Wickedly Branded® Research Notes

The research behind

The questions we're asking

From the desk while writing Wickedly Branded: findings, studies, and ideas that helped shape the thinking behind the book.

From the desk

Some ideas begin with a question.
Others with a finding.

While writing Wickedly Branded, Beverly kept returning to research that helped explain what women experience at work, in leadership, and in the messy middle of building a life and business that actually fits.

These Research Notes capture some of those findings alongside the questions, connections, and observations they sparked.

Research is part of the conversation. It isn’t the whole conversation.

From the research

Six findings worth stopping for.

Sometimes a single finding makes you stop and see something differently. These are the notes Beverly kept coming back to while writing Wickedly Branded.

Finding No.1

So that's why we undersell.

Women described their performance less favorably than equally performing men, even after receiving accurate information about how they performed. Source: Exley & Kessler, 2022

Finding No.2

Hello, Tornado of Overwhelm

When people are interrupted, they often compensate by working faster while experiencing more stress, frustration, time pressure, and effort. Source: Mark, Gudith & Klocke, 2008

Finding No.3

Celebrate the Step!

Even small, meaningful wins can significantly boost motivation and creativity. Source: Amabile & Kramer, 2011

Finding No.4

Why the finish line keeps moving.

The intensity of a new experience often fades as it becomes part of ordinary life: the hedonic treadmill. Source: Brickman & Campbell, 1971; Diener et al., 2006

Finding No.5

The invisible measuring cup.

People often expect leaders to be assertive and decisive while expecting women to be warm and accommodating. Source: Eagly & Karau, 2002

Finding No.6

Built for someone with a wife at home.

Supposedly neutral workplaces have often been designed around a worker without caregiving and bodily realities. Source: Acker, 1990; Kelly et al., 2010

The Brand Magic Lens

The finding is only the beginning.

Research can tell us what has been observed. It can give us language for patterns we may already be experiencing.

The interesting part is what happens when we connect those findings to real lives, real businesses, real workplaces, and the choices we make next.

Keep Exploring

The research is part of a bigger conversation.