Can I say something gently, the way I would if we were sitting across from each other with an almond milk latte? If you’ve ever walked out of a meeting thinking, “Dang it. I should have said that,” you’re not alone.

Let’s cut the crap. You’ve been told (directly or indirectly) that if you want to lead at the next level, you need to “work on your executive presence.”

There’s a pattern in corporate leadership that most people don’t talk about. When a company is in trouble—facing financial downturns, scandals, or leadership failures—women are more likely to be promoted into senior leadership roles.

As a senior woman leader in STEM, you likely face unique challenges that test your confidence daily. You might be over-prepared for meetings or reluctant to share your ideas.

Today, I’m back to kick up the dust on leadership and walk you through one aspect of my new Legacy Leader Framework (as we started to discuss in the last post)–authentic leadership. But before we go jumping on that horse and riding toward the new frontier of authentic, inspiring, and impactful leadership, I want to make sure you’re picking up what I’m laying down, partner.

May is mental health awareness month, and we must talk about it. I’ve learned this the hard way. In this month’s blog post, I’m here to advocate for a different and better way forward. A way that encourages us to de-stigmatize talking about mental health and to advocate for ourselves and others.

This one is for you–a powerful woman leader in STEM. I see you sitting in your power suit around the ‘big boy’ table. I see you. But do they?

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.)

You’re more than your corner office, your role, your title. I want you to consider that for a moment. When was the last time you really took the time to think about who you are outside of your professional identity and accomplishments?

In last month’s blog post, I encouraged you to make this new year a banner year for your leadership. To toss aside the rulebooks you never wrote and the playbooks that weren’t ever really yours. This year is about stepping into your next level of leadership, not defined by anyone else but you.

As we gear up for another year, let's talk about something near and dear to my heart and absolutely critical to the future of the world (yes, the WHOLE world)–the incredible power and unstoppable rise of female leadership in male-dominated industries. And let’s just pause for a moment to acknowledge and celebrate that you're not just part of this movement; you're at its forefront!

Has it been just one more year and one more round of playing small in a man’s world? Has it been another umpteen months of your brilliant ideas being hijacked? I’m looking at you, Powerhouse. If this is how your year has been–aren’t you tired of watching from the sidelines while your brilliance and light get snuffed out or overlooked altogether?

Today, let’s talk about resilience in the “Boy’s Club”–yeah, I’m looking at you STEM (science, tech, engineering, and mathematics.)

Dear, Brilliant, Powerful, and Achieved One, You belong exactly where you are. In the role you’ve worked so hard for. Around the table with the other executives and C-level leaders. I know it may not feel like that a lot of the time. But whatever garbage you’re listening to inside your head, it’s just that. Garbage. Rotten bologna. Bullshit, honestly. It’s not real.