The dirty word I WANT to be called

7 MINUTE READ

AMBITIOUS. Ladies, did you even know this had a negative connotation?! Well let me tell you, according to a Columbia University study ambitious women were perceived to be selfish and overly assertive while equally ambitious men were perceived worthy and powerful. Shocking right? I have never thought of being ambitious as a bad thing and certainly not when it came to gender. 

This study was brought to my attention while listening to a podcast and it stuck with me. I needed to know more. I started doing some reading on it when I came across Reese Witherspoon's open letter to Glamour on the subject and it really resonated with me. Specifically how are we shaping the next generation in the perception of ambitious women? Moms, Dads, leaders, educators, managers...it's up to us.  

Check out Reese's full editorial below and ladies, don't shy away from the ambitious label. Especially for the sake of our female successors. 

Forward by Alisha Adams, Talent Lab