Women and Work

You can be building a company, raising capital—and still be underestimated. That’s what happened to Abbey Donnell, Founder & CEO of Work&, as she navigated fundraising while becoming a mother—sometimes literally in labor while closing deals. She quickly realized that women are often asked to prove themselves with results, while men are trusted on potential. Instead of backing down, she lea...

Feeling like you've earned your seat at the table, yet still not taken seriously, can make you question your worth and your path. When that happened to Rebecca Blacker, she faced rooms full of decision-makers who spoke past her, doubted her, and refused to see her leadership—despite everything she had proven. That realization pushed her to stop chasing validation and instead build something o...

Realizing you're juggling too many things—and none are getting the focus they deserve—can feel overwhelming, especially as a founder. For Mabel Oza, that moment came after building multiple products, launching ideas, and constantly staying in “creator mode”—only to realize that doing everything might be the very thing holding her back. Instead of continuing down the same path, she began quest...

Feeling like you’re supposed to follow one path in your career can make every unexpected turn feel like a mistake. That’s something Jill Salzman, discovered through her own unconventional journey. After starting multiple businesses, raising kids, and navigating countless “but…” moments in life and work, she realized those detours were actually the most important parts of the story. That realizatio...

That’s something Anna DeShawn, Founder of E3 Radio and The Qube, learned as she built a media platform focused on telling stories from the LGBTQ community—especially Black and Brown voices often overlooked by mainstream media. Along the way, she faced industry barriers, changing political climates, and the realities of entrepreneurship. Instead of forcing a path that didn’t feel right, she embrace...

Even when you’re accomplished, credentialed, and overqualified, you can still find yourself overlooked, overworked, and questioning your worth. That’s something Dr. Mazella Fuller, Former Clinical Associate at Duke University, experienced firsthand throughout her 30-year career — watching others with less experience get promoted, seeing ideas appropriated, and navigating the layered challenges of...

Despite doing everything right in her corporate tech career — earning her MBA, managing major IT projects, and outperforming expectations — Krystal Tristan still found herself pumping in office bathrooms, working from her hospital bed, and questioning whether she truly belonged in the room. After years in consulting and Fortune 500 environments, Krystal noticed something: women were quietly pushin...

If you’re successful on paper but secretly feel overlooked, drained, or stuck in the wrong role, you might not be in your wheelhouse. That’s what happened to Kim Costa, Author of Live In Your Wheelhouse and Realtor with Sotheby’s International Realty. After decades running a multi-million-dollar construction business behind the scenes, Kim realized she was “fine” at what she did — but she wasn’t l...

When you’re told that choosing marriage, motherhood, or flexibility means giving up your potential, it can quietly shape the way you show up for years. That’s exactly what happened to Wendy Guth and Krystal Eicher, co-founders of Serendipitous Rebel. As military spouses, mothers, and ambitious women, they were pushed to shrink themselves, delay dreams, and carry expectations no one places on men....

When you’ve done everything “right” — the education, the pedigree, the experience — yet women still raise a fraction of the capital, it forces a hard question: why? That happened to Jarah Euston, but she didn’t accept the numbers at face value. Even at Wharton — now majority female — women founders raise just a small share of venture funding. So Jarah took action. She helped build a powerful netwo...

When you’re juggling a demanding career, leadership responsibilities, and motherhood, you expect the job to be the hardest part. For Laura Benarosch, it wasn’t. After years of building high-level careers and leading teams, Laura realized the greatest stress in her life as a working mom wasn’t her workload—it was finding consistent, reliable childcare. From waitlists and caregiver turnover to retur...

When you love your work and keep taking on more responsibility, it’s easy to believe burnout is just the price of success. That’s exactly what happened to Nandhini Sundaram, after nearly 20 years rising through the ranks of advertising agencies to senior leadership roles. The more capable she proved herself to be, the more work landed on her plate — until exhaustion, physical symptoms, and a loss...

When life feels overwhelming, it’s often because the loudest things are stealing our attention — not the most important ones.  For Joe Dillon, clarity comes from calm. After watching countless women navigate divorce, career disruption, and the mental load of parenting, Joe has seen how easily people lose focus on what truly matters — especially during major life transitions.  As the founder of Equ...

When you're doing everything right to get promoted, yet you keep getting passed over, you start to wonder if you will ever reach your career goals. When that happened to Falguni Shah, she questioned herself and her career -- until she started asking around and realizing other women were experiencing the same thing, but her male colleagues weren't. That's when she decided to devote h...

For Carson Wagner, excellence in childcare didn’t come from building a business — it came from rebuilding trust in an industry where trust is everything. Before founding Lifetime of Love Nannies, Carson spent years watching families struggle to find support they could rely on. She saw burnt-out parents trying to do it all, nannies undervalued for the heart-work they provide, and a system failing t...

Dr. Nelva Lee, Founder & CEO of Concrete Build Financing and candidate for Superintendent of Schools in Georgia, learned that leadership doesn’t always look like momentum — sometimes it looks like sacrifice. During a season of homeschooling her child, Dr. Lee placed her career on the back burner, building a business quietly while prioritizing presence over progress. At the time, it felt heavy....

Shruti Trivedi, Founder & CEO of Tulsi Heals Coaching, learned that resilience at work didn’t come from pushing harder — it came from finally allowing herself to heal. After enduring multiple pregnancy losses, including the devastating loss of twin boys at 23 weeks, Shruti returned to work almost immediately, convincing herself that staying busy was strength. For years, she carried unprocessed...

Alexa DePaolo, one of Colorado’s #1 lenders and top 1% in the nation, didn’t rise by staying quiet — she rose by refusing to accept a system designed to undervalue her. For years, she delivered record-breaking results while being told she was “ungrateful” for wanting fair pay. Behind the accolades was a culture of toxic micro-abusing — subtle control, diminished worth, and the message that success...

Martha Razo, CEO of Guero Pallets and President of the Xcelerator Business Summit, leadership didn’t come from following expectations — it came from challenging them. By 18, Martha had left home, choosing education over traditional roles that never fit her vision. What began as a push against limitation became the foundation for a future built on independence, problem-solving, and grit. From learn...

For Sarah Wallace, impact didn’t come from knowing the technology — it came from understanding the humans behind it. In an industry driven by systems engineers and technologists, Sarah entered with a different lens: psychology, behavioral economics, and human-computer interaction. She wasn’t there to out-code anyone — she was there to bridge the gap between people and the products built for them....

Wholeness. Bravery. Alignment. For Ashley, success wasn’t just about leading at a high level — it was about finally feeling whole. For years, she felt split in two: “work Ashley” and “real Ashley.” And instead of choosing between them, she built a career where she never had to. From executive leadership to motherhood to creativity and community, Ashley chose spaces where she could show up as all o...

Freedom. Ambition. Design. For Chandler Stroud, getting her MBA wasn’t about climbing higher — it was about living freer. Success, for her, wasn’t defined by titles or power. It was about choice — the freedom to design a career that honored both her ambition and her family. From long commutes to flexible work and paid maternity leave, Chandler set out to find — and create — workplaces that worked...

Bias. Balance. Empowerment. For Nancy Griffin, success didn’t come from following the rules — it came from realizing the system wasn’t built for her. When an executive once said, “She has a family,” to deny her an international opportunity, Nancy never even knew. Years later, she found out that decision — made for her — changed the course of her life. But it also became the moment she decided to r...

Awareness. Transformation. Clarity. For Lisa Giruzzi, power didn’t come from proving herself — it came from realizing she never had to. After years of walking into boardrooms “guns blazing,” ready to defend her worth, Lisa discovered that confidence doesn’t come from fighting for validation — it comes from knowing your value. A former social worker and domestic violence advocate turned transformat...

Courage. Reinvention. Purpose. Dr. Felicia Dortch-Greer’s life has never followed a straight line. A nurse of 27 years, a mother of four, and a survivor of domestic abuse — she rebuilt her world one bold decision at a time. When her life nearly ended, she made a promise: If I survive, I’ll live my purpose. She did. While raising and homeschooling her children, she wrote screenplays, modeled intern...