The Questions We Ask Ourselves

Like most things that motivate us, Aspire Strong started with a question, why aren't more women in leadership positions?

Data show that women make up over 50% of today’s college educated workforce and  perform better academically (even earning more higher education degrees) as compared to men. Yet women hold just 25% of C-suite positions in the top 1,000 companies, 11% of top jobs in S & P 1500, 25.5% of jobs of Fortune 500 board seats and 6.6% of Fortune 500 CEOs.  In fact, data shows progress has even slowed in recent years in spite of the increase in female focused initiatives. *see below

If women are leading in the classroom, but not in the boardroom, what's really going on? 

The age old narrative of women focusing on family over career has traditionally been the go to response. But recent studies show men too struggle with work/family balance yet are often promoted. The fact is there are STILL a number of  barriers and biases that discourage women from rising in the workplace.

Like any skill we want to develop, learning to lead should be an everyday practice and available to women early in their career when they are setting their vision for their careers.  Too often leadership learning is reserved for the select few in upper management or delivered through the lens of men, not necessarily relatable or inspiring to women. 

We believe to truly close the gap, we must not only change the workplace culture but also empower women, early in their careers, with the skills, confidence and connections to reach positions of influence.

Our motto is "Leadership is a skill, start early, practice often and level up!"

Whether your ultimate goal is to lead as an individual contributor, entrepreneur or CEO, Aspire Strong helps women become the leaders they aspire to be! 

*Source: https://womenintheworkplace.com

We launched Aspire Strong , a digital network for women on the rise and those that want to help women along the way.

Through our CareerNotes newsletter, virtual events and eStore we deliver the information and inspirations you need to reach positions of influence. We share the best stories, strategies and advice  reminding you that you are not alone on this journey. It's as if you are talking with your most trusted friends at work who are there to lend an ear, give you a nudge or just cheer you on.

But just like any skill we want to develop, learning to lead should be an everyday practice.  Yet, too often leadership learning is reserved for the select few in upper management and not available to those early in their careers when we are setting our vision for our careers. Additionally, leadership has historically been delivered through the lens of men which is not always relatable to women who aspire to lead. 

Aspire Strong is changing that! We believe leadership is both an art and a science. It requires that we build the skills, confidence and connections to be the leader we aspire to be. 

Whether you are an undergraduate intern, experienced individual contributor or a manager we bring you a supportive community of career-driven women with the following characteristics:

• Ambition - want to accomplish big things
• Curiosity - have a learning mindset.
• Self Reliance - takes initiative & holds themselves accountable.
• Supportive - willing to encourage each other and share information.
• Resilient - ability to bounce back and try again

Aspire Strong provides relevant content and a supportive community through the following formats:

• CareerNotes - Key insights and proven strategies from leading sources in leadership and career development plus links to TedTalks, articles and tools for deeper exploration delivered to your email every Monday.
• Real Conversations - Virtual discussions with real women on the rise sharing their stories and lessons learned for rising in the workplace.
• eStore - Our select list of highly curated books, eCources and products to inspire and empower women on the rise. 

Our content is always aligned to one of our 9 pillars:

1. Be Inspired - We are more motivated when we know our purpose and believe in progress.
2. Know Yourself - When we are self aware about what is important to us we can continually align our goals, interests and values to the work we do. 
3. Solve Problems -  When we are strategic in how we breakdown problems, resolve conflicts and move  forward we can make things better than before. 
4. Communication - When we know how to effectively share our ideas, ask relevant questions, and relay information  we can influence others. 
5. Get it Done -  When we are productive and focus on being efficient with our limited time and resources we can make things happen. 
6. UpSkill -  When we continually push ourselves to learn new skills and take smart risks we are ready for the next opportunity. 
7. Make Connections - When we form supportive relationships with others and share  knowledge we all rise.
8. Self Care - When we take care of ourselves we can sustain the journey with girt and grace. 
9. What's Hot. Whats Not - When we are adaptable and adjust to the changing times we can sustain the journey. 

For individuals: We are launching with our "Weekly Strategies,  key insights for navigating the workplace and building the skills you need to lead.  Delivered every Monday to your inbox, our quick, actionable insights are just the top takeaways from leading career development and behavioral science sources.  Sign Up Today!

For Companies (coming soon): Because organizations with more female leaders experience a more equitable and motivated workplace, we are also introducing an "Aspire Strong Enterprise Program"in which we partner with companies to offer the following:

•  select content from our weekly strategies newsletter distributed to your employees for development 
• a quarterly panel discussion facilitated by Aspire Strong and featuring women leaders from within the organization sharing their stories and strategies for leading in the workplace.