By Jessica Titlebaum (Chicago)

It is Wednesday morning when I sit down to interview Molly McGregor, the Director of Corporate Affairs at the International Securities Exchange. McGregor is getting ready to attend a conference in Rhode Island as the representative of ISE’s Political Action Committee (ISE PAC) the upcoming weekend.

“That’s one thing that has changed,” said McGregor, “I used to throw a few items in my suitcase, and I was out the door. Now, I have to consider the baby’s needs as well – diapers, food, and formula. No more dashing off to the airport with a small carry-on bag. When possible, I try to bring my family with me to conferences, especially if they run through the weekend.”

As a new mother, Molly McGregor is just beginning to experience the trade-offs that come with a nine month old son and a full time job.

“The challenges change on a weekly basis as he grows and his needs evolve,” she said. Finding the right balance between commitment and flexibility is an issue McGregor struggles with. As someone who used to be able to devote whatever time was needed to the task at hand, she is realizing there are now things in her work life and home life that are non-negotiable, and everything else needs to be kept flexible.

“For example, my son’s day care had a picnic and instead of bringing homemade cupcakes, which I would have normally done and certainly wanted to do, I had to buy cookies at the store,” she said. “If I have to let go of something I will, but I was not going to miss that picnic.”

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By Andrea Newell (Grand Rapids, Michigan)

At age 14, Laura Herman spent the summer on the north coast of Spain with a host family. It was her first taste of independence, immersion into another culture and glimpse of a society affected by political unrest. Once back in the quiet Boston suburb where she grew up, she determined that not only would she go back to Spain the following summer, but she would do something “international” with her life. That experience kindled a lifelong passion for other cultures and an interest in social issues. Herman not only returned to Spain for the subsequent three summers, but has visited, volunteered and worked in more than 40 countries to date.

When Laura first arrived at the University of Michigan, she thought she would major in International Studies and then join the Peace Corp, but she was ultimately drawn to the U of M Business School. “I came to this huge university from a small high school with a graduating class of 100 students. Entering the business school was a way to make the university seem smaller and I liked the cohesion of the business program.” While at U of M, Herman spent a summer as an intern working in Prague at a new foundation just after the Berlin wall came down.

Abject Poverty and Multinational Companies

After Herman earned her undergraduate international business degree, she spent five years at Deloitte Consulting. While she was learning the nuts and bolts of business consulting, she continued to travel and volunteer. During a leave from Deloitte, she spent nearly three months in southeast Asia (Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia). As she traveled around the beautiful, yet economically desolate, countryside, she saw struggling communities alongside multinational companies. “I thought a lot about poverty, why poor people were poor, and exactly what was driving such poverty.” And she started to think about how they could work together.

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By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

“I’m very committed to making corporations be successful with the integration and promotion of women in leadership,” said Liz Cornish, an author, leadership expert, and the first women in the world to kayak the Zambezi River in Africa.

Describing her kayaking adventure, she said, “I talked my way across the border, navigated around crocodiles and hippos, and put myself into the complete unknown, traveling alone. If you just throw yourself in – it beats staying under the covers or on the pavement. And this goes beyond travel.”

“Risk is what you perceive it to be,” she said. “I think women hold themselves back because of unproductive fears I work with senior leaders to help them to understand the risk and move fear from a career limiter to a productive tool.”

Learning how to manage physical risk, Cornish has now soled above the Arctic Circle, led executives up Kilimanjaro, run the 100th Boston Marathon, and completed the Escape from the Rock Triathlon in San Francisco (which begins with a swim from Alcatraz Island) – just to name a few of the tough physical and emotional challenges she’s triumphed over.

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By Tina Vasquez (Los Angeles)

In the 1960’s, Detroit, MI was an interesting place to live. It was during this time that Motown Records emerged, forever tying the city to the soulful sounds of Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, and Smoky Robinson – just to name a few. There was also the burgeoning automobile industry and The Detroit Riot of 1967, but despite all of this change, things remained rather traditional in the home of Anne McCarthy, current Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs for Western Union – traditional, though not boring or by any means quiet.

McCarthy grew up in a large Irish Catholic household that extended out to her neighborhood. She had 11 siblings and, according to her, everyone on her block either had two kids or ten, but at her Catholic school “if you didn’t have at least eight, we thought there was something wrong!” Her U.S. Marine-trained father father was definitely the disciplinarian, while her mother Cay – jokingly nicknamed “Chaos” by her father – allowed her children more flexibility.

In Detroit, McCarthy’s father had a growing consulting business and was able to send his kids to a college of their choice, though McCarthy was unsure of the path she would take. Thankfully, an emerging interest in writing forged a path that would eventually lead to her position at Western Union.

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