Narrator: Imagine a high-stakes board meeting. The discussion is heated, a "bet the company" decision hangs in the balance. The only woman on the board, Magdalena Yeşil, is passionately making her case. When the group takes a break, she’s so engrossed in her argument that she follows the men out of the room, continuing her point as they walk down the hall and through a door. It’s only when she looks up that she realizes she’s standing in the middle of a crowded men's restroom. Without missing a beat, she finishes her sentence, gives a firm nod, turns, and walks out. When the meeting reconvenes, the men are stunned. They hadn't discussed the business issue at all; they were too busy talking about her unshakable composure.

This moment, where confidence and focus completely eclipsed a potentially embarrassing situation, lies at the heart of Magdalena Yeşil's book, Power Up: How Smart Women Win in the New Economy. It's a guide that argues true success isn't about fighting against gender barriers, but about cultivating an inner authority so powerful that you act as if you belong in every room—even, accidentally, the men's room.

Narrator: The foundational principle of Power Up is a radical reframing of how to approach a career in a male-dominated world. Yeşil argues that while gender bias is real, focusing on it can be counterproductive. Dwelling on statistics about discrimination and the disadvantages women face can become a self-fulfilling prophecy, shifting focus away from one's own achievements and capabilities. The key to "Powering UP" is to operate from a place of strength, talent, and determination, refusing to let gender define one's potential.

This idea was crystallized for Yeşil at a G20 Innovation Summit. After she stated that being a woman had often opened doors for her, a German researcher on the panel presented data on the systemic barriers women face. Later, the researcher approached her with a profound observation. He suggested that Yeşil's success might be a direct result of her ignoring those very statistics. By proceeding as if she had an equal or even greater chance of success, she cultivated the confidence and resilience necessary to win. This mindset—believing you are a winner and proving it through your work—is what attracts opportunities and makes others compete to have you on their team. It’s a shift from seeing oneself as a potential victim of a system to seeing oneself as a powerful agent of change within it.

Narrator: Yeşil asserts that power in the new economy comes from the courage to fail and the resilience to flow past obstacles like water. This philosophy is rooted in a Turkish saying, "May you be like water," which encourages adaptability in the face of challenges. This requires a combination of two seemingly contradictory traits: audacity and gratitude.

Audacity is what Yeşil’s first boss called her "delicious eff-you attitude." During a design review early in her career, her work was harshly criticized. Instead of becoming defensive, she calmly took notes, maintained a positive demeanor, and used the feedback to improve. Her boss was impressed, not by her silence, but by her unruffled confidence. This audacity is about believing in your own worth so strongly that criticism becomes data, not a personal attack.

However, audacity alone can curdle into arrogance. It must be balanced with gratitude. Yeşil, an immigrant who arrived in the U.S. with little, credits her success to an appreciation for every opportunity. Gratitude keeps one humble and open to learning, fostering positive relationships and encouraging others to help. This blend of ambition and humility—what the book calls "humbition"—is what allows a person to take bold risks while remaining grounded and respected.

Narrator: Power Up argues that whether one is a founder or an employee, everyone must be the "boss of their own career." This means rejecting a passive, linear career path in favor of a proactive, entrepreneurial approach to professional growth. The rapidly changing tech world, in particular, demands a willingness to "zig and zag" between different roles, companies, and even industries.

The story of Clara Shih exemplifies this principle. As a summer intern at Microsoft, she saw the potential for RSS feeds in Outlook, an idea her superiors didn't understand. Instead of dropping it, she volunteered to build the feature herself, working through the night to write the code. Later, at Salesforce, she saw an opportunity to leverage Facebook for salespeople. Again, she didn't wait for permission; she built the "FaceForce" app on her own time. In both cases, she spotted a need, defined a solution, and took the initiative, acting like a founder within a large corporation. This "intrapreneurship" demonstrates that one doesn't need to start a company to be an entrepreneur. True ownership is about proactively creating value and refusing to be limited by a job title.

Narrator: The book directly confronts the reality that the business world, especially in tech and finance, still operates on rules largely written by and for men. To succeed, women must learn to navigate this environment without losing their authenticity. This involves consciously networking with men, even if it feels less comfortable than connecting with other women, because men still hold the majority of powerful positions.

Yeşil shares a stark story from her first sales conference at AMD in the 1980s, an event featuring topless female entertainers. Feeling objectified and disrespected, the 21-year-old engineer didn't just retreat. She walked directly up to the flamboyant CEO, Jerry Sanders, and told him that as a female employee, the display made her feel devalued. Stunned, Sanders invited her to sit at his VIP table. By confronting the issue directly and with dignity, she reclaimed her power and, in the process, helped end that practice at the company. This act of cultivating "gravitas"—a seriousness and dignity that commands respect—is a tool every woman can use to protect herself and redefine the terms of engagement in any professional setting.

Narrator: Resilience is not just about overcoming small hurdles; it's about surviving and thriving after catastrophic failure. Power Up presents the story of Julie Wainwright as a masterclass in professional rebirth. As the CEO of Pets.com, Wainwright became the public face of the dot-com bust in 2000. She faced intense public ridicule, her company was a national punchline, and her personal life crumbled simultaneously.

After the implosion, Wainwright made a conscious decision to "go high when they go low." She refused to engage with the negativity and stopped reading articles about herself. Instead of letting the failure define her, she widened her perspective, reconnecting with her passion for art and her community. She observed that men who experienced similar business failures often bounced back quickly, treating it as "water off their back." She decided she had to adopt that same resilience or the experience would destroy her. A decade later, she reemerged as the founder and CEO of TheRealReal, a luxury consignment powerhouse. Her story is a powerful testament that a career can weather not just a long gap, but a disaster, and that reinvention is always possible.

Narrator: The final stage of "Powering UP" is turning one's personal success into a force for organizational change. It’s about using the authority and influence you’ve earned to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for everyone. This means embedding core values into the fabric of a company's culture.

Yeşil recounts a time shortly after Salesforce went public when the stock was highly volatile, causing anxiety among employees. In an all-hands meeting, she urged them to ignore the daily fluctuations and instead focus on the company's long-term vision and values—to keep their eyes on the destination, not the turbulent waves. Years later, an early employee told her he never forgot that message and still held his original stock. This illustrates how a leader's focus on values can provide stability and purpose that outlasts market cycles. True leadership, the book concludes, is not just about achieving power, but about using that power to ensure that the face of technology tomorrow is not just more diverse, but more committed to empowering everyone.

Narrator: The single most important takeaway from Power Up is that professional power is not granted by others, but generated from within. It is the result of being so strongly grounded in your sense of self and what you have to offer that the world is forced to adapt to you. It’s about cultivating the audacity to walk into any room and act like you belong, the resilience to treat failure as a data point, and the integrity to use your influence to help others rise.

The book leaves us with a challenging but empowering idea: while we cannot control the biases of the world, we can control the degree to which we see ourselves as outsiders. The ultimate challenge, then, is to find the courage to act with the full authority of an insider, especially in those moments when you feel it the least. For it is in those actions that you don't just find your power—you create it.