“Speak up for yourself and say it with your chest.” – Helen Bandcroft, Sales Leader & Investor

“It's about not being smaller so others can be taller.” – Jo Phillips, The Woman Behind The Women

This week in The Chat Womb, Jo Phillips sits down with Helen Bandcroft, sales leader, part-time investor, and unapologetic champion of financial empowerment. Jo and Helen unpack one of the most overlooked inequalities facing women today: the gender pension gap.

Helen shares her journey from hairdressing to sales leadership, revealing how she strategically built her wealth through shares, investing, and financial self-education, despite the systems not being designed for women to win.

They talk about salary negotiations, workplace power dynamics, financial freedom, and how to start building wealth (especially if you feel behind).

(02:10) – Introducing Helen Bandcroft: Sales leader, investor & financial empowerment advocate

(04:00) – The shocking stats behind the gender pension gap

(05:00) – From hairdressing to head office: Helen’s career journey

(07:30) – The power of shares, and how they helped Helen buy her first flat

(10:15) – Why asking for shares may be smarter than asking for a raise

(13:00) – Where to start if you’ve never invested: tools, tips & resources

(15:00) – Investing secretly: your money = your options

(20:00) – Walking away from a job on principle and what happened next

(28:00) – What Helen would tell her 21-year-old self (and her 13-year-old goddaughter)

(32:00) – Assertive vs. Aggressive: Standing your ground and speaking with purpose

Helen Bandcroft is a sales leader, public speaker, and part-time investor with a fierce passion for helping women understand their worth, in life and in their finances.

From leaving school early and working in hairdressing to buying her own flat with her share payout, Helen has built a career and financial portfolio on her own terms. She’s a firm believer in speaking up, investing wisely, and carving out power in rooms that weren’t designed for women.

Follow Helen on LinkedIn

About your host: Jo Phillips

Jo coaches ambitious women like you to break through career barriers, own their worth, and finally get the career and salary they deserve. Through 1:1 coaching, Jo helps you identify what’s holding you back, to build an unapologetic strategy for success, cheerleading you every step of the way—because you already have what it takes. It’s time to stop waiting and start moving with audacity…

Connect with Jo:

Website: The Woman Behind The Women

Socials: Linkedin / Instagram: @thewomanbehindthewomen

'The Chat Womb' is hosted by Jo Phillips and proudly produced by

“We start to become a problem in this world when we start to exceed other people's expectations of us.” – Gill Whitty-Collins, Author & Gender Equality Expert

I’ve really started to struggle with the term unconscious bias… is saying that there’s an unconscious bias, a loophole?” – Jo Phillips, The Woman Behind The Women

In this episode of The Chat Womb, Jo Phillips is joined by Gill Whitty-Collins, senior business leader, gender equality expert, and author of Why Men Win at Work, to break down the hidden forces that keep men in power and women fighting for space.

Gill reveals why gender inequality isn’t about competence, but about perception, and how deeply ingrained paternalistic mindsets create barriers for women in leadership. She and Jo explore the unconscious biases that shape decision-making, the “daughter phenomenon” in male allyship, and why men need to shift from protectors to partners in the fight for equality.

If you’ve ever wondered why men are still winning at work—and what we can do about it—this episode is a must-listen.

(02:10) – Introducing Gill Whitty-Collins: Author of Why Men Win at Work

(05:00) – Why do men really win at work? Gill breaks it down

(07:15) – Invisible forces at play: The unconscious barriers women face

(12:30) – Does unconscious bias still hold up? The real reason it hasn’t worked

(20:10) – When women enter the “dominant culture” and the game changes

(25:00) – The "daughter phenomenon”—why men support women until they become equals

(30:45) – Moving from paternalism to true male allyship

(35:20) – Gill’s message to men in leadership: “You are not their dad. You are their colleague.”

Gill Whitty-Collins is an author, consultant, and gender equality advocate with over 20 years of experience as a senior leader in the corporate world. After a successful career at Procter & Gamble, where she led global brands like Olay, Always, and Pantene, Gill turned her attention to tackling the structural and cultural barriers holding women back in business.

Her book, Why Men Win at Work, has been described as a must-read for anyone serious about gender equality. Through her keynote talks, executive coaching, and workshops, Gill helps organisations identify the invisible forces that keep women from leadership and take real action to drive change.

🔗 Follow Gill on LinkedIn / Instagram @gillwhittycollins

📖 Buy Why Men Win at Work

🌍 Visit Gill’s Website https://gillwhittycollins.com/

About your host: Jo Phillips

Jo coaches ambitious...

“Be nice, be kind, share, smile, try to be as pretty as possible and don’t possibly age... This is how we’ve been trained.” – Michelle Minnikin, Psychologist & Author

"When did ‘nice’ ever get us a pay rise?" – Jo Phillips, The Woman Behind The Women

In this episode of The Chat Womb, Jo Phillips is joined by Michelle Minnikin, psychologist, coach, and author of Good Girl Deprogramming, to dismantle the covert rules and expectations that keep women small.

From childhood, women are conditioned to be agreeable, seek approval, and play by the rules, but where does that leave us? Michelle breaks down how society’s invisible coercive control keeps women in line, why so many women feel stuck in their careers, and—most importantly—how to break free from the ‘Good Girl’ mould and reclaim your power.

If you’ve ever felt pressured to play nice, stay quiet, or make yourself smaller, this episode is for you.

(02:10) – Introducing Michelle Minnikin: Psychologist, coach & author of Good Girl Deprogramming

(05:00) – The cult of ‘Good Girl Conditioning’—how women are programmed to comply

(07:15) – What society really teaches women: Approval = Worth

(12:30) – The workplace was built for men—how women lose confidence when they enter it (20:10) – The self-worth crisis: Why women lose belief in their own success

(25:00) – How to find your tribe and build a support system that lifts you up

(30:45) – The #1 thing every woman needs to unlearn: Being ‘nice’

(35:20) – Michelle’s advice to her younger self: Be less nice. You don’t need to be liked to succeed.

Michelle Minnikin is a psychologist, coach, and author of Good Girl Deprogramming. With a background in organisational psychology, Michelle helps women unlearn the societal expectations that hold them back and rebuild their confidence, boundaries, and self-worth.

Her work shines a light on how women are conditioned to comply from childhood, why so many feel stuck in their careers, and how to break free from the ‘Good Girl’ narrative to claim the success and freedom they deserve.

🔗 Follow Michelle on Instagram: @michelleminnikin / Visit her website: https://www.michelleminnikin.com/

About your host: Jo Phillips

Jo coaches ambitious women like you to break through career barriers, own their worth, and finally get the career and salary they deserve. Through 1:1 coaching, Jo helps you identify what’s holding you back, to build an unapologetic strategy for success, cheerleading you every step of the way—because you already have what it takes. It’s time to stop waiting and start moving with audacity…

Connect with Jo:

Website: The Woman Behind The Women

Socials: Linkedin / Instagram: @thewomanbehindthewomen

'The Chat Womb' is hosted by Jo Phillips and proudly produced by Decibelle Creative: @decibelle_creative...