Stop Waiting to Feel Ready

I wasted years waiting.

Waiting to feel more confident.

Waiting to feel more ready.

Waiting for someone to give me permission.

And while I was waiting, other people were raising their hands.

In this solo episode, I share the part of my story I didn’t always say out loud, how waiting slowed my career, what finally changed, and what I now see again and again in the women I coach.

If you are capable, responsible, and quietly frustrated that your growth isn’t matching your effort, this episode is for you.

We’ll talk about:

• The hidden cost of waiting

• Why confidence doesn’t come first

• How to know if you’re growing or just staying comfortable

• What actually creates momentum in your career

This is personal.

And it might feel uncomfortably familiar.

🎧 Listen now on your favorite platform

📩 Join my Substack for deeper reflections: https://limorbergman.substack.com/

🌐 Podcast hub: https://limorbergman.com/podcast/

You don’t need more confidence.

You need to stop waiting for it.

If you’re a high-performing woman in tech who keeps thinking,

“I’ll go for the promotion when I feel ready,”

This episode is going to challenge you.

Because confidence is not what moves your career forward.

Impact is.

In this conversation, I sit down with Lisa Zaythik, founding partner at AppsFlyer and Executive Chief of Staff at a 1,300-person global tech company. Lisa has moved across marketing, operations, HR, and the CEO office, often stepping into roles she had never done before.

She didn’t wait to feel confident.

She focused on the value she could bring.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to grow in your career when you don’t feel ready

• How to identify the value you bring, even when others seem more experienced

• How to know if it’s time to grow in your role or move on

• The difference between being assertive and being perceived as aggressive

• How to build confidence by taking action, not waiting for it

This is for you if you are competent, responsible, and quietly frustrated that your work isn’t translating into growth.

If you keep waiting to “feel ready,” someone less prepared will raise their hand before you.

Listen now and rethink how you approach career growth, leadership development, and visibility at work.

About Lisa Zaythik:

Lisa Zaythik is a founding partner at AppsFlyer and currently serves as Executive Chief of Staff. With a background in marketing, she has played a pivotal role in shaping the company’s value proposition, culture, and organizational DNA from its earliest days.

Today, at a company of approximately 1,300 employees, Lisa partners closely with the executive team to drive company-wide strategy, guide senior leadership on organizational processes, and continuously evolve AppsFlyer’s culture of “doing well by doing good.”

Follow Lisa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisazaythik/

About Limor Bergman Gross

Limor Bergman Gross is a former Director of Engineering turned executive coach for women in tech. She helps ambitious women grow their confidence, influence, and leadership without burnout or pretending to be someone they’re not.

• Podcast hub: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://limorbergman.com/podacst⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Substack: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://limorbergman.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/limorbergman/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@LimorBergman⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

What if confidence in tech doesn’t have to be loud, aggressive, or look like everyone else?

In this episode of From a Woman to a Leader, Limor Bergman Gross sits down with Telle Whitney, a long-time leader and culture-shaper in the tech industry, to unpack why so many capable women still feel overlooked and what it actually takes to change that.

Together, they explore how tech culture was built on outdated myths like meritocracy and the “lone genius,” why quiet, introverted leaders are often underestimated, and how women can build confidence, visibility, and influence without pretending to be someone they’re not.

This conversation is especially for you if:

• You do great work, but still feel invisible

• You’re confident internall,y but don’t fit the loud leadership stereotype

• You’ve been told to “be more strategic” without clear guidance

• You want to grow your career without burning out or changing your personality

You’ll hear practical insights on sponsorship versus mentorship, how to speak up in loud rooms, how to respond to disrespectful behavior, and why communities like ERGs can be powerful accelerators when done right.

About Telle:

Telle Whitney is a senior executive leader, an entrepreneur, an author, and a recognized advocate and expert on women and technology. She has over 30 years of leadership experience and was named one of Fast Company’s Most Influential Women in Technology. She is a frequent speaker on the topic of Women and Technology. She is an accomplished technologist who spent twenty years in the semiconductor industry in Silicon Valley. Telle has been called “a pioneer for the promotion of women technologists” and “one of the most inspirational leaders I have ever known.”

Telle co-founded the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing Conference in 1994 and was CEO of the non-profit Anita Borg Institute from 2002 to September 2017. She transformed the Institute into a recognized world leader for women and technology.

Before that she served in leadership positions at several semiconductor startups.

She is the author of Rebooting Tech Culture, How to Ignite Innovation and Build Organizations Where Everyone Can Thrive, which explores the practices that executives use to create organizational cultures that are both innovative and inclusive.

She has won numerous awards, including the ACM Distinguished Service Award, an honorary degree from CMU, and an honorary membership of IEEE. In 2024, the REC Foundation recognized her as a STEM Hero. She co-founded the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT). In 2022, she was elected to the National Academy of Engineering.

Telle serves on the board of AI4All, CMD-IT, and Power and Systems and consults for numerous technology organizations.

Telle holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Computer Science from the California Institute of Technology and a BS in Computer Science from the University of Utah.

Website: www.TelleWhitney.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/telle-whitney/

About Limor Bergman Gross

Limor Bergman Gross is a former Director of Engineering turned executive coach for women in tech. She helps ambitious women grow their confidence, influence, and leadership without burnout or pretending to be someone they’re not.

• Podcast hub: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://limorbergman.com/podacst⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Substack: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://limorbergman.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/limorbergman/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@LimorBergman⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠