Coming off of Thanksgiving, SumConsulting has a lot to be thankful and grateful for. Besides the fact that one of our mothers feels a certain type of way about the holiday (because of her Native American heritage), overall family time was well spent. We traveled, we laughed, we ate, and most importantly, we spent time together.

While on this break, I started thinking about, well, my career. Marinating. Being that weird, questioning person. In the process of this much anticipated holiday introspection, I remembered an attorney I worked with all through my high school, college, and eventual law school career. She was quite possibly the most difficult woman I have ever worked with professionally, but anyone would be a fool not to train under her. She scolded me, criticized me, and pushed me to the brink of what I thought was the end of my life (if only I had the problems I had in high school now in lieu of actual ones). She told me that in order to be successful, I needed to not only let go of pursuing my dream as a career, but I needed to develop a tough skin to be in a corporate world full of men. She taught me that the word “proper” was for a pantsuit, not how to act. I entered that law firm as an emotional, underwhelming, and insecure 16 year old. I left it as a positively loud spoken and brash 24 year old (albeit still emotional). In 8 years, I had re-identified my personality. I got my feelings hurt. A lot. I said the wrong thing. I did the wrong thing. And I felt bad for it. I ruined projects. I made the wrong copies. And I drafted interrogatories in the most lousy way possible.

But I learned. I laughed at her. I laughed with her and the entire office staff. I learned that being “highly emotional” in the workplace was actually a good thing. I was told that using all of my emotions, my attitude, and my skills as a woman was not a thing to suppress, but to be grateful for. We were the difference in my small town. We worked late hours, and we threw our hands up later about the same litigations. We learned how to be generous with one another as an office, and how to forgive. I mainly learned that my gender in a private sector was extremely needed and sought after. Usually, by other women who couldn’t find others who understood them.

Did you know that 25% of board seats on companies listed under the S&P 500 are occupied by women? This number is up 15% from a decade ago. CNN reported on that this month. 25% is still an insanely small number to me. I know, I know. The glass ceiling. The feminist. I’m not getting harpy on that. But, still, a small number. So that left me wondering where we stand today, and where we are going. We have seen some really awesome women owned businesses in CLT lately, and there have been larger stances taken to increase awareness of it. Girl Tribe is hosting a pop up this month to showcase those businesses, as a matter of fact. I find this stats interesting in my retrospection, especially about women owned businesses in a small town since 2008. Coming out of the law office of the first female family law attorney in the county.

So at the beginning of what is sure to be a busy holiday season, I leave you with this. May we be and know these types of women business owners. The difficult. The brash. The resourceful. The relentless. And may we never be told to act properly.