Liz Atlee on Leadership Confidence and Letting Go of Doubt – Raise Your Hand Anyway, Even When You Feel Unsure
In this episode of Professional Quotient: Conversations That Build Equity, host Jason Winningham welcomes legal powerhouse and mentor extraordinaire Liz Atlee for an honest conversation about leadership confidence, imposter syndrome, transparency in leadership, and the importance of simply raising your hand—even when you feel unsure.
Liz brings a wealth of experience navigating high-stakes legal and executive roles while raising three children, mentoring the next generation of leaders, and investing in women-led startups through How Women Lead. Today, she serves as Board Chair of a renewable energy startup and teaches future lawyers at USC.
Jason and Liz’s conversation unpacks what it truly takes to develop leadership confidence across a career shaped by growth, reinvention, and risk-taking.
Main Points:
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Calling it with confidence – Refereeing soccer games (yes, really) and learning how to make confident calls under pressure
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Turning challenge into growth – Surviving tough bosses and transforming difficult dynamics into leadership lessons
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Speaking up anyway – Learning how to speak up even when her inner critic whispers otherwise
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Paying it forward – Mentoring others and investing in women-led startups to help the next generation rise
This is a must-listen for anyone who’s ever thought, “I’m not ready yet.” Because, as Liz reminds us, preparation matters—but belief in yourself matters more.
Liz Atlee is a global C-suite executive and board leader with deep expertise in legal, compliance, governance, and risk, gained through senior roles at Fortune 200 companies like CBRE and BP. As CBRE’s Global Chief Compliance & Ethics Officer and Deputy General Counsel, she led global teams across data privacy, ESG, cyber risk, and litigation, supporting the company’s rapid scale to over 115,000 employees. She currently serves as Board Chair of Cyclum Renewables, guiding strategic growth in sustainable fuels while also championing diversity through board service, mentoring, and DEI advocacy.
