What “Fake It ‘Til You Make It” Really Means
I often hear the term “fake it until you make it” - usually in relation to a woman who does not feel confident in her own abilities. In fact, I recently used that term when mentoring a young woman. She was hired by a new client who was really stretching her beyond...
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As Women’s History Month comes to a close, I thought I would share what I learned from a panel discussion of women leaders from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Research Institute for a panel discussion called “Trailblazing Women at CHOP.” I was...
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Women will strike on March 8 for “A Day Without a Woman”
Amy Bell Hou is a writer, early childhood educator and mother living in Oakland. She is a co-founder of Drop Leaf Press, a women-operated poetry press based in San Francisco. March 8 is International Women’s Day. It’s also a day that multiple organizations for the...
read moreA Heels of Success Story
So often, I receive heartfelt messages from readers of this blog either thanking me for writing or telling me about a particular post they enjoyed. Recently, I heard from a CHOP employee, Julia Wicoff, who told me about how reading my blog lead her to advocate on...
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How to Conquer Your Biggest Business Fear: Tips for Public Speaking
Public speaking is among one of the most commonly cited fears. Even among the most confident leaders and those who consider themselves to be experts, there are many opportunities to improve. In my role as CEO, I am frequently called upon to speak in front of others....
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The Female Future: Part 2
This is the second of a two-part guest blog post by Heels of Success collaborator, Kaitlin Cleary. She interviewed young professional women asking the following questions: Are you optimistic about the next generation of female leaders? Where do you get your motivation...
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The Female Future: Guest Blog by Kaitlin Cleary
It’s an interesting time to be a 30-something woman. This election has left me, like many others, worried over the progress we’ve made in terms of gender equality (equality in general, really). I was raised to be a feminist, though I don’t think the word was ever used...
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Practical Tips for Women
Sharing personal stories, struggles or achievements is a great way to support each other as women, but sometimes it’s important to focus on practical advice for everyday situations. No matter how much equality we achieve in the workplace, there will always be certain...
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Create an Elevator Speech
I recently had the opportunity to meet two very impressive women at an event (as I often do!). During the course of the conversation we began to discuss the events surrounding the Presidential election. One of the women told me that she had the opportunity to follow...
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Mentally Preparing to be the Only Woman in the Room
[Photo courtesy of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia] I’m on a train heading from Philadelphia to New York City for a meeting with a group of high-powered people in the healthcare industry. As usual, I’m taking time to review the attendee list and go over notes...
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Why Are Business Women Still Called “Girls?”
I often observe things in a business setting that remind me how far we still have to go. Most times, they are subconscious behaviors or comments made without negative intentions. Nevertheless, they catch my attention. A couple of weeks ago, I attended a meeting held...
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How Values Trump Experience in Leadership
Photo by Jeff Fusco I took a bit of a break due to a trip to the summer Olympics in Rio and a 9-day trip to London. Now that I am back from that travel, I plan to update the blog more regularly! Over the summer I guided an older gentleman on a tour of CHOP. He had a...
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Gendered Listening
I want to share an article I found to be particularly interesting, though not surprising. It's called, "How Unconscious Bias is Affecting our Ability to Listen" and appeared in Fast Company earlier this week, written by Vivian Giang. Research is showing yet another...
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Sue Bell Yank on Salaries, Social Capital, and Finding Your People
Sue Bell Yank is an arts organizer and writes about social practice in contemporary art. She has worked on the Watts House Project and was formerly the Assistant Director of Academic Programs at the Hammer Museum and the Director for Online Education at the Oprah...
read moreTeaching Confidence
One of the topics I'm asked about most often by younger women is confidence -- how to gain more, project more, BE more. There are tons of articles on confidence -- everything from body language to visualization techniques and more. A lack of confidence seems to be...
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An Important Milestone
[Photo: kcesledd] Philadelphia, a place of many firsts, will provide the backdrop for yet another important milestone – the first Presidential nomination of a woman by a major party. At a time when women still experience pay disparity and serious lack of...
read moreWomen, Confidence and Warmth
I wanted to share this article from the Harvard Business Review, "To Seem Confident, Women Have to be Seen as Warm." It details a fascinating study which suggests that, in order to be viewed as confident (read: worthy of promotion), women need to display not only...
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Is Our Facade More Important Than Our Content?
Last week I attended a conference for corporate directors. The attendees included those who are on corporate boards, CEOs and executives. After the opening session broke, there was a line for the women’s restroom. While waiting, I struck up a conversation with a few...
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