Building a Seat at the Table: How Women Can Lead in Business With Gwen Young

Embracing Your Voice

Hey EYV Fam! In today’s episode of Embracing Your Voice, I’m sitting down with Gwen Young - CEO of the Women Business Collaborative (WBC) and visiting scholar at George Washington University. Gwen’s career journey is incredible, from humanitarian work to global development to leading the charge for women’s leadership across industries.

We get into some real talk about why women’s voices (especially women of color) are still underrepresented in leadership spaces, and what it’s going to take to change that. If you’re passionate about building a better, more equitable future, you’re going to love this one.

What We Cover:

• How Gwen’s early experiences - like attending a women’s college -shaped her passion for leadership
• What working in humanitarian crises taught her about women’s voices and global leadership
• Why women need a seat at every table (not just one)
• What’s actually happening in the C-suite today and why diversity numbers still lag behind
• The real barriers women face when climbing the leadership ladder
• How mentorship, sponsorship, and building strong networks can change the game for women
• Action steps organizations (and all of us) can take to create more pathways to leadership

Timestamps:

00:00 – Kicking things off

02:00 – Meet Gwen Young

06:30 – Gwen’s early leadership influences

10:15 – Lessons from humanitarian work

15:20 – Why women’s representation matters across every sector

21:00 – The state of women in leadership today

27:45 – Why women of color still face the steepest hurdles

34:10 – How networks, mentorship, and sponsorship make a difference

41:20 – Real ways organizations can step up

48:00 – Final thoughts + my takeaways

In this episode, I’m chatting with Gwen Young, someone who has spent her career pushing for real change when it comes to women’s leadership.

We kick things off by talking about Gwen’s time at Smith College and how being in a women-centered environment shaped her belief that women belong at the decision-making table. From there, we dive into her humanitarian work and the experiences that made her realize how differently women experience crises, leadership, and opportunity.

We also talk about what’s going on in corporate America today: yes, we’ve made progress, but there’s still a big gap - especially for women of color. Gwen breaks down the systemic barriers that are still holding women back, like microaggressions, a lack of networks, and missed opportunities for professional development.

One of my favorite parts of our conversation? When Gwen talks about building the “women’s old girls’ network” a powerful, supportive network that can rival the “old boys’ clubs” that have existed forever.

There’s so much good stuff in here about mentorship, sponsorship, leadership programs, and how organizations can actually move the needle - not just talk about it.

If you care about women’s advancement, leadership, and making sure ALL women have the chance to lead, you’re going to walk away from this episode fired up and ready to take action.

Guest Info:

Gwen K. Young is the CEO of the Women Business Collaborative. She is also a Visiting Scholar at the Elliot School of International Affairs, George Washington University and former Director of the Global Women’s Leadership Initiative at the Wilson Center. She is an Advisor to Concordia.

Ms. Young has worked across the globe developing strategy, programming and advocacy in the areas of humanitarian policy, international affairs and international development. This includes developing public private partnerships focused on public health, agriculture, gender equality, and access to finance.. As an attorney, Ms. Young has worked as a professional advocate for women and human rights in corporate law settings, with the ICTY and the Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice at the University of San Diego. An alumna of Smith College, Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and the University of California Davis, School of Law

Are you a woman working in the private sector as an employee or an entrepreneur?

Check out the Women Business Collaborative https://wbcollaborative.org/

For Women Entrepreneurs seeking investments in their business check out the Women Business Collaborative Summit on May 21-22, 2025 https://wbcollaborative.org/wbc-events/womens-capital-summit-2025/

If you loved this conversation, it would mean the world if you’d subscribe to Embracing Your Voice on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you tune in.

If you enjoyed the show and you want to join our community of other women of color who are embracing their voice head over to https://embracingyourvoicepod.com/

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