Women have spent decades forcing open doors that were never designed for us, and in 2026, we still find ourselves standing alone in rooms dominated by male discourse and decisions. If the glass ceiling was shattered long ago, why does it feel like the walls are closing back in, asking us once again to contort ourselves to fit spaces that refuse to evolve? If you’ve ever felt disillusioned, powerless, lonely, or frustrated by a workplace still built primarily for men—you’re not alone, and you’re not crazy. This book hands you the guidance you’ve been missing.

A tech leader across government, academia, and corporate industries, Lisa Davis shares the battle-tested lessons she learned the hard way so you don’t have to. Navigating the frustratingly persistent challenges of building a career and a family at the same time, her story offers a fresh look at female leadership at the highest levels and the pressure to perform without a roadmap.

We’re living inside a system that won’t transform overnight, no matter how badly we want it to. The Only Woman in the Room is a power playbook for winning anyway, learning how to navigate the rules as they exist while steadily applying pressure where it counts. System change takes time, and pretending otherwise only costs women ground. This book shows you how to claim influence, momentum, and leverage now, while helping push the tide in the direction it needs to go.