Don’t Stay in Your Lane: A Conversation with Cynthia Pong

Practical Wisdom for Leaders with Scott J. Allen, Ph.D.

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Cynthia Pong, JD, is an award-winning executive coach and speaker who empowers women of color leaders to advance their careers into positions of power. A Forbes Contributor and LinkedIn Top Voice for Job Search and Career, she has been featured in HBR, The Atlantic, and on NBC, CBS, NPR, and more.

As Founder and CEO of Embrace Change, Cynthia leads an elite, all-BIPOC team who provide specialized coaching and training programs for high-performing women of color up to the C-suite. Equipped with Cynthia’s strategic guidance, her clients break down barriers, lead with authenticity, and have collectively negotiated over $750K in salary increases. Her Anthem Award-winning Leadership Accelerator program has propelled women of color to prestigious fellowships, promotions, and top graduate program admissions.

Cynthia’s book, Don’t Stay in Your Lane: The Career Change Guide for Women of Color , has cemented her as a foremost voice on career advancement, negotiation, and thought leadership.

A Few Quotes From This Episode

• “I’ve coached over 350 women of color—those numbers taught me it’s never a skills gap but often a confidence gap.”
• “It’s not about a deficit in ability; it’s about being so hard on ourselves we won’t experiment or make a mistake.”
• “One-on-one tailored strategic support from an executive coach is the single best investment of your scarcest resource: time.”
• “We have to change from doing to leading—mastering tasks won’t teach you how to inspire others.”

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Book: Don’t Stay in Your Lane: The Career Change Guide for Women of Color
• Cynthia's Forbes Contributor Page
• Cynthia's Assessment: Cynthia's Leadership Skills Quiz
• Book: Never Split the Difference
• Website: Anton Gunn’s Leadership Works
  

About The International Leadership Association (ILA)

• The ILA was created in 1999 to bring together professionals interested in studying, practicing, and teaching leadership. Plan for Prague - October 15-18, 2025!

About Scott J. Allen

• Website
• Weekly Newsletter: Practical Wisdom for Leaders
• Blog

My Approach to Hosting

• The views of my guests do not constitute "truth." Nor do they reflect my personal views in some instances. However, they are views to consider, and I hope they help you clarify your perspective. Nothing can replace your reflection, research, and exploration of t

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챕터

1. Introduction to Cynthia Pong (00:00:00)

2. Breaking Barriers as the First or Only (00:06:39)

3. Mental Load and Triple Bind (00:11:54)

4. Compassion Framework for Authentic Leadership (00:17:04)

5. Creating Psychological Safety (00:21:14)

6. Building Your Personal Advisory Board (00:25:39)

7. Transitioning from Doing to Leading (00:29:54)