Trading success for survival: the hidden cost for Black women in leadership
We’ve been talking about inclusive leadership skills, but before we dive further, let’s take a moment to consider the cost for Black women and non-binary folks to even be in leadership in this blog post by LaVoya Woods, Director of Trauma-Informed Methodology at CCI.
Black women are incredible. They lead, they innovate, they stabilize entire industries—often while juggling more than anyone should ever have to. And yet, the numbers tell a darker story: Black women are paid just 63 cents for every dollar earned by white men, and even with advanced degrees, that only rises to 69 cents. Despite making up the largest percentage of women in the workforce, they hold just 1.5% of leadership positions in industry.
For many Black women, success comes with a hidden price tag: their health, their well-being, and too often, their lives. The roles they hold weren't designed for them to thrive. They weren't even built for them to survive. But they do. They push through the violence of outsized expectations, criticism, and the constant pressure to be perfect. The reality is clear: these systems were never built for Black women to win.
Living in survival mode
Black women are no strangers to survival. We’ve been taught to outperform our peers just to be seen as "good enough." But the truth is, survival isn’t thriving. And in our work with Black women CEOs , VPs, and C-suite leaders, we see the cost of this survival mode every day.
Stress, overwork, and the relentless pressure to prove yourself show up in the body—chronic illness, heart disease, hypertension. These aren't abstract concepts. This is the lived reality for Black women who carry the weight of leadership in spaces that aren’t built to hold them. Success shouldn't come with a death sentence, but for many Black women, that’s the unspoken trade.
Outperforming, but at what cost?
Let’s be real: Black women are brilliant. They bring innovation, stabilize processes, and offer critical thinking that makes businesses thrive. Companies with Black women in leadership roles are 35% more likely to outperform their competitors, and their presence increases productivity and creativity across the board. Yet, the acknowledgment of that brilliance? It often comes packaged with demands for more. Do more. Hold more. Fix more. Despite all this, they’re rarely given the support, rest, or compensation they deserve.
And let’s not forget, in addition to holding things down in the workplace, many Black women are also taking on the role of intergenerational trauma healers in their families. As a trauma and family therapist, I saw this constantly: Black women are interrupting harm, setting boundaries, going to therapy, and working to heal cycles of maladaptive child-rearing. They are healing abandonment by learning to lean on others and work more collaboratively, all while carrying the weight of leadership.
I’ve recently been reminding some of our clients, “You have arrived.” But even in their arrival, Black women are met with the violence of never being able to stop. What happens when the systems meant to reward hard work are the same ones that drain the life out of you?
What does psychological safety look like?
So here’s the real question: What would it look like for Black women to be safe in leadership? To work, to lead, without sacrificing their health or their joy?
What would it mean to create spaces where Black women don’t have to trade their lives for a seat at the table? What might it look like if Black women were able to do their best work—brilliant work—without carrying the weight of saving everyone else?
There are no quick fixes or solutions. We all need to start asking better questions.
I feel quite fortunate as a person raised in Black womanhood that I have a place at CCI where we have already begun considering and strategizing what it means to operationalize this kind of radical safety. A place where my own safety has been amplified enough so that I can do my best work and even stumble into a new kind of “best” that is more in alignment with my values, my interests, and my small (powerful yet humble) place in shifting our larger culture.
An invitation to dream bigger
What could be possible if we stopped demanding more from Black women and non-binary leaders, and instead gave them more space to rest, to dream, to create on their own terms? What if we stopped asking them to survive and instead gave them the tools to thrive?
What would it mean to live in a reality where we accept and understand that thriving Black women help others to thrive? History shows that when Black women have what they need, the ripple effects uplift communities, and workplaces, and make life better for everyone around them.
The answer isn’t more resilience. Black women have already proven they have more than enough of that. The answer is safety. Rest. Support. And systems that let them live—fully, freely, and without the constant weight of survival.
Let’s ask ourselves: What kind of world do we want to build for Black women in leadership? How do we create space for their brilliance without the relentless cost? If we want their best, we have to give them our best.
Some receipts for my folks who like a deeper dive:
Pay Gap for Black Women:
National Women's Law Center. (2022). The Wage Gap: The Who, How, Why, and Where of the Gender Pay Gap. Read here
Leadership Positions:
Catalyst. (2023). Women of Color in Leadership: A 2023 Report. Read here
Impact of Black Women in Leadership:
McKinsey & Company. (2021). Diversity wins: How inclusion matters. Read here
Health Outcomes for Black Women:
American Psychological Association. (2018). The Stress of Black Women: The Overlapping Effects of Racial and Gender Discrimination. Read here
Intergenerational Trauma and Healing:
Harvard Medical School. (2022). Intergenerational Trauma: Understanding the Impact on Mental Health. Read here
Note: we currently have rare openings in 2025 for new or returning organizational clients interested in exploring the possibility of multi-year, transformational change towards an equitable and inclusive culture where everyone has what they need to thrive and do their best work.
Our introductory CEO/Leadership Relief Packages and/or Stakeholder Buy-in Packages start at $10,000. Request a complimentary DEI consult if you are interested in finding out more.
Banner photo by Madison Oren on Unsplash
Self-coaching for DEI Advocates and Leaders
Join us for a free weekly email series and check-in on co-creating real and lasting shifts towards diversity, equity, inclusion and antiracism at your company or organization. Sign up here.