One of the Boys: How Women Succeed in Male-Dominated Fields

I’ve never been afraid to hang with the boys. Growing up doing martial arts, I was often surrounded by boys. Given that I can’t remember a time before I was training in karate, this was very normal to me and I never really thought twice about it. I got along well with them and was always just as good, if not better than they were at everything we did. Through my training I got pretty strong and tough, which has been helpful in maintaining my friendships with guys as I have gotten older. I am able to bond through being willing and able to participate in the activities that they are interested in.

Even now, a majority of my friends are guys and I spend a large portion of my time doing traditionally “male” activities. I lift weights at the gym, play pickup basketball and football games, am in a fantasy football league, and can drink beer right alongside my guy friends. The one place I draw the line is video games. I do not enjoy video games at all and pretty much refuse to play them.

Though I enjoy spending time around guys, that doesn’t necessarily mean these relationships come without challenges. I have had countless experiences where I have faced obstacles in my relationships with guys. I have been left out, left behind, and doubted more times than I care to remember due to my gender. These experiences inspired me to write a book about how other women succeed in male-dominated fields and overcome the obstacles that come along with being a woman surrounded by men.

One of the Boys: How to Succeed as a Woman in a Male-Dominated Field provides readers with an understanding of the challenges women face in male-dominated environments. When women have the confidence and skills necessary to enter male-dominated fields, they can thrive and become extremely successful.

This is the first of a series of blog posts that will dive deeper into the lessons from my book, One of the Boys: How to Succeed as a Woman in a Male-Dominated Field. If you want to connect, you can reach me here via email at ker73@georgetown.edu or connect with me on social media: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Also, you can find my book, on Amazon — here is the link to buy it: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KMFPCJD