Ep. 3: Welcome to Barbie Land, Motherf*ckers
Today’s takeawaYS: this one is all about real workplace survivaL, spotting harassment early, setting boundaries, using leverage, protecting each other, and leading with strategy instead of fear.
The Moment Every Woman Knows
At some point in your career, you see a woman in real power — CEO, VP, Director — and You’re Instantly MESMERIZED by this unicorn in Louboutins.
Because for most of us, the woman at the top was never the norm. And when you finally experience it, you immediately think: “Why isn’t everything run by women?”
Women communicate better, lead cleaner, and solve problems… Imagine 24 hours of Barbie Land leadership in our world.
Let us dream.
Lesson 1: Trust Your Gut!!!
You Will Be Harassed Before You Even Know What Harassment Is and Every woman has a moment where she realizes her entire career has been a highlight reel of “wait, that was harassment?”
It starts early. Way earlier than anyone wants to admit.
From being 15 and getting propositioned by adults…
to being 25 and having a coworker or even worse, your boss, hover over your desk for no reason…
to being 35 and hearing creepy comments disguised as “thoroughness”…
Half the time, we didn’t even know what to call it yet. We just knew it felt wrong.
Your spidey senses are never wrong. If your stomach flips, if the vibe shifts, if someone’s “friendly” starts to feel like surveillance, trust it.
And document it. Screenshots are forever.
Lesson 2: Creeps Play Victim
A man who wants attention will:
nitpick your work so you’re forced to talk to him
hover like a lost intern
sit way too close
spread his legs like he’s at a dive bar
pretend your perfect contract needs “review”
when confronted, claim you were bullying him.
When you set a boundary, his ego collapses like a cheap lawn chair. Every time.
And suddenly he becomes the victim. Classic.
Lesson 3: Connect With Other Women
we need to protect each other.
You tell a woman about the creepy guy and she doesn’t say “maybe he didn’t mean it.” She says “oh my God, It happened to you too?”
Harassment is never isolated. Creeps are never original. And the more women share experiences, the faster patterns get exposed.
Lesson 4: Boundaries Work Better Than HR Reports
In the real world you can tell a man to fuck off. In the workplace you have to be strategic.
A good workplace boundary sounds like:
“Your team can answer this for you.”
“I’ve noticed you keep pushing back on things that are already standard.”
Direct. Professional. Disarming. You’re not attacking him. You’re revealing him.
If he spirals, gets offended, or runs to complain about you, congratulations. You struck the nerve you were aiming for.
And if things escalate, that’s when receipts matter. Screenshots don’t lie. Men do.
Lesson 5: Sometimes You Don’t Need Justice. You Need Leverage
One of the strongest stories in this episode involved a CEO crossing every boundary possible. Comments about her body, brushing her hair from her face, locking the office door, even “I’m leaving my wife for you.”
Here’s what the woman did:
Collected every message.
Sought legal advice.
Confronted him with proof.
Negotiated something better than hush money: a lifetime reference.
That’s CEO-level problem solving. Justice feels good. Leverage changes your career.
Lesson 6: Not All Harassment Comes From Men
Plot twist. Women can be awful too.
A female partner once told her that her eyelash extensions made her “lack credibility.”
Another banned her from wearing shorts because her butt looked “too round.” Meanwhile a male coworker strutted around in CrossFit booty shorts like it was a fashion show.
Women get policed for looking too good. Men get praised for it.
Lesson 7: Being Attractive at Work Is a Double-Edged Sword
If you look good, you will get hit on, underestimated, judged, resented, called “distracting,” and slapped with rules that mysteriously don’t apply to the guy wearing compression shorts in winter.
It’s unfair.
It’s exhausting.
It’s real.
The trick isn’t dimming your light. It’s being intentional. Professional doesn’t mean boring. It means strategic.
Your outfit and energy communicate before you speak. Use that power. Don’t apologize for it.
Lesson 8: Leadership Isn’t About Power. It’s About Healing
Every woman has a younger version of herself who needed protection, boundaries, a voice, a hug, or someone to say “you’re not crazy… that was messed up.”
The real CEO move is learning from the trauma without dragging it into the next workplace.
