Women are going through it at work
Over the past year, 73 leaders have gone through Leading Through Complexity, my 10-week signature leadership development program that launched this year. That number still kind of blows my mind!
And while I’ve kept the cohorts coed in the past, I decided that this fall, I wanted to try something new.
For the very first time, I opened a public cohort of Leading Through Complexity (LTC) for women only!
I wanted every woman to feel comfortable sharing the challenges they uniquely face at work—the ones that don’t always get spoken out loud or posted on LinkedIn.
At the beginning of LTC, I asked each woman to share something about their current work experience…
...and what came forward wasn’t polished résumés or LinkedIn headlines...
It was vulnerable and real, and I’m sharing it with you in this safe space today.
Here’s what women leaders are carrying right now
Six of the women said they feel like the “fixer,” aka the one who picks up every leftover task, leaving them stretched thin & exhausted.
Four are job hunting, reevaluating, or questioning if their current path still makes sense. They consider themselves “in transition.”
One woman said leadership turnover has left her trying to steady her team while she feels adrift herself.
And another admitted she’s been making sure everyone else has their oxygen mask on and forgot to put on her own.
At the heart of so many of these honest confessions is the same longing: The desire to do work that matters, to feel energized instead of drained, and to walk away with tools you can actually use instead of inspirational quotes that disappear by Monday.
Hearing these stories from women in leadership reminded me that while the weight is real, so is the power of shared experiences.
And that’s where female friendship comes in 🫶🏻🤍✨
Leadership Lessons from Famous Female Friendships
Think about Rachel, Monica, and Phoebe in Friends. Rachel never would have made it through her messy twenties without Monica’s steady pragmatism and Phoebe’s offbeat wisdom.
Or The Golden Girls—Dorothy, Rose, Blanche, and Sophia proved that friendship can make you laugh through grief, change, and just about anything else.
This is the power of female friendships. They’re fuel for courage, growth, and resilience. Especially when it comes to women in leadership!
Even in the latest Netflix movie phenominium, Kpop Demon Hunters, Rumi, Mira and Zoey (the three main protagonists) highlight the power of female friendship in the way they work together as a Kpop girl group AND take down the bad guys (aka the demons).
Long story long, the point is this: You need other women around YOU who can be there for and with you as you navigate the inevitable transitions in your life, career & leadership.
Which is why my challenge to you this week is to find one small way to cultivate these kinds of friendships in your own career and life.
Maybe you reach out to that colleague you think is really cool and schedule a lunch chat…
Maybe you call up your bestie who you’ve been playing phone tag with and finally have the yap session you’ve been craving…
Or maybe you start exploring communities or groups you can join to meet like-minded people...(ahem, Pivot Point my private network for women making bold moves in their careers might be just what you need 😉)
I promise you the time, effort, and energy will be worth it, because life and work matter so much more when people you care about are by your side.
So I hope you take a page from my LTC cohort and even my own entrepreneurship journey, and start prioritizing getting in community with people who get you and who will have your back. It matters.
Until next time,
— Brittany