Let's Talk About 'Me Too'

If you’ve read my book blurb or if you’ve recently read my Real Talk Thursday post, then by now you should have connected the theme of my book with my personal experiences working in Corporate America. As a veteran, card carrying member of the Me Too Movement, I wanted to write books that elevate this conversation to show how pervasive this culture still is in our workplace and around the world.

The Jane Valiante series starts with Jane’s story. Jane’s story is inspired by my own story, though the names, places, etc. have all been changed. But this #ownvoices novel really could be written by so many other women, which is the genesis for the name Jane. According to a recent Inc. article, 60% of women say they experience "unwanted sexual attention, sexual coercion, sexually crude conduct, or sexist comments" in the workplace. That is an astonishing number in 2020. In addition to those that experience it, only about half report it, fearing retaliatory consequences as the leading reason for not reporting it. I have first-hand experience with that kind of retaliation.

The two articles linked go on to name a host of additional shocking statistics that support the very real conclusion that even in the post-Me Too era, we still have a long way to go to snuffing out this behavior. Leaning back on my own experiences, I can easily relate to why women don’t report it, and neither do the witnesses that observe it. We are all afraid. We are afraid to lose our jobs, we are afraid of the humiliation from the public spectacle of it all, we are afraid to be seen as “man haters” or not a “team player.” There are so many reasons we believe that we must sweep this behavior under the rug, least of all that the laws in most of the states across the US favor the employer, not the employee.

So, what can we do about it? We can rewrite outcomes. In The Maverick I tackle not only sexual assault, but also the system around sexual assault that both allows it to proliferate, as well as the structures we need to tear it down. Tearing it down doesn’t mean blaming men or hating men, or even canceling the perpetrator. These issues are complex and deserve complex examination with the aim for a sustainable solution. Fear is what holds us back from so much. It holds us back from our potential as both individuals and as a society. It holds us back from love and fulfillment. And for many women, it holds us back from life.

It’s my hope that with this series we will see these sociological challenges in a new way, and perhaps learn to forgive ourselves for our imperfections. And most importantly, forge a dialogue for real change where everyone can gain and finally release the fear that has held us all back for far too long.