Sorry, Not Sorry:

Owning Your Voice in the Workplace

Join us for an open and thoughtful conversation at the second quarterly Women in GIS meeting as we explore a workplace habit many people know well: apologizing before sharing an idea, asking a question, or offering a perspective. For many women, this reflex is deeply familiar and often tied to larger social and professional expectations around how we are “supposed” to communicate. Although this experience particularly resonates with women, it may also feel familiar to people of other gender identities who have felt pressure to make themselves smaller in professional spaces.

This one-hour virtual session will begin with a series of relatable workplace scenarios that highlight how easily strong ideas can be softened by unnecessary apology. We will then look at research on how often this pattern appears in workplace communication, reflect on the historical and cultural influences that have shaped it, and consider practical ways to replace apologetic language with more confident, authentic self-expression. The final 20 minutes will be reserved for group discussion, giving participants time to share experiences, reflect together, and support one another in finding their voice at work.

This discussion will be lead my our very own KAMP member and social media content creator Mary Chambless. Mary received her B.S. in Zoology with a minor in Geography from Ohio Wesleyan University in 2012, her Master's in Geographic Information Systems in 2018, and is currently employed as a GIS Analyst at Louisville Parks & Recreation Division of Urban Forestry in Louisville, Ky. Mary lives in Louisville with her family and has been in the Wildlife Conservation and GIS fields professionally since 2012.