{"podcast":{"title":"Leading Women in Tech Podcast","slug":"leading-women-in-tech-podcast-381160","podcast_index_feed_id":381160,"rss_url":"https://leadingwomenintech.libsyn.com/rss","website_url":"https://tonicollis.com/","image_url":"https://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/8/5/1/f/851f9a04c34cf0d688c4a68c3ddbc4f2/Podcast_Cover_2023.jpg","author":"Toni Collis","episode_count":100,"summary":"For ambitious women ready to rise, lead, and thrive — without burning out. Are you delivering results… but still waiting to be seen as a true leader? Tired of performance reviews with praise — but no promotion? Hosted by Dr. Toni Collis, executive coach for women in tech, this podcast is your go-to leadership toolkit. Whether you're a rising Director, lone female VP, or overextended operator tired of being overlooked — you're in the right place. Each week, Toni shares real-world leadership strategies, career advancement frameworks, and executive presence tools to help you: ✅ Build strategic visibility ✅ Communicate like a trusted exec ✅ Navigate politics with integrity ✅ Advocate for yourself (without overworking) ✅ Lead with confidence, clarity, and influence You'll also hear powerful interviews with women who've paved the way — and candid conversations on the unspoken challenges women face in male-dominated industries. ✨ If you're ready to go from \"she's great\" to \"she's the obvious next Exec\" — hit follow.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-17T02:17:03.487813+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/leading-women-in-tech-podcast-381160"},"episode":{"title":"293: Women in Tech Leadership: Why You Don't Need a Perfect Career Plan to Reach the Top (With Sarah Walker, Cisco UKI CEO)","slug":"293-women-in-tech-leadership-why-you-don-t-need-a-perfect-career-plan-to-reach-the-top-with-sarah-walker-cisco-uki-ceo","published_at":"2026-03-24T12:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/leading-women-in-tech-podcast-381160/293-women-in-tech-leadership-why-you-don-t-need-a-perfect-career-plan-to-reach-the-top-with-sarah-walker-cisco-uki-ceo","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/leading-women-in-tech-podcast-381160","url":"https://tonicollis.com/leading-women-tech/293-women-in-tech-leadership-non-traditional-career-path/","audio_url":"https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/leadingwomenintech/LWIT_293_Final.mp3?dest-id=2183168","summary":"You don't need a perfect career plan to succeed in tech. In this episode of Leading Women in Tech, I sit down with Sarah Walker, Chief Executive of Cisco UK & Ireland , to talk about women in tech leadership, non-traditional career paths, AI in the workplace, and why backing yourself matters more than ticking every box. Sarah didn't follow a traditional route into tech. She didn't leave school with perfect results. She didn't move to London (despite being told she should). And she certainly didn't have a 20-year career plan mapped out. Yet today, she leads one of the most influential tech organisations in the UK and Ireland. In this conversation, we explore: ◾ Women in tech leadership and representation ◾ Career advancement for women in tech without a rigid plan ◾ How to become a leader in tech without ticking every box ◾ Leadership mindset and backing yourself before you feel ready ◾ AI in the workplace and how it unlocks human potential ◾ Why social mobility and regional leadership matter ◾ Sustainable leadership and authenticity at the top If you've ever questioned whether you \"fit\" the mould of a tech executive — this episode will change how you see your path. 🔗 Connect with Sarah Walker on LinkedIn 🔗 Learn more about Cisco UK & Ireland 👉 Ready to design your path to executive leadership? Book a Strategy Call: https://tonicollis.com/lets-chat This episode was sponsored by our guest, Sarah Walker at CISCO. Thank you Sarah for helping to bring Leading Women in Tech to this community!","meta_description":"You don't need a perfect career plan to succeed in tech. In this episode of Leading Women in Tech, I sit down with Sarah Walker, Chief Executive of Cisco…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2139,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/leading-women-in-tech-podcast-381160/episodes/293-women-in-tech-leadership-why-you-don-t-need-a-perfect-career-plan-to-reach-the-top-with-sarah-walker-cisco-uki-ceo/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/leading-women-in-tech-podcast-381160/293-women-in-tech-leadership-why-you-don-t-need-a-perfect-career-plan-to-reach-the-top-with-sarah-walker-cisco-uki-ceo.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}