Host and moderator Jeanne Sparrow at the recent Grace Hopper Celebration in Chicago.

What happens when you host more than 20,000 women in tech from across the globe in one place for the world’s largest conference for women in tech over three days with 300 sessions and more than 300 speakers?

You get unimaginable amounts of applause, laughter, mentorship, collaboration, learning, inspiration, brainstorming, friendship making, energy and action working for the good of women in tech fields and everywhere.

The recent Grace Hopper Celebration 25 in Chicago, with the theme “Unbound,” convened corporation leaders, students, experts and advocates from across the globe to unite and reimagine the future of technology, with humanity at the center—and women at the head table.

“We are in the middle of change with our world, and the only constant is change,” says Erin Coupe, author, CEO of Authentically EC. @AnitaB_org #GHC25 #tech #womenleadership”

“We are in the middle of change with our world, and the only constant is change,” says Erin Coupe, author of I Can Fit That In: How Rituals Transform Your Life, and founder, CEO of Authentically EC. “Your impact is based on the energy you bring.”

That energy was undeniably high at GHC, started in 2000, following the founding of the organization in 1987 by Dr. Anita Borg and Dr. Telle Whitney in honor of computing pioneer Hopper. She was the first woman in the U.S. to receive a doctorate in mathematics, and the first female recipient of the National Medal of Technology in 1991.

The annual conference held this year at McCormick Place, is hosted by AnitaB.org, a global nonprofit in 50 countries founded by the late Borg and Whitney, now headed by Brenda Darden Wilkerson, president and CEO and advocate for tech equity. Though these events, mentorships, apprenticeships and career development, the organization serves as a catalyst for advancing careers and unlocking human potential in technology.

This event is about “technical innovation, entrepreneurship, career growth, equity, and well-being,” says GHC host Jeanne Sparrow, award-winning radio host and author of Fearless Authenticity: Lead Better, Sell More and Speak Sensationally.

“20K women in #tech from around world attended #GHC 25 on “technical innovation, #entrepreneurship, career growth, #equity, and well-being,” says host @JMSparrow, author of Fearless Authenticity: Lead Better, Sell More and Speak Sensationally. ”

Maintaining energy, focus and avoiding burnout was a recurring focus at the event with participants spanning generations from students to mid-career and top c-suite level philanthropists and founders looking to pivot.

“Design your focus around things that lift you up. No one can protect your energy for you,” Coupe says. To do that, “Shift from time management to energy stewardship.”

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Trying to do it all is not wise. She adds, “Say yes to what aligns to your values.”

Shannah Van Winkle, CEO and founder of VanWinkle Energy Consulting, offers specific steps to manage and reduce stress and create change in your life to produce better outcomes.

“Real change happens when insights become action,” Van Winkle says.

“Treat change like a playground. Accountability amplifies success,” Van Winkle says. “Behavior change is not a one and done destination, it is a creative process. You are the CEO of your health, so take ownership. Health is your competitive advantage as it adds clarity, capacity and joy to your life.”

“Behavior #change is not a one and done destination, it is a creative process. You are the #CEO of your health, so take ownership,” says Shannah Van Winkle, CEO, founder Van Winkle Consulting. #GHC25 #womenshealth”

A key issue at the conference was women’s health, as “it is under-researched, underfunded and underserved,” says Dr. Brittany Barreto, CEO of FemHealth Insights. “Women’s health is everyone’s health.”

The data is astounding, as “75% of research experiments use males only and 95% of animal models in research are males,” Barreto says. “Less than 1% of healthcare dollars go to women’s health.” In the health space, “Women are diagnosed four years later than, mostly due to medical gaslighting.”

To address these startling inequities, Barreto says. “In 2024 there were 1,778 femtech startups, with $2.4 billion invested, and 85% of those funders are female.” This is new, as “50% of fintech companies were founded in the last five years.”

“In 2024 there were 1,778 #femtech startups, with $2.4 B invested, and 85% of those funders are female,” Brittany Barreto, CEO FemHealth Insights. @GHC25 #womenshealth #founders ”

All of this points to a new reality, she says. “The future of women’s health is bright and growing.”

Teni Brown, MD, surgeon and urogynecologist at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, says history cannot repeat itself. “The historical exclusion of folks who are not white is structural and creates an othering system.”

To correct the injustice, it is necessary to, “Think about who is missing, what are gaps in innovation, what perspective is missing. There must be power sharing, and you need to design teams that disrupt the traditional power dynamic,” says Brown.

“Think about who is missing, what are gaps in innovation, what perspective is missing. There must be power sharing, and you need to design teams that disrupt the traditional power dynamic,” says Dr. Teni Brown, MD @NUFeinbergMed @takeleadwomen ”

Read m ore in Take The Lead on femtech health founder

Jennifer Hintzsche, founder of PherDal, the first ever safe, at-home fertilization kit, founded a company to solve her own fertility concerns. “The first 200 kits led to 34 children born,” says Hintzsche, whose product was named one of Time’s 2024 Best Inventions.

“The future is about agency, with women at the helm of our own health, because we cannot trust the standard of care,” Van Winkle says.

The standard of expectations for women in teach and all women in leadership is dangerously high and causes burnout.

Coupe suggests protecting your mental and physical health with intention. “Design your focus around things that lift you up. No one can protect your energy for you,” she says.

“Shift from time management to energy stewardship. Say yes to what aligns to your values.”

“Shift from time management to energy stewardship. Say yes to what aligns to your values.,” says author Erin Coupe #GHC25 @AnitaB_org #womenintech”

Even when those in early career are told to say yes to every request and new project, that is not helpful.

“Energy flows where your focus grows,” Coupe says. She says to switch from routines of doing things automatically until you are burned out, need to become rituals with intention.

“Rituals are done with presence and energy, it feels energizing and brings vibrancy,” Coupe says. “Rituals are where you connect more deeply and share your truth.”

Yes, many are afraid to express they have boundaries and other life arenas that also need attention beyond work. Coupe has an answer for that. “This is not about slowing down, but about sustaining your spark in a world that always demands more.” She adds, “Fit in what fuels you. Your presence is your power. Step into your power and the world becomes a better place because of you.”

Read more from Gloria Feldt on burnout

Working mom and product manager at Oracle, Ravisha SK, says she has had several bouts of burnout in her life and career. “Same exhaustion, different reasons. Burnout never announces itself,” she says.

“Find your champions,” SK advises. “It takes a lot of practice to believe in yourself. We need to focus on different dimensions of ourselves. It is not a sign of weakness, it’s strength.”

As a leader and manager it is crucial for women to be transparent and honest about their own stress and burnout. “Model vulnerability, share your own story first. Normalize time off. Rest as performance. Create visible allies,” she says.

The workplace would be completely different if women shared their stories honestly.

“What if women leaders stand up and talk about mental health?” she asks. “Cultures change when people see leaders do something different. The leader who makes hard work sustainable for everyone create changes that happen. They create circles where people feel seen.”

“Cultures change when people see leaders do something different. The leader who makes hard work sustainable for everyone create changes that happen,” says Ravisha SK, Oracle product manager @AnitaB_org #GHC25 #leadership ”

Yes, this can cause doubt and insecurity for many on different stages in their career, but she says, “We are more than our last performance review or our last mistake. Micro-interactions give each other permission to be human.”

Remind yourself of this: “I can be strong and smart and still struggle.”

And that struggle is real. For the hundreds attending the session, “Beyond Burnout: Thriving in Big Tech’s Fast Lane,” Lily Kim, general manager for Microsoft Discovery, delivered key data takeaways.

“Women are 50% of the total workforce, and less than 35% of tech jobs. Women are 1.6 times more likely to be laid off. Women in STEM leave their jobs at more than twice the rate of other industries,” Kim says.

Having had a number of burnouts in her tech career, Kim says, she has changed her attitude, her process and her self-talk.

“My worth is not how many emails I write,” she says. “My worth is I am strategic. I do not have to be in every meeting. It’s not what you do, it’s who you are.”

Melissa Melgado, senior technical manager of Microsoft, agrees that strategic boundary setting is crucial. “Surround yourself with people who maximize your potential,” says Melgado, a crafter who says the turtle is her symbol of herself.

What that means to her is, “I carry my home with me. Turtles win the race because they are strategic. Forget about being fast, be good.”

Sara Fratianne, director executive engagement at Microsoft, says it is important in a field where you are always being on, “to recognize burnout, and get away from the computer to sit outside, have a reset.”

“We have been conditioned that success is promotion, pay raise and title. But what is important is being a good person,” Fratianne says.

For Saloni Yadiv, product manager at Microsoft, when she felt a career burnout, she earned another degree. Two masters degrees in total.

Her lessons learned? “Not everything is yours to fix. It is hard to relinquish control, but let go.”

Then Yadiv offers a different metaphor. “You have only 10 spoons, they represent your bucket of energy, so what will you use your 10 spoons for? ”If you use too many spoons with energy spent on frivolous acts, “you might miss out on things that really matter,” Yadiv says.

“You have only 10 spoons, they represent your bucket of energy, so what will you use your 10 spoons for?” Be careful or “you might miss out on things that really matter,” says Saloni Yadiv @Microsoft @AnitaB_org”

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“I had to redefine what self-worth meant. It is hard to disassociate from external validation. But it’s about what I think I bring to the table,” Yadvi says. “My self-worth is defined by me.”

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About the Author

Michele Weldon is editorial director of Take The Lead, an award-winning author, journalist, emerita faculty in journalism at Northwestern University and a senior leader with The OpEd Project. @micheleweldon www.micheleweldon.com

Change Is In Your Hands: Women In Tech Stand Up For Themselves, Each Other, All

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