What Inspires You to Be Brave?

All the talk about the roads Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG) paved for women’s rights has me thinking about the women a generation above me and their professional journeys. RBG, my mom and her peers were raised in a world where their dreams took a back seat to responsibilities and expectations.

My mom aspired to be an architect, but her parents told her that wasn’t an appropriate field for women. Instead she became an English teacher. After having kids, she re-engaged her artistic talents and started a successful home-based calligraphy business. At some points in her career, she earned even more money than my father. However, it was many years before she was able to have her own personal credit card, choose how to spend her earnings and tout her success.

I have always felt fortunate to have choice in my career direction. I graduated college in a recession year and took a special event job with a non-profit organization that funded my graduate degree. Then, I held a variety of communications agency and corporate positions in the software, telecommunications, life science and pharmaceutical industries.  Eleven years ago, after many years navigating corporate opportunities, I bravely chose to open a consulting practice that gives me more flexibility in the clients I choose and the ability to be present for my twins.

My story is not unique. Today, many women can decide what types of careers they’d like to pursue, while exploring companies based on work-life balance policies and equal opportunities for advancement. However, women—and especially women of color—remain underrepresented in leadership positions and on corporate boards.

How can we each play a role in shaping change? What can we do to support future women leaders?

Sharing stories is critical. It’s vital that we engage with women at all professional levels and participate in mentorship programs. By creating professional and personal networks, we can reinforce our boundaries, take pride in our accomplishments, and voice the good, bad and ugly sides of what it is like to be female professionals. This includes talking candidly with our colleagues, friends, family and our communities about where we have hit roadblocks or when we wish we might have made different decisions. When we are brave enough to speak up about our experiences, we make it safe for other women who may be questioning their choices or their challenges.

Let’s keep investing in ourselves and each other. Individually and collectively we can explore new opportunities and ways to improve and to change the world, just like RBG did. The fight for equity in the workplace is far from over and no path to progress is easy; but walking it with others makes both the journey and rewards that much sweeter.

What brave career decisions have you made? Are you part of your organization’s women’s network and what has inspired you to act differently?