What happens when you add people from Venus to a boardroom traditionally filled with people from Mars? In her new book When Women Lead, Julia Boorstin, CNBC’s Senior Media and Tech Correspondent, answers this question. The results are so profound that every woman, father of a daughter, business owner, and yes, even a misogynist investor will want to read it.
Boorstin has interviewed top CEOs around the globe for years. The Pandemic allowed her to sit down and write about some of her findings. As Boorstin tells it, “Originally, I was going to write about the inspirational women entrepreneurs and CEOs I had interviewed, but when I started to delve into the data, it was so compelling, I had to include that in the book.”
In 2021, female-founded companies in the United States were awarded just two percent of venture capital deals and the checks written to male-owned companies were significantly larger. This is just the beginning of the deep dive Boorstin takes the reader on as she exposes the reality of gender discrimination, workplace misconduct, and the existing imbalanced power ratio. There is no sugar coating. Boorstin is pragmatic in her reporting, even acknowledging the significant toll on society that has resulted from not including and supporting women leaders.
What’s different about this book, however, is that Boorstin has found and shared the stories of women who have broken through these hurdles. Some names are familiar, like Reese Witherspoon and Gwyneth Paltrow. The names and stories go far beyond white privileged women and span a variety of industries.
Today, women are shedding the shame of wanting their financial share of the pie and building profitable companies that have social missions for good. Take the mother-daughter team, Melissa and Linda Hanna for example. Linda Hanna, a Registered Nurse and founder of a mobile lactation consulting service, My Nursing Coach, has helped countless new moms learn how to feed their infants. When her daughter, Melissa, recognized the amazing impact her mother had on women from all walks of life, and the endless calls her mother was receiving, she recognized the need for a way to offer this essential care and knowledge to more women, with greater efficiency. Melissa utilized her knowledge as an MBA student, to create a platform to capture all the elements of the business, partners, and needs of the users into a company called, Mahmee. In 2021, Mahmee was one of the few women-owned companies awarded Venture Capital dollars to the tune of 9.2 million dollars in a series A investment.
Investing in women-owned and led companies is becoming of greater interest to investors not necessarily because of what their companies do, but as Boorstin bluntly puts it, they are making money. Savvy women leaders are aware of this, and finding ways to navigate the delicate balance between creating a company with an important intention to them and making money doing it.
What do people from Venus offer that those from Mars don’t? Boorstin shares evidence-based information on what women, and those who identify as women, bring to the table and how that amplifies the success of businesses.
In a world that often feels like it is in a state of chaos, When Women Lead, provides not only hope for a better world, but examples of women who are creating healthier, more sustainable, and more inclusive companies that will benefit all of us. For those ready to take on the challenge to be the next successful women leader, the book includes resources and strategies that can help navigate the journey to the top.
Our Universe is filled with diverse wonder and is home to us all. Let’s realign the planets here on earth for the good of all of us.
Order When Women Lead Today: LINK. Be sure to encourage your friends, families, colleagues, and perhaps even your bosses to pick up a copy as well. This would also make a great book club pick! Leave a review on your favorite bookstore website.
Boorstin has interviewed top CEOs around the globe for years. The Pandemic allowed her to sit down and write about some of her findings. As Boorstin tells it, “Originally, I was going to write about the inspirational women entrepreneurs and CEOs I had interviewed, but when I started to delve into the data, it was so compelling, I had to include that in the book.”
In 2021, female-founded companies in the United States were awarded just two percent of venture capital deals and the checks written to male-owned companies were significantly larger. This is just the beginning of the deep dive Boorstin takes the reader on as she exposes the reality of gender discrimination, workplace misconduct, and the existing imbalanced power ratio. There is no sugar coating. Boorstin is pragmatic in her reporting, even acknowledging the significant toll on society that has resulted from not including and supporting women leaders.
What’s different about this book, however, is that Boorstin has found and shared the stories of women who have broken through these hurdles. Some names are familiar, like Reese Witherspoon and Gwyneth Paltrow. The names and stories go far beyond white privileged women and span a variety of industries.
Today, women are shedding the shame of wanting their financial share of the pie and building profitable companies that have social missions for good. Take the mother-daughter team, Melissa and Linda Hanna for example. Linda Hanna, a Registered Nurse and founder of a mobile lactation consulting service, My Nursing Coach, has helped countless new moms learn how to feed their infants. When her daughter, Melissa, recognized the amazing impact her mother had on women from all walks of life, and the endless calls her mother was receiving, she recognized the need for a way to offer this essential care and knowledge to more women, with greater efficiency. Melissa utilized her knowledge as an MBA student, to create a platform to capture all the elements of the business, partners, and needs of the users into a company called, Mahmee. In 2021, Mahmee was one of the few women-owned companies awarded Venture Capital dollars to the tune of 9.2 million dollars in a series A investment.
Investing in women-owned and led companies is becoming of greater interest to investors not necessarily because of what their companies do, but as Boorstin bluntly puts it, they are making money. Savvy women leaders are aware of this, and finding ways to navigate the delicate balance between creating a company with an important intention to them and making money doing it.
What do people from Venus offer that those from Mars don’t? Boorstin shares evidence-based information on what women, and those who identify as women, bring to the table and how that amplifies the success of businesses.
In a world that often feels like it is in a state of chaos, When Women Lead, provides not only hope for a better world, but examples of women who are creating healthier, more sustainable, and more inclusive companies that will benefit all of us. For those ready to take on the challenge to be the next successful women leader, the book includes resources and strategies that can help navigate the journey to the top.
Our Universe is filled with diverse wonder and is home to us all. Let’s realign the planets here on earth for the good of all of us.
Order When Women Lead Today: LINK. Be sure to encourage your friends, families, colleagues, and perhaps even your bosses to pick up a copy as well. This would also make a great book club pick! Leave a review on your favorite bookstore website.
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