For the first time, McKinsey's 2025 Women in the Workplace study reveals a troubling ambition gap: women are less interested in being promoted than men. But before we name, blame or shame women for "leaning out," let's examine what's actually happening—including what most workplace studies refuse to acknowledge. Women aren't less ambitious—they're less supported, and their health barriers are increasing becoming more invisible. The data is clear. When women receive the same c

I didn't always see myself in corporate spaces. As an HR and organizational development professional rooted in mission-driven work, the language of corporate procurement — capability statements, supplier diversity, contract wins — felt foreign. Like I was trying to speak a dialect I'd never been taught. But something shifted. For six months, I sat inside a procurement readiness program built specifically for small business owners in Prince George's County — leaders who were n

The hardest part of rest isn't starting—it's sustaining. As leaders, we can intellectually understand the need for boundaries while practically ignoring them. This is where accountability becomes essential. True accountability begins internally. External structures matter, but if you're not committed to change, no amount of support will make it happen. This means getting honest about your motivations: are you truly ready to prioritize rest, or are you just saying what sounds

National Public Health Week (April 6-12) asks us to take action. But here's what we often miss: workplace conditions are public health conditions. We promote "work-life balance" without modeling it, encourage mental health awareness without protecting boundaries, and provide benefits employees lack capacity to use. - Michelle Majette When we think about public health, we picture hospitals or policies. But public health is really about creating conditions where people can be w

What behaviors are we informally rewarding? - Michelle Majette The cost of a misaligned culture is quantifiable. Today, many organizations are facing profound cultural dissonance —a toxic reality where stated, aspirational values completely contradict the high-pressure environments employees actually experience. When execution feels like walking through mud, leaders often mislabel the resulting exhaustion as a lack of individual resilience or "change fatigue." But burnout is

Every leader I've worked with can identify exactly what prevents them from resting. The barriers are real, tangible, and often feel insurmountable—yet naming them is the first step to resistance. Rest is not a luxury add-on to leadership; it is infrastructure for clear thinking, humane decision-making, and sustainable impact. ​ A full schedule packed with competing priorities tops the list, blending professional obligations with personal commitments until there is no margin