Harvard Business School Executive Director + Salesforce Leader: Social conditioning is Silently Sabotaging Your Confidence, Career and Leadership! How to Turn Performative Confidence into Authentic Leadership! Carin-Isabel Knoop and Nancy Luong #65
In this episode, Helena sits down with Carin, an Executive Director at Harvard Business School, Nancy, a leader at Salesforce, to unpack why so many of us limit our potential because we buy into social conditioning. Is your work ethic actually a coping mechanism? Carin is an Executive Director Case Research & Writing Group who Helena met through mutual entrepreneurial friends in LA. Carin-Isabel Knoop is the Executive Director of the Harvard Business School Case Research and Writing Group which she began in 1995. She was a consultant at McKinsey and Price Waterhouse Coopers. Carin has her bachelors summa cum laude in Government, Economics and International Relations from the University of Texas at Austin, and holds an MBA from Harvard Business school with honors. She is a very active Medium writer on creating better workplaces. Nancy Luong is a Speaker, Author, Content Creator, and Empowerment Coach. A proud daughter of Vietnamese/Chinese parents, she fosters inclusive spaces that amplify diverse voices. Her mission is to help individuals find clarity, build momentum, and step into their most authentic, confident selves. She’s a Global Communications leader at tech giant, Salesforce. And just brought out her recent book “We Are All Weirdos”. This episode dives into: 🔹 Why your confidence isn’t about working harder—but about where you get it from 🔹 The link between authenticity and innovation: performative leadership kills impact, authentic leadership grows it 🔹 The hidden impact of societal pressures on our true power—and how to rewrite the rules with grace by understanding cultural and generational pressures, beauty and societal expectations 🔹 Practical tools to build inner safety and lead with trust: The role of energy and self-perception, boundaries and self-love, and unlocking the power of language, and self-respect
where boundaries dissolve · carin-isabel knoop, nancy luong
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Show Notes
In this episode, Helena sits down with Carin, an Executive Director at Harvard Business School, Nancy, a leader at Salesforce, to unpack why so many of us limit our potential because we buy into social conditioning. Is your work ethic actually a coping mechanism?
Carin-Isabel Knoop is the Executive Director of the Harvard Business School Case Research and Writing Group. She was a consultant at McKinsey and Price Waterhouse Coopers. Carin has her bachelors summa cum laude in Government, Economics and International Relations from the University of Texas at Austin, and holds an MBA from Harvard Business school with honors. She is a very active Medium writer on creating better workplaces.
Nancy Luong is a Speaker, Author, Content Creator, and Empowerment Coach. A proud daughter of Vietnamese/Chinese parents, she fosters inclusive spaces that amplify diverse voices. Her mission is to help individuals find clarity, build momentum, and step into their most authentic, confident selves. She’s a Global Communications leader at tech giant, Salesforce. And just brought out her recent book “We Are All Weirdos”.
This episode is about:
🔹 Why your confidence is a product of your socialization. Confidence rooted in output = fragile. Confidence rooted in self-acceptance = unbreakable.
🔹 The link between authenticity + innovation: Performative leadership kills impact, authentic leadership grows it!
🔹 The hidden impact of societal pressures on our true power—and how to rewrite the rules with grace::Understanding cultural and generational pressures, beauty and societal expectations
🔹 Practical tools for inner safety: The role of energy and self-perception, boundaries and self-love, and unlocking the power of language, and self-respect
00:00 Welcome to the We're Boundaries of Selves Podcast for
01:55 Intro
02:16 Carin Perspective on Authenticity
03:03 Nancy's Journey
04:14 The Importance of Authenticity
07:13 Generational Differences in Authenticity
13:51 Building Inner Safety + Confidence
18:23 Self-Acceptance and Personal Growth
24:50 Balancing Work + Self-Love 26:10 Resilience + Self-Management
26:51 The Impact of Self-Respect
27:22 Output and Self-Worth
28:34 Perfectionism + Appearance
30:51 Beauty Standards and Cultural Pressures
37:08 Navigating Feedback and Boundaries
42:35 Handling Family Criticism
46:02 Changing the Language Around Compliments
47:28 Systematic Change and Human-Centric Approach
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Follow Carin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carinknoop/
Carin and her co-author's book: Compassionate Management of Mental Health in the Modern Workplace
Follow Nancy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyluong17/
Nancy’s book: We Are All Weirdos: It's Normal.
Connect with me:
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TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@helena.arjuna?_t=8oSbtTilPSQ&_r=1
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenasuter/
Youtube: https://youtube.com/@whereboundariesdissolvepodcast?si=g63NToOK45W1CiBI
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