Rocky Writer On How We Can Increase Women’s Engagement in Leadership and Management
An Interview With Vanessa Ogle
Acknowledge that body discrimination exists when it comes to work clothes and the way women are treated based on what they wear. The work environment should be a safe space for women, not a place for them to feel self conscious about the possibility of their bodies being judged.
Despite strides towards equality, women remain underrepresented in leadership and management roles across various sectors. In this series, we would like to discuss the barriers to female advancement in these areas and explore actionable strategies for change. We are talking with accomplished women leaders, executives, and pioneers who have navigated these challenges successfully, to hear their experiences, tactics, and advice to inspire and guide the next generation of women toward achieving their full potential in leadership and management roles. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Rocky Writer.
Rocky Writer is a sound healing infused hip hop/r&b artist and sound healing practitioner. A first-generation American with roots in Trinidad and Tobago, Rocky’s multicultural background allows her to connect with a diverse audience. Having experienced the rich diversity of NYC, she brings a nuanced perspective to her music, fostering a sense of understanding and unity among listeners from various cultural backgrounds.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
I always had a natural talent to perform music, and grew up singing in church, but somewhere along the line I felt I could lyrically bring a fresh dialogue to the hip hop and r&b space while also incorporating sound healing to the music. So I decided to do just that.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
Since beginning my career as a music artist who specializes in sound healing, it opened the door for me to explore my love for astrology as an additional service to those interested in sound healing. This afforded me the opportunity to start a company called Rocky’s Sound Healing Shop (@rockywritershop on social media), that offers customers sound healing sessions, astrological updates, and more.
Can you share a pivotal moment in your career that significantly influenced your path to leadership?
I’ve always been a very outspoken person. So, I’d have to say having my opinions and methods of thought challenged by perspectives I’d never heard before and allowing myself the space to understand these concepts that were new to me was a pivotal moment in my ever-growing path to leadership. Primarily, these conversations centered around racial, economic, political, religious, or cultural differences, disparities, and norms and helped me think outside the box of what I was taught growing up.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
A more interesting story would probably be the help I didn’t get and how I learned to navigate through the industry I’m a part of with little to no guidance, learning things through observation along the way, not to mention suffering extreme losses through trial and error, while navigating in a male dominated industry solo.
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
I can’t say there’s been a particular book that made a specific impact on me, but I look forward to one day being able to answer this question.
Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?
I like the quote, “If an artist falls in love with you, you can never die” because, as a music artist, that quote makes me pay attention to what and who I fall in love with and subsequently write about.
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
I’m constantly aiming to use my music and lyrics to empower confidence in listeners and obviously the sound healing music and the sound healing shop offer natural alternatives for fostering emotional and mental wellness.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this report, only about 31.7% of top executive positions across industries are held by women. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from leadership and management? — — — In my opinion, society today doesn’t always honor the innate intuitive and nurturing abilities of women the way ancient societies did. This is obviously mirrored by the low percentage of executive positions held by women across industries.
This might be intuitive to you but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become leaders and managers?
More women should become leaders and managers if they are passionate about a cause or a job and able to contribute their unique perspective in a way that benefits the clients or customers they’re servicing. In our capitalist societies today, leaders and managers motives obviously tend to center around the amount of money that is made versus greater emphasis on whether we are creating happy individuals with the products and services provided. I can boldly say the right woman’s touch assists with this challenge.
Can you please share “5 Things We Need To Increase Women’s Engagement in Leadership and Management?”
1 . Don’t judge a woman for being emotional because emotions are indicators of and responses to what is going wrong or what is going right. In other words, emotions are great for identifying problems, if we allow ourselves to look at it that way. For example, you can’t address a problem you won’t acknowledge and you’re less likely to acknowledge a problem if you turned off your ability to feel because “you’re at work.”
2 . Acknowledge women for who they are as individuals and meet them halfway to motivate them to show up as the individual who’ll best complete the task at hand for the most monetary gain. For example, remember their birthday or compliment the specific things they uniquely bring to the table.
3 . Honor a women’s intuition and the possibility she may not always agree with what’s going on in the work environment. Male-dominated industries often leave little room for the expectation that a woman’s intuition should be trusted.
4 . Acknowledge that body discrimination exists when it comes to work clothes and the way women are treated based on what they wear. The work environment should be a safe space for women, not a place for them to feel self conscious about the possibility of their bodies being judged.
5 . In a perfect world, give women paid leave during their monthly menstrual cycle and call her husband and tell him to take out the trash [laughs].
In your opinion, what systemic changes are needed to facilitate more equitable access for women to leadership roles?
Leadership roles should ideally be given to those with the most talent, skill, drive, willingness to learn, and ability to push society (or a company) forward graciously, regardless of gender, race, or any other limiting box that isn’t based on the capacity to garner effective results for the benefit of all.
What strategies have you found most effective in mentoring and supporting other women to pursue leadership positions?
This may be mildly controversial, but the most effective strategy I’ve found in mentoring and supporting women to pursue leadership positions is reminding them to pursue positions based on passion and excitement for the work they’re doing, instead of just seeking after whatever job pays the most.
How would you advise a woman leader about how to navigate the challenges of being a woman in a leadership role within a male-dominated industry?
(This really goes for everyone) I would say to spend as much time as possible getting to know who you are without the demands and pressures of society. Then when you’re in those male-dominated industries where there’s a lot of aggressive or passive aggressive behavior, not to mention competing voices, you’ll know how to stay true to your own voice and assert that voice whenever necessary without losing your truest identity.
How do you balance the demand for authoritative leadership with the stereotypical expectations of female behavior in professional settings?
I don’t manage it at all [laughs]. If I’m in an environment that brings out my innate femininity, my leadership will reflect that. If I’m in an environment that requires a tough exterior or a hard shell I’ll present myself accordingly. I also like to clearly communicate that my energy will be determined as a reflection of the type of energy the individuals I’m speaking with are bringing to the table.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I’d probably motivate as many as possible to their greatest self-confidence that isn’t reliant on external validation.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
@rockywritershop for sound healing and astrology @rockywriter for sound healing infused hip hop and r&b. For questions, comments, or concerns contact myrockywriter@gmail.com
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
About The Interviewer: Vanessa Ogle is a mom, entrepreneur, inventor, writer, and singer/songwriter. Vanessa’s talent in building world-class leadership teams focused on diversity, a culture of service, and innovation through inclusion allowed her to be one of the most acclaimed Latina CEO’s in the last 30 years. She collaborated with the world’s leading technology and content companies such as Netflix, Amazon, HBO, and Broadcom to bring innovative solutions to travelers and hotels around the world. Vanessa is the lead inventor on 120+ U.S. Patents. Accolades include: FAST 100, Entrepreneur 360 Best Companies, Inc. 500 and then another six times on the Inc. 5000. Vanessa was personally honored with Inc. 100 Female Founder’s Award, Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and Enterprising Women of the Year among others. Vanessa now spends her time sharing stories to inspire and give hope through articles, speaking engagements and music. In her spare time she writes and plays music in the Amazon best selling new band HigherHill, teaches surfing clinics, trains dogs, and cheers on her children. Please connect with Vanessa here on linkedin and subscribe to her newsletter Unplugged as well as follow her on Substack, Instagram, Facebook, and X and of course on her website VanessaOgle.
