Designing The Workplace Women in Tech Actually Want with Tiffany Aude and Yoana Leusin | Show notes episode 132 – Women Disrupting Tech

What if promoting people on merit is the easiest way to get more women into boardrooms?

In episode 132 of Women Disrupting Tech, Yoana Leusin shares this statistic: using clear, merit-based promotion criteria makes companies 75 percent more likely to promote women.

It shows how much potential goes unseen and why so many women in tech step away before senior leadership.

In this episode, Tiffany Aude and Yoana Leusin explore what changes when you redesign the workplace so women in tech can actually thrive.

Hit play to listen to the episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube, or scroll down to read about the other lessons for startup founders, women in tech, and their allies.

3 Lessons From This Conversation

This conversation with Tiffany Aude and Yoana Leusin challenges some familiar assumptions about how careers are built and who rises inside tech companies. It shows how mindset, structure, and lived experience shape women’s careers in tech.

1. Meritocracy is only fair when it is designed that way

Tiffany and Yoana explain how men are often promoted on potential while women are judged on performance. When companies switch to objective merit criteria, the likelihood of promoting women rises by 75 percent. The talent was always there. The system simply wasn’t measuring it. This matters because fixing meritocracy is one of the simplest ways to unlock the leadership pipeline already inside your company.

2. Women leave tech not because they lack drive but because clarity is missing

Unclear expectations and shifting goalposts drain motivation fast. Many women respond by questioning themselves rather than the structure around them. Yoana’s point is sharp: clarity in job descriptions, promotion paths, and feedback is not a nice-to-have. It is a retention strategy. When clarity improves, women stay, contribute, and lead with far more confidence.

3. Mindset determines how far you allow yourself to go

Tiffany’s story about wishing she “were one of those men” shows how early narratives shape ambition. What changed her trajectory was learning to challenge those beliefs and replace them with ones that gave her agency. Many women in tech never get support for that shift. Of course, mindset alone can’t fix a broken structure, but it does influence how women navigate it and how they step into the opportunities they earn.

Together, these lessons underline a simple point: when you redesign the system, you redesign who succeeds in it.

Know someone who does not believe in this? Yoana and Tiffany would love to talk to them. So share the episode using the buttons below.

Or scroll down for magical moments, practical takeaways, and my own observations.

And if you want more lessons like this? Subscribe to updates for a weekly dose of female founder inspiration.

Highlights and timestamps

Time	Highlight
03:08	Personal Journeys and Career Paths
08:15	The Impact of Gender Dynamics in the Workplace
12:43	The Dynamics of Competition in Corporate Environments
20:24	The Promotion Paradox
26:56	Legislative Changes and Their Impact on Gender Equality
29:01	The Business Case for Gender Equality
38:17	The Impact of Job Descriptions on Diversity
39:24	Creating Inclusive Interview Structures
41:33	Building a Supportive Workplace Culture
43:35	Strategies for Empowering Women in Tech
50:07	Creating Inclusive Work Environments
51:54	Overcoming Self-Doubt and Building Confidence
55:09	Tools for Enhancing Self-Worth and Negotiation Skills
1:02:00	The Role of Male Leaders in Supporting Women
1:09:19	Future of Gender Equality in the Workplace

3 Magic Moments In The Episode

Many women step out of traditional career paths and start building their own businesses. It’s a clear sign that something is broken. Tiffany and Yoana give us hope. These three moments in this conversation reveal the emotional and strategic shifts that help women move from self-doubt to agency.

1. “Maybe we’re not actually the problem here.”

Tiffany and Yoana explain how many women respond to stalled careers by questioning themselves first. The turning point comes when they realise other women in similar roles experience the same barriers. That shared recognition interrupts the cycle of self-blame and reframes the issue as systemic rather than personal. It is often the moment women stop shrinking and start advocating.

2. From frenemies to partners

The two of them operated as competitors in their corporate roles because the structure pushed them into rivalry. It wasn’t personal. It was the environment. Once that structure fell away, they discovered that their different styles and shared values were an advantage. The friction that once limited them became a strength when they built impowr together.

3. Control what you can. Walk away when you can’t.

Yoana’s advice is simple but grounding: look at any situation and identify what is within your control to move it forward. If there is no action you can take to change the outcome, that is often the signal to leave. It is a mindset shift that returns agency to women who have been taught to overanalyse instead of act.

Together, these moments show how clarity, community, and agency help women navigate a system that was not built for them.

💬 What was your favorite moment from the episode? Share yours in the comments.

Or scroll down for practical tips that will fuel your own journey as a founder.

Practical Takeaways for Founders and Allies

This episode offers founders three takeaways that help you retain great people, build inclusive teams, and create workplaces where women in tech can grow.

1. Use objective hiring practices to reduce bias

A structured interview process and a diverse interview panel can reduce gender bias by more than 50 percent. Clear, specific job descriptions also matter. Women are 28 percent more likely to apply when responsibilities are spelled out rather than left open to interpretation. Bias is not inevitable. It is something you can design against.

2. Rethink how you incentivize your team

Perks like Rolexes or trips to Vegas may appeal to some men, but they rarely motivate women. Women often want development, visibility, and opportunities that strengthen their leadership. When your team diversifies, your incentives should too. The right incentives increase motivation. The wrong ones signal who the system was built for.

3. Male leaders need to act, not observe

Tiffany and Yoana are clear: the men who made a difference in their careers listened, advocated, and removed obstacles. They didn’t wait to be asked. They stepped in. Listening to understand is one of the most important skills a male leader can develop. When men act with intention, women rise faster. The system changes with them.

These takeaways matter because founders shape the environment. A few intentional choices can change who stays, who grows, and who leads.

💬 Know a founder who should hear this? Use the share button below to tell them.

Or scroll down to discover an inspiring quote and learn about my own takeaways.

The Quote From The Episode

Picture of impowr founders Tiffany Aude and Yoana Leusin with a quote by Tiffany from episode 132 of the podcast Women Disrupting Tech titled 'Designing The Workplace Women in Tech Actually Want'.

“You have to be intentionally creating spaces that women want to be in, and cultures that they want to be part of.”

Tiffany Aude, co-founder of impowr

This line from Tiffany captures the heart of the episode and the work still ahead for founders and leaders.

3 Things That Changed The Way I Think

Part of our conversation is about the systems that are blocking women. But Tiffany and Yoana also share these personal strategies and mindset shifts discussed for navigating the current corporate landscape:

1. Allyship is not theory. It is removing a blocker at the right moment

The stories Tiffany and Yoana shared about the men who shaped their careers were concrete. Someone stepped in, cleared a path, or made a decision that changed everything. It reminded me that allyship is not abstract encouragement. It is action taken at the moment it matters.

2. The power of knowing when to leave

If self-advocacy and negotiation don’t shift the situation, women need the confidence to walk away and choose environments that value them. Yoana’s advice to act on what is within your control—and to leave when nothing else can change—felt like a mindset shift many women never give themselves permission to make.

3. The right legislation helps companies be more inclusive

Their work at impowr is shaped by new rules that demand more transparency and accountability. Instead of treating legislation as a burden, they see it as a catalyst. When the rules change, companies finally redesign the systems that have held women back.

Together, these ideas made it clear that inclusion is a mix of personal agency, supportive systems, and leaders who act with intention.

💬 What changed your thinking? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

A Question for You 🤔

💬 Do you have an ally in your life who clears obstacles for you?

👇 Celebrate him in the comments. Let’s keep this conversation going and promote allyship so it becomes a normal thing.

Coming up on Women Disrupting Tech

Christmas is a time for reflection. And if there is one stat to reflect on for 2025, it’s that 95% of AI projects fail.

To discover why this happens, I had a conversation with Sophia Zitman. She argues that it’s the human factors that often lead to the failure of AI implementation. We cover do’s and don’ts, how to navigate company politics and stakeholder engagement, and the potential of AI as an equalizer in business and education.

In this clip, you’ll hear Sophia discuss how to design AI projects for long-term adoption.

Hit play to hear what makes and breaks AI projects.

Want to hear the rest? When you’re subscribed, you’ll find it in your mailbox next week at 8 am CET. So stay tuned for more Women Disrupting Tech.

And until the next episode, as always, keep being awesome.

Dirkjan

PS. When you’ve come this far, you must be a fan. So do yourself a favor and subscribe to updates or follow the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube.

Listen to Episode 132 on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube

Listen on Spotify

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on YouTube (audio only)

Other ways to amplify the voices of Women Disrupting Tech

Want to make inclusion in tech the new normal by 2032? Here’s how you can help:

Follow the Women Disrupting Tech Podcast

Follow the podcast on your favorite platform. Every follow brings these stories to more people.

Give the show a rating or review on Spotify or Apple.

It only takes a moment, but it tells others this podcast is worth listening to. And helps the voices of my guests carry further.

Send this episode to a friend, a colleague, or someone who needs to hear it. Every share helps to build a more inclusive tech future and supports my guests in getting the stage they deserve.

So when you know someone who should hear it, pass it on when you’re done.

About Tiffany Aude

Tiffany believes your mind is your most precious possession – the key to unlocking your potential. She discovered this through her own struggle in London’s male-dominated recruitment sector, where her obsession with mindset work became her breakthrough, ascending the sales leaderboard. Moving to Amsterdam, she launched and led a brand in healthtech recruitment, where she discovered her true calling in coaching and trained 250+ professionals, designing performance management programs still embedded in organizations today.

With her BSc in Psychology and ICF certification, she identified the pattern: women were capable but lacked permission to own the power they already had within. At impowr, she co-founded the solution – equipping women with the mindset, tools, and confidence to play bigger and fulfill every dream they’re bold enough to pursue.

You can connect with Tiffany on LinkedIn.

About Yoana Leusin

Yoana Leusin is Co-Founder of impowr. After a decade in high-pressure sales environments and serving as VP of People & Performance managing the performance of 250+ professionals, she identified a critical gap: few development programs were built for women, like her, advancing in these spaces.

Inspired by her mother’s example to be a powerwoman- both as a mom and a business lady, Yoana’s ambitious drive and passion for impact led her to co-launch impowr, creating a community where women build the skills, mindset, and support to reshape the most influential industries in the world. With a degree in social studies, ICF coaching certification, and Harvard Business School credentials, she delivers measurable outcomes to forward-thinking businesses.

You can connect with Yoana on LinkedIn as well.

About impowr

Impowr is the coaching platform for ambitious women in male-dominated industries. Through their tried and tested coaching methodologies, their partnerships with forward-thinking businesses, and their community of badass women, impowr’s mission is to inspire and empower women to stop playing it safe and start playing bigger so together we can reshape the most influential industries in the world.

You can learn more about impowr on the website, LinkedIn and Instagram. And they’ll be hosting this event on 14 January 2026.

Events that Women Disrupting Tech Must-Attend

The fall is loaded with great events, and I’ve found some cool ones. Below is one event you definitely want to check out. For a full overview of all events, including links to buy tickets, please check the events page.

Featured Event: That’s What She Said

Looking for an event to start your new year off right? Well, Impowr and Boom Chicago have got your back. They’re starting on 14 January with an event where networking meets comedy. You can get your early-bird ticket (a €10 discount until 30 November) on the Boom Chicago website.

This is the last week you can get that early bird, and the last time I spoke with the ladies of Impowr, they had sold 70 tickets already.

Diverse Leaders in Tech Events

If you like being in the know about what is happening in the DEI space, Diverse Leaders in Tech is the place to be.

Every last Thursday of the month, they have monthly in-person meetups for tech people, HR leaders and supporters of diversity to exchange insights, tackle challenges, and take action. It’s a vibrant, safe space where diversity is celebrated.

You can register for events on the DLiT website. Did I mention that joining your first event is free?

Equals Events

Equals is on a mission to shape a society where women and men stand on equal footing. At their home base in Amsterdam, they regularly organize events, but you can organize yours there too. You can find the events on Luma.

What I Want To Leave You With

The biggest shift for me in this conversation is seeing inclusion for what it really is: strategy. Not an add-on. Not a side project. A strategic choice that shapes performance, retention, and long-term value.

When companies embed inclusion into how they hire, reward, develop, and lead, the impact is measurable. It changes who thrives, who stays, and how strong the business becomes. And when founders treat it as strategy, they build companies that are both more profitable and more humane.

Listen to the episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.