A lot of people took to the podium on March 26, 2024. But in the days that followed, leadership showed up where it mattered most. Out of view. When a

At 23, I was making $7/hour with no benefits. I didn’t even know what benefits were. I answered an ad for customer service reps at T. Rowe Price. The hiring

“Her story attracts scrutiny.” That’s what a journalist once wrote about me — and he was right, though his reason couldn’t have been more wrong. But I had been here

Recently, I had the honor of speaking at an Influence Circle Dinner in Tysons Corner, Northern Virginia—an experience that reminded me of one powerful truth: Showing up is everything. Erika

Resourcefulness got me into an MBA program without finishing high school or college, helped me build a venture-backed tech startup, and helped me prove my own story after a journalist

Some people start with every advantage. Others start with almost none — and still succeed. When Jason Virts was removed from his home as an infant under unimaginable circumstances, and

When Stacey Smith asked me to speak at a women’s leadership event, I said yes—because I was curious. Curious about the theme, the audience, and what she had in mind.

You know the drill. You walk into a silent auction saying, “I’m just here to support the cause.” Next thing you know, you’re the proud owner of a basket of

As we close out International Women’s Month, I want to reflect on a few pivotal moments in my career that made me realize being a woman often required more from

As we close out International Women’s Month, I want to reflect on a few pivotal moments in my career that made me realize being a woman often required more from

Remember the days when you could just pick up the phone, ask for something, and get it without all the red tape? Those days seem long gone… Last week, I

Sometimes we don’t need a New Year’s resolution, we need to just move forward. On this day three years ago, I was launching a new chapter in my career. Which

I bet you never thought I’d be asking this question but here goes… Does anyone in LinkedIn need to update their Java legacy system? One of the coolest things I

“I can’t work for a woman.” I’m not sure he meant for it to come out, although he had been dropping hints for awhile, but those were the words said

The first step toward change is to own it. I had a conversation with my son, as he prepares to leave for college, about how he would like to do

#BetOnYourself. For me, this meant cashing in my savings (including my 401k) to pay my bills, and paying my mortgage on a credit card…so that I could run a start-up

Every week, I mentor students and faculty at University of Maryland who want to be entrepreneurs. I’ve probably done hundreds of slide deck reviews in my career…and I have opinions.

🚨 True story from Detroit — I asked three different twenty-somethings for directions to a restaurant two blocks away!Google Maps was spinning because of the tall buildings, so I figured

My first job as CEO came with zero salary.I had to raise money not just for myself — but for the whole founding team. That wasn’t the plan. I’d dreamed

I almost left a negative comment on a recent VC advice post. Something I usually don’t do. The author insisted that founders should “lay down the law” on what terms

One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned in both business and life is that location matters. When I was 21, I landed my first job that wasn’t as a