I’ve gone against the grain most of my career. In 2000, I left the corporate world to pioneer a lifestyle company and built OTX, which I recently sold to Ipsos. As the only female CEO on the top 25 list my whole career, I was inspired to launch my most recent endeavor, The Female Quotient and Girls’ Lounge. My company is committed to advancing equality in the workplace, reimaging corporate culture and helping women rise to leadership. We enter the workforce 50% female and 50% male, and end up at approximately 17% female in the c-suite. This drop is caused by women opting out at middle management, which I call “the messy middle.” I believe when you put women in any equation, the equation gets better.