Hi Reader,
If your LinkedIn feed feels a little more “leadership bros, everywhere” lately, you’re not alone.
Over the past few months, a wave of women have been running small experiments with the platform: changing their gender setting, tweaking their profile photo to read as more “corporate male,” or shifting their language to sound harder-edged and less “relational.” Some of them report big jumps in reach and profile views after doing it.
Meanwhile, many Black women and other women of color are very clear: this isn’t a shocking plot twist. It’s confirmation. They’ve been talking about getting less visibility, less engagement, and more friction on LinkedIn for years. What feels “suddenly broken” to white women has felt broken to them the whole time.
LinkedIn’s official stance is that gender and race aren’t used as ranking signals in the feed or in search. That might be technically true and still miss the point. Algorithms don’t need a “gender” field to behave in gendered ways.
They learn from patterns in:
- Who tends to get liked, shared, and followed
- What kind of language is treated as “professional” or “thought leadership”
- Which networks and industries are already treated as credible
If those patterns are built on existing workplace bias, the system quietly carries it forward. You end up with an environment where women—and especially women of color—have to work harder, code-switch more, and sand down their voice just to get similar visibility.
A few thoughts for our corner of the internet:
- If your thoughtful post about equity sinks while a chest-thumping hustle thread goes viral, that’s not a personal failing. That’s design.
- You don’t owe the algorithm a personality transplant. Document what you’re seeing, compare notes with others, and treat your experiments as information, not identity.
- When platforms say “we checked and there’s no bias,” the next question is always: Who got to check? And using what questions?
At She Leads AI, our baseline is simple: women and people of color shouldn’t need a fake mustache, a fake name, or a fake voice to be heard. If your experience on LinkedIn says otherwise, you’re not imagining it—and you’re not alone.
Here are some steps you can take to support other women on LinkedIn:
- Sign the petition on Change.org: “𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗿 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻.”
- Save and send women’s posts. Then like. Then comment.
- Fund, recruit, sponsor, recommend women on LinkedIn
- Fund, recruit, sponsor, recommend women in real life
Algorithmic bias is a FAR bigger problem than just this case. But this one can be can be addressed relatively easily.
Warmly,
🗓️ Don't Miss It!
She Leads AI Social Saturday: Create a Lead Tracking CRM that Works for Your Brain, with Sarah Mary
Saturday, December 6
10am - Noon Pacific
Zoom
𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢 𝘊𝘙𝘔 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸-𝘶𝘱
In this workshop, 𝗦𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗵 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘆 teaches what you need to know about tracking leads without overwhelm — how leads move through a sales flow, why so many get lost, and what a simple, effective system should include.
Then, she’ll guide you step-by-step in building your own lightweight, AI-supported CRM. You’ll leave with a system that fits the way you think, helps you keep up with follow-up, and doesn’t require extra tools or stress.
Register for Social Saturdays at SheLeadsAI.ai
📢 Women in AI Making an Impact
Kimberly Mays is a MarTech and automation strategist driving innovation at the intersection of AI and digital communications. As Senior Program Officer at the International Rescue Committee, she leads platform strategy with impact. With two decades of experience—including roles at Epsilon and Acxiom—Kimberly has transformed CRM and customer engagement for top brands. Her technical fluency and strategic vision position her as a standout leader in AI-driven marketing.
Dr. Claire Jacobs is a clinical psychologist and transformational coach with over 35 years of experience guiding high-achievers, especially those with ADHD, toward clarity and confidence. As founder of Dr. Claire Coaching Services and a leader at AI Salon Mastermind, she blends trauma-informed care with innovative, neurodivergent-affirming strategies. Claire’s work empowers professionals to overcome burnout and thrive through deeply personalized, psychologically grounded coaching.
Jaime Hunt is a trailblazer in higher ed marketing and the Founder of Solve Higher Ed Marketing. With over 20 years of leadership—including CMO roles at Old Dominion and Miami University—she crafts bold, actionable strategies for institutional growth. An instructor at WVU and host of Confessions of a Higher Ed CMO, Jaime merges innovation with impact, transforming how universities approach brand, strategy, and communications.
🖋️ Our Featured Writer
For the next four weeks, we’re excited to feature Sarah Downey, who writes about responsible AI, power, and keeping humans at the center. Please enjoy part 1 below.
AI as Architecture: Who Shapes the Foundations of the Future?
by Sarah Downey
We often talk about AI as if it were a tool we choose to pick up. But the reality is more consequential: AI is becoming part of our shared architecture. It is the scaffolding beneath decisions, services, and institutions we will all rely on. Architecture is about what lasts. The foundations we build early, and the values we embed before most people even notice construction has begun.
Across history, the same pattern repeats: small groups design the systems, and everyone else learns how to live inside them. This era asks us to interrupt that lineage through active participation.
The emergence of abundant intelligence is both a technological transition and a rare governance wake up call. It is a moment to widen the circle of who gets to define the load-bearing walls of the future - whose needs are centered, whose risks are counted, whose wisdom is encoded.
Women, caregivers, organizers, community leaders, system builders: your perspectives are much needed structural integrity.
If this is the new architecture, then participating at the blueprint stage matters more than ever.
Try This
A question to explore with your own intelligence - human and artificial:
What part of the emerging AI systems—the digital infrastructure shaping tomorrow's decisions, services, and institutions—needs MY voice in its foundation?
About the Author
Sarah Downey is the founder of Sarah Downey Consulting, where she guides nonprofits and social impact organizations through responsible AI adoption. Her work blends governance, ethics, and human-centered design - helping leaders build systems that feel clear, grounded, and worthy of the people they serve.
Her writing explores how AI is reshaping work, power, and imagination, and how we can design futures that honor both intelligence and humanity. She shares articles, exploratory prompts, and frameworks for leaders navigating this time of rapid change.
👉 Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sarahdowney1
📅 AI Festivus is Coming! Register Now, Buy the Replays!
AI Festivus 2025
Friday and Saturday, December 26-27, 2025
9am - 9pm Pacific
ZOOM
AI Festivus 2025 is the year-end ritual for skeptics and believers alike.
Virtual & FREE -- This free, community-oriented event offers insights on human-centered AI—mindset, use cases, discoveries, artistry, collaboration, and even a few grievances —- perfect for enthusiasts and experts at any level. Brought to you by She Leads AI and The AI Salon.
NOTE: The AI Festivus replay can be purchased when you register.
🎙️ AI Readiness Project
From Survival Mode to the Growth Zone: Leading in the Intelligence Age with Jennie Blumenthal
Thanks for being here with us!
Warmly,
Anne Murphy
Founder, She Leads AI
Founder and CEO, Empowered Fundraiser Consulting
👉 Learn more and explore our work at SheLeadsAI.ai
