Setting Boundaries & Saying No — with Sarah K. Peck
Saying “No” Is a Leadership Skill.
Toddlers know how to say no without hesitation. Somewhere along the way, adulthood teaches us to soften it. Women, especially, are taught to hedge, soften, over-explain, and apologize. As adults, many people struggle to say no. They say yes when they want to decline. They say “maybe” when they’re completely exhausted.
Social conditioning, peer pressure, power dynamics, and the fear of disappointing others can make this boundary feel impossibly hard.
And yet the most powerful leaders have a secret:
They don’t say yes to everything.
They say yes to what matters.
They know what they want, they protect it, and they insist on it.
Saying no isn’t selfish. It’s clear, it’s kind, it’s valuable, and it’s important. Saying no is about integrity and deeper wisdom. It’s about living in alignment with your values.
And the better you get at saying no, the more freedom, space, and time you have again.
And it’s learnable.
In this workshop, I’ll teach you how to say no thoughtfully, decisively, and without spiraling afterward. You’ll learn the hidden traps behind why it’s so hard to say no. Then, we’ll workshop six specific phrases that you can use to help create space for you to say no.
You’ll also receive a one-page cheat sheet of scripts you can keep at your desk, pin above your monitor, or pull up at the exact moment you need the words.
Angela Parker described this workshop as "rewiring her brain,” and others have said that these scripts were “life-changing” because they “didn’t require a harsh line, but rather created exactly the space they needed to be both kind and clear.”
In this workshop, you’ll learn how to:
Clarify what you actually want (so your no becomes simple)
Strengthen your boundaries without guilt or apology
Recognize what a true yes and a true no feel like in your body
Use short, unforgettable phrases when you freeze or fawn
Break the default-yes reflex with one clutch strategy.
Say no to a boss, superior, or authority figure — while making your life more bearable, not harder
Meet Your Host: Sarah K. Peck
Founder, writer, community builder. Currently reimagining what leadership looks like for women.
Multiple-time entrepreneur. 14+ years as a business owner, founder, bootstrapper, coach, speaker & writer.
Founder of Startup Parent, The Wise Women’s Council, and Founders With Kids
The Host of The Startup Parent Podcast, an award-winning podcast about entrepreneurship, business & parenting.
Writer of a Substack Newsletter with 11k readers
MBA Quantic School of Business & Technology.
BA in Psychology, focus habits, behavior & environment.
I am also: A daughter, a parent, a mother to two little humans, a community organizer, swimmer, teacher, partner, cook, gardener, book nerd, game lover, cheerleader, and a good friend.
We are more than just our work. We are community members, friends, relationships, hobbies, interests, and so much more.
Leadership starts with being deeply, fiercely human, and honoring the interconnections between all of us.
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