The Mirrored Door: Break Through the Hidden Barrier That Locks Successful Women in Place

At some point in their careers, many women encounter the “mirrored door” ― the place where, when presented with opportunities, they look inward and hesitate, determining they’re not ready or worthy enough to speak up or advance professionally. In her book The Mirrored Door: Break Through the Hidden Barrier that Locks Successful Women in Place, Ellen Connelly Taaffe, clinical associate professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, draws on research, stories from her own career, and those of her students and the mid-late career women she has coached. 

Taaffe explains why women get to a certain level, and then encounter barriers that prevent them from taking the next step in their careers as expectations rise. She brings a new framework to this conversation, with immediately actionable ideas, identifying the barriers that come from within. 

In this book club series, we will meet during four (virtual) sessions to navigate and discuss the three sections of Taaffe’s book and conclude the series with a session with the author herself. While it is advisable to read each section of the book prior to the sessions, you will benefit from participating even if you have not read the full section we are discussing. This is a no-judgment book club! Come, learn, and share what you know from your own experience.

Facilitated by WEST Advisory Board members, and executive coaches Etta Jacobs and Tammy Gooler Loeb, each session will be highly interactive and friendly! Optional exercises and activities to do in between sessions to support your goals and interests will be offered.

Session 1 - Break Open: How We See Ourselves

We will identify the well-intentioned norms we learned earlier and unpack the socialization that supposedly prepared us for our careers, yet may have also created expectations that did not align well with the workplace cultures we landed in. Some of these experiences may have seeded doubts and held us back professionally or left us feeling unsure how to move forward. We will explore and discuss ways to untangle our expectations to see the strategies for moving our goals forward.