Woman Lessons: Empowering the Next Generation of Female Leaders with Traci Peterson

mgraziano45
Jun 20
4 min read

On this episode of Adventures in Business, Amani and Mandi welcome Traci Peterson, founder of the Woman Lessons podcast, host of the biannual Woman Lessons live retreats, and proud member of the Brand Builders Group. But more than her impressive resumé, Traci shares a powerful and deeply personal story of what it means to unlearn perfectionism and lead with self-love instead. Read on to learn why Traci created Woman Lessons, what Traci has learned on her personal journey of self-love, and what women and young girls can gain from the Woman Lessons Retreat.

Redefining Perfectionism

Traci describes perfectionism as “the pursuit of flawlessness by avoiding failure,” a mindset she knows all too well. For years, she convinced herself that her perfectionist tendencies were simply high standards in disguise. But the key difference, she explains, lies in how we treat ourselves when we fail.

Those striving for excellence accept failure as part of the growth process. Perfectionists, on the other hand, berate themselves harshly. Traci openly admits she lived in that negative cycle for a long time, caught in the spiral of chasing an impossible ideal.

How Woman Lessons Was Born

The turning point came in an ordinary moment. Traci was standing at her kitchen sink when her daughter, Quinn, asked if they could do "woman lessons." Curious, Traci asked what that meant. Her nine-year-old replied sweetly: “I want to learn how to put together an outfit, how to do my makeup, and how to cook.”

At first, Traci smiled. It was adorable. But then it hit her. Was that all her daughter believed womanhood was about – appearance and domesticity?

Traci had a moment of reckoning. Is that what I’m modeling for her? she wondered.

The Seventh Lesson

Traci decided to teach her daughter seven lessons about being a woman – life lessons rooted in confidence, character, and strength. But there was one lesson she resisted, the one that required her to face the hardest truth:

You are more than your body.

After years of judging her body and struggling with a critical inner dialogue, Traci realized that what she had always called self-discipline was, in fact, self-bullying.

And that’s when it clicked: You cannot self-bully your way to success. You have to self-love your way there.

Traci knew she couldn’t teach her daughter a lesson she hadn’t lived herself. So, she committed to healing – for her own sake, and to break the generational cycle of body shame and perfectionism.

Reclaiming Identity Beyond the Roles

“We were women before we were moms, before we had careers, before we became spouses,” Traci says. On the Woman Lessons podcast, she and her guests strip back the layers of titles and responsibilities to reconnect listeners with their core identity. Through quick, impactful episodes, Traci speaks directly to women who want to lead themselves well – so they can lead their daughters even better.

The podcast covers real, relevant topics: from leadership and mindset to the pressures of motherhood and the nuances of raising girls in today’s fast-paced, image-saturated culture. The lessons are practical, heartfelt, and deeply human.

Real-Life Transformation at the Woman Lessons Retreat

But the movement isn’t just digital. Twice a year, Traci hosts Woman Lessons Live – mother-daughter retreats designed to create deep, in-person connection away from screens and distractions.

Held every June and November, each retreat combines hands-on experiences, real conversations, and fun. A recent retreat included:

Service projects supporting refugee single moms with daughters
A "More Than Your Body" flower-arranging workshop
Zumba sessions to shake off stress and have fun
A guided hike in nature
Talks from experts like child psychotherapists and stylists
Breakout sessions for moms (like understanding the difference between anxiety and intuition)
Breakout sessions for girls (like how to navigate friendships and learn it’s okay not to be friends with everyone)

These retreats create space for women and girls to talk about hard things, enjoy lighthearted moments, and form lifelong memories together.

Teaching Girls to Observe, Not Compare

Traci expresses that comparison is often at the root of the struggles women face, and it begins young – often around the onset of puberty.

Instead of denying differences, Woman Lessons teaches girls to observe without turning those observations into self-judgment. "That girl is tall. I am short." That’s observation. But turning that into, "She’s better than me because she’s tall" – that’s comparison. And that’s what the movement aims to dismantle.

And it’s not just about teaching this to girls. It’s about modeling it ourselves as adults, too. The result is a generation of young women who know who they are, love who they are, and support others in becoming the same.

How to Stop the Cycle of Comparison

Traci shared how we can stop the cycle of comparison and start owning our truth:

1. Remember Who You Are and Whose You Are

When comparison creeps in, Traci encourages us to go back to our roots: imagine your 7-year-old self. What were three core traits you had back then? Chances are, those qualities are still within you. They're not lost. They’re just buried beneath years of messaging about what’s “too much” or “not enough.”

2. Ground Yourself in Gratitude

It may sound cliché, but daily gratitude really can change your mindset. Even just three minutes a day can start rewiring your brain. Why? Because gratitude and anxiety can’t coexist in your mind at the same time. Gratitude grounds you in the present, pulling you out of the spiral of comparison and planting you firmly in what’s good.

3. Own Your Divine Gift

Your divine gift is often the exact thing someone tried to dim in you.

Traci shared her own story. As a teen, she was told by someone she loved that she was “too bossy” and “too confident” – and that made others uncomfortable. So she shrank herself. She achieved and succeeded, but always played it small.

Decades later, she realized: she wasn’t too much. She was powerful. That confidence and clarity wasn’t something to hide – it was her divine gift.