Women, Leadership, and Saving the World: Why Everything Gets Better When Women Lead

by Belinda Clemmensen

Women in leadership make everything better in this bold and urgent call for change.

Women in leadership find their self-confidence challenged even when their performance is strong. Fitting into the workplace can be personally costly, leaving women feeling exhausted, thwarted, and frustrated. These challenges start to make sense when you understand that the world, particularly the business world, was designed by and for men, from the criteria for success to the office temperature and chair size.

Women’s leadership advocate Belinda Clemmensen wants to change that. She wrote Women, Leadership, and Saving the World as a bold, urgent call to action for gender equality and equity in leadership and decision-making. Fascinating research, data, and interviews provide context for systemic gender inequality. But this guide also points to inclusion and equality as the way to impact emergent world problems, like the global pandemic and climate change, and make better decisions for all.

You’ll discover:
- The difference between equality and equity and why we need both.
- That the road to change exists, but we’re not walking it (as we saw with how the gender pay gap played out in the pandemic).
- How inequality plays out at home—with most women working the “second shift.”
- How to step into your power by connecting with what matters most to you.
- Why women need more sponsorship, not just coaching and mentoring.

This book confirms that women leaders are crucial to improving our world and addressing the complex local and global challenges we face. No matter your gender, read Women, Leadership, and Saving the World today. It will draw you into the story of influential women leaders, then propel you into a life of values, strategy, and action.

Genres: Feminism, Nonfiction, Business, Current Affairs

184 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 10, 2023

About the author

Belinda Clemmensen co-created Paddle to a Cure in 2000. This women-led series of sea kayaking expeditions for people living with breast cancer taught her that there are different ways to build and lead organizations and that women working together do things differently. Almost 20 years later, Belinda founded the Women’s Leadership Intensive with the mission to inspire, empower, support, and equip women to lead the change the world needs. Today she serves as CEO of the organization, a Certified B Corp.

These two formative experiences drew Belinda to work with women in leadership. Her passion is for the potential for positive change when women lead at scale. Belinda loves her work and feels honored to coach and mentor amazing women who make a difference daily through their leadership.

Belinda has received the gold Canada Award for Excellence in training and is a certified professional coach, training provider, and member of the International Coaching Federation. She is also a SheEO (Coralus) Activator and member of the Equal Futures Network and the Canadian Women’s Chamber of Commerce. Belinda qualified as a finalist for the Canadian Association of Women Executives and Entrepreneurs’ Extraordinary Woman of the Year Award. She’s published articles in the Journal of Experiential Education, Adventure Kayak Magazine, and Kanawa magazine and was a finalist in the National Flare Magazine Volunteer Awards. She is a regular presenter at conferences around the world.

Belinda earned her bachelor of science in biology from the University of Waterloo and her master of education in workplace learning and change from the University of Toronto.

Any place that takes her to the peace and beauty of nature is Belinda’s happy place, especially when she is in her sea kayak, backcountry camping, or learning to sail. When she’s not in nature, she’s practicing yoga. Belinda lives in Ontario with her partner, Shane, and son, Gabe.

Learn more online at www.womensleadershipintensive.ca/.

Reviews

[Maileen Hamto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Belinda Clemmensen has issued a bold call to action among women to take their rightful place in corporate leadership ranks through "Women, Leadership, and Saving the World." The management coaching guru focuses on the ways that women change organizations for the better when they lean forward into their inclination to lead differently, with a feminist approach. Clemmensen draws upon her vast experience working alongside organizations to improve their culture toward greater employee productivity and engagement. She focuses on the myriad challenges women experience in workplaces and ensuring diversity and inclusion strategies take gender into full account. Throughout the book, she shares personal stories of overcoming work-life challenges. The author incorporates the latest research to support arguments about pervasive gender disparities in pay, promotion, and leadership opportunities.

Workplaces continue to enhance their collective understanding of developing equity and inclusiveness. This book would make a great addition to an organization’s learning library or book club because it is punchy and a quick read for busy professionals. It is full of actionable advice
for women who experience the push-and-pull of domestic and professional demands in the midst of ascending the leadership ladder. The ideas offered in the book are useful for decision-makers who are looking for tangible ways to improve workplace experiences for women.

[David Dawe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book thinking I was a pretty progressive guy. Once into it I realized pretty quick that my perspective was substantially inadequate when it comes to truly understanding the disparity between the white male world and the female world. This book can make you feel uncomfortable - and that’s the point. Real change cannot come about without this discomfort to push us along. The extensive research, data and sharing of personal experiences that Belinda uses is very effective at putting an alternate, valid reality right in your face. Once you become aware of the extent and impact of the inequities embedded in our systems and thinking it is impossible to ignore. It’s everywhere and this book opens up your eyes and heart to seeing and feeling it. Anyone (especially men) who wants to be more effective at work and life and strive to come up with innovative solutions to business and social problems needs to read this.

[Katarzyna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for all women out there as well as men. It describes disparities and challenges that women are faced in every day life. I appreciated that the author did not bore me with pages and pages of statistics like some other “self help” non fiction books. You get just enough of it to understand the reality of being a woman in the world controlled by men. Very eye opening to see some of those numbers.
The author gives you some advise on how to become a better leader and gets you thinking on how to be a change.
This is an easy to read, relatable book that I would recommend putting on your TBR list for 2023.

I received a copy of this book for free and I am leaving a review voluntarily.

[Allie McConnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

bell hooks called for feminist publishing and more feminist literature, and I’m always interested in books on how women can access their power and improve the world. I really enjoyed Belinda Clemmensen’s relatable and down-to-earth take on the state of women in North America at the beginning of the 21st century. I wish this book had gone deeper on tactics, and how to do leadership and world-saving without replicating the methods of the old boys’ club. Nevertheless, fans of Glennon Doyle and Cheryl Strayed will find a kindred spirit here.

[Yvonne Marks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. There is a lot of useful information as well as a lot of interesting ideas to ponder. Being an older woman a lot of what she is talking about is exactly how we were brought up (as she mentioned) and I am able to see how we did continue to work against our own advancement in business and leadership roles. It will take a lot of hard work to overcome some of the obstacles in the way. It is sad to think that our grandchildren will still be fighting this battle because even though headway was made, there is still not enough.
Thanks for the free book.

[Claudia Valle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book full of real data and statistics (which I love to arm myself with) alongside great stories and real life examples of how this dynamic plays out in the real world. Belinda writes from the heart about a topic that she cares deeply about- and that genuinely comes through in the book. A must read for men and women of all ages!

[Tim Arnold · Rating 5 out of 5]

A unique blend of being challenging and convicting, yet at the same time, encouraging and supportive. I feel that I now have a WAY better understanding of how broken our current situation is, why this is hurting all of us, and how people like me can be part of the solution. As a man and as a business owner, I think this should be required reading.

[Nancy Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Belinda Clemmensen tackles topics that populate the headlines and dominate our discourse. Weaving in relatable research, she breaks down big issues into manageable pieces without taking away from their complexity or gravity. Despite its heavy subject matter, the book will leave you optimistic about the future.

[Karen Malone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! This book provides a realistic and compassionate approach for women who’ve avoided taking the necessary steps towards change. The knowledge you will gain from reading Belinda’s clearly explained research, and real-life experiences, will turn your avoidance to action.

[Kim Hendricks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! So much information and encouragement. It really opened my eyes to a lot of things. I highly recommend.