In episode 2 of this season’s Digital and Dirt podcast, Ian welcomes Jennifer Willey, Founder and CEO of Wet Cement, to discuss her efforts to empower women and advance gender equity in the workplace.
The episode begins with Jennifer explaining the struggles she faced as a young woman attempting to establish and advance her career in a male-dominated industry. She worked in a variety of industries including television news, technology consulting, and in sales leadership roles at companies like Yahoo, AOL, The Trade Desk, and WebMD. In following her passion for building women’s leadership initiatives, she started her own business, Wet Cement, which provides training, coaching, consulting and speaking services focused on leadership, inclusivity and business development.
Check out Wet Cement's Website Here!
Jennifer shares her view that the playing field for women and men should be even in the workplace. Her book, The Modern Male Leader, is intended to be a playbook men can use to navigate the evolution of gender equity in the workplace. According to Jennifer, recognizing unconscious biases drives greater inclusion.
In examining what both men and women can do better in the industry, Jennifer suggests women build a personal board of directors while men need to shift to conscious inclusion. Jennifer defines mentors, sponsors, and peers and talks about the importance of the role they play in women's empowerment.
Finally, Ian and Jennifer discuss the struggles that women face balancing a career with a family. She encourages leaders to focus on outcomes rather than the hours of a work schedule.
To learn more about Jennifer Willey and Wet Cement, listen to the full Digital and Dirt episode available on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast, and other podcast platforms!