Psychological safety doesn’t begin in the workplace. Most women arrive already carrying years of silence, shame, dismissal and self-doubt about their health. In this episode, Sarah explores why many organisations are unknowingly starting from a place of unsafety when it comes to women speaking about their bodies — and how we change that.
We explore how period shame, medical gaslighting, fertility struggles, PMDD, pelvic pain and menopause have taught generations of women to stay quiet, minimise symptoms, and push through — often at great personal cost. Not because they are disengaged, but because silence has learned to feel safer than honesty.
This is not about women being “too complex” for work. It’s about workplaces historically being too narrow in how they define normal.
As women’s health becomes speakable, something powerful happens: psychological safety spreads across the whole workforce. Openness around periods and menopause creates space for conversations about mental health, intimate cancers, fertility struggles for men, burnout, chronic illness and neurodiversity too. Women’s health becomes the gateway to full-spectrum wellbeing at work.
In this episode, we cover:
* Why silence around women’s health still exists
* How shame and dismissal shape confidence and self-trust
* What psychological safety actually looks like in real workplaces
* The hidden cultural cost of silence
* How openness improves trust, engagement and performance
* Why women’s health safety benefits men, teams and leadership
* What leaders can model to create real safety, not just policies
This episode is for:
Leaders, HR teams, managers and organisations who want to build cultures where people don’t have to choose between being human and being credible.
Ready to take the next step?
If your organisation is ready to move from awareness into meaningful action:
* You can explore the Women’s Health Starter Pack here.
* Or book a discovery call with Sarahto discuss tailored support for your team.
Because psychological safety isn’t built with good intentions alone — it’s built through informed, steady, human leadership.
