Dear Reader,

A few weeks ago, I facilitated a leadership event for women working across a global tech company. Participants joined from different countries, backgrounds, and levels of leadership.

We spent time talking about some of the hidden pressures women often carry, particularly in male-dominated environments.

➡️ The pressure to prove ourselves.

➡️ The pressure to get everything right.

➡️ The pressure to be ambitious, but not too ambitious.

➡️ The pressure to excel at work while also managing responsibilities outside of it.

As participants shared their experiences, it became clear that while the details can vary by culture, career stage, and circumstances, many of the underlying themes felt surprisingly similar.

Then we shifted the conversation.

Instead of focusing on the pressures, I asked a simple question:

Who’s a woman who helped open a door for you?

The energy in the room changed immediately.

Names started being spoken out loud.

Stories emerged about managers who advocated for promotions, colleagues who offered encouragement during difficult moments, leaders who took a chance on someone before they felt ready, and mentors who helped others see strengths they couldn't yet see in themselves.

It was one of the most moving parts of the entire session.

Because while comparison often gets a lot of attention, collaboration is what people remember.

❌ Not the woman who got the promotion.

❌ Not the woman who was chosen to speak to the Board.

❌ Not the woman with the impressive title.

The women they remembered were:

✅ The ones who helped them grow.

✅ The ones who shared information.

✅ The ones who spoke their names in rooms they weren't in.

✅ The ones who said, "I think you're ready," before they believed it themselves.

It was a reminder that thriving is not a solo act.

Most of us can point to someone who made our path a little easier, a little clearer, or a little less lonely.

The question is:

Who might be saying your name in a room you're not in?

And just as importantly:

Whose name could you be saying?

Because sometimes the smallest act of support creates opportunities we never get to see.

And sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is hold the door open for the woman coming behind us.

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With ease, Tracy

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