For women fighting to earn a seat at the table among the leaders of their industries, the external barriers appear to be never ending. However, as women set their sights on the success and power found on the other side of the glass ceiling, they have been unknowingly ignoring a far greater danger that has kept them from reaching their goals and standing in their true potential.
We are all too familiar with the term “the glass ceiling” which refers to the external barriers that have been preventing women from securing high-level positions of power for decades. However, the symbolic “glass ledge” refers to the internal battles, or self-imposed glass ceilings, that distort our beliefs about who we are and what we can accomplish. In her first ever book, The Glass Ledge, award-winning entrepreneur and founder of SWAAY Media, Iman Oubou, shares her experience navigating the glass ledge while exploring the many ways women can easily find themselves in the same self-destructing predicament.
For Oubou, the road to shattering glass ceilings left her teetering on the edge of her own personal glass ledge as she fell victim to internalized oppression and self-sabotage. After her company, SWAAY Media, suffered a major setback due to the loss of a life-changing investment, the CEO’s life was flipped upside down as she was forced to reprioritize her strategy for recovering from this devastating fall. Despite having a range of diverse experience in business, pageantry and STEM as safer options to reroute her career, Oubou found herself unable to give up on the company she had built from the ground up or her life’s mission that inspired it all.
Diving deeper into a state of self-reflection, the entrepreneur realized that in order for her to get back up on her feet and fight for her business, she would have to first turn inwardly to dismantle her limiting belief system and eliminate the self-defeating behaviors that had been holding her back.
“It took me years to recognize that while external barriers do exist, my biggest barrier has been my own flawed self-worth. I wore down, I burned out, I failed, I went broke, my mascara ran and ran out, but ultimately I came out the other side with a different perspective on success, one that aligns me with living my own truth rather than falling victim to expectations set by the outside world.”
Having committed herself to reshaping her internal narrative, Oubou once again took the reins in building herself and her company back up better than ever before. Although the work was painful and tireless, the entrepreneur successfully accomplished her goal of attaining financial freedom and living a more positive life while reveling in the success of her company, as the self-publishing platform now reaches more than two million women. After having successfully made it out on the other side, Oubou was determined to share her lessons in hopes that all women can change their own stories and pay it forward at the same time.
The former beauty queen carefully designed her book to serve as a disruptive guide for curing self-sabotage and building your self-awareness by exploring 10 common themes that women most often struggle with such as likability, conflict, confidence and more. Each chapter is organized to address these nuanced themes in the order that they often occur, providing stories from high profile women, academic and scientific research, as well as tips and exercises that will transform teachings into actionable steps forward. Not only did Oubou want women to ask themselves the difficult, yet necessary, questions in order to call to the surface their uncomfortable inner truths, but she wanted women to regain control of their internal narratives rather than allowing preconceived societal expectations to define their limits.
Unlike the act of shattering through glass ceilings, Oubou’s mission has been to equip women with the tools and information needed to master the balancing act of standing firmly on the glass ledge or gently stepping off it entirely, but what does this mean? According to the former scientist, there is a very clear distinction between balancing on and tumbling right over the edge. When women are tripping over the glass ledge, they have lost control over their paths and retreat into familiar feelings of fear, panic and hopelessness. However, balancing upon the ledge is achieved when women begin to break free from self-deprecating behaviors and thoughts by acting from a place of self-assurance.
According to Eboni K Williams, attorney, journalist and RH of NY cast member, the call-to-action Oubou has made to fellow high achieving women through her newest book is exactly the reality check women need as they break away from external validation and work towards creating happier and more fulfilling lives.
“This book really allows women to sit in self-reflection, self-acceptance, and self-accountability at the same time. The Glass Ledge is THE book for all women looking to live their professional dreams while being true to themselves and their personal happiness.”
Although Oubou recognizes that every woman’s story is different-and their barriers all the more- there is only strength to be gained from swaying our narratives without blame as we approach the glass ledge with a clear mind and steady feet.
