Strong Leaders Serve with Teri Schmidt

73. The Gender Leadership Gap & What To Do About It with Tara Schwegler

Teri Schmidt

Why do talented women all over the world doubt that they are leaders?

 What are our communities missing out on as women self-select out of leadership opportunities, harming their career wellbeing?

 We answered these questions with Dr. Tara Schwegler and also talked about:

  • cultural factors that are keeping women from seeing themselves as leaders
  • the actions that we can take to better understand and step into leadership 
  • the changes that need to happen in our society so that we don't miss out on the community-changing talents that women possess

About Tara

Tara Schwegler is a cultural anthropologist, writer, professor, and entrepreneur on a mission to get more working moms into leadership positions. After earning her PhD from the University of Chicago, she worked in the academic and corporate sectors, where she experienced firsthand the challenges of balancing family with leadership aspirations. She has published widely in major academic journals and is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where she teaches classes on women’s leadership, the anthropology of food, and any other fun topics she can dream up! In addition, she is the co-founder of RedSquared Consulting, a women-led customer experience consulting firm that advises corporate, non-profit, and municipal clients on how to enhance their customer experience with insights.

Having adapted to changing life circumstances throughout her career, Tara is an expert in rethinking career paths and moving forward, even when the path isn't clear. She recently completed a book manuscript, Set Up to Fail: Why Women Lean Out and What We Can Do About It, which argues that the gender leadership gap is the product of outdated cultural assumptions about work.

Links Shared

Tara's Website

Tara's LinkedIn

Tara's Facebook

Tara's Instagram

If you want to join this movement of healthy, purpose-driven moms, be sure to subscribe and connect with us!

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/moms-that-lead

IG: @wearemomsthatlead

FB: @momsthatlead

Interested in 1-on-1 leadership coaching to help you gain clarity on your strengths and values and use them to thrive in leadership and life?  Contact Teri at teri@momsthatlead.com



Looking for a community of leaders where you can tackle real challenges, share wins, and grow together—without office politics getting in the way? Join Leadership Thought Partners, a coach-led, group-directed space launching in July. Registration closes on June 22, 2025 at strongleadersserve.com/ltp



Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teri-m-schmidt/

Get 1-on-1 leadership support from Teri here: https://www.strongleadersserve.com/coaching

Set up an intro call with Teri: https://calendly.com/terischmidt/discoverycall