Women Killing It!

Diana Burley, PhD, is a globally recognized cyber security expert, a professor at George Washington University, and Executive Director and Chair of the Institute for Information Infrastructure Protection. She has testified before Congress and authored books on cyber security. Diana had to get used to being the lone woman of color in the room throughout her career. But she views her different voice as crucial to protecting critical infrastructure, as security systems built by people with one perspective are more vulnerable to attack -- hackers are diverse after all! Listen for her inspiring story of following her passion and learning to get her impact recognized.

Megan Reilly Cayten is the founder of Catrinka, an ethical fashion and accessories brand with a mission to both empower women financially and educate girls. She personally works with skilled female artisans in India and Mexico, who reinvest the income they earn in their children and communities. Proceeds also fund the education of indigenous Mayan girls in Guatemala. Megan shares her career path of working in infrastructure finance, her experiences of being the first woman to hold many different positions and being the only woman in the room, and her tips for finding what brings you energy and happiness.

Kristy Wallace is President of Ellevate Newtwork, a global professional women's network with the mission of closing the gender achievement gap in business. She also hosts the Ellevate Podcast, having "conversations with women changing the face of business." On this episode, Kristy shares the wisdom she has learned from the women she meets, as well as lessons learned in her own career. Before coming to Ellevate, Kristy founded one tech startup and served on the leadership of another, always doing what she loved. Learn how Kristy crafts her career with intention, takes time to nourish herself, and juggles motherhood of three little ones in the process.

Felecia Hatcher is an Entrepreneur, Author, Speaker and Mom, who now dedicates her talents to promoting inclusive innovation. She co-founded Code Fever and BlackTech Week when she noticed that startup programs and resources in Miami were not "crossing the tracks." Previously, she held the title of Chief Popsicle at Feverish Ice Cream, a gourmet popsicle company she started with her husband that counted several Fortune 500 companies as clients. Felecia is working to get everyone a seat at the tech table - or to empower others to create their own table if need be. She shares lessons learned on her path to being epic!

Join me for Part Two of my interview with Liz Wallace and Hana Schank, co-authors of The Ambition Interviews published in The Atlantic. Liz and Hana talk further about the lessons learned from studying nearly 40 of their classmates' career trajectories, including the choices women make at different life stages and the importance of playing the long game in your career.

Hana Schank and Elizabeth Wallace interviewed nearly 40 women who were their classmates at Northwestern University in the early 90s to see what had become of their career ambitions in the intervening years. They wrote a seven essay series in The Atlantic, called The Ambition Interviews, that synthesizes the challenges these women faced, the choices they made, and sheds light on the obstacles that still stand in women's way. We discuss their thoughts on The Ambition Interviews in a two part series. Stay tuned next week for part two!

Sheryl Victor Levy is the founder of Savvy Strategy, a digital consulting firm specializing in content and social media strategy. She describes her career path as going from glamour - think jobs at MTV and VH1 - to purpose. Cause marketing is her new passion, as she uses her skills to promote worthy causes like NYC's BigApps competition. Learn from Sheryl's boldness in negotiating, pitching, and getting what she wants out of life.

Hira Ali is the founder of three companies, ED Management Consulting, Advancing Your Potential, and Revitalize and Rise. She has trained and coached women in Pakistan, Dubai, and London and says women face universal challenges at work. Get inspired by Hira's positive message that we can all play a part in bringing an "avalanche of hope."

I'm done leaving power on the table, and that's why I want you to take the third Women Killing It Challenge - Strive for the Impossible. Our views of what is possible limit what we can achieve, so throw out the notion of impossibility! I talk about the role "possibility" has played in the careers of the amazing women I've interviewed.

Accomplished journalist and co-author of A Different Mindset: Why the Economy is Becoming More Feminine talks about why women's involvement in business is critical for economic prosperity. Rather than being a zero-sum game, women's contributions to the economy create more wealth and improvement for all. Equality in the workplace, then, is not a "women's issue" but rather everyone's issue. Listen for amazing stories - like what happened in Iceland when women took control - and Deborah's unique perspective as an american living in Germany.