Why I Started Working While Female (And Why You Need to Be Here)

"No one else has the right—and you should never give anyone permission—to determine whether or not you deserve to be happy."

Those few words from my personal board member changed everything for me.

At that time, over 20 years into my career I still had all the questions. “Do I belong in rooms in which I am clearly qualified?  Why do I tolerate questions about my expertise from those without a grasp of the basic concepts?  Why do I continue to witness my ideas stolen by colleagues and presented as their own.

Let me introduce myself, I'm Michelle Flemmings. I'm a physician with 40+ years in the workplace and over 30 years in leadership positions. I've navigated healthcare and healthtech as a woman of color, spoken on stages across the country, and built executive teams. I've earned my seat at every table I've occupied.

And yet here I was, still dealing with this nonsense.

Sounds ridiculous, right? Yet, oh so true.

And that's not even the most unbelievable part of my story.

The Breaking Point

You know what finally did it for me? I was on vacation—literally about to take off—when my BFF texted me a screenshot. It was a job posting on LinkedIn. My job. The one I was currently in.

My stomach dropped. Everything clicked into place: the vague feedback, the new 1:1s, the constant requests for status updates. I had a target on my back, and I'd been too busy trying to prove myself to see it coming.

That's when I realized this fundamental fact: If you're not in the driver's seat of your career, no one is.

Why This Matters (And Why I Won't Shut Up About It)

I've spent decades watching brilliant women—myself included—play by rules that were never designed for us to win. Work twice as hard. Let your work speak for you. Keep your head down. Don't make waves.

We've been told that intelligence, talent, and expertise are enough. And they're not. Not anymore.

In today's workplace, you need something more: the emotional intelligence and presence to navigate dynamics that actively work against you. You need strategies to thrive on an unlevel playing field where the boys' club writes the rules and changes them whenever convenient.

In essence, you need leverage.

What Working While Female Means

This isn't just a catchy name. It's a recognition that our experience in the workplace is fundamentally different. We deal with:

• Having our expertise questioned while less qualified voices dominate
• Being labeled "aggressive" for the same behaviors that make men "leaders"
• Watching our ideas get stolen and our contributions minimized
• Facing the exhausting choice between being authentic and being accepted

For women of color, oftentimes a different landscape— with a nonexistent margin for error and a cost for speaking up that can be devastating.

I started Working While Female because I refuse to accept that surviving these dynamics is the best we can do.

Here's What I Believe

Core Truth: Your expertise deserves to be heard, respected, and compensated fairly.

The Mission: Transform how women lead by developing an undeniable executive presence that makes you impossible to ignore.

The Vision: Every woman leader claims her space unapologetically and gets recognized for the expertise she brings.

Real Talk

I'm not here to teach you how to play nice or blend in. I'm not here to help you rewrite your resume or find you a new job. And I'm never going to tell you to "build your table"—that's useless advice that keeps you busy while real decisions get made in other rooms.

I'm not interested in helping you survive—I want to see you thrive.

Because when you show up with undeniable presence, when you command respect instead of asking for it, when you make it impossible to ignore your expertise—everything changes. Not just for you, but for every woman watching you lead.

Why You're Here

If you've made it this far, I'm guessing you believe that better is not just possible but necessary. You're tired of shrinking. Tired of having your worth questioned. Tired of watching less qualified people advance while you're stuck proving yourself over and over again.

You're ready for change that's long overdue. You're here because you know there has to be a better way—where you stop struggling and surviving and start thriving.

And there is.

What's Next

Working While Female is where we have the conversations nobody else is willing to have. Where we share the strategies that work. Where we support each other in claiming the recognition and respect we've earned.

Your expertise doesn't need validation—it needs amplification.

Welcome to the conversation.

We're glad you're here.

What's your breaking point story? Drop me a comment—I'd love to hear what brought you here. 

Or if you want to have a real conversation about navigating these challenges, let's chat. Sometimes the best insights come from connecting directly