Empowering Women to Lead with Therese Tipton

Welcome to the very first episode of Empowering Women to Lead! In this powerful conversation, host Ruth Easterling sits down with Therese Tipton, principal of Raisbeck Aviation High School in Seattle, TEDx speaker, and President of the National Association of Secondary STEM Schools.

Together, they explore what it truly means to empower young women, especially in male-dominated spaces like aviation and STEM. Therese shares her journey into leadership, the impact of mentorship, and how confidence often begins with one small “yes.”

💡 In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• How Therese’s mother quietly modeled strong leadership after personal tragedy

• Why representation and mentorship matter for girls in STEM

• The importance of taking risks, even when you feel uncertain

• The challenges women face when their leadership is misunderstood or underestimated

• How persistence, self-talk, and community build long-term resilience

Highlight: Leading in a Male-Dominated Space

As principal at a STEM high school located on Boeing Field, Therese has seen firsthand how girls thrive when given opportunity, encouragement, and a place to lead. With only about one-third of the student population being female, Raisbeck is actively working to close the gender gap in STEM leadership.

🎧 Listen if You:

• Are a woman navigating leadership or stepping into new opportunities

• Want to support the next generation of female leaders in your school, company, or community

• Need inspiration to say "yes" to that next big challenge

• Believe that mentorship and visibility change lives

📎 Resources & Links:

• Connect with Therese Tipton [e-mail]

• Learn more about The Purpose Journey Program https://www.rutheasterling.org/copy-of-productivity-coaching 

• Sign up for Ruth's upcoming Live2Lead Women’s Business Conference – October 24 https://www.rutheasterling.org/live2lead

🔁 Let’s Keep the Conversation Going

If this episode encouraged or inspired you, share it with a friend. Tag @RuthEasterling and tell us: What does empowering women to lead mean to you?

And don’t forget to subscribe so you won’t miss future episodes with trailblazing women who are making a difference in leadership, STEM, business, education, and beyond.