In honor of International Women’s Day, a question was posed “Who is a woman who’s made an impact on your career?”
Impact isn’t always a straight line. Sometimes, it starts with a push.
When I was 19, I had a technical science internship at a major corporation. I loved the work, my mentors, and the high-stakes responsibilities. I was commuting 90 minutes to school after work and 60 minutes from my home – I was deeply committed. But ‘everything changed’ when a new female manager arrived. Within months, I went from consistently “exceeding expectations” to being called into HR for fabricated allegations of insubordination and subpar performance.
I had a choice: Retreat or Amplify.
I chose to contest every word. I demanded an investigation based on my track record. When HR found the accusations were entirely unfounded, I learned my first major career lesson:
Integrity and Excellence are your best armor
That “risk mitigation” move by HR landed me in a new department under an incredible leader, Bobbi Chapin. Bobbi wasn’t a scientist or a technologist, but she was a master of empowerment. She didn’t see a “threat” in a young, ambitious intern—she saw a partner. She gave me the autonomy to own enterprise-level projects, build training systems from scratch, and interview dozens of employees to bridge the gap between technical data and human performance.
That early contrast shaped my entire leadership philosophy:
- Courage is a Muscle: Standing up for myself then gave me the voice to bring up “hard topics” now and have the backs of those being bullied today.
- Hire Smarter Than Yourself: You don’t hire talent to control it; you hire it to be the maker of the future.
- Lifting as You Lead: True leadership is about being a “Bobbi”—someone who isn’t threatened by brilliance but fueled by it.
Today, I’m grateful for the manager who tried to quiet me—she’s the reason I learned to speak up. And I’m forever grateful for Bobbi, who taught me how to use that voice to lift others.
Happy International Women’s Day to the mentors, the challengers, and the women who make us better 💪 👏
