Leader Journeys: Three Women Explore How to Keep the Momentum Going

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The female economy continues to grow stronger. Along with significant gains in politics and business, more women are earning college degrees—both undergraduate and graduate levels—than men. Women are increasing their ranks in what have traditionally been male-dominated industries, such as medicine and science. But there’s still progress to be made.

At our second annual Women’s History Month event in Phoenix, we hosted a conversation with three accomplished women—one in the beginning stage of her career, one at the top of her game, and one in what she calls her “encore stage.” Each of the panelists has made significant strides in their own ways, breaking barriers and continuing to help lead the way for future leaders. Their stories are about resilience, determination and empowerment. They each bring their own unique perspective and represent a diverse range of expertise and experiences.  

• Wendy Cohen, President and CEO of Kitchell, a construction and development firm headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. 

• Kate Fitzgerald, senior at Arizona State University, founder of VBAmerica, a volleyball lifestyle clothing brand.  

• Linda Williams, realtor, former news anchor of Fox 10 Phoenix

As BMO’s Managing Director of North American Commercial Professional Development and Executive Leader for our U.S. Women’s Initiatives, I was proud to serve as the moderator. Here’s a summary of our insightful discussion.  

How to keep moving forward

While the female economy is booming in many respects, it’s crucial to continue the momentum for financial parity. Women make up only 10.9% of the construction industry workforce and, according to some reports, only 1% of chief executives in the industry. That makes Cohen’s accomplishment as Kitchell’s first female CEO all the more impressive. It’s also why she believes women in positions of power need to stand up for others.

“As leaders, we have to make sure that the decisions that we are in charge of consider equity every single day,” Cohen said. “All of us as leaders have a responsibility to look at how we operate our own businesses and how we treat our own people first. It's hard to ask for equity for yourself when you're not treating other people that way. It starts with how you engage others in your life and in your business.”

Fitzgerald noted the value in keeping women inspired. A major in biological science with the goal of being a neonatal intensive care nurse, Fitzgerald is a four-year starter on ASU’s beach volleyball team. In 2021, when the rules changed to allow student athletes to control and profit from their name, image and likeness (NIL), Fitzgerald saw an opportunity and launched VBAmerica, a volleyball lifestyle clothing brand. The company currently has licensing agreements with 10 universities and plans to expand to more than 50 in the next year. Along the way, she’s used her platform to encourage other young women to pursue their goals.

"I saw a gap in the market, and I saw a way to create NIL deals for female volleyball players and other female athletes,” Fitzgerald said. “At ASU, the female athletes are outearning the males in NIL deals, outside of football. That’s really exciting, but people have no idea because it’s not talked about. So, coming up with new ideas, bringing value to the table, then spreading the word about those ideas [is important.]”

Williams believes the momentum needs to begin in elementary school. "There needs to be a course about financial parity,” she said. “How to get it, and how to grow it.” Williams, pointing out a fourth grader in the audience, added, “She needs to start knowing right now. If I had known in the fourth grade, then I would have retired at 55.”

Finding the right allies

Gains don’t come without advocacy and allyship, from men as well as women. Knowing your true allies, however, requires keen judgment and a willingness to let go.

“Know how to surround yourself with the right people, how to let go of the people who are not supportive, and to know the difference,” Cohen said. “Because we often hang on to people that we think are helpful, but they're really not. My true definition of allyship is somebody that will say your name in the room in a positive way when you're not in the room. You also have to let go of those people that don't say your name in the room or may say negative things. And sometimes those are the hardest lessons, because those are the people you're trying to impress the most.”

Fitzgerald’s biggest champion has been Jeff Kunowski, associate director of ASU’s innovation programs for the Global Sport Institute. He mentors student entrepreneurs of sports-related startup companies. For Fitzgerald, it’s about taking the initiative to find an ally.

“What’s worked with our dynamic is showing at a young age that I deserve to be there as well,” she said. “Sometimes all it takes is being the one to reach out and setting up a follow-up meeting to say, ‘I’m interested in doing this.’ Girls, take the initiative and reach out, and that will put you 10 steps ahead of anyone else, because there’s so many people who want to help you, especially help young women right now. But it takes that phone call and that text to say, let’s set up a meeting, or will you show me what to do?”

Defining your ‘all’

America Ferrera’s iconic speech in Barbie struck a nerve. It also asked us to question the idea of whether women can have it all.

"I think we can have it all across the seasons of our life, but not all at one time,” Cohen said. “There's this whole concept of balance. Somebody once told me that you can't look at balance in a day; you need to look at balance over the course of months. There are some days that you may be working 12, 14, 16 hours, and then there may be days that you're on the couch watching Love Is Blind all day long. But the reality is, if we look at it in the decades of life, I think having it all is achievable. But we set ourselves up for unrealistic expectations to have it all, all of the time. The reality is success comes with really hard work. Having a family and having all the other things that we want to have in our life to create that balance takes time. When you look at the course of a life, I want to look back and say I had a balanced life, I got to do a lot of different things.”

Fitzgerald noted the importance of showing yourself grace. “We have this expectation that we've set for ourselves to be perfect,” she said. “Someone recently told me that perfect is just not possible. But you can be excellent. You can be good, you can be great, and you can also just not be good at something, and that's OK. It’s about looking at that scale and knowing what to sacrifice, what to be OK with just being good at, and then knowing what you really want for your life.”

After spending 42 years as a TV journalist, Williams retired in January. In her case, “retirement” isn’t quite accurate. Three weeks after leaving journalism, she enrolled in real estate school and recently earned her real estate license. She's in what she calls the “encore stage” of her career. With her storied journalism career, her children and now the second act of her professional life, Williams can truly say she’s had it all. But she points out that it’s not so simple.

"I think having it all should be fluid,” Williams said. “From the outside looking in, people have said I had it all, but I got to define what my ‘all’ was. And if you need to change what your ‘all’ is daily, weekly, or by the minute, then do it to keep yourself sane and balanced and moving forward. But make sure it's your ‘all’ and it's you who’s defining it.”

Listening to the stories from such accomplished women across different generations helps keep us inspired, connected and empowered. It’s proof that while everyone’s journey is unique, women everywhere are demonstrating the resilience and determination required to continue breaking barriers and paving the way for future leaders.