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Good morning, Fearless readers:
Suzanna de Baca's column this week explores how women can build confidence and proudly claim their accomplishments.
That's a feeling we likely all can relate to. I frequently think about the idea that women only apply to jobs if they meet 100% of the qualifications in the listing, while men will apply if they meet 60% of those qualifications. Why is it that women start off second-guessing and underestimating ourselves?
It's a big reason why we love celebrating the accomplishments of the women in our community here at Fearless.
In this week’s Fearless e-newsletter, you will find:
- A column on self-advocacy and confidence from Suzanna de Baca.
- A column on compassionate listening in health care from guest columnist Malinda Shultice.
- In the headlines: three Iowa women declared their candidacy for new offices next year.
- In case you missed it: The women of Tasty Tacos.
- Lots more!
— Macey Shofroth, Fearless editor
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Beyond the comfort zone: Embracing self-advocacy for career growth
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BY SUZANNA DE BACA, FORMER BUSINESS PUBLICATIONS CORP. CEO
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Have you ever found yourself downplaying a significant achievement, that little voice in your head whispering that sharing it might come across as boastful? I certainly have. I remember vividly the day I received an email informing me I'd been recognized with a prestigious industry award. My initial reaction was a surge of pride, quickly followed by a wave of unease. How would I share this with my team, my colleagues, the broader company? The fear of being perceived as boastful loomed large. I decided to keep it relatively quiet, a small personal victory acknowledged only by a few close confidantes.
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Then, a conversation with a trusted friend, a woman executive I deeply admired, shifted my perspective entirely. When I tentatively mentioned the award, almost as an aside, she stopped me. "You must share this," she said, her voice leaving little room for argument. "This is not bragging – it’s visibility. Sharing this is about setting an example, about letting others see what's possible, and frankly, it's about taking the credit you've earned." She went on to say that for too long, women have been conditioned to shrink, to let their accomplishments speak for themselves, often into an empty room – but that our stories and our successes need to be seen.
My friend’s words came back to me after reading recent findings highlighted in a Harvard Division of Continuing Education article, "Women don't self-promote – but maybe they should." The research cited reveals a significant "gender promotion gap," where "women systematically provided less favorable assessments of their own past performance and potential future ability than equally performing men." This isn't necessarily a matter of lacking confidence, but rather a reflection of societal conditioning that often discourages women from actively touting their achievements.
As Areen Shahbari, CEO of Shahbari Training and Consultancy, points out in the article, "If you don’t self-promote, your contributions will probably not be visible nor recognized, which will limit your ability to get a promotion, a raise, or important projects that will help you advance in your career." My friend’s insistence on the importance of visibility directly reinforced how this tendency to remain unseen holds us back.
Consider the countless hours you've poured into your work, the challenges you've overcome, the innovative solutions you've championed. Haven't there been moments when your contributions were either overlooked or attributed elsewhere? This isn't always intentional, but it's a reality shaped by ingrained societal norms that often favor male self-promotion while subtly discouraging the same in women.
While this hesitancy to self-promote also happens with some men, women are more often socialized to be team players, to prioritize collaboration, sometimes at the expense of individual recognition. A recent article in Public Relations Society of America, called "Women benefit from self-promotion," underscores this, revealing that "most women would rather minimize their successes than discuss them." The study they cite found that a staggering 40% of women would rather quit social media for a week than talk about themselves publicly, highlighting the deep-seated discomfort many of us feel with self-promotion.
However, in the executive arena, visibility is currency. It dictates who gets tapped for critical projects, who is considered for leadership roles, and ultimately, who shapes the future of our organizations. By consciously and confidently sharing our successes, we not only claim our space but also actively dismantle the unconscious biases that can keep women underrepresented at the highest levels. A recent Forbes article, "How women can use personal branding to accelerate career success," directly addresses this, stating, "Building a strong personal brand helps bridge this gap by increasing visibility. When women actively manage their reputations, they have greater control over how they’re perceived, making it easier for others to recognize their expertise and leadership potential." My friend understood this intuitively – that sharing my award wasn't about personal glorification but about strategically building my professional narrative and empowering women to strive in their own careers.
Telling your story isn't about aggressive boasting. It's about strategic communication, about articulating your value proposition clearly and consistently. It's about understanding that your achievements are not just personal wins; they are proof points of your capabilities and your leadership potential. When you share your successes, you are not just highlighting a past accomplishment; you are signaling your readiness for future challenges and opportunities.
Visibility is important – especially for women working to be seen and heard in spaces where they’ve often been overlooked. But when social posts focus more on being seen at every event or capturing the perfect selfie, rather than on the value you bring or how you're serving others, the message can get lost. True professional presence isn’t just about showing up – it’s about showing why it matters that you’re there.
As Claire Wasserman, founder of Ladies Get Paid, advises in the Forbes piece, "Everything you share should be about the value you bring someone else, and your personal brand is the way you do that." Framing our achievements in terms of their impact and the value they deliver can make self-promotion feel more authentic and less like bragging.
Consider the impact of your silence. When you downplay your achievements, you inadvertently reinforce the very norms that hold women back. You miss an opportunity to inspire others, to demonstrate what strong female leadership looks like and to build the network of allies and advocates that are crucial for long-term career success. As the PRSA article points out, "A majority of women (83%) have been inspired by hearing women talk about their successes and accomplishments." By keeping our achievements quiet, we not only diminish our own visibility but also deprive other women of the inspiration and role modeling they need.
So, the next time you achieve something significant, resist the urge to minimize it. Instead, think of it as an opportunity – an opportunity to own your narrative, to inspire those around you, and to strategically position yourself for future growth. Let's move beyond the ingrained hesitation and embrace the power of sharing our stories, not as an act of self-aggrandizement, but as a vital step toward equitable recognition and the continued ascent of women in leadership.
Your voice and your accomplishments matter. Make them heard.
For advice on owning our own narratives and ensuring our achievements are recognized, I turned to local leaders:
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Suzanne Heckenlaible, vice-president, public affairs, Delta Dental of Iowa and executive director, Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation
Women must find ways to promote their work success and achievements. I take great pride in not only owning my work but also promoting the successes of my team. I am fortunate to be part of an organization that leverages my strengths and aligns with my passions. A great way for women to elevate their leadership skills outside of work is getting involved in professional, civic or charitable organizations to demonstrate their key attributes. My recommendation is to work in environments where your leadership contributions are acknowledged, valued and rewarded. Life is too short – work hard, aim high, support others and own your success.
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Dr. Lauren Patrick, cosmetic dentist, University Dental Group
Be the expert! There is a saying that the best way to master a subject is to teach it. But I would also add that visibility most easily comes from teaching and creating value around a subject. Many of us assume that our colleagues and community members know the intimate details of what we do and how we do it, when in reality, most of us have no clue about the day-to-day operations of those we engage with regularly. So teach them! What is something interesting about the work you did today? Tell someone! Whether in-person or on social media platforms, it is vital to use your voice, consistently show mastery of your niche and interest in the future of your industry.
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Diana Wright, startup community builder, Greater Des Moines Partnership
As someone who is a quiet leader and has the personality inside an organization as a "secret weapon," this question is particularly interesting to answer.
My style uses mystique and innovation. I would describe myself as a nimble problem-solver, unassuming, independent and autonomously creative. I love to contribute great ideas and often am a quiet force for change.
Being quiet doesn’t mean you can’t articulate your value. For me, it’s an advantage to use the language of listening.
Once you understand what makes you valuable to others, aka your personal brand, you can be more authentic and confident. For women who want to be more visible, you don’t have to change who you are. Instead, you must become more of who you are.
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Guest opinion: The need for compassionate listening in health care
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I’ll never forget my first day of what was intended to be a temporary and very much part-time position at a senior living community in rural Iowa. We had just moved for my husband’s job, giving me more time alone with my thoughts than I knew what to do with. I was bored, sad and lonely living in a part of the state that I was unfamiliar with, especially since I was used to living in the city. Naturally, I thought filling the void with a job was the most effective plan of action. I’d never worked around the elderly population, and quite frankly the only "older" people I knew in my life were my grandparents.
Upon entering the building, I saw older people slumped over in wheelchairs, staff bantering, other residents quietly observing the room and clinical staff speed walking every which way. In that moment, every deterring thought entered my mind and for a split second I considered running for the hills. But in that instant, I heard the jingling of bells – like the type that you’d expect to hear on a sleigh.
A nurse emerged from around the corner pushing a wheelchair while sporting the bells on her shoes. The resident was smiling from ear-to-ear as the nurse pushed her into the dining room for breakfast while whispering something funny in her ear. That same nurse went out of her way to help me learn the names of the residents, and I soon met one of the most pivotal people throughout my senior living journey. Esther was a quick-witted and warm German-speaking woman in her 90s. We quickly hit it off, so much so that we often had side conversations in German that only she and I could appreciate. My relationship with Esther became the starting point for one of my greatest life lessons — the necessity for active and compassionate listening. Needless to say, I overstayed my welcome at what was supposed to be a temporary role, because I felt as if I’d found my place in this world; I had accidentally stumbled into my calling.
After moving back to the city, the next building I found myself at was at a large community in West Des Moines, where I was surrounded by affluence and a diverse team like I’d never known. I was lucky to work with people from all over the world, but with that came challenges of learning to understand one another while trying to build a healthy, sustainable organizational culture. Never would I have guessed I’d find two of my greatest friends with this career move, one being a reserved yet direct nurse from Kenya and the other a 100-year-old blind and nearly deaf woman named Betty who some how knew when anyone walked into her room, no matter how quietly. Betty was particular about who she spent her time with; I could always tell when she felt lonely and wanted to talk because she’d bring in a sweater or random item from her room that she said needed repairing and we’d spend the next 30 minutes lost in conversation.
The opposite was true of the nurse from Kenya and me. The two of us did not get along; in fact, we despised one another simply for not understanding who the other person was. It took months, grueling months of us arguing and breaking down barriers until one day we bonded over mandazi she had brought for lunch. It was the African food, open-minded conversation and compassion that together helped forge an unbreakable bond to this day. At the time, I didn’t realize the source of my success all along had been compassionate listening.
Over time my job titles expanded, as did the size of the senior living communities that I managed, but one component always remained the same: being an effective, active and compassionate listener with not only the residents, but also with my team. It wasn’t until I left the industry because it was failing to draw healthy boundaries that would protect my empathetic nature that I realized the key to me hanging on all that time had been my unintended compassionate listening moments.
Compassionate listening is listening without an agenda, without judgment and without planning the response in your head while the other person talks. It is listening in its purest form, and it is a lost art. As simple as this concept may sound, people struggle to learn or relearn it, especially within a fast-paced industry such as health care.
Health care is an intricate ecosystem derived from empathy, vulnerability, trust and the need to put others above yourself; and in this day and age, the gap between the number of people needing care versus the number of health care workers available is widening. Somewhere along the way, many health care personnel have lost the art of compassionately listening to those around them. The harsh reality is that paperwork, regulations and demand are at an all-time high, which uses up the majority of energy in a day; this in turn leaves very little time for the humanness of the job. Health care is a human-based and compassionately driven career field that unfortunately has a crafty way of feeding your soul while diminishing it at the same time.
In all actuality, the regulations aren’t going anywhere and neither is the demand for health care workers, so it becomes increasingly necessary for compassionate listening to be an integral part of the day without feeling as if another thing is added to the plate.
The first actionable item to integrate compassionate listening into practice is working on not forming a question as another person speaks. True, active listening is solely focused on what the person is saying, rather than focused on how to respond. As health care professionals, we’re busy and constantly thinking of the next thing we should be doing, but being present and forcing the mind to not think of the next question while someone is talking is a strong actionable step toward becoming a better compassionate listener.
The second actionable item involves the use of discovery learning, which is an approach that focuses on empowering others to take action within their lives based on learned experiences. Being a health care leader, it isn’t uncommon to be the subject matter expert or go-to for all answers. But by asking questions such as "Which part of this conversation are you able to take action on today?" or "What part of this dilemma do you feel you could work through right now?" the empowerment process begins. It helps others realize their potential to solve the problem, but in a compassionate and supportive way.
Compassionate listening is the lifeblood of health care; it keeps professionals going even in the midst of sincere struggle. The real problem at hand is if we don’t figure out how to implement the listening components back into our organizations, we will continue to spiral as an industry. The revolving door of burnout won’t stop, the mental health struggles won’t reduce, and people will continue to choose other facets of work if we don’t prioritize the soft skills. Patients deserve to be compassionately heard and employees deserve to be compassionately heard. As an industry we have to remind ourselves why we began the health care journey in the first place.
Being fearless as a woman in health care involves tapping into our naturally empathetic selves, which helps to pour life back into a hurting industry. As women, one of our many superpowers is the ability to incorporate compassion with accountability while leading others, which leads to positive patient outcomes and a more content team. Health care is in need of the fearlessness of women and all that they bring to the table.
Malinda Shultice is a professor at Iowa State University and Barcelona Executive Business School. She is also a licensed nursing home administrator who has worked in senior living for the past decade. She recently began her own company focused on finding solutions to address the high turnover rates within the health care industry. When she isn’t teaching, she loves to write children’s books or guest speak on different podcasts.
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"IT TOOK ME QUITE A LONG TIME TO DEVELOP A VOICE, AND NOW THAT I HAVE IT, I AM NOT GOING TO BE SILENT."
MADELINE ALBRIGHT
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Map courtesy of Coworking Cafe.
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Des Moines-West Des Moines named second best mid-sized metro for working moms in 2025. Coworking Cafe recently released a study that named the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area No. 2 on the list of best mid-sized metros for working mothers. The study considered three categories — education, work and health and environment. Key findings include: 80.5% of mothers with children under 18 are employed; a median income for working moms of $52,000 per year; the most affordable child care among the analyzed mid-sized metros and more. Learn more about the study and see what other metros made the list.
Beyond Business Conference 2025 updates announced: Founder of FemCity to attend, speaker applications open. Speaker applications and sponsorship opportunities are open for the Beyond Business Conference on Sept. 25. The conference is an event designed for women and gender non-conforming entrepreneurs, leaders and professionals to connect and learn. The group seeks speakers on topics that will inspire, educate or empower others on their personal or professional journeys. Speaker applications are due May 30. FemCity founder and CEO Violette de Ayala will be in attendance. Learn more.
Two Democratic Iowa state legislators announce candidacy for Congress in Iowa's Third District. Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott and Iowa House Minority Leader Rep. Jennifer Konfrst each launched a campaign for Iowa's 3rd Congressional District last week. The candidates are challenging Republican U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn in the 2026 election. The 3rd District spans 20 counties in central and southern Iowa and is expected to be one of the most competitive elections in the nation. Trone Garriot is a pastor and the coordinator of interfaith engagement for the Des Moines Area Religious Council Food Pantry Network. Konfrst has served in the Iowa House since 2018 and is a professor at Drake University's School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Iowa Republican Lt. Gov. Chris Cournoyer launches bid for state auditor. Lt. Gov. Chris Cournoyer announced her candidacy for the Republican nomination for state auditor in 2026. Cournoyer became lieutenant governor in December 2024 and was thought to be considering a run for governor next year after current governor Kim Reynolds announced she would not seek reelection. Her announcement means there will not be an incumbent on the ballot in the race for Iowa governor for the first time since 2006 and only the third time since 1982, according to the Cedar Rapids Gazette.
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‘Oh, you’re a woman!’ Why are more than 90% of pilots still men – and can anything narrow the gender gap? (The Guardian). Trump administration asks court to dismiss abortion pill case (New York Times). What the ‘2% of VC funding’ stat gets wrong about women entrepreneurs (Fast Company). Women’s Pro Baseball League strikes media deal with Fremantle (The Athletic). Cancer-causing chemicals are in many beauty products women use, a study finds (NPR). Critics say Trump's baby bonus proposal won't address the real problems parents face (NBC News).
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The women of Tasty Tacos: four generations, one legendary business
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From left: Jenni Gardner, Linda Mosqueda-Blair and Antonia Mosqueda continue a family tradition. (Photo: Duane Tinkey)
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This piece was originally published by our sister publication, dsm Magazine.
At Tasty Tacos, "nada es impossible." That’s their familiar tagline, but it also happens to be true.
For more than 60 years now, four generations of Mosqueda family women have built the business into one of the most popular restaurant chains in Central Iowa. I recently had the pleasure of meeting three of them — CEO Jennifer "Jenni" (Mosqueda) Gardner with her mother, Linda Mosqueda-Blair, and grandmother, Antonia Mosqueda — at the headquarters in Pleasant Hill. Until they built it four years ago, the company’s main office was tucked in Antonia’s home, where meetings took place around the kitchen table.
In 1961, Antonia and her husband, Richard, moved to Des Moines from northern Iowa and took out a $500 loan to open the first Tasty Tacos shop at Easton Boulevard and Searle Street. Everything on the menu came from family recipes, including the iconic puffy flour shells. At home, the Mosquedas filled them with seasoned beef, as well as scrambled eggs or fruit.
In the early days, Antonia managed the small takeout shop until Richard finished his shift as a barber and then came over to help. Soon enough, they opened a second location at East 18th Street and Hubbell Avenue, with tables for on-site dining. Today the family oversees six locations with indoor and patio seating, as well as an app for online orders and DoorDash.
Since Richard died in 2000, the Mosqueda women have run the show.
Linda has done literally every job in the business, from washing dishes and cleaning floors to handling paperwork in the office as the former CEO. She took over after her dad’s death and then retired as president in 2024. Jenni followed a similar path.
These days, even though they’re retired, Antonia and Linda still attend meetings to share their opinions and keep an eye on the business. They all listen to each other; after all, family comes first. "You have to do what’s best for the business but also remember that they are family, not people you can fire and never see again," Jenni said. "Grandma is 95, the matriarch of our family. She is absolutely amazing, sharp as a tack and her advice is always helpful."
The business currently employs 11 family members, including Jenni’s teenage daughter — generation No. 4. Antonia said she had "no doubts it will continue," and Jenni agreed.
Richard often compared running the business to having a baby: It’s always on your mind. But there are limits. The family tried extending the hours to Sunday but decided against it, in deference to their Catholic faith. "Without God we wouldn’t be here today," Jenni said.
Now that Tasty Tacos has six locations, including the newest spot in Clive, the team is focusing on retail, through Mosqueda Foods. Customers can find their hot sauces and taco seasonings in Fareway and Hy-Vee stores and online. The merch, known as Tasty Swag, is popular, too, and every year before Christmas the company ships hoodies, T-shirts and mugs all over the world. You can’t order an actual Tasty Taco outside of Central Iowa, but affection for the brand has spread far and wide.
Tasty Tacos "is one of Des Moines’ most iconic foods," said local chef and restaurateur George Formaro, who knows a thing or two about food. "It’s the first stop whenever I’m away for an extended time."
I agree. I lived in Minnesota for 25 years and Tasty Tacos was always on my list whenever I came back to visit. Jenni smiled when I told her that and totally understood: "I think it tastes like home."
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At its core, Fearless exists to help empower Iowa women to succeed in work and life. We believe that everyone has a story to share and that we cannot progress as a society unless we know about one another. We share stories through featuring women in our reporting, featuring guest contributions and speakers at our events.
We are always looking for new stories to share and people to feature. Get in touch with us!
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