This Is Woman's Work with Nicole Kalil - When a One-Star Review Means You’ve Officially Arrived | Unfiltered & Unhinged

Episode Date: May 1, 2026

Nicole Kalil just hit a milestone most people secretly dread… her very first one-star podcast review — and instead of spiraling, she celebrated it. Yep, you read that right. In this unfiltered, unhinged episode, Nicole breaks down why negative feedback, criticism, and even haters might actually be the clearest sign that you’re doing something right. Because if everyone likes you? You’re probably playing it way too safe. This episode is a masterclass in confidence, self-trust, and not shrinking yourself to make other people comfortable. It’s about choosing what opinions matter, letting the noise sort itself out, and continuing to show up boldly — even when it makes people uncomfortable. In this episode, she explores: Why negative reviews and criticism can actually validate your impact How to separate useful feedback from irrelevant noise The psychology behind why people project their opinions Why being disliked is often the cost of being authentic How to stop seeking approval and start trusting yourself And the kicker? Even the haters help boost the algorithm. So technically… they’re part of the marketing team now. Thank you to our sponsors! Visit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free! Families are better when they’re working together… go to myskylight.com/WOMANSWORK for $30 off your Skylight Calendar. Become a Fora Advisor today at Foratravel.com/woman  Connect with Nicole: Subscribe to Nicole’s Substack: https://nicolekalil.substack.com/  Join the Inner Circle: https://nicolekalil.myflodesk.com/newsletter  Related Podcast Episodes: Sequins, Miscommunication, and Marriage | Unfiltered & Unhinged Women Are Tired — Stop Pointing It Out | Unfiltered & Unhinged The Episode About Balls | Unfiltered & Unhinged Share the Love: If you found this episode insightful, please share it with a friend, tag us on social media, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform! 🔗 Subscribe & Review:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is brought to you by FedEx. These days, the Power Move isn't having a big metallic credit card to drop on the check at a corporate lunch. The real Power Move is leveling up your business with FedEx intelligence and accessing one of the biggest data networks powered by one of the biggest delivery networks. Level up your business with FedEx, the new Power Move. I am Nicole Khalil and you're listening to the This Is Woman's Work podcast, the unfiltered and unhinged edition, short episodes, big truths, absolutely zero perfection. Okay, friend, it happened. We got our very first one-star podcast review and I got to be honest with you, I am irrationally happy about it. I wish I could show it to you, but since this is an audio recording, I'm going to have to read it like I heard it in my own head.

So here it is in all of its glory. The subject line is one word and it says immoral. And then it goes on to say, just to show glamorizing the breakdown of the family unit. Now, you can't see this. So you're going to have to trust me. The word unit has its very own line and it's capitalized. So it actually reads like this, just to show glamorizing the breakdown of the family unit. And okay, this is.

even more petty of me, but breakdown was written as two separate words instead of one. I mean, what a moment. I read it kind of blinked a couple times and then immediately burst out laughing, because here's the thing. None of that felt true to me. Now, if they would have said she rants too much, I probably would have to nod and say, yeah, that tracks. If they'd said, I wish she'd get her act together and launch an in-person video podcast, I'd have to cringe a little because, yeah, I do feel behind on that. But this review, it didn't touch a thing. It didn't poke at any insecurities.

It didn't feel true and it didn't land. It felt like it said everything about them and nothing about me. And if I had to guess, I bet they'd be horrified to know just how much joy their angry little review brought me. In a strange, probably, possibly twisted way, it made me feel like we have. have arrived. Like someone out there is emotionally invested enough in this podcast to be mad about it. And that feels like a really big deal. I've had haters before, but this was the first public podcast hate. The kind where somebody clicked one star, wrote a dramatic title, invested their time and energy, and hit submit. And weirdly, I loved it. It felt official. Because I have always believed that if you're

doing something bold, meaningful, or really anything worth doing, there will be people who don't like it. Hell, there will be people who hate it. And that's part of the deal. It means you're not watering yourself down to be palatable to everyone else, which is exactly the point of this podcast. So here are a few important things that this review helped me reconnect with that I kind of want to pass forward to you. The first thing is not all feedback is valuable or worthless. to you. Just because somebody says it doesn't make it true or worth your time. The second, feedback often reveals more about the person giving it than the person receiving it. Third, it is your job. It's within your power to decide what somebody else's opinion means to you,

if anything. And this isn't a takeaway, but I feel like it's worth pointing out. I do have a petty streak and loved that the grammar in this review was, let's call it questionable at best. I found myself thinking just a podcast review glamorizing the breakdown of education. But again, that says more about me than the person who wrote their review. And listen, grammar aside, I almost want to frame the damn thing. And here's what I'm just going to call the delicious irony of it all. Even bad reviews help the show. Algorithms do not care whether the review is glowing or scathing. To the algorithm, engagement is engagement. So to the person who questioned my morality, Thank you for helping boost our visibility.

You may hate the show, but you accidentally support it, which I find incredible. Look, we all have our stuff. I've got my insecurities, my blind spots, my places that I want and need to grow, but this wasn't that. This was a badge of honor, a very public, very dramatic, possibly questionable badge of honor. So yeah, I'm celebrating. Not the insult, but the reminder that I no longer need to be low. liked by everyone. I no longer need to contort myself to be palatable to somebody else. And I certainly don't need approval from somebody who thinks that a woman advocating for all of us to do

what's true and real and right for you is somehow destroying the family unit. I'm going to keep showing up. I'll keep ranting. I'll eventually figure out video, or maybe I won't, but I won't ever shrink to keep the critics comfortable. So thank you to you, my listener, for being here, for listening, for liking, or even lovingly disagreeing with whatever it is that I have to say. And if at any point you don't like it, I trust that you'll do what mature, emotionally intelligent people do, unsubscribe and move on with your life. But if you do love the show, feel free to balance out that one-star review with a review of your own. The algorithm loves the love, and I appreciate it so much too. So here's my message.

I guess really what I'm trying to say here. Keep showing up. Keep trusting yourself. And let the noise sort itself out. It turns out not everybody's going to like you. And that might just be the clearest sign that you're doing something right. So keep showing up because that is woman's work. What do you do when your toddler melts down or your teen shuts down?

I want to introduce you to the mindful mama. podcast. I'm Hunter Clark Field's author of Raising Good Humans and your host for the past 10 years. I used to be a yelling, overwhelmed mom until I found mindfulness and practical parenting tools that changed everything. Each week, I bring you honest conversations and expert advice to help you regulate your emotions, manage your kids' behavior with compassion, and break the cycle of reactive parenting. Whether you're raising toddlers or teens, you'll find real strategies for conscious parenting, screen time, ADHD, and more. Listen to the Mindful Mama podcast wherever you get your podcast because you can raise kind, confident kids without losing your cool.