This photo was taken on December 23, 2007, and captures me beginning the search for a role in corporate America. At the time, I could not have imagined the realities many women would continue to face years later. I entered that chapter with optimism, hope, and a belief that effort and competence would naturally be met with opportunity.
What I know now, through lived experience, leadership roles, and research, is that individual ambition is only part of the story. Systems, culture, and support shape outcomes just as much as individual effort.
As we enter the holiday season, a new landmark report offers important context for why care, resilience, and daily grounding matter more than ever. The newly released Women in the Workplace 2025 report from McKinsey and Lean In draws on data from hundreds of organizations and thousands of employees, and its findings are both illuminating and sobering.
A few key insights stand out.
Progress toward gender equity remains fragile. Many organizations are pulling back on leadership development, sponsorship, and flexible work. For the first time since the report began, researchers identified a measurable ambition gap, with fewer women expressing interest in promotions, largely due to exhaustion, burnout, and lack of support.
The report makes clear that what we often label as a personal struggle is frequently a systemic one. Burnout is highest among women doing the most emotional and relational labor, particularly in people-facing, caregiving, and support roles. This essential work remains undervalued and underprotected.
The broken rung into management still matters. When women are underrepresented at the first leadership step, everything above it becomes harder to reach.
The report also offers some hope. When women receive the same encouragement, mentorship, and advocacy as men, differences in ambition disappear. Manager quality now plays a decisive role in well-being, belonging, and performance.
In other words, care shapes capacity. When support is present, women stay engaged, and when it is lacking, even the most capable and committed of us begin to pull back.
This is why Courageous Being exists. I want the young woman in the photo to remain hopeful. Our work brings attention to presence in practice, so women can sustain their capacity, care about their own well-being and stay connected to themselves while moving through demanding environments.