The Playbook Women Were Never Supposed To Have with Kelly Mooney

I mean, what is my life if not a long, slightly chaotic love letter to women finally stopping the wait. So many of us have spent years being patient, being nice, being "ready," and honestly, that gets old fast. Women's career advancement does not need another sermon. It needs a wake-up call.This episode matters because self advocacy is not some fluffy personal development slogan. It is the thing that changes your career, your confidence, and the way you move through the room. If you have ever felt stuck, overlooked, or like everybody else got the memo except you, this conversation is going to hit home in the best way.Kelly Mooney spent nearly 25 years at Resource, where she rose from individual contributor to CEO, grew revenues 15 times over, and scaled the company to 400 employees while serving clients like Procter and Gamble, Walmart, and Victoria's Secret. She later became the first ever Chief Experience Officer at IBM iX, one of the world's largest digital consultancies. In 2021, she founded Equipt Women, a public benefit corporation focused on helping early and mid career women rise. She has coached women around the world, launched 100 Days for Women to offer complimentary coaching globally, and wrote the new book she wishes she had when she was figuring all of this out.Key TakeawaysWomen's career advancement stalls not from lack of talent but from waiting to be chosen. Self advocacy is the skill that changes everything.Eliminating the word should from your vocabulary is a radical act of self liberation. Replace it with consider, explore, or try, and watch how your relationship to your own ambition shifts.Lead yourself first. Becoming intentional about what you want, who you are, and where you are going is not woo woo. It is the foundation of every career breakthrough.The workplace is not a meritocracy. Young women especially need to study the dynamics, build relationships across the organization, and learn to speak in the language of business outcomes.DEI programs are under attack but not dead. Enlightened leaders know the research. Diverse leadership drives innovation, better decisions, and stronger financial performance. The acronym may change. The need does not.Kelly Mooney said, "She was waiting for me to see my own potential, for me to raise my hand instead of waiting to be selected. So really that was the moment I knew that I was going to have a longer career there."Kelly Mooney said, "Once you become very intentional, then you start taking the steps towards that. And I think sometimes we need somebody else to hold up that mirror to see our own potential. And then once you see it, it's unstoppable."Timestamps00:00 Introduction and Kelly Mooney's career journey.02:07 The moment Kelly realized she was building something.03:01 Why not you. The lunch conversation that changed everything.05:45 What Kelly would change about her early career.06:40 Writing the book to help women self advocate sooner.07:25 Why Kelly banned the word should from her book.10:10 The principle of lead yourself.11:46 How women can discover what they actually want.15:28 DEI under attack. What it means for women right now.17:54 The manosphere, media manipulation, and staying clear eyed.20:43 What Kelly hopes women take from the book.22:34 Advice for younger women entering the workforce.25:40 How to self advocate without bragging.28:30 Why Kelly wrote the book as a reference guide, not a cover to cover read.34:04 Control the controllables and influence the rest.36:30 Why buying the book and leaving a review is an act of advocacy.Connect with Kelly MooneyWebsite: https://www.equiptwomen.comBook: https://www.equiptwomen.com/bookLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pkmooneyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/equiptwomen100 Days for Women: https://www.equiptwomen.com/100days