Rewind to December 2016.

I am sitting in a sea of women listening to the most courageous and inspiring stories I’ve ever heard. I’m attending The Massachusetts Conference for Women, where I am introduced to the incredible stories of Anita Hill, Glennon Doyle and Sara Blakely.

This is the first step that eventually leads me to leave an incredible job for a passion-driven life that aligns with my purpose. From that moment forward, I have followed my dream for uplifting and amplifying the stories of women.

When this wasn’t happening at my previous employer, I pitched the idea of a monthly fireside chat to share stories of local female leaders as inspiration for our team. My team loved the idea. I tapped into my network and worked with upper management to live stream the event to other regions and remote workers and encouraged my female colleagues to step out of their comfort zones to moderate sessions.

I believe this passion helped me land my first ever official mentor, Caren, who chose to invest in my potential. Caren and I meet every Friday, and she continuously pushes me outside my comfort zone to grow personally and professionally in more ways than I ever imagined.

She opened my eyes to how critical it is to have a mentor and coach in your life. Her investment in me inspired me to pay it forward, pushing me to join HubSpot, a company that values diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) so deeply that it’s ingrained into every part of the culture.

It’s at HubSpot I was exposed to the power and impact a full-time DEI team can have on employee retention, satisfaction and overall results. I was introduced to the concept of employee resource groups, community check-ins, compensation tied to DEI efforts and measurement and reporting on progress.

I was selected to join the Women at HubSpot’s Leadership Council. I feel so grateful for what this experience taught me. A testament to their commitment, HubSpot publishes an annual diversity report on how they are performing against the DEI goals they set. It’s a measure that holds the entire company accountable and shows all 4,000+ employees how devoted the leadership team is to DEI and impacting change.

A few months ago, I decided it was time to take what I’ve learned to help others.  I’m now on a mission to empower every company and organization to prioritize and invest in DEI through my work at Her Courage Coach.

If we build company cultures where people can be authentically themselves, we will see individuals thrive. New and different perspectives will be heard, innovation will be embraced, and progress will be made.

I’ve started my journey, and I’m excited for you to join me!

Contact Tara for DEI expertise at tara@hercouragecoach.com