Show Notes
Welcome to Season 2 of The LEADing Edge Podcast! In this new episode, hosts Allyson Zimmermann and Sarah McGowan celebrate International Women's Day with one clear message—on the 8th of March and beyond, it's about doing, not trying. This motto has been a driving force of the network since its creation and remains more relevant than ever. Allyson and Sarah advocate for actionable steps to promote gender equality, highlighting inspirational examples and the critical role of leadership in driving meaningful change. They emphasize that the path to equity requires consistent, intentional actions rather than performative gestures, urging listeners to commit to sustained progress every day.
Featuring insights from former Executive Director of LEAD Network, Sharon Jeske Borie, and Noel Keeley, CEO of Musgrave. Podcast producer - Julien Manuguerra-Patten Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from The LEADing Edge
Recorded live in front of an audience at the 2026 LEAD Conference in Dublin, Allyson and Sarah throw out the traditional script for an open, unfiltered ‘Ask Me Anything’ session. This episode tackles the friction points that leaders and teams encounter daily across retail, FMCG, and consumer goods.
In this episode, Sarah McGowan and Allyson Zimmermann unpack LEAD Network's new report, Built for All: Rethinking Career Advancement in Retail and CPG, developed in partnership with Shape Talent. The report explores the key barriers to career advancement across the industry, highlighting findings such as women's greater concern about how they are perceived in meetings, the feelings of guilt and fear that can accompany requests for pay increases, and the ongoing tension between career progression and caregiving responsibilities.
Allyson Zimmermann brings you key insights from our 2025 conference in Milan, exploring what inclusive leadership really looks like in today’s environment.
Allyson Zimmermann and Sarah McGowan challenge the common idea that courage in leadership has to be bold and visible. Instead, they argue that real courage is often quiet, relational, and easy to overlook. But crucially, the episode doesn’t just redefine courage; it offers clear, actionable ways to practise it.
In this episode, Sarah McGowan and Allyson Zimmermann sit down for a real, open conversation about menopause at work; a topic that’s still too often left out of DEI discussions. Millions of women in mid to late career face the complex transition of perimenopause and menopause, often dealing with symptoms in silence due to stigma. Allyson and Sarah explore the real impacts of menopause on women's careers and businesses and share their own experiences.