Why I Built Drive Her Forward: Creating a Leadership Community for Women Ready to Lead with Purpose

I grew up in the automotive industry. My childhood was spent in dealership showrooms and service departments. Spaces filled with the smell of motor oil, the sound of air guns, and men talking shop. Men surrounded me. It was my normal, and to be clear, I don’t consider it a bad thing. Many of those men mentored me, supported me, and taught me invaluable lessons about life and business. I admire them to this day.

But what I was missing was a woman I could look up to. From the time I was young, I craved a female mentor in my life. One I truly admired, looked up to, and wanted to emulate. Every time I got the school assignment asking, “Who is your hero?” I came up empty. I tried to name a woman, but no one ever measured up to the mold I was searching for. Not because great women weren’t out there, but because I didn’t see anyone living in a way that matched the fire burning inside me.

I tried to put several women on a pedestal, only for them not to fit what I wanted in a “hero” or mentor. Either they seemed to compromise too much of themselves to succeed, or they led with a style that didn’t resonate with me. So, I grew up without a role model who felt like proof that a female could live and lead the way I envisioned for myself.

I went on and built my career anyway. After spending more than two decades in the automotive industry, I will tell you I had to discover many things on my own. There was no playbook handed to me or a roadmap tailored for women navigating leadership in a male-dominated space.

I learned lessons the hard way. The kinds of lessons that were common but rarely talked about. How being overlooked chips away at your confidence, how being underestimated forces you to over-prepare, and how silence can cost you opportunities.

The further I advanced in my career, the lonelier I felt on this journey.

When you’re one of the few women in the room, you not only carry your own ambition, but you also carry the unspoken weight of “proving” what women are capable of. And if you fail, you know it won’t be just about you. It will be used as a reason to doubt the next woman. It’s an exhausting way to live and lead.

Like so many women, I looked outward for answers. I read every self-help book I could get my hands on, hoping one would finally speak to my experience. Some had insights, but most left me more discouraged than when I started. I found them too general or too far from the realities of my world.

I tried to involve myself in female-driven networking events, hoping for connections and mentorship, only to feel that they were superficial and more focused on tearing men down than building women up. That never sat right with me. The truth is, if it weren’t for the men in my life, particularly my father and husband, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Continuing my search, I immersed myself in empowerment platforms on social media. They promised community and inspiration, but I found them redundant without any substance. Week after week, I only saw recycled quotes and surface-level motivation.

I asked myself questions I think so many women quietly carry:

Is this really it?

Am I the only female feeling this way?

Is there not more out there for us than empty encouragement and pink frilly quotes?

Eventually, I had to face the truth. I couldn’t find what I was looking for.

So, I built it!

Drive Her Forward was built for women like me. Women who know they are meant for more.

They are tired of performing instead of living. Burned out from chasing everyone else’s definition of success. Ready to stop shrinking and start owning their power.

Yes, impostor syndrome is real.

And no, the playing field isn’t level.

I’ve been told to “be quiet” and “know my place,” all while trying to prove my worth. I’ve had companies offer me roles, only to later offer those same roles to men, at double the salary. I’ve traded my self-respect for approval more times than I care to admit.

No more. I’m done!

I’ve reached a turning point. I’m done trying to be chosen. I’m done performing. And I’m especially done waiting for someone else to give me permission to lead my own life.

I know what I bring to the table, and I’m not afraid to sit there alone.

This isn’t a comeback. It’s a return to who I’ve always been.

I’ve come to understand that sexism was not the biggest barrier, nor was it the “boys' club” or industry. The greatest obstacle was more subtle. It was the silence, self-doubt, and the belief that I had to earn my power by being agreeable, polite, and perfectly prepared.

And I know I’m not alone.

Women don’t fail because we lack ability. We get stuck because we’ve been conditioned to second-guess and water ourselves down until we’re unrecognizable.

That stops here.

Drive Her Forward was created in response to the hustle culture and performative ambition. Women don’t need more meaningless motivation; we need measurable progress we can trust.

Why now?

Women are more educated, more ambitious, and more qualified than ever before, but are still vastly underrepresented in the highest seats of power. Not because we can’t get there, but because somewhere along the way, we started believing we needed permission.

That’s a lie I refuse to pass on to the next generation.

We don’t need more soft encouragement or empty slogans. We need strategy, structure, and accountability. We need direct conversations about power, pricing, boundaries, ambition, negotiation, execution, and all the things’ women have been conditioned to second-guess.

Drive Her Forward is not about “empowerment.”

It’s about ownership.

Ownership of your choices. Ownership of getting out of your own way and stepping fully into the life and leadership you were born to build. Ownership of your worth.

I decided I’m done playing small, and it was time to build my life by design, and not by default.

This platform isn’t just another fee-good sisterhood, nor is it about venting or playing the victim. Drive Her Forward focuses on measurable progress you can trust.

That means:

• Tools to make smarter decisions and faster moves.
• Frameworks to negotiate, price, and position yourself with authority.
• Accountability to execute, not just dream.
• A community of ambitious women who hold each other to a higher standard.

If you’re reading this and nodding, even a little, I know you’ve felt the same tension I have. You’ve done the work and played by the rules. And yet, something still feels out of alignment.

Maybe you’ve caught yourself shrinking to make others comfortable, or stayed silent in meetings, only to watch someone else repeat your idea and get credit.

If that sounds familiar, let me ask you:

• Where are you still chasing someone else’s definition of success?
• What could happen if you finally stopped playing small?

We’re done shrinking. We’re done proving what we already know.

We’re building something different, and we’re doing it on our terms.

It starts now.

Let’s go out and build our lives.

This is Drive Her Forward.