Look Lady, You're Writing History Right Now as an Inspirational Female Leader
Spoiler alert– I’m writing another book! It won’t be like any other…kind of like my oh-so-brilliant audience. (Hint: that’s you– the inspirational female leader in STEM.)
My very specific target audience isn’t the only reason my upcoming book is unique. Turns out, there doesn’t appear to be many other books on the market right now (or in the last two years) that specifically combine women leaders in STEM and turning one’s imposter syndrome into their superpower. Even different listicles of books that resulted from my search phrase (“books for women leaders in STEM”) didn’t seem to have books with “women in STEM” specifically in their titles or subtitles.
I found a few collections– books with multiple voices of women in STEM– passing down advice to the women behind them. But truly finding a leadership book designated to inspirational female leaders in STEM today and how to empower their authority, influence, or impact just didn’t seem to be out there.
Why does this matter to you? It illustrates that you– the powerful women executives in male-dominated industries– aren’t being written TO or ABOUT even while you’re doing the brilliant work of changing male-dominated fields every single day.
So, guess what?
IT’S TIME TO WRITE THE BOOK THAT’S MISSING SO WE CAN TELL THE STORY THAT’S BEING WRITTEN RIGHT NOW (EVEN AS I WRITE THIS SENTENCE).
One thing that seemed to be abundant was nonfiction children’s or young adult books highlighting notable inspirational female leaders and women figures in STEM. You know, the books that introduce a young audience to women like Ada Byron Lovelace, Elizabeth Blackwell, Marie Curie, Rachel Carson, Katherine Johnson, Mae Jemison, or Jane Goodall. These books for today’s younger generations are incredibly important to show them that they can enter male-dominated fields.
There are also a ton of biographies and autobiographies written on inspiring women of color and queer women from various sectors such as technology, science, engineering, finance, and more. These books highlight how they’ve excelled in their respective fields but also document their journeys. I’ve included a list at the very bottom of the blog post.
The fact these books exist is a feat in and of itself. These types of books didn’t exist when I was growing up. The stories of women leaders in STEM were largely unknown. I was fortunate to have an inspirational female STEM leader at home with me– my mom. She retired from NASA. She was accountable for training teachers who taught in the Cleveland Public School system. She trained the teachers on how to use NASA’s curriculum to encourage more young men and women of color to go into STEM. She also decided to go back to school and get her Ph.D. in Educational Statistics much later in life. My mom inspired me all the damn time.
For many of us lacking direct role models, the trailblazing female leaders in STEM we did learn about were often portrayed as rare exceptions, overshadowing the reality that countless other women possess equal brilliance and capability. Despite facing formidable barriers, including restricted access to education, workplace discrimination, and the challenge of breaking through a male-dominated status quo, numerous women have made monumental contributions to the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Icons such as Katherine Johnson, a pivotal figure in NASA's space exploration efforts, and Mae Jemison, the first African American woman astronaut, have achieved well-deserved recognition for their pioneering work, albeit sometimes later in their careers or after their passing. These achievements underscore a critical truth: the historical exclusion of women from STEM fields was not about a lack of talent or potential but rather the lack of opportunities to showcase their remarkable capabilities.
But you and other women leaders in STEM are changing that. You are changing the history of these male-dominated industries. Every day, you create herstory. What you do today is what will be written in tomorrow’s herstory books.
I was thinking about this as I searched through book after book. I’m thinking this as I start to see all the Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day posts across the digital landscape.
Sure, it’s great to celebrate and recognize the great inspirational female leaders who came decades before us. Sure, having published collections of advice and insight from women leaders in STEM to help the next generation is beneficial to the next wave.
Yes, let’s celebrate where we’ve been. We should. We must. But let’s not stop there.
If we keep looking to the past, to the women leaders before us, or the women following our trail, we overlook two very critical things:
The real and present women standing looking back at us in the mirror
The next ceiling up ahead, we’re about to smash
There’s a quote that goes something like, “Don’t look back. That's not the direction you’re going.” There’s a lot to be said for learning from the past, but there’s also a lot we don’t need to take with us where we are going next.
The women who came before us navigated their paths based on their time's industry standards or cultural norms. They lived according to the circumstances of their era, just as you live in yours. They found their own methods; now, it's your turn to discover yours.
The women coming up behind you will look to you the way you look to others, and the same will be true for them. They’ll be living in a different time and place, and the industry they enter will have evolved since you began. So, try as they might to emulate your brilliance, they’ll, too, have to find their way. If we want to create a new world order, we can’t do what we’ve always done the way we’ve always done it.
You’re not standing on the shoulders of the inspirational female leaders who came before you... And you’re not stacked on the shoulders of the women around you that you deem more successful…And you’re not competing with the younger women following your trail. You’re standing side by side with your shoulders pulled back, head held high, and your arms wrapped around each other’s waists, walking forward hip to hip—a great wall of women linked together, powerful by the sum of your individual parts.
Which means every single one of you is important. Every single one of you contributes. Every single one of you plays a part in the way this story goes.
You each have a right to claim your space. To own your place in women’s history of STEM. Because you’re making that history RIGHT NOW. With what you have accomplished TODAY. With how you’re advancing, changing, and leading a revolution in the industry in the PRESENT.
Books should be written about you, for you, and to you. But not just books that capture what has already happened and praise the inspirational female leaders of yesteryear. And not just books to help the next wave of women leaders advance in their careers. We need books for the powerful women leaders in STEM today so they may continue to advance in their careers for as long as they are in them.
They’re not done yet. You’re not done yet. The present isn’t over.
In the present day, I’m going to write the book to empower TODAY’s inspirational female leaders in STEM to not just rewrite their stories but OWN them, deepen them, and expand them- all of them. This book will be my gift to you. An invitation to empower your leadership, awaken your greatness, and finally turn your imposter syndrome into your superpower so you may create more authority, influence, and impact right now.
Toss those shoulders back proudly, lady. (Or as Mrs. Maisel would say: “Tits Out!”) You are an inspirational female leader who is changing the course of history. You ARE history. This is your story. It’s time we write it.
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Ready to claim your space, trust yourself, and empower your leadership to new levels? Join me for my monthly Empowered Hour, where you’ll be a part of a beautiful think tank of other powerful women in leadership roles looking to level up their leadership. You’re never alone, and help is never far away. I’ve got you.
A SHORT LIST OF INSPIRING WOMEN IN MALE-DOMINATED INDUSTRIES FEATURED IN BOOKS
Katherine Johnson– A mathematician whose calculations of orbital mechanics as a NASA employee were critical to the success of the first and subsequent U.S. manned spaceflights. Her story is one of the central narratives in the book Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly.
Arlan Hamilton– A queer African American woman who founded Backstage Capital, a venture capital firm dedicated to minimizing funding disparities in tech by investing in high-potential founders who are people of color, women, and/or LGBT. Her journey is chronicled in It's About Damn Time: How to Turn Being Underestimated into Your Greatest Advantage by Arlan Hamilton and Rachel L. Nelson.
Edith Clarke– Clarke was the first woman to earn an electrical engineering degree from MIT and the first female professor of electrical engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. Her pioneering work paved the way for women in engineering. Her story is included in broader works about women in STEM, such as Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky.
Mae Jemison– The first African American woman to travel in space when she went into orbit aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour on September 12, 1992. Her autobiography, Find Where the Wind Goes: Moments from My Life, provides insights into her life and career.
Reshma Saujani– The founder of Girls Who Code, a non-profit organization aiming to close the gender gap in technology. Her book, Brave, Not Perfect: Fear Less, Fail More, and Live Bolder, shares her journey and the lessons learned along the way.
Ellen Ochoa- A veteran astronaut and the first Hispanic woman to go to space when she served on a nine-day mission aboard the shuttle Discovery in 1993. Her contributions are detailed in several books and publications celebrating women in space and STEM.
Geisha Williams– The first Latina CEO of a Fortune 500 company, PG&E Corporation. Her groundbreaking career is explored in business and leadership books focusing on women and diversity in the corporate world.
