Oct 12, 2020
Young women who step into male-dominated careers rarely find female mentors to look up to. So it’s hard to know - do you need a thick skin? Do you need to suppress aspects of their femininity, to succeed?
In this episode, I’m joined by Tanya Hall, CEO of the Greenleaf Book Group. She shares how she has navigated her field and ascended to the top without shedding parts of herself as a woman. She lives the example of being an individual who values her emotions and connects with her feminine parts.
I was thrilled to get her as a part of this show, being a female publishing leader, an influencer, and a conduit to getting stories and ideas out into the world.
We delve into her childhood, her move from Los Angeles to Austin, Texas, her experience with other women in her field, and why accepting and using your feminine strengths can help you accomplish great feats.
Episode Highlights:
- Tanya’s upbringing as a middle child
- Her parents’ traditional relationship dynamics
- How she and her sister rebelled against stereotypical gender roles
- The lack of female mentors growing up
- How some women feel competitive toward other women
- How Tanya pivoted from a career in television into publishing
- Gender balance in media and how the powerful women there inspired her
- Why women are great at storytelling
- Unlearning the idea that women are less valuable than men
- How Tanya rose from distribution manager to CEO
- Why working with a sense of purpose creates job satisfaction
- What a hybrid publisher is and its numerous benefits
- The pros and cons of self-publishing
- The upsides and risks of traditional publishing
- How she came up with her book “Ideas, Influence and Income”
- Self-acceptance and how it can help you become the best in your field
- How impostor syndrome still happens to CEOs
- How being a single mom added to her work stress
- Flow: The key to career and family balance
- Her biggest setbacks and how she got herself back up
- Reharnessing negative emotions and making them work for you
- Advice for young women who want to chase their passions
About the guest:
Tanya lives in Austin, Texas with her two daughters and three big dogs. She and the girls have developed a tight-knit bond, being proud and supportive of each other.
Initially from LA, she moved to Austin Texas because was impressed with its diverse and accepting culture. She found it a great place to raise her daughters. It was only after moving in that she realized that she needed to find a job. She then found an opening for a distribution manager in Greenleaf Book Group. Telling herself she’ll find a better paying job as soon as they become settled, she started her career within the company.
But pretty soon, she found herself loving her work. Although her tasks started out as primarily listing books in different databases, the part where she worked with authors sparked a fire in her. She fell in love with how passionate they were. Knowing that she had a huge impact on making their ideas happen, gave her a strong sense of purpose.
Fast forward many years later, she’s now the CEO of the company. Her discovery that she has a knack for launching and branding authors and the fact that she is an awesome builder played a fundamental role to her rise in ranks.
She also learned to work with, instead of fight against, her individuality. She loves to write, think, and analyze during mornings and becomes more verbal during the afternoons. Her staff and her daughters are well aware that when inspiration strikes her, she will not hesitate to write it down and act on it even if it’s past office hours.
Connect with Tanya:
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