Jane Benston - Women's Leadership

27/08/2026

You get things done, people rely on you, and you're successful.

So, why does it feel like you’re stuck at a plateau you can't quite explain?

I’ve seen this over and over in my work supporting hundreds of mid-career women.

You’re capable, experienced, doing everything "right" – and still stuck in the same spot, watching others move past you into the roles and recognition you’re more than ready for.

If that sounds familiar…

I built a quick diagnostic quiz to help you understand what might actually be going on here.

It’s just eight questions, and you’ll get a clear picture of what’s keeping you stuck. And more importantly – how you can get moving again.

Take the Strategic Leader quiz here: https://pages.janebenston.com/quiz-strategic-leader

24/08/2026

Recently, I reached the end of a week and was surprised by how much progress I’d made.

As I reflected on why the week had gone so well, I realised it came back to how I had started it.

I began with a clear intention, a clear focus, and a clearly defined top 3 things that were most important to be completed.

I also had a very real deadline.

I was preparing to step away from work for four weeks of travel, and that brought a wonderful sense of clarity to what needs my attention.

There’s something powerful about knowing exactly what you’re working towards.

It becomes easier to filter what matters and what doesn't. It's easier to say NO to the less important tasks. And you become far more intentional about where your time and energy go.

It reminded me just how productive we can be when there is clarity, purpose, and a defined finish line.

Do you have a regular practise that gives you clarity of where to focus your time and energy each week?

24/08/2026

The last thing mid-career women need is another thing to do…

The Mid-Life Leaders Lounge – a private community of women in their 40s and 50s – supports you to:

→ Identify what matters most
→ Choose where to focus your energy
→ Stop filling your time with an ambitious list (that was never realistic in the first place)

WITHOUT taking up more of your week.

It’s designed to help you realign how you work so that your time, energy, and attention are going towards what matters most, in as little as 1 hour per month.

It is not one more thing to add to a full plate. It is a supportive space to step back, reset, and get honest about where your time is really going – so you can begin to create lasting change.

Right now you can join The Mid-Life Leaders Lounge for just $67/month, with no minimum term.

Doors close at midnight on Tuesday – click here to join us now: https://pages.janebenston.com/mll-registration

21/08/2026

A participant in today’s free Less Busy, More Strategic Masterclass summed up the challenge so many experienced women face:

“I am busy being busy and but I realise I'm not being strategic or seen.”

It’s such an honest observation.

Because you can spend your entire week attending meetings, responding to requests, supporting your team and keeping everything moving - while the work that really needs your attention has been pushed aside.

And when that becomes the pattern, it doesn’t only affect your results.

It shapes how others experience your leadership and what you become known for.

Helpful. Reliable. Responsive. Always willing to step in.

All valuable qualities - but they may not be building the strategic reputation you want.

So, as you look back over your week, ask yourself:

Is the work that filled my week - likely to contribute at a strategic level or did it simply keep me busy?

20/08/2026

Are you an experienced leader who has become the go to for … your PowerPoint skills?

It happens more than you might think!

If you are done sacrificing your leadership potential for busywork, being pulled into unproductive meetings, and another person who wants something from you, today’s masterclass is for you.

It’s about finding practical ways to spend less time carrying the day-to-day and create more space for the leadership work only YOU can do.

If you can’t join live, register anyway and I’ll send you the recording >> https://janebenston.lpages.co/less-busy-more-strategic-masterclass/

19/08/2026

You don’t need a quieter week to lead more strategically.

But when you’re caught in the day-to-day answering every question, solving every problem and keeping everything moving, the work that really needs your attention keeps getting pushed aside.

It’s easy to believe you’ll get to these things when work finally settles down.

When the project is finished. The vacant role is filled. Or your calendar is not quite so full.

But when was the last time you actually had a slow week?

A few free hours aren't going to miraculously appear in your calendar. And when the way you lead keeps you involved in every decision, problem, and piece of work, there will always be more to do.

So, what is the solution?

It starts with changing how you lead in the small moments: delegating one task, declining one unnecessary meeting, or asking someone for their recommended solution instead of immediately providing the answer.

Which means you don’t need to wait to get started. You can start today.

Because it’s the small shifts you make – repeatedly and consistently over time – that create the space for you to step out of the day-to-day and lead more strategically.

If you’re ready to build a stronger leadership reputation, without working harder or taking on more, my new free workshop is for you.

➡️ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐲, 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬

Register here:

A free live masterclass for mid-life professional women hosted by leadership coach and career growth expert, Jane Benston. Discover how to step out of busyness and into high-value strategic leadership.

17/08/2026

One of the biggest mistakes I see smart, capable women in their 40s and 50s make?

They take on way too much.

Saying yes to everything.
Helping out wherever they can.
Stepping in when no one else does.

Sound familiar?

But sadly, overcommitting doesn’t make you a better leader. It keeps you busy in the day-to-day and it leaves you exhausted.

Here’s what to do instead:

→ Focus on what actually moves the needle.
→ Delegate what doesn’t need your magic.
→ Say no without guilt.

Because effective leaders are clear about where their time and energy are best spent. They create space for big picture thinking and making progress on high value projects. And…

They are tuned in to what's needed for them to show up at their best.

So, ask yourself: What truly deserves my energy today?

Leading well starts with being less busy, so you have the space to be more strategic.

13/08/2026

You've probably had a moment like this – when you had done everything right, and it still didn't count for what you thought it would.

Mine came in 2010.

I'd been overlooked for an invitation to our leadership conference, and when I asked why, I was told there were other leaders considered more worthy of a place.

I was devastated because I'd spent the year before proving exactly how reliable and hardworking I could be.

But what I hadn't realised was all that effort had gone into work that kept me busy – not into work that showed anyone I was actually capable of leading.

That's the pattern I see constantly in experienced women right now. You're not short on capability. You're short on space to actually showcase it.

I'm teaching exactly how to shift this in my new free workshop, the Less Busy, More Strategic Masterclass, on 21st August.

Save your seat here:

A free live masterclass for mid-life professional women hosted by leadership coach and career growth expert, Jane Benston. Discover how to step out of busyness and into high-value strategic leadership.

12/08/2026

My next workshop is coming up – and it’s online, so you can join from anywhere.

What might it change for you?

Register here to find out: https://janebenston.lpages.co/less-busy-more-strategic-masterclass/

11/08/2026

I’ve been thinking a lot about what becomes possible when we let go a little and focus on less.

I’ve spoken quite a bit about the load I’ve been carrying since my father passed late last year.

There have been regular trips between the NSW Mid North Coast and the Mornington Peninsula to support Mum, the mountain of paperwork that comes with being an executor, and the inevitable ups and downs of grief - all while managing a team and continuing to show up for the women in my community.

Why do we hang onto the load so tightly, thinking we are meant to do it all?

Maybe it’s because, as women, we’ve been pre-programmed to think that’s simply what we do.

We pick up the slack. We hold it all together. We stay grateful for what we have and somehow manage whatever comes our way.

But recently, I made the decision to lighten the load.

To let go of some things I had convinced myself were impossible to stop doing.

So often, when things aren’t working, we ask:

What do I need to add, change or fix?

But what if the better question is...

What do I need to eliminate?

For me, eliminating one of my core offerings for this year has been incredibly freeing.

I now have the space to enjoy the trips to visit Mum rather than feeling like I’m constantly squeezing them in.

I have the bandwidth to dig into some big projects I’ve known were important, without carrying the guilt of pushing them aside again and again.

And I’ve got more time and energy to invest in the women in my community and the work I know will make the biggest difference.

And the remarkable thing is...

I’m sleeping better.

I’m excited to get stuck into work each week.

I’m making more progress - faster - on the projects that really matter.

And one of the most beautiful by-products has been a shift in the feedback I’m hearing from the women in my community.

It’s reminded me that sometimes the most powerful leadership growth doesn’t come from stepping up and doing more.

It comes from having the courage to put something down.

Because when we let go of some of the load, something shifts.

There’s more space. More energy. More of us available to show up a little more authentically.

And perhaps that’s the unexpected lesson I’m taking from this.

Sometimes doing less really does allow us to bring more of ourselves to our work, our leadership and our lives.