Ep 30: The Silent Season: Why High-Performing Women Disappear in Business Crisis

There’s a pattern I’ve seen again and again.

When strong women get hit in business…
they don’t collapse publicly.

They go quiet.

Not because they lack intelligence.
Not because they lack resources.
But because success makes it harder to admit something is unraveling.

In this solo episode, I share what happened this week that shook me — a respected, seasoned woman carrying a collapsing deal alone for nearly a year.

We unpack:

• Why powerful women isolate under pressure
• How shame disguises itself as strength
• The psychology of fight, flight, and “fort walls”
• The real cost of deal fatigue
• Trust vs due diligence
• Contracts, verification, and control
• What happens when business stress spills into marriage
• How to strategically recalibrate after betrayal
• The first step out of the silent season

Because one bad partnership does not disqualify you from powerful ones.

And one silent season does not define your leadership.

If you’re in it right now — walls up, guarded, spinning — this episode is your invitation to break the silence.

We grow smarter. Not riskier.

👉 Access it here (Feb 2026 discount applied):
https://www.katiekim.com/offers/67dZq...

💬 Or comment “PFS” below and I’ll send it to you directly.

⏱ Timestamp Breakdown (Optimized for Retention)
00:00 – Cold open: Have you gone silent?
02:30 – The pattern among high-performing women
03:56 – The story that triggered this episode
05:15 – The higher you rise, the quieter your struggles
06:48 – Fight, flight, and fortress mode
08:22 – The crab trap metaphor
10:35 – Success makes failure harder to admit
12:19 – Contracts and verification habits
15:48 – Deal fatigue and missed red flags
18:08 – When business stress hits marriage
20:28 – What to do when a friend goes quiet
23:01 – Strategic recalibration
29:17 – Sharing scars removes their control
31:26 – Control, exits, alignment
36:18 – The first move out of isolation
39:26 – Silence isn’t strength

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Katie Arnholt Kim, CCIM
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