Breaking Unseen Barriers and Addressing Common Challenges Unique to Women in Business

Scharrell Jackson
CEO, High- Performance Leadership Coach, Keynote Speaker, Business Consultant
STJ Consulting Services

Scharrell Jackson is a game changer who has thrived in male-dominated industries for over 25 years, holding key positions like CFO and COO. Throughout her career, she has gracefully navigated the challenges of being the only female and minority in the room, all while successfully raising three sons as a single mother.

With a wealth of business experience, Jackson has achieved exceptional results. Her strategic leadership has led to impressive year-over-year growth rates, increases in top-line revenue and remarkable staff retention rates of 95%. Beyond her impressive corporate background, Jackson is an accomplished keynote speaker and leadership coach.

Letitia Berbaum
Co-Founder and COO
The Zandbergen Group

As partner and COO of The Zandbergen Group, Letitia Berbaum specializes in “True Wealth” strategies, wealth management, asset transfer strategies for highnet- worth individuals and multi-generational families, and full-service strategic planning for business owners.

Berbaum has been recognized as an Orange County Five-Star Wealth Manager for seven consecutive years. She has earned the Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF®) designation, Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®) designation and holds a Series 66 securities registration, as well as long-term care insurance and life insurance licenses.

Her expertise has been featured by Forbes Business Council and is a part of the Brea Chamber of Commerce Women in Leadership Council. Berbaum was also recognized as a “Woman of Achievement” by Senator Bob Archuleta’s office for her outstanding contributions to the community.

Christine Duque
Award-Winning Global Executive & Author

Christine Duque is managing director and CEO of Alonsera, a minority-and women-owned, full-service, customer-experience consultancy specializing in strategic, creative and technology services.

Duque is a highly respected expert in customer experience strategies and technology solutions with a proven track record of driving growth for leading Fortune 50, 100 and 500 companies. She leverages data, AI and technology to achieve sustainable growth. Duque has forged successful partnerships with technology companies, resulting in innovative products and services that enhance competitive advantage, customer engagement and loyalty.

Beyond her professional achievements, Duque is a sought-after speaker and thought leader in the industry.

Shared Insights from the Event

On the systemic and cultural issues women face in the workplace:

Christine Duque: No one’s pounding the table for us, especially Asian women and women in the BIPOC community. While the women’s movement has done so much for women over the years, the reality is that there are systems that create these biases and categories where we compete against each other as women. People lump me in the category of “Asian women” and you think we’re all the same. Our histories are so complicated, and these are the kinds of systems and biases that are in place that make it almost impossible for us to break that glass ceiling.

On building upon the progress of equity for women and positioning yourself as a future leader:

Letitia Berbaum: I’ve always had a vision to help other people and how we can move up to reach our goals, but also wanted to fight this “I can do it all” attitude, because something gives every time. I looked at what my goals were for me, and I envisioned that person in the role that I would want to be someday. I reached out to that person and that person became my mentor, a friend, someone I would watch on social media - to see not just what they were doing, but how they were doing it. Build yourself a network of amazing strong people that you can lean on when you are down or not feeling confident. I now bring people in that circle that I get to learn from and give back to.

On navigating a work/life balance and managing time to have outside goals, a family and strong relationships:

Berbaum: I rewrote the rules at my office. At the time they were saying, “You need to work nine-to-five and you need to be in the office.” I didn’t take that - I scaled back what I did. I paid for my own assistant, I recreated my rules and I created a work/life balance at the time. This was before COVID, so there were days I would work from home and days that I would come in late because I would start, but it does not mean that I didn’t work - there were times that I worked twice as hard as other people. I rewrote the rules. If you really want something, come back, renegotiate and make sure that you’re fighting for what’s important to you and your goals.

Duque: Also, for the single women and women who don’t have any children, I have to defend us. My not having kids or not being married is circumstantial - I didn’t choose this. It has been said that the only success that I’ve had in my career is because I don’t have the responsibilities of a husband or children at home - that is a lie. I’m also Filipino and I know that a lot of women in the BIPOC community live in multi-generational homes - we have responsibilities that are multi-generational. You don’t see my brother, my nieces, my nephews and everyone else that I support, but that is also part of my reality of what I bring to the table. Just because we don’t fall within the barrier of having a husband or children doesn’t mean that we don’t have any other responsibilities.

On fighting “impostor syndrome” and feeling comfortable in leadership and success:

Berbaum: This is my mantra for the year: Being comfortable with uncomfortable situations and being uncomfortable in general. That has allowed me to ground myself and understand the reality and not get stuck in those fears - that’s been very powerful for me. Sometimes you can be your own worst critic and you ask: “Can I do that? Can I win?” You absolutely can. Eight percent of Fortune 500 CEOs are women, and culture starts from the top down. So if we want to have more voices and create change, you have to put the negative stuff away.

Duque: I’ve taken a lot of risks starting my own company, with lots of pounding the pavement. It’s scary and I think sometimes about when you have to listen to your gut: Your gut is never wrong. When you have a strong intuition that it’s the right thing to do, don’t second-guess yourself - go for it. That’s where I’m at, and surprisingly, when you go with something that you love and that is your passion, everything else aligns.