Mumbition The Podcast

Episode 138: Samantha Sutherland: Breaking Barriers & Building Workplaces Where Women Thrive

In this powerful episode, gender equity specialist Samantha Sutherland explores the deep‑rooted structural barriers that shape women’s experiences at work and at home. Drawing on years of consulting with major organisations, Samantha explains why women often blame themselves for struggling — assuming they just need to be “more organised, more confident, more everything” — when the real issue is systemic. She highlights how gender pay gaps, biased policies, rigid work structures, and cultural expectations around caregiving all intersect to limit women’s ambition and wellbeing. Samantha also shares her personal journey into diversity consulting, her transition from corporate leadership roles, and how hosting the Women at Work podcast has deepened her understanding of what women truly need: respect, flexibility, development pathways, supportive partners, and workplaces designed for real lives. With practical reflections on ambition, guilt, co‑parenting, and mindset, this episode offers clarity and reassurance for any woman navigating the messy, overlapping worlds of career and caregiving.