Why I Was Afraid to Hit Play
A funny thing happened when my podcast interview with Marc Haine dropped on LinkedIn last week.
I couldn’t open it.
Not because of a technical glitch—but because I was afraid I’d made a fool of myself. I was afraid I wasn’t perfect.
I don’t know if perfectionism hits Boomer women harder than others, but for many of us, it was the #1 weapon we were taught to use against ourselves. The message was clear: Don’t overstep. Don’t take up too much space. And for heaven’s sake, don’t promote yourself in public.
So I froze.
But thanks to my younger-gen mentors—who keep reminding me that our imperfections make us more relatable, not less—I hit play.
I’m so glad I did.
🎧 Listen to the episode here : https://www.youtube.com/live/nh_9yu7K1Kw?feature=shared
Even though my glasses fogged up before we started and I said “you know” about 21 times in 50 minutes, the conversation with Marc landed somewhere honest. Human. Useful.
Here’s one line that really stuck with me:
“We don’t get to lead the way we were led—but we do get to lead better.”
What Gets In the Way? Our Own Armor.
That line opened up a deeper truth for me: what often blocks generational connection at work isn’t just bias or burnout. It’s the armor we wear.
For some, that armor looks like certainty.
For others, it’s silence.
For me, it was perfectionism.
And across generations, that armor keeps us from the very conversations that would help us collaborate, trust each other, and move forward with clarity and purpose.
When we trade judgment for curiosity—and when we stop pretending we have all the answers—something powerful happens:
We actually start leading.
Let’s Talk About It.
If this resonates with you, I’d love to invite you to my next Intergenerational Roundtable. It’s a space where we don’t have to be perfect—but we do get to be real.
This month, we’ll explore:
How humility builds trust across generations
Why perfectionism holds leaders back
And how to create a workplace culture where every generation feels heard, valued, and ready to contribute
📅 June 26th at 12 pm ET
📍 Free & virtual – sign up here: subscribepage.io/June2025
🎧 And if you’d like a little context before joining, here’s that podcast episode that kicked it all off → https://www.youtube.com/live/nh_9yu7K1Kw?feature=shared
Perfection not required. Curiosity encouraged.
Hope to see you there.
Mary