Hey Leader,
The data says something very different.
The new McKinsey & Lean In report found that 80% of women want to be promoted to the next level, compared to 86% of men.
That’s the stat that made the headlines.
But here’s what got buried.
When women receive the same career support as men, the ambition gap disappears.
Read that again.
The gap isn’t about women wanting less. It’s about women getting less.
Less sponsorship
Less access to stretch assignments
Less investment in their development
Less benefit of the doubt
And when career support for women actually exists? Women show up just as hungry for the next level. That “ambition gap” completely disappears.
Which raises a fundamental question:
Why are we running headlines that blame women instead of the systems failing them?
Because “Women Lack Ambition” gets clicks. “Companies Aren’t Supporting Women” requires accountability.
So here’s the shift worth making.
Stop asking why women aren’t raising their hands. Start asking what you’re doing to make raising hands worth it.
Our ambition was never the problem. The environment is.
If this hit a nerve, reply “Yes” and tell me one kind of support that would actually make raising your hand worth it.
Lead boldly, live fully, & don’t forget to breathe.
In your corner,
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Scroll-Stoppers
This week’s most valuable scroll-worthy stuff, from tools to truth bombs!
The McKinsey & Lean In Women in the Workplace Report. The data everyone’s quoting, and the part most headlines skipped.
The anti‑materialist Christmas rituals around the world that swap gifts for meaning. A look at how different cultures are redefining connection, generosity, and what actually matters this season.
Want to future-proof your job? Start protecting your focus time. Why uninterrupted thinking time isn’t a nice-to-have anymore and how constant interruption quietly erodes impact.
Try This Today
Notice where support is missing.
Pay attention to one place where you’re expected to perform without backup, visibility, or advocacy. That gap often explains why growth feels slower than effort. Start noting these for conversations with a mentor, sponsor, colleague, or coach. You don’t have to navigate your career alone.
Name the invisible work.
Write down one thing you regularly do that keeps things running but isn’t recognized or rewarded. Decide whether it actually needs to stay on your plate. (Especially since women do more non-promotable work than men!)
Ask yourself a “pause” question.
In your next meeting or decision, pause and ask: “What would make this worth raising my hand for?” That question helps you choose work that moves your career forward, instead of simply keeping things afloat.
Mini Interview
Interviews I recorded with women leaders at CultureCon who are redefining what leadership looks like.
Heather Stewart
Director, Employee Learning & Development
Q: How would you explain what you do to a 4‑year‑old?
“I’m a teacher who isn’t in school anymore. I teach people who have jobs.”
Q: What do you wish more women in leadership knew?
“That being kind is the easiest part of the job, and your authentic self is the right self to be.”
Q: What lights you up outside of work?
Walking 75 miles on the Camino, lifting three days a week, planning the next adventure, and collecting stories worth telling.
Q: How do you protect your energy as a leader?
“I’m an introverted extrovert. I can turn it on when I have to, but like electronics, when I get plugged in, you can’t touch me. If my team needs something I can’t give right then, I tell them: ‘I can, but not right now.’ No guilt. Just honesty.”
Heather is her own favorite subject, not in an arrogant way, but in a grounded, self‑knowing way.
She leads with honesty, intention, and a refusal to shrink. And when she takes up space, her team learns they can too.
What would happen if you were your own favorite subject and showed up this way?
Your Power Reframe
Because what you believe shapes how you live & lead.
This Sparked Something
Little joys, leadership sparks, & random things we’re loving this week!
Unexpected joy: This week, we’ll be celebrating Teeny Tiny Christmas, aka Christmas Eve‑eve, making gingerbread cookies with my and TJ’s families. The amount of joy this fills me with is unreal. ~Alli
Joy move: We’re going Christmas shopping this week! We’re cooking a full Filipino holiday spread for Christmas Eve - spaghetti, chicken, fruit salad, and hot dogs on sticks with marshmallows 🎄 ~Pau
Little delight that made me laugh: Moose got his own stocking this year, and he’s very prepared to unwrap presents… considering he already opened two that weren’t his. Whoops! ~Alli
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