A practical leadership conversation centered on confidence, structure, and support.
Erin Riel's conversation with Rebecca Malotke-Messlin and Lynn Macheskey follows a leadership path shaped by early turns, education choices, and a return to purpose.
Confidently You: Women in Leadership
Rebecca Malotke-Meslin & Lynne Macziewski
33 episodes listed below
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In their own words
EMA's latest podcast is Confidently You: Women in Leadership, designed to support women working in independent schools who are or want to become leaders. The podcast is hosted by Lynne Macziewski from The Baldwin School and Rebecca Malotke-Meslin of Pleasantly Aggressive Coaching & Consulting. We engage in thoughtful discussions about our experiences as women leaders to demystify the path to leadership and provide valuable resources in our field.
As heard by us
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
School leaders turn confidence and career growth into concrete lessons about power, boundaries, advancement, and the daily work of leading.
Confidently You: Women in Leadership keeps returning to the practical tensions beneath advancement: perfectionism that turns into office housework, vulnerability complicated by positional power, and the difficult decisions that accompany headship.
Why you'd press play
Meeting adjourned: you're cleaning up while your strategic ideas wait for their turn.
Press play if you want
- to catch the moment perfectionism volunteers you for office housework
- to hear Lynne Macziewski talk about making hard school decisions without becoming less herself
Talks about
Best episodes of Confidently You: Women in Leadership
Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A warm, unhurried leadership conversation centered on change and headship.
This episode follows a headship journey through role changes, moves, and the practical strain that comes with transition, all in a warm and conversational tone.
Confidence here grows from memory, not from a keynote.
Emily Kritschbaum's story builds confidence through small scenes that stay with the listener: a sixth-grade run to a tree and back, a teacher who said somebody should be cheering for the girls, the awkwardness of braces and glasses, and an adult turn toward running as joy, flow,…
REAL Discussion turns classroom inequity into a teachable framework for listening and leading.
At its core, this is a teacher noticing that classroom talk can tilt unfairly and deciding to make that problem teachable. Liza Goranzik follows REAL Discussion from that middle school frustration through graduate school and into a four-part method built on relate, excerpt, ask,…
A warm conversation about peer support, perfectionism, and the habits that shape women’s advancement.
It leans into women supporting women, then settles into the habits that can shape leadership: perfectionism, office housework, the urge to prove competence by doing everything alone, and the peers who help make room to step back.
A school culture conversation that treats belonging as shared work, not a side project.
Confidently You follows Dr. Susan Perry as it connects wellness and belonging to the larger duties school communities carry. Its strongest point is simple and firm: these practices cannot rest with only a few adults in the building.
A practical leadership conversation on mentoring, expectations, and confidence in independent-school life.
Confidently You stays true to its mission with a focused discussion of women in leadership, imposter syndrome, new roles, authentic style, and confidence.
Confidence is shown as something built through support and experience, not treated as a fixed trait.
This piece treats women moving into leadership as a process of building confidence while already in motion, not a moment that arrives fully formed.
Podcasts like Confidently You: Women in Leadership
Glass Ceilings and Sticky Floors: Shatter Limiting Beliefs - Redefine Success - Chase Big DreamsErica Anderson RooneyCareer power without apology.
Female Leader Stories | Karriere, Leadership & Selbstverwirklichung für FrauenKatja RadlgruberCareer confidence with a leadership edge.
Dein Karriereweg - Mit Katrin Moser I Traumjob I Karriere I Erfolg I JobglückKatrin MoserCareer clarity with backbone.
Episodes
- 1
Shaping the Future of All-Girls Education
Hidden gemMegan Malotke-Messlin describes how the International Coalition of Girls' Schools grew from the National Coalition of Girls Schools formed in 1991 into ICGS in 2022, then absorbed the Alliance of Girls' Schools in Australasia and the Association of State Girls' Schools in the UK by 2024.
·29m·2 clips - 2
Headspace: Polly Fredlund
Hidden gemPolly Fredlund, head of school at Westover in Middlebury, Connecticut, traces a 25-plus-year career through Hathaway Brown, the Bush School, and a brief Washington, D.C.
·52m·3 clips - 3
Vulnerability & Inclusivity
Hidden gemRebecca Malachy-Meslin and Lynn Macheskey welcome Cheryl Schenck for a conversation about leadership, inclusion, and the strain of asking others to hold what you are carrying.
·46m·3 clips - 4
Authentically Embracing Risk
Hidden gemClaire Goldsmith joins Rebecca Malotke-Messlin and Lynn Macheskey for a conversation about leadership, technology, and women’s experience in school settings.
·40m·2 clips - 5
Powerful Women & Real Friendships
Hidden gemConfidently You: Women in Leadership centers on Rebecca Malotke-Messlin and Lynn Macheskey talking with Dr.
·36m·2 clips - 6
Core Values and Connection
Core values get practical.
Feb 27, 2026·34m·3 clips - 7
Confidence & Career Pivots
Hidden gemErin Riel brings a winding career road into the room.
Feb 3, 2026·39m - 8
New to Headship Reflection
Rebecca Malotke-Maslin interviews her co-host, Lynn Macheskey, about Lynn’s path to headship.
Dec 16, 2025·43m - 9
Running Towards Confidence
Hidden gemRebecca Malotke-Messlin and Lynn Macheskey welcome Emily Kritschbaum for a conversation about confidence, leadership, and the long road between them.
Nov 3, 2025·44m·2 clips - 10
Unlocking Your Leadership with Listening
Rebecca Malotke-Messlin and Limma Chesky sit down with Liza Goranzik to talk about confidence, leadership, and listening well in discussion.
Jan 10, 2025·34m·1 clip - 11
Stronger Together: Women Supporting Women
Women leaders from independent schools discuss building confidence, supporting other women, and overcoming perfectionism.
Nov 14, 2024·47m·4 clips - 12
Wellness and Belonging
Dr.
Jun 20, 2024·41m·3 clips - 13
Headspace: Dr. Autumn Graves
Hidden gemRebecca Malachy-Meslin and Lynn Macheskey open a conversation about women in leadership, confidence, and the shift into new roles and responsibilities.
Jun 6, 2024·40m·1 clip - 14
Connecting Women Leaders
Hosts Rebecca and Lynne interview Jen Evers, Executive Director of the HEADS Network, about her career journey, the organization's mission to support women leaders in independent schools, and practical advice on confidence, empathy, and authentic leadership.
Mar 29, 2024·39m·3 clips - 15
Elevating Your Leadership
Whitney Soule joins Rebecca Malotke-Messlin and Lynn Bocheski for a conversation about what year one in a new leadership role can feel like.
Feb 9, 2024·42m·1 clip - 16
Headspace: Jodi Grass
Jan 16, 2024·32m - 17
Wise Women with Donna Orem [S2.E4]
Dec 12, 2023·44m - 18
Demystifying the Search Process: Part II [S2:E3]
Nov 26, 2023·39m - 19
Hiring and Getting Hired [S2.E1]
Nov 21, 2023·48m - 20
Demystifying the Search Process: Part I [S2:E2]
Nov 15, 2023·45m - 21
Women & EMA's 2023 State of the Independent School Enrollment Industry Report
Jun 29, 2023·39m - 22
Headspace
May 15, 2023·35m - 23
Innovative Leadership
May 4, 2023·43m - 24
Valuing the Outside-In Perspective
Mar 2, 2023·37m - 25
Leading Teams with Confidence and Kindness
Feb 2, 2023·43m - 26
Reimagining the Education of Leaders
Jan 19, 2023·33m - 27
The Struggle is Real: Avoiding & Managing Burnout in Admissions
Jan 5, 2023·48m - 28
Women of Color Power Hour
Dec 8, 2022·41m - 29
Tooting Your Own Horn
Nov 24, 2022·43m - 30
Parenting and Leading at School
Nov 10, 2022·39m - 31
Staying In It
Oct 27, 2022·27m - 32
Building Meaningful Relationships to Advance Your Career
Oct 10, 2022·31m - 33
How to be a Better Risk-Taker
Oct 10, 2022·39m