From CEO to Coach: Authentic Leadership Strategies for Women in Male-Dominated Workplaces │Dr. Tina Yerkes
In this episode of Leading Ladies of Economic Development, Kaycee sits down with Dr. Tina Yerkes, an executive strategist, leadership mentor, speaker, and founder of Transformative Leadership Consulting. Tina left leadership to start a consultancy and write a book focused on helping women navigate workplace bias in male-dominated environments. Drawing on 30 years of experience—being talked over, dismissed, and denied proper titles despite her authority and education—she says she realized the problem is systemic, though change will take time. While waiting for organizations to catch up, she emphasizes mentors and individualized strategies that allow women to succeed without shrinking themselves or pretending to be someone else.
In this episode, we explore:
Why she argues the root problem is systemic and women still need practical, individualized strategies to succeed while organizations catch up—without shrinking themselves or becoming someone they’re not.
How self-awareness and authentic leadership reduce stress and build confidence, based on her experience that changing herself didn’t change how she was treated.
Tools and methods to reconnect with authenticity, including using the DISC 4D assessment to understand natural leadership style, stress responses, and develop strategies that prevent burnout.
Quotable: “ I had seen the same thing happen everywhere to women and to myself, and I just had had enough."
Resources and Links
Connect with Tina Yerkes on LinkedIn
https://www.amazon.com/Change-System-Not-Women-Leadership/dp/1639082069
Kaycee Bunch, MA, CEcD
Dr. Tina Yerkes