Fear of failure is one of the most expensive line items on Life’s P&L and you’ll never see the entry on your business spreadsheet.
Perhaps you’ll recognise the pattern and as a woman I see this pattern in so many fabulous women:
- You’re brilliant at what you do.
- People tell you you’re undercharging / under-visible / under-promoted.
- You can see the next step… but you’re still “getting ready” for it.
You tell yourself, “Once I’ve finished this qualification… when the children are older… I’ve got too much at stake… I’m OK but don’t get me wrong I really could do with more… but I’ll until when the market settles… then I’ll go for it.”
And the months keep passing, and you’re still standing on the same ledge, rehearsing the same leap.
Why women hesitate
You’ve probably heard the now-famous Hewlett Packard statistic: men apply for a job when they meet around 60% of the criteria; women wait until they meet 100%.
There is a bubbling and underlying fear in women and the fear isn’t irrational.
Global entrepreneurship data shows women report fear of failure at rates around 10 percentage points higher than men. This fear measurably reduces the likelihood of starting or growing a business.
Layer on top of that a recent study showing that when a startup fails, women founders are penalised far more harshly than their male counterparts. Reading the research, they’re 30% less likely to be funded again, and raise dramatically less capital even when their track record is stronger than their male counterparts.
So no, you’re not “too sensitive.”
You’re spot on in what you see in the women in business culture. But here’s the problem:
Women’s fear of failure has quietly become a strategy. A strategy of delay. Of perfection. Of almost ready. And it keeps women and profit on pause.
Three ways fear of failure is running your business (without your consent)
1 You over-qualify instead of moving
You keep stacking credentials, courses, trainings, CPDs and this isn’t not because you love studying (although you probably do), but because “I’ll be able to charge more / pitch bigger / apply for that role.”
Except every time you finish, the goalposts move. You see another gap. Another certification that will “just make a difference”. Another “just in case.”
There is no lack of ambition, but there is a lack of feeling safe that’s hidden deep inside your very being. Turning up feeling impeccable on every level is paramount.
This isn’t about a mindset quote on Instagram, I’m talking nervous system architecture.
2. You hedge with a secret Plan B
Research on women entrepreneurs shows a common pattern: running a “Plan B” in the background in case the venture fails. It feels sensible… but splits attention and dilutes impact and contributes to multitasking which in itself is a profit saboteur.
- You keep a low-charge, low-joy client “just in case”
- You maintain an old role or side gig “until things are stable”
- You stay in a partnership that drains you… because “it’s not that bad”
You look responsible on the surface. But underneath, your system is whispering: “Don’t bet fully on yourself just yet, the old car’s OK, just wait. It’s safer not to take that step.”
3. You delay visible moves while doing invisible work
You’re doing so much work no one sees:
- Perfecting your offer behind the scenes
- Redesigning your website, again… and again
- Rehearsing the conversation in your head but not having it in the room
Inside you feel exhausted, stuck, not good enough… but the world reads it as inaction.
This is where your fear of failure and your need to be “the good woman” collide:
No mess, no risk, no complaints… and no leap.
The real problem isn’t fear. It’s where your power is stored.
I’m not going to tell you to “be more confident.” Because the world is full of people telling you what to do and not showing you how to do it in context in the real world.
And, anyway, I know you’ve tried that. You’ve read the books. You’ve done the affirmations. You’ve watched the TED talks.
Here’s what’s actually happening:
“Your breath controls your nervous system.
Your nervous system controls your brain.
Your brain controls how you lead, think, decide and perform.”
When your nervous system is stuck and braced for failure, it does not care about your vision board. It cares about survival. Full stop!
So, quietly your brain and mind work together and once again reroute your brilliance into:
- Over-preparing instead of taking the next step
- Pleasing instead of positioning
- Staying invisible instead of being undeniable
This is not a confidence gap. This is a regulation gap.
Until your nervous system feels safe with being visible, taking a calculated risk and being the authority, you will keep finding elegant and intelligent ways to stall.
Unshakeable Power
My work sits at the intersection of:
- Unshakeable power (how you hold authority, attention and space)
- Nervous system intelligence (breath, stillness, trauma-aware regulation)
- Commercial strategy (profit, pricing, operations, positioning, negotiation)
We don’t “push through the fear.” We dismantle the architecture that keeps fabulous women stuck.
Unshakeable power doesn’t wait for perfect timing. It creates the perfect timing.
If you’ve just had that quiet, visceral nod of “Yes, that’s me”, then you already know you know:
You don’t need another qualification.
You don’t need another year of almost ready.
You need your nervous system, your power and your profit working in the same direction.
Ready to feel unshakeable?
Remember, power isn’t just who speaks the loudest, earns the most, or holds the title. Power is who still has access to their full self when the stakes are high.
Contact me to discover more about how to reclaim your inner power. I hold masterclasses, small group training and private advisory where I share a unique perspective on power, presence and influence that affect your affluence.
Love. Gail.