#151: On today’s episode, President of Peanut and former Bumble executive Michelle Battersby joins the podcast for an honest conversation around ambition, imposter syndrome, motherhood, and the pressure women feel to choose between building a successful career and building a family.
Michelle opens up about helping scale Bumble, launching and later selling her company Sunroom, navigating the mental health challenges that come with entrepreneurship, and learning to trust herself through seasons of uncertainty. The girls unpack purpose, imposter syndrome, self-doubt, societal expectations placed on women.
Michelle opens up about her own healing journey— navigating motherhood and the narratives she had to rewrite as she entered the new season.
The girls get into:
- self-worth and tying your identity to achievement
- how we can move through imposter syndrome
- confidence, self-doubt, and learning to trust yourself
- entrepreneurship as a mental health journey
- identifying the voice of self-trust versus self-doubt
- how fear keeps us trapped and prevents us from reaching our potential
- building Bumble and launching female-first platforms
- double standards women face in business, leadership, and success
- the pressure women feel to choose between motherhood and ambition
- Why 86% of women believe motherhood will negatively impact their careers
- maternal loneliness, women's mental health, and the support systems women desperately need
- fertility decisions, abortion, family planning, and career timing
- navigating pregnancy while building a career
- why women are still penalized for motherhood in ways men aren't
- the systems and societal structures that make balancing career and family so difficult
- why the conversation shouldn't be "can women have it all?" but rather "why is it so hard for women to have it all?"
- challenging outdated narratives around motherhood, ambition, and identity
- work-life balance and redefining what it means to "have it all"
- building a life that feels aligned, meaningful, and authentic
- & MORE!
This episode is for anyone navigating imposter syndrome and anyone lost searching for purpose in their 9-5 job. This episode is also for women who are struggling with the idea of motherhood— anxiety around fertility decisions and entering the next chapter of life.
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follow Michelle here
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watch HOW I SEE IT on YouTube here
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work with Han: howhanseesit@gmail.com
00:00 – Introduction
02:32 – Realizing she wasn't passionate about her career
04:49 – The intuition that changed her life
07:53 – Self-worth, achievement, and identity
10:29 – Is it wrong to tie your worth to what you do?
11:16 – Different seasons of ambition and success
11:42 – Fulfillment vs external achievement
12:30 – Challenging gender roles through Bumble
14:42 – Why Michelle is drawn to controversial conversations
16:08 – Launching Sunroom and challenging societal norms
18:55 – Double standards for women in business and leadership
22:20 – Imposter syndrome and self-doubt
22:55 – Entrepreneurship as a mental health journey
24:38 – Luck, opportunity, and taking action
26:20 – Learning to trust your intuition
28:43 – Different forms of bravery
29:00 – Identifying the voice of intuition versus fear
31:46 – What would partial success look like?
37:14 – Why 86% of women believe motherhood will hurt their careers
38:07 – Unlearning beliefs around ambition and motherhood
39:17 – Navigating pregnancy while building a company
41:00 – The systems that make balancing career and family difficult
43:35 – Fertility decisions, abortion, and career timing
45:10 – Is there ever a "right time" to have children?
51:08 – The pressure to "bounce back" after motherhood
54:10 – What society gets wrong about motherhood
1:04:15 – Rock bottom, ChatGPT tarot cards, and finding clarity
