Emilia D’Anzica is the Founder and Managing Partner of Growth Molecules™, a management consulting firm that helps companies protect and grow their revenue. With two decades of experience as a chief customer officer in Silicon Valley, she has been named the Top Customer Growth Advisor of 2024 by IAOTP. Emilia is also the co-author of Pressing ON as a Tech Mom.
Sabina Pons is the Managing Director of Growth Molecules™ and the Co-founder of SoCalCX, a community fostering collaboration among go-to-market leaders to deliver exceptional customer experiences. As a fractional chief customer officer and tech industry thought leader, she has scaled companies from $14 million to over $100 million. Sabina is also the co-author of Pressing ON as a Tech Mom.
Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
- [4:34] What inspired Emilia D’Anzica and Sabina Pons to co-write their book?
- [9:06] How Emilia and Sabina selected women’s stories to feature in their book
- [14:45] Addressing workplace sexism through Pressing ON as a Tech Mom
- [17:21] Sabina and Emilia share how they met
- [20:47] The impetus for Growth Molecules™ and the loneliness factor for women leaders
- [25:17] Why women leaders don’t have to emulate men
In this episode...
Women leaders, executives, and entrepreneurs often face loneliness as they navigate rejection, especially from men in similar roles. This may cause them to parallel men’s leadership styles to conform to established norms and stereotypes. How can women identify and hone their personal leadership styles?
Women undertake many roles, some including mother, mentor, and leader. Rather than trying to emulate men while juggling personal and professional pursuits, Emilia D’Anzica and Sabina Pons maintain that women should tap into their unique and dynamic skills. These include high levels of emotional intelligence and empathy and supportive natures. Women should also support each other in their roles and share their individual experiences to dismantle stereotypes, bias, and sexism in corporate work environments.
In this week’s episode of the Lead Like a Woman Show, Andrea Heuston welcomes Emilia D’Anzica and Sabina Pons of Growth Molecules™, to discuss how they broke the glass ceiling in corporate tech. Together, Emilia and Sabina share the women’s stories featured in their book, the loneliness epidemic among women leaders, and how to address workplace sexism.
Resources Mentioned in this episode:
- Andrea Heuston on LinkedIn
- Artitudes Women Owned Offer
- Artitudes Design
- Stronger on the Other Side: The Power to Choose by Andrea Heuston
- Emilia D’Anzica on LinkedIn
- Sabina Pons on LinkedIn
- Growth Molecules™: Website | YouTube
- Pressing ON as a Tech Mom: How Tech Industry Mothers Set Goals, Define Boundaries and Raise the Bar for Success by Emilia D’Anzica and Sabina Pons
Quotable Moments:
- “Balance means something different for everyone; sometimes it’s focused on work, other times it’s health and family — unapologetically.”
- “The key thing is that we’re not alone.”
- “Rise above it, especially when people really hurt you.”
- “Fake it till you make it; take your imposter syndrome and squash it.”
- “Come as you are; we’re better together as a community.”
Action Steps:
- Embrace vulnerability and share experiences: Sharing personal struggles and successes can build a supportive community. This transparency allows for shared learning and understanding, addressing the challenge of isolation that many tech moms face.
- Set boundaries and define balance: Defining what balance means individually can help tech moms manage their professional and personal lives. This approach allows for flexibility and reduces the guilt associated with not meeting societal expectations, promoting mental health and well-being.
- Seek mentorship and be an ally: Sabina Pons’ story of seeking mentorship from Emilia D’Anzica highlights the importance of guidance in professional growth. This can lead to personal development and empowerment, overcoming the challenges of feeling unsupported in male-dominated industries.
- Advocate for inclusivity in the workplace: Educating male counterparts and advocating for supportive measures for working mothers can foster a more inclusive work environment. This addresses workplace sexism and helps retain diverse talent.
- Utilize professional networks and resources: Joining groups like Women Presidents Organization or other peer networks can provide support and the opportunity to share experiences with other women leaders. These networks help combat loneliness in leadership, providing a community that understands the unique challenges faced by women in tech.
Sponsor for this episode…
This episode is brought to you by Artitudes Design by Andrea Heuston. Artitudes Design is an award-winning creative agency that has been creating visual communication for Fortune 500 companies for over 25 years. They have worked with notable companies such as Microsoft, Starbucks, Expedia, and have also served startups and nonprofit organizations.
They specialize in connecting speakers with audiences by creating visual value with presentations and through the creation of motion graphics, video, and content.
To learn more about Artitudes Design, visit their website today. Checkout their portfolio to see their previous projects, and contact them today to find out how they can help you bring your business a cut above the rest.