What does being an influential woman mean to me?
Influence is built on trust, meaningful relationships, and empowering others to recognize their own potential.
What Does Being an Influential Woman Mean to Me?
To me, being influential isn't about having the most senior title in the room or being the loudest voice. It's about having credibility, building meaningful relationships, and using your experience and perspective to make a positive impact on the people around you.
I've spent much of my career building bridges between people—sales, finance, operations, executives, partners, and customers. Those experiences have taught me that influence is built on trust. When people know that you listen, understand their perspective, and genuinely have their best interests in mind, you can have a tremendous amount of influence.
Sometimes the most influential person in the room isn't the one doing the most talking. It's the person who brings people together, asks the right questions, creates alignment, and helps others see what is possible.
I've also come to believe that influence isn't something you keep for yourself. One of the most important ways women can be influential is by helping other women recognize their own potential. Throughout my career, I've benefited from people who believed in me, challenged me, opened doors for me, or simply gave me the confidence to take the next step. Those moments can have a lasting impact. Sometimes all someone needs is another person to say, "I see something in you. Go for it."
That is something I try to pay forward. I believe we have a responsibility to create space for other women to grow, whether that's through mentoring, making an introduction, sharing an experience, advocating for someone's ideas, or encouraging them to pursue an opportunity they may not yet see themselves as ready for.
You don't have to have all the answers or be at the top of an organization to make a difference in someone's career. You can influence through the small moments—by listening, encouraging, advocating, and being willing to share what you've learned.
I also think influential women have an opportunity to redefine what leadership looks like. Influence doesn't have to mean being the most assertive person in the room. It can look like empathy, collaboration, resilience, curiosity, and the ability to bring different perspectives together. Those qualities aren't signs of weakness; they are powerful leadership skills.
For me, the greatest measure of influence isn't how many people know my name or what title appears on my business card. It's whether I've helped make someone else's path a little easier, given someone the confidence to take a chance on themselves, or brought people together to accomplish something they couldn't have accomplished alone.
If I can use my experience, relationships, and voice to help other people succeed—and especially to help other women see their own possibilities—that, to me, is what being an influential woman is all about.
