Since I was a child I have been fascinated by people's stories. Not the highlight reel. Not the achievements listed on a wall. The real story — the milestones, the turning points, the moments that shaped someone into who they became. I grew up watching documentaries that cracked open a person's life and showed you everything inside. I read books where someone sat down and got completely honest about their journey. I was always the person at the dinner table asking one more question, staying one more hour, wanting to know what happened next.
I just find people endlessly fascinating. Always have.
My career took me across continents — through male-dominated industries, through countries where I knew nobody, through rooms where I was often the youngest and frequently the only woman. Along the way I met so many remarkable women. Brilliant, accomplished, inspiring human beings who had built extraordinary things, navigated paths that most people never even attempt, and created their own version of success on their own terms.
I was inspired by every single one of them.
The Question Nobody Was Asking
But here is the thing I noticed — and it stayed with me for years. Whenever these women talked about their work — in meetings, at conferences, in interviews, even on podcasts — they talked about business. Strategy. Results. The professional version of themselves. Nobody ever asked them about their path. Not the real path. Not what it actually felt like to decide to go. Not the moment they chose the brave thing over the safe thing. Not what kept them going when the road got hard and nobody around them understood why they were doing it at all. Not the sacrifices, the identity shifts, the relationships tested, the moments of doubt — and the moments of absolute certainty that this was exactly the right choice. Not how they built their version of success when no version existed yet for them to follow. Those conversations weren't happening anywhere I could find.
And I kept thinking — someone should be having them. Someone should be sitting down with these women and asking the questions that actually matter. Not "what is your leadership philosophy?" but "what did it cost you, and was it worth it?" Not "what is your advice for aspiring leaders?" but "what do you know now that you wish someone had told you at the very beginning?" That is why I built Where She Leads.
This Is For You
Because somewhere right now there is a young woman with a dream that feels too big, too far, too much. And someone — maybe several someones — is telling her it is not possible. That it is not how things work. That she should be more realistic, more practical, more careful. I want her to hear these stories. Because the path exists. And if it doesn't exist yet — you are allowed to build it yourself. You are allowed to be the first. You are allowed to refuse the answer no and keep going anyway. The women I am about to introduce you to did exactly that — each one in her own way, in her own industry, in her own corner of the world. They built roads where there were none. And every single one of them will tell you it was worth it.
What You Will Find Here
I have been curious about these stories my whole life. I finally decided to go and find them — to give these women a platform and ask them everything I have always wanted to know. Not about their business. About their life. Their courage. Their wisdom. Their version of success and how they built it when nobody had built it before them. This is where those conversations live.
I am so glad you found it. Because I think you are here for exactly the same reason I built it — you believe there is more possible than what you have been told. You are curious about what it really takes. And you are brave enough — or becoming brave enough — to find out. Pull up a chair. The stories are just getting started. — Viki
Where She Leads is a podcast and community for women building extraordinary international careers. New episodes coming soon. The stories are just getting started. Join us at wheresheleads.me