Why “Fearless” Is the Wrong Goal for Women Leaders

What if the confidence gap that holds women back in leadership doesn't start at work? It starts around age 14. Jilyne Jarvis is a seven-time NCAA All-American and retired U.S. Ski Team member who founded ZGiRLS to teach girls the mental tools elite athletes use to build confidence. In this episode of Courage to Advance, Jilyne joins Kim Bohr to trace a straight line from the middle-school confidence crisis to the women who won't apply for the job until they meet every requirement, and to make the case that confidence is a skill you build, not a trait you're born with. ──── ABOUT THIS EPISODE ──── Jilyne Jarvis founded ZGiRLS in 2014 to teach girls 11 to 14 the same mental tools elite athletes use to handle pressure, doubt, and fear. The program is delivered by Olympic, collegiate, and professional women athletes and runs on a 100% scholarship acceptance model. Learn more: https://zgirls.org/ ──── KEY TOPICS ──── ► Why confidence is a skill you build through action, not a personality trait ► Why "fearless" is the wrong goal, and what elite athletes do with fear that never leaves ► How the confidence decline at 11 to 14 resurfaces in women leaders as hesitation around risk and self-advocacy ► The "yet" move parents and leaders can use to model a healthier relationship with fear ► Why a leader who admits "I'm working on this too" sets what's safe to say on a team ► What nearly walking away from her own organization taught Jilyne about self-imposed labels ──── CHAPTERS ──── 0:00 A leadership conversation that starts in middle school 3:06 What elite racing taught her about the mental game 7:17 There's nothing wrong with me 13:07 Why middle school, why 11 to 14 14:39 Why athletes deliver the message 16:00 What parents and leaders actually model 21:05 What she'd tell her 14-year-old self, and do it scared 25:15 What building ZGiRLS taught her about leading ──── RESOURCES ──── ► ZGiRLS programs and corporate partnership: https://zgirls.org/ ► Connect with Jilyne on LinkedIn:   / jilyne   ► SparkEffect Trust in Turbulence research: https://info.sparkeffect.com/trust-st... ► SparkEffect Leadership Development and Executive Coaching: https://sparkeffect.com/ ──── ABOUT COURAGE TO ADVANCE ──── Courage to Advance explores how visionary leaders build the organizations they wish existed through trust, transparency, and the willingness to challenge what no longer works. Hosted by Kim Bohr, CEO of SparkEffect, the show brings senior HR and business leaders into honest conversation about leading people through real complexity. 🔔 Subscribe so you don't miss new episodes 🎧 Listen on every platform: https://sparkeffect.com/sparkeffect-p... ──── ABOUT SPARKEFFECT ──── SparkEffect helps leaders and organizations build the trust, capability, and resilience to come through disruption stronger. Our work spans executive coaching, leadership development, and organizational transformation. 🌐 https://sparkeffect.com #LeadershipDevelopment #WomenInLeadership #CHRO #HRLeadership #TalentDevelopment #Confidence #PsychologicalSafety #OrganizationalTrust