Why do so many capable, experienced people still feel like they don’t belong?

And what does it take to move beyond that — not in theory, but in real life?

In this episode of Catch The Upswing, Jessica Espinoza speaks with Marijn Wiersma — impact strategist, corporate anthropologist and co-author of SOS: A Navigation Guide for Women at Work — about confidence, identity, and navigating workplaces and systems that weren’t designed with everyone in mind.

From returning to work with a six-week-old baby to leading high-level projects early in her career, Marijn reflects on the moments that shaped her voice, her leadership, and her perspective on what it really means to belong.

This is a conversation about self-doubt, courage, and learning to step into your own light — even when you’re not sure you’re ready.

🎙️ In this episode, we explore:

• Why even highly capable people feel like impostors
• The moment you stop asking “Why me?” — and start asking “Why not me?”
• How perfectionism and guilt shape the way many women work
• The difference between grit and wellbeing
• Why confidence is not something you wait for — but something you build
• What it really means to “have it all” — and why that idea can be misleading
• Practical ways to navigate self-doubt, leadership, and career decisions

🔗 Check out Marijn’s work:

SOS: A Navigation Guide for Women at Work: https://soswomenatwork.org/ (also available on Amazon and bookstores worldwide)

Marijn Wiersma on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marijnwiersma/

🔗 Additional resources:

Care Economy Knowledge Hub (Kore Global): https://www.the-care-economy-knowledge-hub.org/⏱️

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

02:49 Episode Starts: Meet Marijn Wiersma

07:12 Returning to Work With a 6-Week-Old Baby

09:24 The Moment She Realized Her Voice Mattered

15:16 Why Women Struggle With Guilt and Perfectionism

19:26 The Fear of Not Being Good Enough

24:09 The Reframe That Changes Imposter Syndrome

30:37 “Why Not Me?”

33:16 Vulnerability, Confidence, and Showing Up

38:24 “If the Mold Is Male, You Never Fully Fit In”

40:45 The Habits That Keep Her Grounded

44:47 The Reality of Balancing Career and Family

48:34 Letting Go of “Having It All”

52:53 Practical Advice for Work and Life

54:44 “Don’t Confuse Grit With Wellbeing”

56:52 Rapid Fire Round

58:45 SOS: A Navigation Guide for Women at Work

📺 Watch more episodes:

Catch The Upswing is a business podcast exploring how people build, lead, and navigate complexity in a rapidly changing world.

Subscribe for conversations with global leaders, entrepreneurs, and emerging voices shaping today’s economy.

🔗 Follow & connect:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CatchTheUpswing

Instagram: https://instagram.com/CatchTheUpswing

TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@catchtheupswing

🎥 B-roll credits: Some of the visual material used in the trailer of this episode is courtesy of 2X Global. Original footage supplied by C+A Media, commissioned by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

#Leadership #WomenInBusiness #ImposterSyndrome #CareerGrowth #Mindset #GenderEquality #FutureOfWork #CatchTheUpswing

What does it actually take to build something from nothing?

Not in theory — but in reality.

In this episode of Catch The Upswing, Jessica Espinoza speaks with Jana Degrott and Gosia Kramer about what it really means to take risks, move through doubt, and build something when there is no clear path — and no external validation.

From navigating self-doubt and the fear of judgment to making bold decisions — like selling your house to start a business — this conversation goes beyond inspiration and into the lived reality of entrepreneurship.

Jana reflects on identity, confidence, and the internal barriers that hold people back, while Gosia shares what it looks like to build from nothing — facing skepticism, financial pressure, and the day-to-day realities of turning an idea into something real.

This is a conversation about building — and what it actually demands.

🎙️ In this episode, we explore:

• Why fear of judgment is one of the biggest barriers to starting• The difference between inspiration and actually taking action• How self-doubt shapes decisions — and how to move beyond it• What it really looks like to build something from nothing• Taking financial and personal risks as a founder• The reality of cash flow and long-term vision• Why most people don’t start — and what it takes to do it anyway• Finding the right people — and thinking beyond your immediate environment

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🔗 Check out Jana & Gosia’s work:

Jana Degrott LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jana-degrott-b15646114/Instagram: @janadegrott

Gosia Kramer LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gosia-kramer-08a29ba0/Instagram: @gosiakramer

⏱️ Chapters:

00:00 Episode Start

00:01 Intro

01:20 Welcome Jana Degrott & Gosia Kramer

03:10 “Mini Jana” — Growing Up Without Confidence

07:30 The Fear of Judgment (And Why It Holds People Back)

12:40 “People Don’t Really Care” — The Mindset Shift

16:30 From Self-Doubt to Taking Action

21:10 Selling a House to Start a Business

26:00 “Nobody Believed in It”

30:40 Building From Nothing — No Windows, No Electricity

35:20 When Things Go Wrong: Failure & Hard Lessons

40:10 Cash Flow, Pressure, and Founder Reality

45:30 Why Inspiration Is Not Enough

49:20 Finding the Right People (And Leaving the Wrong Ones)

54:10 Building Something That Doesn’t Exist Yet

58:30 What It Really Takes to Keep Going

1:02:00 Final Reflections

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📺 Watch more episodes:

Catch The Upswing is a business and leadership podcast exploring how people build, lead, and navigate complexity in a rapidly changing world.

Subscribe for conversations with global leaders, entrepreneurs, and emerging voices shaping today’s economy.

—

🔗 Follow & connect:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CatchTheUpswing
Instagram: https://instagram.com/CatchTheUpswing
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@catchtheupswing

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#Entrepreneurship #Leadership #Founders #Startups #WomenInBusiness #Resilience #Mindset #CatchTheUpswing

What if we’ve been thinking about the economy the wrong way around?

Most investment models are built to maximize returns.

But what happens when the system itself is no longer aligned with the world we’re trying to build?

In this episode of Catch The Upswing, Jessica Espinoza speaks with Jodi Smith — founder & fund manager of Matanataki — about rethinking capital from the ground up, and what it takes to build investment models in places where traditional approaches don’t work.

After two decades in Hollywood, Jodi walked away and moved to Fiji, where a mission to protect coral reefs led her into finance. Today, she is investing with an innovative approach that connects businesses across sectors — from agriculture to tourism — to create impact at a landscape and seascape level.From local ownership to interconnected deal flow, this conversation explores what it really means to design capital for ecosystems, communities, and long-term resilience.

This is a conversation about investing — and beyond.

🎙️ In this episode, we explore:

• Why the economy should be seen as a subset of the ecosystem
• Why traditional investment approaches fail in frontier markets
• How to design capital that works in nascent and frontier markets
• What “interconnected deal flow” looks like in practice
• Why local ownership and vision-setting are critical for long-term success
• The risks of “solutions looking for problems” in global investment
• How finance can be used as a tool to protect ecosystems
• The reality of building new models — and the leadership it requires

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🔗 Check out Jodi’s work:

Jodi Smith (LinkedIn): https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodi-smith/

Matanataki: https://www.matanataki.com/

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⏱️ Chapters:

00:00 Episode Start

00:01 Intro

01:10 Welcome Jodi Smith

02:30 Why Fiji’s Reefs Matter Globally

06:45 From Hollywood to Walking Away

10:30 The Moment Finance Became the Tool

16:20 Why Traditional Investment Models Don’t Work Here

22:40 Building an Ecosystem, Not Just a Portfolio

29:10 Who Owns the Future?

35:30 “Let Us Solve Our Problems”

41:20 Building Something That Doesn’t Exist Yet

46:30 Why It Can Feel So Lonely

50:10 “The Economy Is a Subset of the Ecosystem”

52:00 What This Means Going Forward

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📺 Watch more episodes:

Catch The Upswing is a business and leadership podcast exploring how people build, lead, and navigate complexity in a rapidly changing world.

Subscribe for conversations with global leaders, entrepreneurs, and emerging voices shaping today’s economy.

—

🔗 Follow & connect:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CatchTheUpswing

Instagram: https://instagram.com/CatchTheUpswing

TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@CatchTheUpswing

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#ImpactInvesting #SustainableFinance #Leadership #ClimateFinance #SystemsChange #CatchTheUpswing