Cathy Derksen, the mastermind behind Inspired Tenacity, is fueled by her unwavering dedication to empowering women locally and globally. With the establishment of her company, she has solidified her position as a celebrated global speaker and a highly accomplished author, consistently dominating the bestseller charts with ten number-one hits. Cathy’s enthralling narratives serve as catalysts, propelling readers towards audacious endeavors and pursuing their loftiest dreams. Additionally, she has pioneered a groundbreaking platform that fosters women’s empowerment through collaborative books, allowing them to share their own awe-inspiring stories. Cathy seamlessly steers aspiring authors through the entire journey within her program, from formulating their chapter concepts to achieving the coveted status of published bestsellers, ensuring a straightforward and exhilarating experience.
Can you talk to us about the journey to reach the present point in your career as an author, publisher, business owner, and advocate for women’s leadership?
Over a decade ago I made the huge decision to walk away from an abusive marriage and a toxic work environment. I threw my life up in the air and reinvented it on the way back down. I had two teenagers who were also suffering from the effects of our unhealthy family situation. This was the beginning of my personal evolution and journey into taking on a leadership role as an advocate for women on a global scale. With the mission of creating real impact helping women change their life, I went in the direction of financial planning as many women find themselves challenged with their finances. After a decade in that role, I acknowledged that I could not create the life-changing impact I wanted to have in women’s lives within the constraints of the corporate setting. This was when I dug in deeper and stepped into creating my own business where I can provide services that allow women around the world to create success on their own terms. As part of this journey, I started contributing to collaborative book projects. To date I have been involved in 11 #1 bestsellers. I discovered that contributing to these books created a great opportunity to build a global network, share my story, and inspire other women to take on massive challenges. I now focus on making this platform available to women by creating book opportunities on a wide range of topics that women are inspired to write about and read about.
Could you share some examples of women featured in your anthology who have displayed exceptional grit and tenacity in their leadership roles?
The book includes 24 women from around the world who have each taken on a role in transforming leadership in business and community. This group of authors includes women who have experienced events and cultures in their careers that have pushed them to decide to become disruptors and catalysts for change. They have stepped up to make changes in their workplace or they have left that environment to create a new model of leadership embracing collaboration, inclusion, diversity, and systems that support their staff, clients, and community.
How did you select the contributors for your anthology, “Grit and Tenacity: Women Transforming Leadership in Business and Community?” What criteria did you consider?
The women selected to participate in this inspiring book have all demonstrated enormous courage, grit, and tenacity to bring about change in their industries, workplaces, and communities. They represent a global team from a broad range of industries. They have been selected out of my global community as role models in leadership.
Can you highlight common themes or lessons from the stories and experiences shared in your anthology?
The stories in this collection come from a very diverse group of women, but there were a few common messages, such as the need for us to break down the traditional boxes that limit people’s opportunities to contribute in meaningful ways, allowing a wide variety of perspectives to be incorporated in decisions. The group also brings up the need to eliminate ageism, racism, sexism, and other discriminatory behaviors.
How do you see the landscape of women’s leadership evolving in the future, and what role do you believe your anthology series plays in that evolution?
I see the landscape of leadership changing as women step in and bring with them the focus on collaboration, mentorship, supportive leadership, and a shift in business culture away from competition and more towards creating win-win-win outcomes. This anthology contributes to this evolution by spotlighting the amazing changes that have taken place already and motivating more women to step up into leadership roles in their own way. The book creates a platform for women to share their wisdom and inspire each other.
For more information, visit Inspired Tenacity.
