H EATH ER P OWN A LL STRATEGY CONSULTANT AT (ISC)²; FOUNDER AND CEO OF THE CONFIDENCE LABS hen Heather Pownall graduated from N.C. State’s business school, she wanted to start a podcast. She bought the nicest microphone at the Apple store. And for the next 10 years, it sat on a shelf. Until July 2020, when Heather stopped and asked herself – why haven’t I done that yet? The self-doubt Heather felt is not foreign. She has witnessed insecurity as a source of oppression that’s held back female peers in school and at work. “I think women have more internalized societal messages that are disempowering,” Heather says. “And that perpetuates unrealistic standards and definitions of what success is. [Women] don’t even raise their hands sometimes. My own lived experience validates what a lot of the research shows.” But Heather knows the secret to squashing that self-doubt: action. She became a certified professional coach through the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching, and a certified association executive and a graduate scholar of the ASAE Diversity Executive Leadership Program, which advances diversity and inclusion in the next generation of nonprofit leadership. And in early 2020, Heather founded The Confidence Labs to help women build courage in their career and life. Heather now hosts a monthly podcast, workshops, a six-week confidence camp and provides individual coaching. Heather’s career in association leadership, strategy and business development continues to evolve alongside her passion for life coaching. She’s done marketing for a renewable energy startup and directed global business development for an international association for accountants. Today, Heather runs The Confidence Labs while serving as a consultant for (ISC)2, a cybersecurity professional organization and lives near downtown with her wife, Leanora Minai, and their 7-year-old silver lab, Vinny. “If your achievements and your story and who you are can inspire one person or be validating or give a hope or normalize someone else’s experience in any way, then it’s valuable to share and to be held up,” Heather says. “If I had one wish for all women … it’s to know what success is for you and that it can change.” – by Marie Muir
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