by Danna Lewis

Danna Lewis is The Athena Alliance’s chief operating officer. She’s also a radio host, leadership coach, and best-selling author. Danna’s background covers it all, from operations and startups to finance and sales. In her Luscious Leadership radio show, Danna meets with The Athena Alliance’s CEO, Coco Brown, for a monthly “C-Sweet” chat to explore Athena’s behind-the-scenes operations and take a deep-dive into what it means to transition to a Modern Boardroom. Read on for Danna’s recap of the show’s highlights.

I’m always fascinated by remarkable leaders, career hacks, work-life integration and the individual stories that can apply to us all. My goal with the “C-Sweet” radio shows is to take listeners (and readers!) back in time to how Athena Alliance began, as well as give you a look at what is happening behind the scenes at our organization. In this episode, I kick off the series by going way back, reflecting with Coco on how Athena began.

Before Athena Alliance, Coco previously served as CEO of Taos, a market leader in IT services and consulting. She was with them for 17 years, taking Taos through the dot com bust and guiding it through a major turnaround. The Athena Alliance was sparked when Coco reached the intersection of wanting more after Taos—seeking that next exciting thing in her career—and looked at the resources and relationships surrounding her, which she had worked so hard to cultivate. Read on to see how Coco seized the opportunity before her – and consider how you can do the same in your own life and career.

Yes, even CEOs can have imposter syndrome.

“I had this moment where I had reached my own version of imposter syndrome,” Coco told me. “I thought to myself, am I really qualified for this? I’m a psychology major, but there I was running a technology company, never having laid my hands on a line of code. I was also in a highly male-dominated industry.”

I love that Coco intuitively did what her problem-solving nature told her to do: she sought ways to overcome her own vulnerabilities. She figured she could add value while overcoming her own challenges, by creating a loose affiliation of women. Executive women. CIO women. They’d come together every quarter, where Coco could learn more about the world of IT, and these women could hone their leadership and confidence skills.

‘Don’t let go of us.’

What started off as a handful of women grew to a solid 80 by about 2012. Coco stepped down from her CEO position at Taos to consider what she wanted to do next with her career. “Whatever you do, don’t let us go,” Coco recalled many of the women saying.

That was all the validation Coco needed to soar. She widened the scope of the group to include any executive women—CFO, CRO, and so on—and the women continued to show up. By 2015, there were more than 130 women on the list for Coco’s gatherings.

Coco’s ah-ha moment.

Senator Mark Warner visited California in the fall of 2015. Coco and about 25 women got together with him. Magic happened when Senator Warner asked what was on their minds. The group’s reply?

Why aren’t we in the boardroom?

And that was that. In the following days, her circle of C-suite women sent rapid-paced emails to her inbox: You’re looking for what’s next. Well, this is it.

I told Coco that the product and service she was looking for was so innate that she didn’t even realize she already had it in front of her. It was natural. For those of you who are struggling to launch your own business, ask yourself what tools, resources and networks you have in front of you today.

A focus on her natural abilities

Here’s what I think is the real magic: Coco didn’t know how she was going to proceed, but she was willing to just take the next step. It’s Coco’s willingness to embrace her natural ability to connect people that made her efforts so authentic. She had loyalty to these women. She also possessed enormous experience in leading people-based businesses—where the product is people, where the relationships matter.

So, what’s stopping women from getting board seats?

Coco then blended a pragmatic approach with her instinctive skills. She knew that women were half the workforce, but by the time we reach top ranks, we’re in less than 20% of leadership roles. She asked important questions to figure out next steps: did this mean that women are less capable? Or, are women being blocked in one way or another?

“I don’t believe women are less capable,” she said. “So, then I looked at: okay, what’s the reason for the block?”

Coco’s ultimate thesis: Boards don’t recruit in a traditional way. You have to be in the right place at the right time. And that takes being a part of a deeply intimate network. (Readers, are you asking this of your own businesses? Asking the right questions that can help guide you to a proof of concept?)

Investing in the idea

Coco then worked to pull the pieces together—evaluating how she could connect her incredible peers with incredible companies. Athena’s earliest tests included 33 women who signed up to allow Athena Alliance to “test” on them. To do so, they invested by way of a donation.

Coco evaluated the capabilities people need to make it to the Boardroom, crafting workshops, early tests, and coaching models. Note – she wasn’t looking for perfection. She was bringing her community along with her for the ride, asking them to build something with her. I think of it like building a prototype, and having your early supporters help co-innovate with you.

“In the early days, people invest in the idea,” she said. “They believe it has legs. They don’t want to get left behind.”

Athena Alliance today

Whew! We’ve come a long way. By the end of this year, we’re working to gain 300 members. We’re looking for smart ways to scale. We’re building a team. We’re working with some of the brightest minds and most progressive companies to create The Modern Boardroom.

Want to know more? Tune in every month to the “C-Sweet” – on the last Wednesday of the month – to listen as Coco and I track our progress and reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re headed.