: what it really means to bring the right energy to your team
About Catherine Wong
Catherine Wong is Chief Product Officer at Entrata, where she leads product and operations. She has held VP of Engineering and product leadership roles across multiple organisations and has spent her career building range across software engineering, architecture, M&A, and product management. She is a passionate advocate for diversity in tech and for leading teams through AI transformation with humanity and clarity.
Connect with Catherine Wong 
◾LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/catherinewong 
◾X: @catherinewong 
◾Entrata: entrata.com
This episode was sponsored by our guest, Catherine Wong. Thank you Catherine for helping to bring Leading Women in Tech to this community!

When someone asks you how you're doing, what do you say?
 
If you answered "I'm fine" before you'd even finished reading that question — this episode is for you.
 
Burnout in high-performing women in tech leadership rarely looks like collapse. It looks like going through the motions. Like numbness. Like resentment that arrives out of nowhere and exhaustion that's become so normal you've stopped registering it as a warning sign.
 
In this episode, Toni breaks down why burnout hits women in tech leadership differently, the three patterns she sees most in her coaching work, and what burnout-proof leadership actually means — strategically, not just in a "take more baths" sense.
 
This isn't about slowing down. It's about building leadership that doesn't require you to run on empty to function.
 
What you'll hear in this episode:
◾ Why high-performing women are often the last to identify as burned out — and the specific compounding factors that make burnout in tech leadership different
◾ The three burnout patterns Toni sees most in coaching: the silent spiral, the conflict-avoidant overgiver, and the high-performer in denial
◾ What burnout-proof leadership actually requires — structural protection, a perceptual shift, and leadership identity recalibration
◾ The mistake that keeps women stuck in burnout cycles even when they're actively trying to recover
◾ Four practical first steps you can take this week, even if you're already running on empty
 
For a limited time, the Burnout to Balance Toolkit is completely free — self-paced audio training, workbook, and an optional four-week reset plan, designed for women in tech leadership who need something concrete right now. Available free for two weeks from release, or until the first 200 downloads. Get it at tonicollis.com/burnout-to-balance.
 
Links mentioned in this episode:
◾ Burnout to Balance Toolkit (free for limited time): tonicollis.com/burnout-to-balance/ 
◾ Episode 216 — Understanding and Overcoming Burnout with Lindsay, Jen, and Allison: https://tonicollis.com/leading-women-tech/216-understanding-and-overcoming-burnout-insights-from-leading-women-in-tech-with-lindsay-jen-and-allison/

You don't need a perfect career plan to succeed in tech.

In this episode of Leading Women in Tech, I sit down with Sarah Walker, Chief Executive of Cisco UK & Ireland, to talk about women in tech leadership, non-traditional career paths, AI in the workplace, and why backing yourself matters more than ticking every box.

Sarah didn't follow a traditional route into tech. She didn't leave school with perfect results. She didn't move to London (despite being told she should). And she certainly didn't have a 20-year career plan mapped out.

Yet today, she leads one of the most influential tech organisations in the UK and Ireland.

In this conversation, we explore:
◾ Women in tech leadership and representation
◾ Career advancement for women in tech without a rigid plan
◾ How to become a leader in tech without ticking every box
◾ Leadership mindset and backing yourself before you feel ready
◾ AI in the workplace and how it unlocks human potential
◾ Why social mobility and regional leadership matter
◾ Sustainable leadership and authenticity at the top

If you've ever questioned whether you "fit" the mould of a tech executive — this episode will change how you see your path.
🔗 Connect with Sarah Walker on LinkedIn
🔗 Learn more about Cisco UK & Ireland
👉 Ready to design your path to executive leadership?
Book a Strategy Call: https://tonicollis.com/lets-chat
This episode was sponsored by our guest, Sarah Walker at CISCO. Thank you Sarah for helping to bring Leading Women in Tech to this community!

Executive Leadership for Women: From Tactical to Strategic
You've mastered being a leader.
But executive leadership for women is not just the next step up.
It's a completely different game.
In this episode of Leading Women in Tech, we unpack why tactical excellence alone won't get you promoted — and what actually signals executive readiness.
If you've ever been told:
"You're doing great."
"Keep going."
"You're almost there."
"We just need to see a bit more."
This episode is for you.
We explore:
Why women not getting promoted in tech is often a positioning issue
The difference between management and executive leadership
How gender bias in tech leadership shapes perception
Navigating bro culture in tech without losing yourself
Executive presence for women — and why it's about credibility, not charisma
Why sponsorship matters more than merit
A practical 90-day roadmap to reposition yourself strategically


Executive leadership for women is not about becoming louder.
It's about raising your altitude.
 
**Useful links**
Listen to Episode 286: Executive presence is about how you are experienced in the room.
 
Ready to Make the Shift?
If you're ready to transition from management to leadership at executive level — but need clarity on your perception gap —
Book a Strategy Call: 👉 https://tonicollis.com/lets-chat
Because executive leadership for women is not reserved for a personality type.
It is built.
And you are closer than you think.