Sublime

Almost every woman I interviewed expressed a genuine longing to live life on her own terms, and that desire—be it for autonomy or achievement, for happiness or fame—imbued her with a wellspring of raw energy that kept pushing her higher and higher.

How boring, I thought. And, yes, intimidating. I pictured these high-earning women as cold, tough, aloof, hard-driven, designer-dressed people I could never relate to, leagues above me.

I’m Jane Smith, the founder and CEO of Wild Widgets. Industrial Magazine named us Top Widget Maker of the Midwest, which was a huge honor in our business. I’ve scaled back from six to two staff and am looking to build