We were absolutely thrilled to sit down with the legendary journalist and female empowerment activist Gretchen Carlson.
In 2016, Gretchen filed a watershed lawsuit against Fox Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes for sexual harassment, causing dozens of other women to also step forward with similar stories. This scandal led the New York Times to look further into the actions of Bill O’Reilly and Harvey Weinstein, leading to the jail sentence of Weinstein. Gretchen’s lawsuit became a catalyst for the 2016 #MeToo movement, and has impacted generations of women in the workforce.
Gretchen was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2017, has written two bestselling books (one of which we discuss today), and - fun fact - has interviewed every US Presidential candidate over the last two decades!
In 2019, Gretchen launched the Lift Our Voices initiative: dedicated to creating positive, systemic change in the workplace through the eradication of non-disclosure agreements. Gretchen’s story has been the inspiration behind The Loudest Voice, a Showtime miniseries starring Naomi Watts, and Bombshell, the Oscar-nominated film starring Margot Robbie, Nicole Kidman and Charlize Theron.
Gretchen was kind enough to join us to chat about her career, the #MeToo movement, and her go-to negotiation tactics.
Meggie: Gretchen, we are SO excited to speak with you today. Not that you need it - but let’s start with an intro - how would you describe yourself in one sentence?
Gretchen: I’m an acclaimed journalist, podcaster, best-selling author, female empowerment advocate, co-founder of LiftOurVoices.org to stop silencing women, and mom!
“I’m proud my actions helped to instigate the #metoo movement and I’m working hard every day to make the workplace safer for all.”
Meggie: And we are so thrilled to be chatting with you today. Let’s get into the juicy stuff - what's your job title & how did you get to where you are today?
Gretchen: I’m a television journalist. I killed myself to get to the top of my profession working my way up through local TV markets to CBS News and then Fox News on the national scene. Never thought I'd become the face of harassment in the workplace but when there's a challenge in front of me I go for it. I'm proud my actions helped to instigate the #metoo movement and I'm working hard every day to make the workplace safer for all.
Meggie: You have always been a HUGE force for change, especially with the #MeToo movement, like you said. As a journalist myself, I’m unfortunately familiar with the politics in the industry. So I have a big question: have you ever felt like an imposter in your career? If so, how did you move past this?
Gretchen: Uhhh ... yes. I finally told the truth. But finding the courage to stand up to power isn't like walking into a room and turning on a light switch. Building courage can take months or even years. I finally decided to jump off the cliff when I realized my career was going to be taken away from me and it wasn't my choice. I decided if I don't jump, who will?
“But soon I started hearing from women all over the world who also shared their stories of pain and shame and agony over workplace inequities, and I realized we were an army of survivors. ”
Meggie: That feeling - of your career being taken away from you with nothing you could do - must have been gut-wrenching. And making a huge leap like that takes serious courage - and serious support. Are there any special people who lift you up and cheer you on? How have they been important in your journey?
Gretchen: After I filed my lawsuit, I felt so alone. But soon I started hearing from women all over the world who also shared their stories of pain and shame and agony over workplace inequities, and I realized we were an army of survivors. They really buoyed my spirits during some dark days. It's why I wrote my book "Be Fierce" to honor these invisible women, who had come forward, were promptly blacklisted, demoted, and fired, and never worked in their chosen professions ever again. One of my favorite quotes is "One woman can make a difference but together we rock the world!" (anonymous). And we are doing just that!
Meggie: I love that - ‘an army of survivors'. We are obsessed with your book and love the running theme of women reclaiming their power. A big way to do that in the workforce is getting paid what we deserve. Could you tell us how you prepare for negotiation conversations?
Gretchen: Women are socialized to not fight for themselves and accept lesser than because we are taught not to make waves. Men are taught to stand up for themselves and in fact when they do they are given a badge of honor. I always tell young women especially to stop being so damn nice! Once we get past the stereotypes of "Oh, she's just being bossy", we actually start to make a change - and soon we're all standing up and asking for what we deserve.
“I always tell young women especially to stop being so damn nice!”
Meggie: Preaching to the choir! Speaking of asking for what you deserve, who has taught you the most about knowing your value in the workplace?
Gretchen: Some of my bosses in TV believed in me and put me in positions where I really had to sink or swim. It challenged me to be my best and I will never forget that. I in turn always mentored especially young women coming up the ranks. We're in this together and sometimes women feel like they're straddling the fence of trying to fit into the boys’ club and trying to help other women. Of course, if we put more women in positions of power we wouldn't have to worry about that!
Meggie: You’re exactly right about that! It’s frustrating to be put in a position of trying to fit in, but trying to break the mould at the same time. We have one more question - did you ever agree to something in your career that you now regret doing?
Gretchen: Ha! So glad I didn't give in to some of the requests made of me along the way! My issue was not being able to "disagree" with things thrown my way and having to fight triply hard to hang on to my dignity and credibility. It's why I'm working so hard through my advocacy work and Lift Our Voices to end the silencing mechanisms in the workplace like NDAs that hold women and people of color back from truly reaching the levels they deserve and allow companies to hide their dirty laundry.
Meggie: What an amazing note to finish on. Gretchen, you are an absolute legend and icon. Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us and for doing all that you do for women and people of color. It’s been a true honor!
Make sure to check out Gretchen’s activism and work through @liftourvoices and on her personal Instagram, @gretchencarlson.
If you’d like to know your worth, can we suggest joining our next Free 5 Day Career Challenge? The deal is, we spend 5 days together, working to supercharge your career success. You’re busy though right? SAME! That’s why we’ve made it 5 minutes a day for the 5 days. Plus if you want you can join me on our free daily coaching call during the 5-day challenge. Sign up below - see you there!