INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY me I needed to be more transparent about my long-term personal life planning. His words: ‘I’m not giving you leads because
serious. Not something that makes us feel good about ourselves because we have a big title. I’ve learned women are held to different standards. When I stopped upholding that persona I mentioned, when I stopped being who I thought the industry needed me to be, I became a better leader and a good contributing member to the companies I work for. I can now build sales cultures that hold space for every individual. That leader who became my mentor helped me realise that a big part of what makes you different is that you’re authentic. On specifically entering the cable industry five years ago I decided I’m just going to be myself. So, I have built this organisation at Calix where there’s room for everybody to sell in a way that feels comfortable to them. Every single one of my sellers takes a different approach. We have a method and a process we follow, but they do it in their own way. Some people want to go to a sports game. Some people want to go out for dinner. When people feel they can be their whole selves at work, and there’s safety to fail, and safety to grow, then I can go home and I feel fulfilled, and so can they. What are the main challenges for women in the broadband industry? The main challenge for women in all of tech and specifically cable is one another. Many women become concerned that there is not room for more than one female entity in project, team, etc. So, they become competitive with one another. We
have enough challenges, let’s not become another one for ourselves.
it’s going to take a year or more to sell them and then nurture them. What if you go on maternity leave?’ How disappointing. What a shame he could only see you in those terms. He also told me I was overly bold for a woman, questioned my male role models and told me I needed to understand my place. I sat there in that moment realising I was going to going to have to resign, obviously. It was such a foundational moment for me because I thought I could so easily have taken heed of this executive; he was very successful at our company, very senior indeed. I look back and I think, how did I know to disregard his words? Had I taken those on board, I would have become such a different person. It made me think: do I want to keep doing this? If I do, what’s my role in making it different without being labelled as a mouthy feminist? How do I do this as a feminist where I can make scalable, systemic, long-term change? At this point, I’d become a leader. I realised that I could make sure that no one who ever works for me has an experience like that, and has a forum to talk about past experiences, heal from them, grow from them, learn how to manage a male-dominant industry in a way where they can rise up. That has become a big part of my mission. What have you learned along the way?
Another challenge harks back to standards again. I’ve been told I’m too bold, too direct, too harsh. In one-on-one settings it’s fine, but in group meetings I’ll cut through the noise: “okay, got it, let’s move on” and then get feedback that I’m dismissive. It’s frustrating. Rarely are men given the same feedback. One of my superpowers is efficiency; another is communication — I adapt to what each person needs. Getting penalised for that is tiring. What opportunities and what would improve opportunities and prospects for women in the industry? Women who are reading this: apply for the damn job. There’s a statistic that something like 37% of women in North America don’t apply for a job because they don’t think they’ll get it. Men apply for the job because they think they will get it. As a result, less than 5% of sales, leadership executives are female in North America. Exactly. Kanye West ran for President ten years ago. It’s because we’re not applying for the job. It’s a confidence issue. Go in and trust yourself. I hate to say it, but companies are actively looking for women, so take advantage of it. I’m taking advantage of it. When I started Calix, I think there was one other female sales leader. Now, I am a female VP five years later, and my Western sales team is all female-led, three female VPs. Apply for the damn job, ladies.
Leadership should be viewed as a responsiblity, a burden, a weight. It is
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MAY 2026 Volume 48 No.2
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