Ordinary To Badass

Getting promoted is exciting… until you realize nobody prepared you for what comes next.
Most women spend years working toward their first leadership role. But once you get there, the challenges change.
In this episode, I share the 8 things nobody told me before my first promotion, including:
Why leadership can feel lonelier than you expected
How your relationships with coworkers change overnight
Why hard work alone won't make you successful anymore
Why being trusted matters more than being liked
How to navigate the pressure, self-doubt, and shifting expectations that come with leading others
If you're preparing for your first promotion—or you've recently stepped into leadership—this is the conversation I wish someone had with me years ago.
Resources:
📩 Join the free community for women in predominantly male industries: DM "community" to @OrdinaryToBadass on Instagram.

She spent two and a half years watching the guys around her get away with the exact same mistakes that were landing her in someone's file — and the whole time, one thought kept running the show: I don't want to be that girl.
Attorney and former undercover narcotics deputy and SWAT operator Bridget Truxillo joins Marie to talk about what staying quiet actually costs women in predominantly male industries — the discipline nobody talks about, the exact legal line between "a jerk being a jerk" and illegal discrimination, and the thirteen years it took her to stop protecting everyone else's comfort but her own.
This one covers how to tell if what's happening to you is actually illegal (and what to document if it is), why "everybody already knows" is never the same as it being on record, and the leadership habit — six praises for every one reprimand — that changes whether people actually hear you.
Listen if you've ever decided not to make a big deal out of something that's already been quietly costing you for years.

She spent 20 years earning a seat that was never built for her — and found out the hard way that being good at the job doesn't make you safer. It makes you a bigger threat.
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Retired Fire Chief Deena Johnson Lee joins Marie to talk about what actually happens once you start winning in a predominantly male industry: the "belonging trust" nobody tells you about, the women who turn against other women, and the moment a boyfriend in the academy told her, "I just don't want you to be better than me at anything."
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This one covers the unwritten rules nobody hands you on day one, why competence alone never gets you accepted, and the question that changes everything: would you rather be liked, or respected?
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Listen if you're tired of doing everything right — and still getting picked apart for it.

You were told to wait your turn. Be patient, keep your head down, and eventually it'll be your time. Here's the problem: the person who got promoted last quarter didn't wait for anything.
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In this episode, Marie breaks down why "wait your turn" is one of the most dangerous pieces of advice a woman in a predominantly male industry can follow — and why time in your seat only makes you eligible, never chosen.
Key takeaways:
Time in your position makes you eligible. Being chosen is a completely different decision your boss makes about risk — and eligibility alone doesn't win it.
Waiting doesn't remove workplace bias against ambitious women — it just delays the moment you have to face it.
Your boss sees a fraction of your work. If you're not making your impact visible, "wait your turn" quietly becomes "wait forever."
Four shifts to make instead of waiting: from waiting → asking, time served → building a case, hoping to be noticed → being known, and fair → strategic.
You're allowed to want the next seat, ask for it, and build your case before anyone tells you it's your turn.
Resources mentioned: The Obvious Choice™ (Marie's program on positioning yourself for promotion)
If this hit home, share it with someone who's been "waiting their turn" a little too patiently — subscribe and leave a review so more women find the show.

Have you ever watched a man get credit for an idea that came out of your mouth five minutes earlier?
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Or noticed that the women around you somehow became the party planner, office therapist, note taker, and scheduler—on top of the job they were actually hired to do?
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In this episode, we're talking about the rules of the game nobody explains when you work in a predominantly male industry. The unwritten rules. The invisible expectations. The things that affect your career, credibility, and leadership opportunities—but somehow never make it into the training manual.
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You'll learn:
Why many women end up with a second, unofficial job description
What to do when your ideas are ignored until someone else repeats them
How to walk the tightrope between being "too soft" and "too aggressive"
Why some people get exceptions—and others don't
How to adapt to the room without losing yourself in the process
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I also share a personal story about advocating for myself during one of the hardest periods of my career and what it taught me about speaking up, asking for help, and navigating systems that weren't built with us in mind.
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If you've ever felt overlooked, underestimated, or exhausted from carrying responsibilities nobody acknowledges, this episode is for you.
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Because you're not behind.
You're probably just missing the guidebook nobody gave you.
Connect with Marie:
DM "COMMUNITY" on Instagram @ordinarytobadass to join the free community for women in predominantly male industries.
Subscribe, share, and leave a review if this episode resonates. The more women we get in the room, the faster we change it.