“Women should give themselves permission to succeed” — Elvire Blasset (EDHEC Master 2006)

Leadership coach and founder of the podcast The Patronne, Elvire Blasset now dedicates her energy to supporting women in their corporate careers. Through her podcast, she gives a voice to women who have dared to move forward — sometimes despite doubt. 

Discover our conversation about invisible barriers, the importance of influence and the evolving nature of career paths. 

Making visible what lies behind success 

Her podcast The Patronne was born from a simple observation: behind impressive career journeys there are always moments of doubt and fear. And it is important to show them.

Elvire enjoys welcoming women with very different paths, but who share one common point: they have dared to do something she finds “impressive”. Launching a project, overcoming a challenge, imagining something bold. Above all, they agree to share what happens behind the scenes. 

“Even women who seem to have everything figured out have asked themselves questions. They have doubted, they have struggled. And it is important to say it, because it gives courage to those who need it.”

 These conversations offer practical insights for moving forward and remind us of a reality often forgotten: success is never linear.

The biggest barrier to career progression: believing the cost is too high

 In the many discussions she has with women in companies, one barrier comes up again and again.

“For many, it seems impossible to have both an exciting and challenging career with responsibility, and a balanced family life.”

Not because women do not feel capable of it, she explains, but because the price to pay seems too high. Behind the idea of success often lies the idea of sacrifice: sacrificing personal life, relationships or family dinners.

“In 95% of conversations, the question is the same: will the next step create too much imbalance in my life?”

For Elvire, the solution first comes through  role models. 

“If we saw more women succeeding while living lives they are proud of — and if they explained how they did it — it would give others both the permission and the courage to try.”

But Elvire also insists on one essential point: female success should not systematically mean entrepreneurship.

“Becoming an entrepreneur is often presented as the solution for balancing independence and personal life. But if all women leave large companies, it is not viable. We need women in executive committees and leadership teams.”

Influence: the skill that changes everything

Elvire has identified a turning point in many professional journeys: the moment when the skills that enable success at the beginning of a career — working hard, delivering results, being reliable — are no longer enough to  reach the next level.

“You can be an excellent expert, achieve very strong results and still remain stuck. Because at a certain point, different skills begin to matter.”

The key word is simple: influence.

Accessing strategic positions requires understanding how organisations really work: power dynamics, decision-making ecosystems and the priorities of different stakeholders.

“You need to build relationships beyond your immediate circle and understand the challenges others face.”

An exercise with which women are sometimes less comfortable. 

“We tend to think that developing a network means manipulation or politics in the negative sense. But that is not the case.”

For Elvire, influence begins with listening. In any important conversation, the first step is to understand the other person’s perspective: their priorities, constraints and concerns.

“The other person needs to feel that you understand their position. That does not necessarily mean you agree. But it creates the foundation for a conversation.”

This ability to connect and step back gradually transforms one’s professional posture. You stop defending only your own projects and start seeking convergence between different perspectives. And that is often when opportunities begin to appear.

“At a certain point in your career, you need to behave as if you are already at the next level in order to reach it.”

Less linear careers: learning to seize opportunities

Another major transformation concerns the way careers evolve. Layoffs, career changes, parental breaks or entrepreneurial projects — professional journeys are now far more fluid.

“Today, it is no longer impossible to return to corporate life after a break or after starting a business!”

The key lies in how we interpret these turning points. In her coaching work, she often observes that the first step is to change how people view their situation, moving away from fear and frustration. Because energy changes everything.

“If you start from the belief that no one will give you a chance, it is unlikely to happen. But when you are aligned with what you truly want, you become a magnet for opportunities.”

Three habits to adopt from the start of your career

If she had to share a few pieces of advice with young graduates, Elvire would highlight three:

• First, observe and listen. At the start of a career, you do not always have a voice at the table. Rather than seeing this as frustration, she recommends using it as a learning phase and developing the ability to “decode” interactions.
• Second, find mentors: identify people who can offer advice, open perspectives and share their experience.
• Finally, help others from the beginning. “You should not wait until you need help to start sharing your own expertise. You can already support the next generation.”

Because in the end, she concludes, openness to others, opportunities and unexpected paths is probably the most valuable skill of all.

And before you go…

“Open up, meet, connect”: a philosophy that resonates strongly with the EDHEC Alumni Wo.Men initiative, a club dedicated to exchanges, sharing experiences and supporting women’s career development. 

Join the EDHEC Alumni Wo.Men Club

Discover the podcast episode of The Patronne with Anne Geisert, President of EDHEC Alumni. In it, Anne shares a leadership journey built over time, grounded in collective effort and rare lucidity. She explains how, for years, she excluded herself from roles she did not even dare to aim for — not out of lack of ambition, but because she doubted her legitimacy to reach them.

Listen to the episode