How We Can Increase Women’s Engagement in Leadership and Management
Our co-founder and COO, Jen Reaven discussed increasing women in leadership with Authority Magazine. The interview explores practical strategies for increasing women's engagement in leadership, including:
Encouraging candor and constructive challenge
Making intentional space for quieter voices
Expanding traditional definitions of leadership
Valuing differences rather than minimizing them
Providing stretch opportunities that accelerate growth and confidence
As a women-led small business, these conversations are deeply personal to us. We've experienced firsthand the power of strong mentors, meaningful opportunities, and empowering environments. We also know there is still important work to do to create pathways for the next generation of leaders.
“Every time you have the chance to see things from someone else’s perspective, you become a better leader and, honestly, a better human.”
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! 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?
Ispent the first 15 years of my career as a corporate communications consultant. I started as an assistant at the firm and worked my way up to a senior vice president role. During that time, I learned a lot about the many directions a communications career can take — PR, media relations, government affairs, community outreach, you name it. But over time, I found myself increasingly drawn to employee communications. I loved helping clients understand that supporting their teams through times of crisis or change meant much more than “drafting an employee memo.”
After years of helicoptering in and out of different client organizations, I decided I wanted to go in-house and invest my time in building culture from the inside. I joined a leading sports and entertainment company as vice president of internal communications and employee programs. It was there that I truly learned what it takes to shift behaviors, build a strong culture, and create opportunities for employees to do their best work. Over nearly 10 years, my scope expanded into a role on the IHR leadership team that included oversight of several functional areas that connected our employees to our brands and to one another.
In this latest chapter, I partnered with my former boss and longtime mentor, Sandy Kapell, to start Trakehner Leadership. Our firm, which launched in spring 2025, helps companies big and small navigate the HR and communications challenges that come with growth and change of all kinds. We’ve already had the opportunity to work with some amazing clients, and that work has helped us identify a few critical needs we’re excited to tackle. We’ll be launching two new programs in late summer and early fall. The first is ThroughLine, a program to help women unlock their ambitions decade by decade, and the other is focused on HR for entrepreneurs. We’re really excited about the momentum.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
The most interesting moments in my career have come when I’ve had the opportunity to learn from people whose experiences and priorities are completely different from my own…