13 Female-led Resources that Will Empower your Career
We’ve curated a list of some of the most inspirational (and practical) resources created by women on career issues ranging from knowing your worth at work to becoming a courageous leader. Here’s our pick of the best podcasts, books, organisations, resources and talks by women, for women.
Inspirational women and female-led organisations
Sheryl Sandberg
Sheryl Kara Sandberg is the former Chief Operating Officer of Meta Platforms and founder of leanin.org. Sheryl worked at Meta while pregnant when she realised there wasn’t any special parking for expectant mothers at their sprawling car park. She asked her boss to create closer pregnancy parking, and her boss said yes immediately. Why had the idea never occurred to him before? Quite simply, it wasn’t on his radar. Sheryl believes we need “more women in leadership roles giving a strong and powerful voice to their needs and concerns" - and has since written books and built resources designed to do just that.
Follow her on Instagram
Leanin.org
Lean In helps women achieve their ambitions and helps companies build inclusive workplaces where women of all identities are supported and empowered. They give women the support and skills to navigate bias and lean into their strengths - including a free platform for peer mentorship, skill building, and inspiration. They also give companies the tools to ensure women have equal opportunities to advance and feel valued in their workplace.
Check out their Instagram and website.
Sanna Marin
Sanna Marin is the Prime Minster of Finland and a global advocate for equal rights. Speaking of her childhood being raised by same-sex parents, Sanna explains how her “background influenced how I see society and equality between people. But it’s not because I’m from a rainbow family that I’m in politics. I’m in politics because I thought that the older generation wasn’t doing enough about the big issues of the future. I needed to act. I couldn’t just think it’s somebody else’s job.” —Time, 2020.
She’s been praised for the humanising way she’s dealt with the media’s attempts to discredit her authority and is a symbol of feminist achievement.
Follow her on Instagram.
Laura McGrath
Laura McGrath is the founder of Lola&Lykke, a Finland-founded Femtech company that’s making a noise in a growing market. They envision a world where maternal care is safe and accessible for everyone: where mothers do not merely survive but thrive - supporting the transition to motherhood through their technology-driven products and support services, such as a free online healthcare advisory service. Laura is an inspirational entrepreneur making a positive impact on society.
Learn more about Lola&Lykke and follow Laura McGrath on LinkedIn.
Podcasts
Dare to Lead
Brene Brown is the author of six #1 New York Times best sellers and host of the original podcasts Unlocking Us and Dare to Lead. Her Ted Talk, ‘The power of vulnerability’, is one of the most viewed talks in the world. Dare to Lead is a podcast that taps into the minds of change-catalysts, culture-shifters, and troublemakers who dare to innovate, create and lead. Brene’s Dare To Lead hub offers training, assessments and resources to help people become brave and courageous leaders.
Listen to the Dare To Lead podcast or visit the Dare To Lead Hub.
The Career Contenssa Podcast
A weekly advice podcast focused on women, work, and all the answers to your career questions so you can be more fulfilled, healthy, and successful at work. A new episode is released each Tuesday to help you progress in your career. They uncover hush-hush topics like how to talk about salary at work and demystify common career advice.
Listen to The Career Contenssa Podcast.
HBR’s Women at Work
Women face gender discrimination throughout our careers. It doesn't have to derail our ambitions — but how do we prepare to deal with it? There's no workplace orientation session about narrowing the wage gap, standing up to interrupting male colleagues, or taking on many other issues we encounter at work. So HBR staffers Amy Bernstein, Amy Gallo, and Emily Caulfield are untangling some of the knottiest problems. They interview experts on gender, tell stories about their own experiences, and give lots of practical advice to help you succeed in spite of the obstacles.
Listen to Women at Work.
Books
Girls Just Wanna Have Funds
Are you one of the 68% of women worldwide earning less than a man doing the same job? Then you need to make your money work harder, starting now. In Girls Just Want to Have Funds, the trio of founders behind the global movement Female Invest bring you an empowering five-step guide with a straight-talking message: you don't have to be an expert or a millionaire to make money. Simply equip yourself with the easy-to-follow golden rules and tools of three finance gurus to find your confidence and open a whole new world of opportunities.
Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez
Imagine a world where your phone is too big for your hand, or your doctor prescribes a drug that is wrong for your body, or in a car accident you are 47% more likely to be injured. If any of that sounds familiar, chances are you're a woman. From government policy and medical research, to technology, workplaces, and the media. Invisible Women reveals how in a world built for and by men, we are systematically ignoring half of the population, often with disastrous consequences. Caroline Criado Perez brings together for the first time an impressive range of case studies, stories and new research from across the world that illustrate the hidden ways in which women are forgotten, and the profound impact this has on us all.
Becoming by Michelle Obama
In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it—in her own words and on her own terms.
TED Talks
Ruth Chang: How To Make Hard Choices
Here's a talk that could literally change your life. Which career should I pursue? Should I break up -- or get married?! Where should I live? Big decisions like these can be agonizingly difficult. But that's because we think about them the wrong way, says philosopher Ruth Chang. She offers a powerful new framework for shaping who we truly are.
Watch How To Make Hard Choices.
Casey Brown: The Importance of Knowing Your Worth and Asking For It
Your customers probably aren't paying you what you're worth -- instead, they're paying you what they think you're worth. Take the time to learn how to shape their thinking. Pricing consultant Casey Brown shares helpful stories and learnings that can help you better communicate your value and get paid for your excellence.
Watch The Importance of Knowing Your Worth and Asking For It.
Shonda Rhimes: My Year of Saying YES to Everything
Shonda Rhimes, the titan behind Grey's Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder, is responsible for some 70 hours of television per season, and she loves to work. "When I am hard at work, when I am deep in it, there is no other feeling," she says. She has a name for this feeling: The hum. The hum is a drug, the hum is music, the hum is God's whisper in her ear. But what happens when it stops? Is she anything besides the hum? In this moving talk, join Rhimes on a journey through her "year of yes" and find out how she got her hum back.