The Building Doors Blog

The Reason We Build. Numbers Don't Lie.

Women over 40 drive 70–80% of consumer purchasing decisions. Women over 50 control $15 trillion in spending power in the U.S.⁠

That’s economic force. That’s cultural gravity.⁠

And yet, once women cross 40, visibility in film and television drops. Speaking roles thin out. Leading roles narrow. Pay gaps widen. This is not about relevance. It’s about who gets framed as worthy of complexity, desire, authority, and agency.⁠

At The Writers Lab, we back women (and nonbinary folk) 40+ because their stories shape culture whether the industry acknowledges them or not.⁠

The stories have been written. We're making sure they're seen.⁠

​*source The Writers Lab

Headlines That Matter

Women are over mentored and under championed.

For years, women have been given the same career advice, delivered with consistency and good intentions: find a mentor. It assumes that guidance, reflection, and better self-management are the missing ingredients for advancement. But many women are already well-advised and still stalled.

Mentorship offers perspective, feedback, and reassurance. What it does not offer is power. Careers do not move forward through insight alone, but through advocacy, access, and decisions made in rooms where women are often absent.

Sponsorship fills that gap. It requires someone to say a woman’s name when opportunities arise, to argue that she is ready, and to stake real reputation on her advancement. That risk is precisely why sponsorship is rarer and why it matters more.

The conversation should shift from how women can prepare themselves better to how organizations reward those who put women forward. Because in workplaces where advice is abundant, what actually changes careers is who is willing to bet on them.

​*Source: People Matters

Unlocked:

Lessons, stories, & doors opened by campaign creator Christy Harst.

Silence Is Not Neutral

A while back, I had an idea for a proof-of-concept series called Door to Success. I asked girls, young women, and women around the world one simple question: What does your door to success look like? (see above)

From there, I shaped their answers into short scripts, paired them with professional voice actors, and collaborated with local artists to bring each story to life on video. As the voice tells the story, the artist creates in real time through paint, illustration, movement, or design. The goal has always been to grow this into a year-long series with a global women’s brand. I am still looking for that partner.​

Lately, I cannot stop thinking about this project. Every person I share it with is moved. Men, women, everyone. That is the power of story. Stories connect us, stay with us, and compel us to pass them on.​

So I keep asking myself why we aren't hearing more stories from people in...

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