We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dalisia Coppersmith a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Dalisia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with the story behind your mission. What should we know?

I’ll start by sharing this: I believe the world needs far more women in leadership than we have today. That belief stems from looking around at the problems we’re still facing—and a few new ones from advancing technology. It’s easy to see that imbalanced decisions and investments are holding us back from making our world a better, safer place. It isn’t enough to have a small number of women in leadership roles. We need their wisdom in every place in society.

My mission is to get more women to step up—it’s that simple. But simple isn’t easy. We’re facing a wave of women opting out instead of applying to management roles or running for office. The surprising challenge for strong, confident women is how maddening the “dance of assertiveness” can be. Too soft and they call you weak. Too assertive and you’re labeled aggressive. It still happens today and it makes organizations far less effective.

The most successful companies have proven that having more women in leadership increases profitability, workforce engagement, and retention. Women don’t just solve societal issues–we create real prosperity. But we can’t do that if we don’t step up.

Dalisia, I love having you share your insights with us. Can you take a moment to tell us about your background, for our readers who might be curious about how you’re living out this passion project?

I’ve spent 25 years in the field of Executive Coaching and Organizational Development. Add that to almost 25 years of military service—both active and reserve. In 2023 I chose to focus half of my practice on helping women leaders specifically through keynotes, executive coaching, organizational consulting, and bespoke leadership programs. In 2024 I published my book Strong Women Rising: How to Overcome Resistance, Build Trust, and Change Our World. And this year I launched the Frontline Women podcast. It’s an exciting time! I feel privileged to make a difference for women rising through the ranks in their careers as they balance family lives, whole health, and personal growth.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Like so many entrepreneurs, I felt moved to use my life and work experience to benefit others who are (or will be) on the same path. When I share stories in a keynote, coaching setting, or workshops, people automatically recognize that what I’m saying is true. Leadership comes naturally to many women but we quickly learn just how much people of all genders can resist a woman’s voice. I cracked the code on this throughout my career in male-dominated environments and women trust me to help them do the same.

That doesn’t mean it’s easy to get the word out. Business owners must work hard to be heard and seen in a crowded market. I recently invested in elevating my branding to better reflect the quality and purpose of my work. I think that is always worthwhile because it helps potential clients “know” you and want to reach out. And the sooner they reach out, the sooner I can help.

One serious block I’ve always had is talking about myself. I noticed in my keynotes, I would lean more toward telling others’ stories. I’d much rather talk about my clients–but that doesn’t help anyone get to know me. If a business owner isn’t sharing their own stories, they aren’t differentiating. I’m still working on it—so thanks for giving me another opportunity.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Absolutely. So many women have experienced something similar to this. Several years ago, I found myself exhausted with the illogical resistance I was getting from others. I started withdrawing and going silent. People had created folklore about me being aggressive, difficult, and intimidating. It’s so easy to slap labels on people (especially women) that can become “fact” and damage our credibility. In this case, societal norms about women being soft, nurturing, and hesitant to lead were projected onto me in the form of behavioral expectations. When I displayed normal traits of a leader like decisiveness, directness, or self-advocacy, I was criticized rather than celebrated as male leaders are. Soon, I softened so much that I didn’t even recognize myself. It was awful and I felt so totally out of alignment with who I am and what I am meant to do.

I turned that whole situation around and got back to my natural personality traits and leadership strengths. I stopped reacting to people who didn’t like being held accountable or who secretly resented me for my courage and influence. The best part was that I intentionally built bridges with people who used to resist me. I didn’t have to quit my job or “cancel” people–I just had to choose to live and serve at my best and accept whatever happened from there. It was liberating!

You’re in the same field, helping organizations and leaders—but how is being an entrepreneur different from working inside an organization?

It’s harder in many ways, because I don’t have all the support organizations around me that we do in corporate and government leadership roles. If someone is ready to be “everyone” for a while, they can learn to love the solopreneur or small business leader lifestyle. It’s full of creativity and freedom, but it also requires focus and self-discipline. And if you don’t feel passionate—absolutely passionate—about what you’re doing, it can be harder to stay the course during the tough times. So to your readers out there, I’d offer this: find a way to stay tightly connected to and aligned with what you care most about. If you can do that every day, you’ll never feel like you’re working. Instead, you’ll be living your purpose.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dalisiacoppersmith.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dalisiacoppersmith
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@dalisiacoppersmith
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/dalisia.coppersmith
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/frontlinewomenwithdalisiacoppersmith/