This past October, I took a trip to New York to meet with representatives from TIDAL, RocNation, and DefJam and sat wide-eyed at the amount of women in high power positions within those companies.

These women had seats at the table, big and bold ideas, and they held the attention and respect of their colleagues. As a young woman about to enter the work force, seeing these women doing remarkably well in the business field lends uplifting inspiration.

So often the stereotypical man with a black coffee and a briefcase is portrayed as the business icon, but there is so much more than that underneath the surface.

There are women defying the odds and persevering through a male-dominated society. There are women at the top of the ladder. There are women breaking free of social standards and pursuing cutthroat careers. There are women screaming from the rooftops: “yes, it’s possible.”

Two of DefJam’s marketing project managers, Jacklyn Soto and Leslie Rosales were present at the TIDAL Unplugged meeting. These women are a part of one of the most notorious record companies in New York. Joie Binns, Sweetness and Goldie Harrison represented RocNation’s EQ. Of the four representatives, 3 of them were women. This is an uncommon occurrence in most meetings, even in this time of progression.

Pictured (alongside myself) are TIDAL representatives Sharon Lam, Azia Javier and Lauren Ackerly. They have been vital members in the progression of the TIDAL Unplugged venture.

All of these women have significant positions in major companies that have a worldwide impact. Nick Coyne, TIDAL’s artist relations noted this is just a fraction of the women involved.

“You don’t even see a large percentage of the women here- they’re busy running the company,” Coyne said.

These entities represent a vital step forward regarding women in the business field and a hard hit on the negative statistics surrounding women in positions of power.