Women in the workforce panel, 02/16/2026

This week, we were visited by two Ohio University alumni and past chapter members, Allison Young (‘24) and Lauren Reed (‘24), for our annual Women in the Workforce panel. 

Allison and Lauren both work in the strategic communications space. Allison is currently an associate account manager for FutureBrands, and Lauren is a public relations coordinator at MediaSource. During the panel, both reflected on their experiences as young women in the workforce and how being a woman impacts their careers every day. The notable panel questions and Lauren and Allison’s responses are below.

• Question #1: What is one thing you wish you had known as a woman before starting your career that wasn’t covered in a classroom or internship? – Allison and Lauren both noted that they wished they had seen more celebrations of women and their impact in the strategic communications space during their time in college. Both revealed that, as they now work in primarily female-staffed companies, instead of experiencing mostly hardships because of their genders, they actually experience the freedom to talk about more female-centered experiences and the unique skills that set them apart as individuals.
• Question #2: Early in your career, it can be tough to speak up. Have you ever felt that your input was dismissed or that you had to fight to be heard? How did you learn to advocate for your ideas? – Allison and Lauren agreed that learning to speak up is a skill that takes time to learn. Both advised our chapter members to begin building this skill by first discussing input with coworkers and close managers to gain confidence in speaking up during large meetings. Lauren specifically mentioned that sometimes it’s ok if your input doesn’t land well in a meeting, but also to double-check with coworkers if input didn’t land well or if it’s actually being dismissed. 
• Question #3: Do you ever feel there are unspoken expectations for your personality at work? For example, having to be exceptionally “nice” or worrying that being assertive might be perceived as being “bossy” or “rude”? – Lauren and Allison revealed that they both haven’t experienced having to shift their personalities at work completely, but rather had to learn how to shift their demeanor for certain clients who have different needs and expectations. 
• Question #4: Burnout is real. How do you set healthy boundaries with your workload and your time without feeling guilty or worrying it will hurt your career? – Allison and Lauren both reflected on their experiences with burnout during and after college. They advised members of our chapter to be realistic about their capacity to complete tasks every week and reminded us that most of the time, no one will hate you for saying no to a task.
• Question #5: Have you sought out female mentors or built a support system of other women in your industry? How have those relationships helped you navigate challenges? – Lauren and Allison both relayed that they were assigned female mentors at the beginning of their careers as new hires and that their mentorship programs helped them tremendously. They also advised making friends with future coworkers to build a support system at work to help with getting through challenges and just to have someone to get a mid-day coffee with.
• Question #6: Did you negotiate your first salary or benefits? Can you share any advice, big or small, on how to approach that conversation with confidence? – Allison and Lauren explained that they are both big supporters of salary negotiations and both did so when accepting their current positions. Both Allison and Lauren emphasized the importance of negotiating your salary, not just for the obvious monetary benefits, but also for believing in your own value and competencies.
• Question #7: A lot of talk is about imposter syndrome, but sometimes that feeling is caused by real, external biases. How do you distinguish between your own self-doubt and situations where you might be facing unfair judgment? – Both Allison and Lauren said that it’s important to believe in ourselves and to rely on the foundational skills that we learn here at OU, but also to check in with managers or coworkers about the quality of your work. Allison specifically said, “It’s alway ok to ask if something’s ok.”

You can connect with Allison and Lauren on LinkedIn.