Why AI is Giving Women the “Ick”

How can you leverage your strengths, values, and AI tools to make the job search a bit less daunting? The job market in 2026 is chaotic and confusing. Job seekers are sending out hundreds of resumes and getting only a few interviews in return. But finding your dream job is still possible, and Sam DeMase can help you make that happen.  Sam is ZipRecruiter’s first career expert, and she goes by “Your Career Bestie” on social media. Our conversation spans everything from the human/AI skill dichotomy to moving on without guilt. Sam shares great advice on navigating current job market trends, the challenges job seekers are facing right now, and approaches you can take to avoid the endless apply-and-get-ghosted spiral so many people are experiencing. Tune in to learn how to transform your job search: The trends employers are looking for in applicants; How you can make the most of an AI agent as you prepare your applications; Why it’s time to “own your superpowers” on your resume; How to avoid “job catfishing.” Related Links: Connect with Sam on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/apowermood/ Connect with Sam on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@apowermood   Follow ZipRecruiter on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ziprecruiter/ LinkedIn Learning Course, “Get Unstuck: Make a Plan to Move Your Career Forward” - https://www.linkedin.com/learning/get-unstuck-make-a-plan-to-move-your-career-forward Ezra Klein, “How Fast Will A.I. Agents Rip Through the Economy?” - https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/24/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-jack-clark.html Episode 542, “Why AI is Giving Women the ‘Ick’” - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode542 Episode 540, “The Double Disadvantage: AI, Women, and the Future of Work” - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode540 Episode 539, “Managing Through The Millennial Career Crisis” - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode539 Harvard Business School, “Global Evidence on Gender Gaps and Generative AI” - https://www.hbs.edu/ris/Publication%20Files/25023_52957d6c-0378-4796-99fa-aab684b3b2f8.pdf Bossed Up Courage Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/927776673968737/ Bossed Up LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7071888/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Does using AI to optimize your schedule or do your research give you a distinct sense of unease? There’s something innate keeping women from incorporating new automation tools into their workflows, and it’s not just a lack of interest. Many are describing it as actual repulsion, and I want to understand why. Women are facing a double disadvantage: they’re more likely to lose their jobs to AI, and they’re less likely to get jobs that the AI revolution will create. That significant gender gap deserves much closer exploration. So let’s dig deeper into why so many women are saying no to automated agents and what that means for our impending AI future. Let’s unpack why AI is giving women “the ick” together, including: How the billion-dollar AI industry highlights the invisible nature of “women’s work”; Why women are perfectly positioned to see an often-overlooked truth about AI What the studies say about why women aren’t adopting AI as readily as men; Why the transformation to ideal AI agent manager isn’t going to happen overnight. Related Links: Abi Awomosu, “They Built Stepford AI and Called It ‘Agentic’” - https://abiawomosu.substack.com/p/they-built-stepford-ai-and-called Episode 540, “The Double Disadvantage: AI, Women, and the Future of Work” - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode540 Harvard Business School, “Global Evidence on Gender Gaps and Generative AI” - https://www.hbs.edu/ris/Publication%20Files/25023_52957d6c-0378-4796-99fa-aab684b3b2f8.pdf Pew Research, “The ‘Leisure Gap’ Between Mothers And Fathers” - https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2013/10/17/the-leisure-gap-between-mothers-and-fathers/ Tressie McMillan Cottom at the Urban Consulate - https://www.instagram.com/reels/DUlNVvmka05/ Listen to “There Are No Girls on the Internet” - https://www.tangoti.com/    Mara Bolis, “The AI Gender Gap Paradox” - https://ssir.org/articles/entry/ai-gender-gap-paradox Anne-Marie Slaughter, “Unfinished Business: Women, Men, Work, Family” - https://bookshop.org/p/books/unfinished-business-women-men-work-family-anne-marie-slaughter/aa05ce9043ac07ad Ezra Klein, “How Fast Will A.I. Agents Rip Through the Economy?” - https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/24/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-jack-clark.html The Conversation, “Grok 4’s new AI companion offers up ‘pornographic productivity’” - https://theconversation.com/grok-4s-new-ai-companion-offers-up-pornographic-productivity-260992 EdX, “How to Close the Gender Gap in AI Jobs” - https://www.edx.org/resources/closing-ai-gender-gap LinkedIn Learning Course, “Get Unstuck: Make a Plan to Move Your Career Forward” - https://www.linkedin.com/learning/get-unstuck-make-a-plan-to-move-your-career-forward Bossed Up Courage Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/927776673968737/ Bossed Up LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7071888/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For many of us, the standard workday is a constant stream of alerts: messages on the team group chat, texts from your child’s daycare, emails from your boss, co-workers popping by to chat in person. It’s enough to set even the most focused professional on edge. When Alex Gilbert, an expert in neurodiversity advocacy for working adults, started Cape-Able Consulting, she intended to help put an end to masking at the office. She helps individuals and companies create environments where employees don’t have to pretend that hectic, nonstop-notification work environment is actually working for them. You don’t need a diagnosis to feel overstimulated on the job or to put Alex’s tips into action to help improve your workplace—for yourself and everyone around you. Put an end to white-knuckling your way through the workday with Alex’s insights: Why work is even harder for neurodiverse women; The parallels between neurodiversity and high-achieving personalities; How implementing the right AI tools in the workplace can level the playing field for every employee; Whether or not you need to disclose your diagnosis as you advocate for your needs. Related Links: Connect with Alex on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandra-gilbert-ceo/ Cape-Able Consulting - https://www.capeableconsulting.com/ The I Am Cape-Able Podcast - https://www.capeableconsulting.com/iamcapeablepodcast Episode 315, “How to Talk About Disability or Chronic Illness in the Job Interview” - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode315 Episode 390, “How To Manage ADHD In The Workplace” - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode390 LinkedIn Learning Course, “Get Unstuck: Make a Plan to Move Your Career Forward” - https://www.linkedin.com/learning/get-unstuck-make-a-plan-to-move-your-career-forward Bossed Up Courage Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/927776673968737/ Bossed Up LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7071888/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It’s no secret that AI is transforming the workforce. Countless op-eds and studies have been published in the past few years, but wherever you stand on using AI, one thing is abundantly clear: women’s jobs are at risk. Furthermore, there’s a double disadvantage at play that we aren’t talking about enough: the AI revolution is threatening the jobs many of us do, and most of us don’t benefit from the new jobs it’s creating. That phenomenon is calling us to an action we might not want to take. We need to get familiar with AI. Not to become staunch proponents, and not to help our companies hand our hard-earned jobs over to the robots. Instead, in this episode, I argue that educating ourselves is how we’ll maintain our agency and level up in the workplace. Find out why getting AI-savvy doesn’t mean giving up your professional advantage: Why AI transformation is expected to impact women more; Why we don’t seem to be reaping the benefits of that transition; How you can take control of the AI impact on your career. Related Links: Matt Schumer, “Something Big is Happening” - http://linkedin.com/pulse/something-big-happening-matt-shumer-so5he International Labour Organization, “Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure” - https://www.ilo.org/publications/generative-ai-and-jobs-refined-global-index-occupational-exposure Anthropic, “Labor Market Impacts of AI: A New Measure and Early Evidence” - https://www.anthropic.com/research/labor-market-impacts   Harvard Business School, “Global Evidence on Gender Gaps and Generative AI” - https://www.hbs.edu/ris/Publication%20Files/25023_52957d6c-0378-4796-99fa-aab684b3b2f8.pdf Deloitte, “Women and Generative AI” - https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/technology/technology-media-and-telecom-predictions/2025/women-and-generative-ai.html Little Black Book, “Women Don’t Need Rescuing”: Navigating the AI Gender Gap in an Industry That’s Obsessed” - https://lbbonline.com/news/ai-gender-gap-advertising World Economic Forum, “How AI is worsening workplace gender gaps and how we can course correct” - https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/05/how-ai-is-worsening-workplace-gender-gaps-and-how-we-can-course-correct-7828b8eae9/ Tressie McMillan Cottom at the Urban Consulate - https://www.instagram.com/reels/DUlNVvmka05/ LinkedIn Learning Course, “Get Unstuck: Make a Plan to Move Your Career Forward” - https://www.linkedin.com/learning/get-unstuck-make-a-plan-to-move-your-career-forward Bossed Up Courage Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/927776673968737/ Bossed Up LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7071888/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

If you’re disillusioned with your current job, you’re far from alone. Turns out, a whole generation is looking for a better road to career “success.” In the face of all this well-deserved disillusionment, I sought out the person behind the trending “millennial career crisis” hashtag to really get to the bottom of what the phenomenon is and why it seems to be affecting my generation especially.  Janel Abrahami is a career coach whose background in organizational psychology and corporate HR, and her own career crisis, make her the ideal advisor and spokesperson for forging a better path. Janel argues that, thanks to a heap of daunting factors, a “successful career” looks a lot different than it did in our parents’ day. She joins me to break down her six pathways that help us take back ownership of our careers in the face of despair and disillusionment Retake control and design your own success: Six pathways that let you choose your own adventure; Why career dissatisfaction seems to be hitting millennials hard right now; The importance of resting before we jump and strategizing before we build; The broken social construct facing everyone working today. Related Links: Connect with Janel on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janelabrahami/ Learn more about Janel - https://janelabrahami.com/ Follow Janel on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/janelabrahami/ Subscribe to the weekly newsletter, “Going Places” - https://janelabrahami.beehiiv.com/ Episode 535, “The Women’s Ambition ‘Gap’ is a Myth” - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode535 Episode 538, “Rebalance Your Career Portfolio” - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode538 Episode 528, “Start Planning Your First Mini-Retirement” - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode528 LinkedIn Learning Course, “Get Unstuck: Make a Plan to Move Your Career Forward” - https://www.linkedin.com/learning/get-unstuck-make-a-plan-to-move-your-career-forward HIRED: A Job Search Accelerator to Land Your Dream Job - https://www.bossedup.org/gethired “The Art of Gathering” by Priya Parker - https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-art-of-gathering-how-we-meet-and-why-it-matters-priya-parker/6cf339d7407925e3 Jim Carey’s story about his father’s career choice - https://youtu.be/FSY-hDlx5yk?si=0PupcGJzx2LCNBLu&t=19 Bossed Up Courage Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/927776673968737/ Bossed Up LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7071888/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How could you diversify your income streams by pursuing your interests? Anyone who knows me knows I have a lot going on—I run Bossed Up, I have a corporate day job, I’m a parent…and that’s not even half of it. But I firmly believe that expanding your career portfolio is a wise move, for your finances and your energy sustainability.  Especially in the current wildly unstable job market, why focus all your time, energy, and interest on a single job? By doing so, you run the risk of being left at loose ends if, heaven forbid, your job falls through. In this episode, I share my own exciting new business venture, along with some helpful tips for exploring your own side hustles and hobby monetization. If you’ve ever considered becoming a multi-hyphinate—or know someone who’s on that path—you’re going to love this one. Mitigate your income risk and diversify your time and energy: The two pie charts that sum up your career portfolio; How to find more time for your side hustle without exhausting yourself; Three ways you can start to explore doing more, safely and strategically. Related Links: Matt Schumer’s essay “Something Big is Happening” - https://x.com/mattshumer_/status/2021256989876109403 Episode 536, Strategic Detachment: A Trend for Surviving and Thriving - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode536 “The Lean Startup” by Eric Reis - https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-lean-startup-how-today-s-entrepreneurs-use-continuous-innovation-to-create-radically-successful-businesses-eric-ries/3cb6bdcf8f1bebc2 My NEW LinkedIn Learning Course: Get Unstuck: Make a Plan to Move Your Career Forward - https://www.linkedin.com/learning/get-unstuck-make-a-plan-to-move-your-career-forward-30720060 Bossed Up Courage Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/927776673968737/ Bossed Up LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7071888/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What are the leadership qualities that inspire people to follow you? There is no shortage today of people in power leading through force and intimidation. This frightening reality should serve to remind us how essential it is that the people we choose to follow lead with empathy and compassion, not coercion.  Tamra Ryan is a nationally recognized speaker, author, and leadership expert who redefines what it means to lead with purpose and care. In this episode, she and I discuss how leaders can inspire a following through courage and conviction, as well as compassion. Tamra has a long history of empowering others to lead, and her perspectives and recommendations for what that requires are what we need to keep pushing for a better world, right now. Build your own “followship” with the virtues that really make an impact: Why it’s just as important to give grace as it is to speak your mind; The four elements of leadership that capture hearts and minds; And how to stick to your convictions as a leader, even in today’s delicate climate. Related Links: Learn more about Tamra - https://www.tamraryan.com/about Connect with Tamra on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamraryan/ Learn more about Women’s Bean Project - https://www.womensbeanproject.com/ Learn more about the Common Sense Institute - https://www.commonsenseinstituteus.org/colorado/about/fellows/tamra---ryan Episode 352, “Self-Advocacy Hacks for a Toxic Workplace” - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode532 Episode 536, “Strategic Detachment: A Trend for Surviving and Thriving” - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode536 Episode 525, “Resisting Despair: Coping Tools For A Declining Democracy” - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode525 SPEAK UP: A Live Assertive Communication Course -  https://www.bossedup.org/speakup Bossed Up Courage Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/927776673968737/ Bossed Up LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7071888/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What would change if you stopped agreeing to take on everything at work? If you have perfectionist and overachiever tendencies like I do, it’s possible this question has never even occurred to you. In the race to the top, it can feel like everything is urgent and our responsibility. But there’s a better way. A new trend floating around social media recently caught my attention, and it’s called “strategic detachment.” In this episode, I take a look at a more thoughtful approach to workload management and delegation, especially as it applies to team leaders. The professional landscape is transforming so rapidly in so many ways—this might just be the trend we need to survive 2026.Hop off the overachieving hamster wheel and onto your true career trajectory. Tune in to learn:The unintended consequences leaders create when they won’t step back;What strategic detachment really means (and what it doesn’t);Why you might need to examine your fear to avoid burning out.Related Links:Episode 403, How First-Time Managers Can Embrace Coaching - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode403Episode 368, What Quiet Quitting Can Help…or Hurt - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode368LEVEL UP: a Leadership Accelerator for Women on the Rise - https://www.bossedup.org/levelupBossed Up Courage Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/927776673968737/Bossed Up LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7071888/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How often have you heard the rhetoric that if you want success badly enough, if you work hard enough, you’ll find success? As women, we grow up with a promise—from little girls who can “be whatever we want to be” to full-grown “girl bosses,” the world is our equal-opportunity oyster. But the data doesn’t prove this out. It’s that data Stefanie O’Connell breaks down and picks apart in her new book, The Ambition Penalty, and in our honest and research-backed conversation. As her book’s tagline says, “corporate culture tells women to step up―and then pushes them down.” Whether this feels all too real to you or you’re skeptical, Stefanie’s exploration of the metrics and the myths will get you thinking about how you challenge inequality in every environment where it still thrives.Stop blaming yourself and start challenging the status quo:Why prioritizing self-optimization can backfire;The systems we should be holding accountable for the ongoing inequality;The problem with the male victimhood narrative;What happens when we model healthy power and gender dynamics to our children?Related Links:Listen to Episode 408, Women and the Ambition Penalty - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode408Connect with Stefanie on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefanieoconnell/Pre-order The Ambition Penalty - https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-ambition-penalty-how-corporate-culture-tells-women-to-step-up-and-then-pushes-them-down-stefanie-o-connell/bf6de978036a09ffSubscribe to Too Ambitious on Substack - https://tooambitious.substack.com/Follow Stefanie on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/stefanieoconnell/TAKE ACTION with Bossed Up - https://www.bossedup.org/takeactionBossed Up Courage Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/927776673968737/Bossed Up LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7071888/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When someone at work shares an opinion you don’t agree with, what’s your response? Do you move on with an agreeable nod, or do you push back? All too often, we take the former route. So many of us are taught not to rock the boat by expressing disagreement. But here’s my hot take: you can share your honest and dissenting opinion in a way that wins you major leadership points.In fact, I firmly believe that disagreeing shouldn’t be as rare as it is, especially from those in leadership positions. Disagreeing without being disagreeable changes how people perceive you and can open some promising doors for both your career and your team’s future. So let’s embrace these three steps to highlight your critical thinking skills and earn respect:Ask this key follow-up question that directs your dissent;Embrace an accessible hack for the hard part: sharing your hot takeAnd finally, the thoughtful structure that showcases your thought leadership.Related Links:SPEAK UP: A Live Assertive Communication Course for Women in the Workplace - https://www.bossedup.org/speakupBuy Bossed Up, the book - https://www.bossedup.org/bookBossed Up Courage Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/927776673968737/Bossed Up LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7071888/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.