045: Why Smart Women Get Workplace Conflict Wrong: When We Assume We Know Someone's Intentions

045: Why Smart Women Get Workplace Conflict Wrong: When We Assume We Know Someone's Intentions

What if one of the biggest causes of workplace conflict isn't what someone did, but the story we've created about why they did it? Sandra Wint and Annette Garsteck continue their exploration of the stories we carry, but this time, they turn their attention outward. Together, they unpack how quickly we assign meaning to other people's behavior and how those assumptions shape our relationships, leadership, workplace culture, and even our most intimate personal relationships. From bosses and coworkers to partners and family members, the stories we tell about other people's intentions often feel true, even when we have very little evidence. Sandra and Annette explore why smart, self-aware women still fall into the trap of assuming they know what someone else is thinking, feeling, or intending. They discuss the difference between facts and the stories we attach to those facts, why our past experiences color our interpretations, and how curiosity can transform conflict into understanding. Along the way, they share personal examples, leadership insights, and practical reflections on accountability, trust, favoritism, and the assumptions that quietly damage relationships at work and at home. The conversation concludes with two powerful frameworks for navigating difficult conversations: the BICA feedback model and the "withhold" process, offering practical tools for addressing conflict without judgment, assumption, or unnecessary harm. If you've ever found yourself convinced that you know exactly why someone behaved the way they did, this episode invites you to pause and ask a different question: What if there's another story? Join our newsletter community at ExposingTheHiddenReality.com for additional reflections, behind-the-scenes conversations, and resources that don't make it into the public episodes. Connect with Exposing the Hidden Reality: https://exposingthehiddenreality.com LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/exposingthehiddenreality Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/exposingthehiddenreality Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/exposingthehiddenreality Connect with Annette Garsteck: https://www.annettegarsteck.com LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/annettegarsteck Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/annettegarsteck YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@annettegarsteck Tiktok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@annette.garsteck Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/AnnetteGarsteck Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/annettegarsteck Connect with Sandra Wint: https://www.me-her-us.com LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandrabwint LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/meherusllc Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meherusllc  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sandra.wint  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meherusllc YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@meherusllc  Photography of Sandra Wint + Annette Garsteck taken by Katie Garlock, Portrations | Intro and Outro Music + Stock Media provided by BlueFoxMusic / Pond5.

044 Human Design for Leadership Self-Awareness and Career Growth

What if the reason you've struggled at work isn't because you're doing something wrong, but because you've never fully understood how you're designed to work, lead, and grow? In this episode, we continue our exploration of Human Design and discuss how greater self-awareness can transform leadership, career growth, workplace relationships, and professional fulfillment. Sandra and Annette unpack how understanding your Human Design profile can help you navigate job interviews, workplace conflict, leadership transitions, organizational culture, entrepreneurship, and career decision-making. They explore the differences between generators, manifestors, manifesting generators, reflectors, and projectors, discuss why some work environments energize us while others drain us, and examine how understanding ourselves can help us stop internalizing every professional challenge as a personal failure. The conversation moves beyond Human Design itself and into one of the most important questions professional women face: How do we release the stories we've built about ourselves, extend grace to earlier versions of who we were, and create careers and lives that align with who we are becoming? Whether you're navigating leadership, considering a career change, building a business, or simply trying to understand yourself more deeply, this episode offers a powerful invitation to rethink the relationship between identity, work, and personal growth. Join the Exposing the Hidden Reality community and newsletter at ExposingTheHiddenReality.com for more conversations about leadership, identity, workplace dynamics, and growth. Connect with Exposing the Hidden Reality: https://exposingthehiddenreality.com LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/exposingthehiddenreality Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/exposingthehiddenreality Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/exposingthehiddenreality Connect with Annette Garsteck: https://www.annettegarsteck.com LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/annettegarsteck Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/annettegarsteck YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@annettegarsteck Tiktok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@annette.garsteck Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/AnnetteGarsteck Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/annettegarsteck Connect with Sandra Wint: https://www.me-her-us.com LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandrabwint LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/meherusllc Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meherusllc  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sandra.wint  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meherusllc YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@meherusllc  Photography of Sandra Wint + Annette Garsteck taken by Katie Garlock, Portrations | Intro and Outro Music + Stock Media provided by BlueFoxMusic / Pond5.

043: What Stories Are Hurting Your Career? Human Design, Identity, and Self-Awareness

What if the story you've been carrying about yourself was never yours to begin with? Sandra and Annette explore how the labels, expectations, and stories we inherit shape our careers, relationships, leadership styles, and sense of self. Sandra shares how Human Design helped her better understand patterns she had struggled with for years. Together, they discuss how self-awareness can help us separate who we truly are from who we've been told to be, creating more self-compassion and a deeper understanding of how we naturally work, communicate, and lead. The conversation also explores a powerful question: What happens when the real challenge isn't you, but the system you're trying to fit into? If you've ever felt misunderstood, out of place, or like you're working against yourself, this episode offers a new perspective on identity, growth, and finding environments where you can thrive. Join our newsletter at ExposingTheHiddenReality.com for episode updates, exclusive insights, and behind-the-scenes conversations. Connect with Exposing the Hidden Reality: https://exposingthehiddenreality.com LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/exposingthehiddenreality Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/exposingthehiddenreality Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/exposingthehiddenreality Connect with Annette Garsteck: https://www.annettegarsteck.com LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/annettegarsteck Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/annettegarsteck YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@annettegarsteck Tiktok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@annette.garsteck Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/AnnetteGarsteck Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/annettegarsteck Connect with Sandra Wint: https://www.me-her-us.com LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandrabwint LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/meherusllc Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meherusllc  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sandra.wint  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meherusllc YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@meherusllc  Photography of Sandra Wint + Annette Garsteck taken by Katie Garlock, Portrations | Intro and Outro Music + Stock Media provided by BlueFoxMusic / Pond5.

042: Hidden Career Cost of Believing the Wrong Story

The stories we believe about ourselves often become the stories that shape our careers. In this episode, Sandra and Annette explore how labels like bossy, selfish, and too much can influence confidence, leadership, workplace relationships, and professional growth. They discuss why feedback should be examined thoughtfully, how reputation can become a burden to manage, and why awareness is the first step toward rewriting the narratives that no longer serve us. Because the story holding you back may have been written by someone else. And the moment you ask, "Is that really true?" everything can begin to change.  Join us for this honest conversation about identity, leadership, and the stories we carry. Then join our newsletter community at ExposingTheHiddenReality.com and continue the conversation. Connect with Exposing the Hidden Reality: https://exposingthehiddenreality.com LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/exposingthehiddenreality Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/exposingthehiddenreality Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/exposingthehiddenreality Connect with Annette Garsteck: https://www.annettegarsteck.com LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/annettegarsteck Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/annettegarsteck YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@annettegarsteck Tiktok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@annette.garsteck Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/AnnetteGarsteck Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/annettegarsteck Connect with Sandra Wint: https://www.me-her-us.com LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandrabwint LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/meherusllc Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meherusllc  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sandra.wint  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meherusllc YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@meherusllc  Photography of Sandra Wint + Annette Garsteck taken by Katie Garlock, Portrations | Intro and Outro Music + Stock Media provided by BlueFoxMusic / Pond5.

041: AI Is Making Information Free. Expertise Is Becoming Priceless.

Artificial intelligence is making information, content creation, and problem-solving more accessible than ever before. But what happens when everyone has access to the same tools? During Part 2 of their conversation with Jenn Prochaska of The Write Difference, Annette Garsteck and Sandra Wint explore how AI is changing marketing, entrepreneurship, coaching, and the future of work. As the discussion unfolds, a surprising theme emerges. While AI can accelerate learning, automate tasks, and remove barriers, it cannot replace lived experience, judgment, creativity, or human connection. From marketing frameworks and business strategy to cooking family recipes and developing mastery, the conversation highlights the difference between having information and knowing what to do with it. If you're wondering how AI will impact your career, business, or industry, this conversation offers a refreshing perspective on what remains uniquely human. Join our community at https://www.exposingthehiddenreality.com [https://www.exposingthehiddenreality.com] for episode updates, exclusive resources, behind-the-scenes content, and insights we share only with our email subscribers. 00:00 Part Two Introduction  01:02 Human Art Still Matters 03:24 Rising to the AI Challenge 04:29 Copywriters Adapting Fast 07:34 Sharing AI Expertise with Clients  11:40 Authenticity Beats Automation 13:26 IP Fears 5:55 Experience Over Information 18:03 Community Over Going Alone 19:10 Wrap Up and Next Steps Connect with Exposing the Hidden Reality: https://exposingthehiddenreality.com LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/exposingthehiddenreality Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/exposingthehiddenreality Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/exposingthehiddenreality Connect with Annette Garsteck: https://www.annettegarsteck.com LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/annettegarsteck Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/annettegarsteck YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@annettegarsteck Tiktok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@annette.garsteck Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/AnnetteGarsteck Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/annettegarsteck Connect with Sandra Wint: https://www.me-her-us.com LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandrabwint LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/meherusllc Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meherusllc  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sandra.wint  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meherusllc YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@meherusllc  Photography of Sandra Wint + Annette Garsteck taken by Katie Garlock, Portrations | Intro and Outro Music + Stock Media provided by BlueFoxMusic / Pond5.