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In 2025, it’s not uncommon to see only one woman in a boardroom. From Fortune 500 companies to small mom-and-pop shops, sometimes women are hard to find in leadership. I know because I’ve been there. As the owner of a boutique consultancy, I’ve hosted dozens of workshops that help businesses transform their organizational cultures towards inclusion and equity. But when I look up from my presentation, sometimes I am the only woman in the room.
It’s not because I am more exceptional than other women; it’s because there are barriers to entry. While being the “first” or “only” woman at the table is often hailed as progress, it can come with hidden costs: pressure to overperform, emotional labor, isolation and the unspoken expectation to represent all women.
Too many women have hit their heads on the glass ceiling (or the concrete wall, which many women of color face) only to be trapped at the bottom rungs of organizations. Fortunately, there are structural changes we can make to remove the barriers to entry and allow truly talented and qualified women to reach their full potential.
Acknowledge your bias
If you’re a CEO, hiring manager or in a leadership role, ask yourself: What are your true feelings about women in leadership? Do you struggle to trust women in high-level positions? Do you find yourself getting distracted when women are speaking? Do you find yourself talking over or interrupting women in meetings? Do you have a lingering belief that the women at the table need a man in the room to validate their ideas before you consider them?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may have a negative bias towards women in leadership. In order to remove the barriers of access and create space for excellent women to thrive, we must first address our own internal bias around women in power. Only then can we talk about inclusion and more.
Leave space for women to lead
If you struggle to trust women in high-level positions, consider moving through that bias by offering opportunities for qualified women to lead on certain projects, especially if their title or experience indicates that they are the best person to lead. Ask them what they need to be able to deliver on that project and remove barriers to accessing those resources.
Offer training and development programs designed to prepare women for leadership and career advancement. One example is Boundless™, a program I created to help women, men, and allies break through systemic barriers and foster resilience for women within organizations. You’d be surprised how a series of learning experiences can help shape an executive team’s approach to leadership and can pave the way for women to confidently step up.
Related: Managing a Black Woman? Here’s How to Become Her Success Partner and Ally.
Be transparent about promotions and advancement
One of the ways that women become the “only one” in a room is when they are brave enough to ask for what they need. It’s still taboo to make the case for advancement or talk about a salary increase. Most women are taught to play small and to keep these conversations limited. However, a brave few break through and are able to climb the corporate ladder.
However, if companies wish for there to be more women in higher positions, having strategic and intentional conversations around pay, career pathing and promotional transparency is necessary. Everyone needs to know what it takes to reach the top, and everyone should at least have a sense of whether they’re capable of it. Leadership can make pay scales transparent and available to employees. Companies have the power to create a roadmap to advancement so more women can feel confident taking the leap.
Provide the infrastructure for women’s mental wellbeing
Never underestimate the power of community and promoting mental wellbeing in the workplace. In my Boundless™ program, I advocate for leaders and organizations to prioritize radical self-care for their employees by giving them strategies on how to minimize burnout and become an “emotionally-regulated leader,” as I call it. It may sound abstract, but there are concrete ways in the form of programming that companies can put into place to ensure that all employees, especially women at the highest levels, are mentally sound and don’t always carry the burden of being “the only one.”
Companies can also establish formal employee resource groups (ERGs) where leaders of all genders can connect around shared obligations, goals, and impact. From there, they can generate larger initiatives that inspire more women to come to the table and create a sense of belonging.
Be firm about anti-discrimination
While many companies have anti-discrimination policies in writing, sometimes enforcement can be spotty. Some women may come to leadership or HR with a small but significant concern that gets swept under the rug. Not having clear and consequential policies while failing to explain the “why” behind them can leave many women vulnerable to harassment and discrimination.
The consequence of a lack of firm anti-discrimination policies is that some women drop out of leadership positions, there’s an increase in workplace hostility that threatens their mental and physical wellbeing, and untimely departures become more prevalent at the company. Only when women feel safe, respected and heard can upward mobility be achieved.
Final thoughts
When it comes to alleviating the burden of being “the only one,” we must go beyond symbolic gestures and get to the heart of lasting and structural inclusion. It always starts with addressing our biases, then elevating the voices and importance of the women around us. Creating access to mental wellness resources and ERGs helps more women envision themselves in leadership and stay there. Provide pathways for women to seek support when discrimination rears its head. Companies have unlimited ways to create safer, more inclusive spaces for women in leadership. They just have to be dedicated to the work and believe in the mission of creating space for women to lead.
