London, United Kingdom(Hexa PR Wire–December 2, 2025)–LeadHerself, a women’s leadership and career development brand founded by organizational psychologist Dr. Julianna Walsh, has officially launched its new self-leadership app on the App Store and Google Play. The app offers short, practical exercises designed to help women strengthen confidence, clarity, and career skills.
Rooted in organizational psychology and leadership research, the LeadHerself app helps users build soft skills including self-advocacy, negotiation, and assertiveness. Unlike traditional professional development programs that can be expensive or overly generic, the app offers a personalized, self-paced approach grounded in both evidence and lived experience.
“Many women are encouraged to speak up and be more confident, but very few are taught how to do these things in environments that weren’t built with them in mind,” said Dr. Walsh, founder of LeadHerself. “I created this app to provide practical, research-informed tools that help people take small, meaningful steps toward confidence and self-leadership in their everyday working lives.”
Addressing a Gap in Early Professional Development
Research from Young Women’s Trust shows that gender disparities in early career progression are persistent and worsening, at least in the UK. Over half of young women are worried about their opportunities to progress, and 41% feel they lack the support they need at work. LeadHerself helps address this gap by taking users through “Journeys” made up of bite-sized exercises that can be completed in under ten minutes.
At launch, the app includes three structured Journeys:
- Eliminate Self-Doubt and Step Up to Lead
- Get Focused and Grow with Purpose
- Build Connections and Influence Others
Content draws from Dr. Walsh’s academic background in gender and leadership, as well as insights from talent development within global organizations. Early users describe the app as “motivating and insightful,” “valid, research-based, and supportive,” and “very applicable to real life.”
Key features include:
- Practice-based actions to build skills through real day-to-day application
- Self-assessments with dynamic feedback for increased self-awareness
- Real-world scenarios to respond to and learn from
- Recommended resources tailored to users’ preferences and challenges
- Personalized journal prompts to encourage deeper reflection
- A curated resource library of vetted videos, podcasts, articles, and books
- A values-identifying exercise and mission statement builder for aligned growth
Grounded in Science, Designed for the Real Challenges Women Face
Women and people with intersecting marginalized identities face competing workplace expectations, from the leadership double bind to authority and credibility gaps. Dr. Walsh describes the double bind as a paradox where women face a catch-22: penalized as leaders when they exhibit traditionally feminine traits, yet penalized as women when they display traits associated with leadership.
These dynamics influence how behavior is judged and how opportunities are allocated, shaping challenges like assertiveness, boundary setting, and visibility. Dr. Walsh’s advice on navigating these situations is to embrace the paradox mindset, acknowledging the tension between competing demands and combining disparate, but authentic aspects of our identities. Be assertive and warm. Decisive and empathetic.
LeadHerself helps users translate this mindset into daily behaviors that drive effectiveness, influence, and clarity while helping users manage energy and prioritize what matters to them. Early users claim the app “captures the intricacies of communication challenges that women face” and is “pivotal for our success in male-dominated work places.” The aim is not to “fix” individuals but to support growth on their own terms. This tailored support helps users feel “seen,” “ truly represented,” and “less alone.”
Access, Affordability, and Social Impact
LeadHerself aims to make professional development more accessible. The app uses a one-time payment model rather than a subscription, and the core Self-Confidence module and resource library remain free after the two-week trial. A pay-what-you-can option is available to ensure that cost is not a barrier to growth.
In addition to individual users, LeadHerself is actively building partnerships with nonprofits, universities, and community organizations to expand access for people with limited resources or access to development opportunities.
Growing Recognition and Upcoming Events
The brand has already gained interest from early users and professional communities. LeadHerself was recently named a finalist for the Excellence in Career Development and Learning Culture award by the Association for Business Psychology. Dr. Walsh is also scheduled to speak at several upcoming events, including the British Psychological Society Division of Occupational Psychology Annual Conference (January 2026) and the BPS Psychology Careers Festival (February 2026).
About LeadHerself
LeadHerself is a UK-based women’s leadership and career development brand founded by organizational psychologist Dr. Julianna Walsh. The brand provides practical tools, research-informed guidance, and supportive learning experiences to help women build confidence, clarity, and self-leadership. LeadHerself offers workshops, events, partnerships, and a mobile app available on iOS and Android.
Contact Information
Julianna Walsh, LinkedIn: @juliannajwalsh
LeadHerself, Instagram: @the_leadherself_lemur
LeadHerself, TikTok: @the_leadherself_lemur
