Former captain of the United States Women's National Soccer Team and Olympian Julie Foudy now spends her days working at ESPN and talking with women about how to be effective leaders.
She brought her message to a crowd of more than 600 in Cincinnati Thursday.
Foudy says she wants women not to be afraid to raise their hands.
"When a question is thrown out (women) often will say, 'oh, I'm not sure I have the skill set for that. Or maybe I haven't had the training or I don't have the experience or maybe not the time,' instead of just raising our hand and jumping in with both feet not knowing what the other side is going to look like," says Foudy.
Foudy recommends women create strong peer groups, or teams, to support one another in achieving common goals. And, sometimes, you have to take a risk and bet on yourself.
"Something I believe is one of the greatest skill sets in life is being comfortable in uncomfortable situations and the importance of getting out of your comfort zone and trying new things and falling and getting back up," says Foudy.
She tells women they shouldn't be afraid to make sure they have a seat at the table when it comes to important matters, especially in their professional lives.
Her appearance was sponsored by the Cincinnati Network of Executive Women, a group that aims to increase the number of women in leadership roles in the consumer products and retail industries.
