Why Women Fear Failure - And How to Turn It Into Influence

(And Why It’s Time We Stopped Playing Small)

Stop waiting until you’re “ready” - you’ll waste decades

😶 The Unspoken Conditioning That Shapes Our Fear

From the time we’re little girls, society hands us an unspoken checklist:

📌 Don’t get your clothes dirty.

📌 Speak softly.

📌 Don’t make waves.

📌 Stay polite, stay pleasant, stay perfect.

That perfection has always been a myth - a cultural illusion passed down to keep us “acceptable.”

Yet, we still carry it into adulthood, into our careers, and into the decisions we don’t make.

When we’ve been conditioned to avoid mistakes at all costs, we grow into women who fear failure more than we fear stagnation.

😶 We don’t take the leap.

😶 We overthink the pivot.

😶 We choose “safe” over “aligned.”

"Women have been told for centuries to avoid risk. But risk is where influence is born."- The Zoma Lady™

😶 The Cost of Perfection

I know this because I’ve lived it. I should have left my former job at least ten years before I did.

But I was more afraid of change than I was confident in my own abilities, skills, and knowledge.

The truth?

I wasn’t lacking competence. I was drowning in procrastination, hungry for the approval of others, and carrying a healthy dose of imposter syndrome.

That combination is paralyzing for women - especially those ready to launch a business or pivot into entrepreneurship after years in corporate.

Perfection is a myth. Growth is the truth.

😶 The Myth of the “Right Time”

Women in transition often wait for a magical moment when they’ll feel ready.

But here’s the thing: You’ll never feel ready.

Waiting for the perfect time is a socially acceptable form of self-sabotage.

📌 The leap will always feel terrifying.

📌 The pivot will always feel risky.

📌 And yes, there’s a possibility you might “fail.”

But failure doesn’t mean you are a failure - it’s data, feedback, and fuel.

“Failure doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It means you’ve found one way that doesn’t work - and now you know better.”-The Zoma Lady™

😶 From Fear to Influence

Influence isn’t about how flawless your record is. It’s about how willing you are to:

📌 Experiment.

📌 Share your story honestly.

📌 Own your setbacks as much as your wins.

For female founders, that willingness to experiment is what investors, collaborators, and customers are drawn to. It signals resilience. It shows you can adapt. It proves you don’t crumble when things get messy.

Failure isn’t the opposite of success. It’s the soil it grows in.

😶 The Role of Community

Yes, you need community. But not just numbers - an enabling community with accountability partners.

Too many women surround themselves with cheerleaders who will celebrate them but never challenge them.

The real growth happens when you’re around people who will:

📌 Ask you the uncomfortable questions.

📌 Call you out when you hide.

📌 Push you toward the very thing you’ve been avoiding.

“A safe space should also be a stretch space.”-The Zoma Lady™

😶 The One Question That Changes Everything

When fear creeps in, ask yourself: “What’s the one thing I would do, if I wasn’t afraid?”

That question is a spotlight - it shows you the opportunity you’re avoiding.

📌 It reveals the business idea you’ve been sitting on.

📌 It calls you out on the pitch you’ve been “too busy” to send.

Fear thrives in vagueness. Clarity starves it.

Learn how Black women founders can turn documented wins into influence. Stop hiding your brilliance-own it, share it, and scale your impact.

😶 Mindset Over Mechanics

Female founders must accept that while the playing field may not be level, there is no reason they shouldn’t believe they can succeed.

Because it begins with mindset - not just strategy.

It begins with unlearning.

It begins with setting aside everything we’ve been conditioned to believe, and instead, charting a course that’s rooted in confidence, experimentation, and action.

“The playing field may not be level - but that doesn’t mean you can’t win on it.”-The Zoma Lady™

😶 Shifting the Narrative Around Failure

Here’s the reframing:

📌 Failure is feedback.

📌 Feedback is direction.

📌 Direction is progress.

When you see it this way, failure is no longer something to fear - it becomes part of your strategy.

You stop avoiding opportunities.

You stop asking for permission.

You stop playing small.

Women have been told for centuries to avoid risk. But risk is where influence is born.

😶 From This Moment Forward

If you’re reading this, you probably already know where fear is running the show in your business or career.

📌 Maybe it’s the proposal you haven’t sent.

📌 Maybe it’s the live event you’ve been talking yourself out of.

📌 Maybe it’s the resignation letter sitting in your drafts.

The fear isn’t going anywhere.

But you get to choose whether it’s the driver or the passenger.

“If you’re not failing at least some of the time, you’re living inside your comfort zone — and that’s the most dangerous place to be.”-The Zoma Lady™

📢CTA - Join Me for the Workshop

If this resonated, you’re exactly who I created my upcoming workshop “Imposter Syndrome & Influence™: How to Show up When You feel Small" for.

It’s designed to:

📌 Challenge everything you’ve accepted about failure, perfection, and success.

📌 Help you unlearn the conditioning that’s been holding you back.

📌 Equip you with the confidence to pivot, pitch, and put yourself in rooms where influence is built.

📅 Date: September 6, 2025

📍 Where: Virtual & Interactive

🎟 Registration Link: https://www.rhondaglynn.com/webinar-registration

Stop letting fear dictate your next chapter. This is your time to lead, to influence, and to take up every inch of space you’ve earned.