MEET BARRIE ZUCAL

Greetings!

I am a writer, speaker, global entrepreneur, executive coach, powerlifter, former marriage and family therapist, and fierce advocate for women’s rights, justice, and opportunities.

I wasn’t always bold. I became bold at 27 when I decided to prioritize learning about myself, relationships, and the social and family systems that form us.

I’ve lived and worked in person in Bucks County, Pennsylvania; Beirut, Lebanon; Amman, Jordan; and Taipei, Taiwan. The global executive coaching company I founded operated in 75 countries.

In all those countries, women leaders faced similar challenges in their efforts to lead in patriarchal organizations and countries.

I envision a world where women are safe, regarded with the same respect as men, have the same opportunities as men, and earn the same pay for the same work as men, where patriarchy and white male supremacy are shunned. Women often tell me they want all people to be bold, not just women. I tell them I will work with men to be bold when there is a level playing field for women and men. Until then, I will uplift women.
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Global Impact

My work is to ensure that women:

  • Trust their inner wisdom
  • Honor their longings and enthusiasm
  • Treat their ambition as a calling
  • Stop confusing self-sacrifice with goodness
  • Set boundaries without apologizing for them
  • Take meaningful risks
  • Move beyond perfectionism
  • Choose leadership over approval

5.0 (2,425 Reviews)

BOLD: How Women PLAY BIG by Leading Instead of Pleasing

BOLD challenges the deeply rooted conditioning that teaches women to please, perform, perfect, and put everyone else first. Through personal stories, reflection, and practical guidance, Barrie Zucal invites women to trust their instincts, honor their ambitions, set boundaries, take meaningful risks, and lead their own lives with greater courage and clarity.

Genre

Women’s Empowerment / Personal Growth

Pages

286 Pages

Release

October 2026

Publisher

Palmetto Publishing

INSIDE BOLD

What Happens When Women Stop Playing Small?

For generations, women have been taught that being agreeable, selfless, likable, and accommodating is a virtue. But what happens when that goodness comes at the expense of their own ambitions, development, and voice?

In BOLD, Barrie calls this pattern “debilitating goodness.”

Part memoir, part manifesto, and part practical guide, BOLD helps women recognize the conditioning that keeps them seeking approval and begin making decisions based on their own values, instincts, ambitions, and purpose.

Whether you are leading a team, raising a family, building a business, changing careers, or reinventing your life, BOLD invites you to stop asking for permission and begin creating the life that is uniquely yours.

What BOLD Will Challenge You to Do

CONVERSATIONS & MORE

Meet Barrie. Experience BOLD.

Join Barrie Zucal at upcoming book events, conversations, and special appearances celebrating BOLD: How Women PLAY BIG by Leading Instead of Pleasing.

Explore the ideas behind the book, connect with the conversation, and discover what it means to lead more boldly in your own life.

Tardan Media With Your Host Dennis Tardan

Stop Pleasing, Start Leading | Barrie Zucal on Tardan Today

In this episode of Tardan Today, host Dennis Tardan sits down with Barrie Zucal, now 80, to talk about her new book, BOLD: How Women Play BIG by Leading Instead of Pleasing.

YouTube Video

Barrie Zucal

Save the Date: Wednesday, October 14

Join Barrie and her daughter Jessica to celebrate the lunch of the BOLD BOOK. Tom, her husband, will pop the champagne. Barrie will do a short reading from the book. Jessica will conduct a Q & A and then open to the audience.

Webinar

The Bold Life Podcast

Ep. 142 – Leading Instead of Pleasing
Podcast

Brevity & Wit

Play Big: Author Talk & Virtual Book Launch with Barrie Zucal

Catch Barrie in discussion with the fabulous Minal Bopiah, founder of Brevity and Wit and author of “Equity” on Women and Bold Leadership. What does it look like to make bold moves as a woman leader?

Webinar

Reviews

Praises for BOLD

Powerful words from those who have experienced BOLD and its call to lead with greater courage, clarity, and conviction. Their reflections speak to the book’s ability to challenge old expectations, inspire bolder choices, and encourage women to step more fully into their voice, strength, and leadership.

“Step into this book with courage, and I promise you will emerge with a stronger, bolder, more empowered version of yourself.”

Sarah Dusek Co-Founder & CEO, Few & Far

“This book is a beautiful gift - an ongoing conversation with the best therapist and coach you’ll ever have. You’ll pick this book up again and again through your life for guidance and support. It’s invaluable and a must-read!”

Tara Jenkins Founder and CEO, Conscious Revolution

“This isn’t another self-help book. This book is a strategic manual for the woman ready to trade “pleasing” for power.”

Ash Brown Founder and CEO of Ash Said It LLC

“Barrie Zucal’s BOLD book challenges patriarchal norms and encourages women to do the same. Work- ing with this book will ground your spirit, enliven your soul, and help you listen ever more deeply to your own heart’s longing.”

Rev. Kathleen C. Rolenz Unitarian Universalist Minister

“Barrie’s strong voice, clear and intimate writing, and concrete action steps in BOLD are exactly what I needed. Days after reading the likability chapter, I noticed my behavior, heard Barrie’s words in my head, and changed my actions in the moment; it felt like magic, power.”

Dona Hare Price, Author

“For too long, women have been trained to be agree- able instead of audacious. BOLD is a powerful call to stop shrinking and start leading. Barrie Zucal reminds women everywhere that the world doesn’t need us quieter, nicer, or smaller: it needs us brave.”

Cassie Fox, Founder of LOUD WOMEN

READY TO PLAY BIG?

Step Into Your BOLD Life

Stop waiting for permission. Start trusting your voice, honoring your ambitions, and leading the life that is uniquely yours.