Unlearn. Reclaim. Lead. | Stop Waiting for Permission to Be Seen ft. Gia Warren

About this episode

Deneen L. Garrett and Gia Warren discuss leadership, self-perception, and the journey of high-achieving women in this empowering episode.

You were built to lead. So why does the path keep feeling out of reach? In this episode of Women of Color: An Intimate Conversation, Deneen L. Garrett sits down with Gia Warren — strategic operations and program management leader, MBA, and global executive with leadership experience at Lumen, Intel, Amazon, and AT&T — for a conversation about what it truly means to be built to lead. Gia shares the decision that shifted how she sees herself, what she had to unlearn on the road to operational excellence, and what she wishes more women understood before they start looking for the path forward. If you're a Black woman 50+ who knows you're meant for more — but keeps waiting for the right moment, the right room, or the right permission — this conversation is going to meet you exactly where you are. In this episode: → The decision that shifts how you see yourself as someone built to lead → What high-achieving women have to unlearn to claim their own success → What separates women who find their pathway from women who don't → Why operational excellence is as much a personal standard as a professional one → The permission no one gives you — and why you have to become it…

People in this episode

Host: Deneen L. Garrett

Guest: Gia Warren

Topics covered

• leadership
• self-discovery
• empowerment
• women in business
• operational excellence
• unlearning
• personal development

Keywords

• leadership
• Black women
• self-perception
• operational excellence
• unlearning
• empowerment
• success
• personal standard

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Lumen, Intel, Amazon, AT&T

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