The interview dives deep into all aspects of Pelin’s life… one excerpt is provided below, and you can find the full interview here.

• The premise of this series assumes that our society still feels uncomfortable with strong women. Why do you think this is so?

Even as women move into corporate leadership positions, we are still perceived first and foremost as wives and mothers by society. That’s still the expectation — by both men and many women. While we regularly make thousands of cracks at that glass ceiling, the corporate world — especially in the C-suite and the board rooms — remain an “old boys club.” Perhaps the reason for this is men feel they can behave more like themselves, talk more openly (and perhaps less “gentlemanly”) without the presence of women.

Perhaps they see us powerful women as less feminine and more pushy, and they may prefer more feminine and less push. Perhaps they see us changing their easy social dynamics. It could be any or all of the above. The point is that powerful women are still not expected to charge into what’s still mostly a man’s world — and certainly not at a young age. Our very existence as equals — or even bosses to men — is still uncommon. The presence of women is still incongruent with manmade social constructs in business that have become the norm in “modern” society.

The good news is I’ve seen significant change over the last few decades, especially among the millennial generation. The gender gap is decreasing even quicker in academia, with women making up a majority of doctorate and master’s graduates these days. This is real progress.

As powerful and relatable women leaders of any kind become more common — across corporations, government and academia — I believe the discomfort and unease anyone feels about us will dissipate. Instead, they will feel awe and admiration for the generations of powerful women who fought so hard to change social norms and create a more equal society for all of us.