Karen Lynch, president and CEO of CVS Health, is one of the most successful women in business. She is vocal about the future of health care on the main stage and has previously told Fortune she is seeing changes for Medicare coming “faster than a freight train,” calling for holistic approaches to address the mental health crisis, and warning about a Medicare “tsunami.”
However, getting to the c-suite wasn’t always smooth sailing. In a recent Linked-In post, Lynch announced a new book, in which she details the barriers she faced while growing her career. She says she will donate the proceeds to organizations supporting mental well-being and empowering young women.
“In the late 1970s and early 1980s, there was a specific kind of individual considered to be leadership material, and as a result, able to access broad professional opportunities,” the executive, who also tops the list for Fortune Most Powerful Women, writes. “Those individuals didn’t look like me or have my background.”
Despite the odds stacked against her, Lynch writes that she put her head down, worked long hours, and took on multiple responsibilities as she launched her career. “And yet, after many years of professional experience, I was told I didn’t fit the profile when I was being considered for a senior executive role at a large company,” she writes.
After reaching mid-manager, Lynch recalls being asked to attend a meeting with senior leadership. “I remember my heart racing as I tried to appear calm while walking down the hall to the executive conference room,” she says. “I tried anticipating the questions that would come up and how I might answer them if asked.”
She adds: “As I entered the room, I asked one of the leaders where I should sit … Barely glancing up, he said, ‘Sit in the back, not at the table, because women just take up space.’”
Years later on her first day as CEO of the health giant, Lynch wore a T-shirt with the writing, “Taking up space.” She previously told Fortune Leadership Next that she had shared her story with the diversity council at the company. A colleague’s daughter sent Lynch a note with a group of her fellow Girl Scouts who wanted to do something to take up more space. The young girls all made T-shirts with the saying and sent Lynch a photo.
Lynch hopes her book—titled by no coincidence—“Taking Up Space,” will propel companies to break outdated narratives and work to inspire a new cohort of women leaders.
“I want to share how I’ve used my voice to overcome barriers and create opportunities to make a difference,” she writes. “I hope my story becomes part of the conversation around taking up space and that it encourages others to do the same.”
