The data tells a story that too many women know by heart.

One in three women has considered leaving the workforce or downshifting their career in the past year. Six in ten women in senior leadership report feeling constantly burned out. Women make up only 29% of C-suite roles, and for the first time in recent history, women are reporting less interest in advancing than men—not because they're less ambitious, but because the path forward feels increasingly impossible.

The problem isn't a lack of talent or dedication. It's systemic.

Women receive less sponsorship than men at every career level. Only 31% of entry-level women have a sponsor compared to 45% of men. Even when women do everything "right"—getting the education, building the career, checking all the boxes—they're still navigating workplaces where opportunities aren't equal and the cost of simply staying in the game can be devastating.

Here in New York City, women earn 88 cents for every dollar men earn, with the gap even wider for women of color. Agencies employing predominantly women consistently show median salaries below the city workforce average. The result? Brilliant, accomplished women moving through their days on autopilot, living lives dictated by obligation rather than intention.

This isn't a "women's issue." It's an economic, social, and cultural challenge that demands real solutions—not just conversations.

That's why I do this work.