When it comes to quitting a job, I know about this all too well – I quit working in corporate america after 8 years in digital media and content to embark on a journey of discovering new passions in digital marketing and re-igniting creative passions in the business of music (hence the reason for this new website).

Jody Gerson’s story of why she quit her role as the first ever woman named Chairman in history at Sony/ATV and why she got tired of being the “good girl” connected with me so deeply, I had to share this with you.

She is now CEO and Chairman of Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) but getting to this point gave lots of insight on getting the courage of realizing your worth and putting yourself first.

Read some of my favorite excerpts from the interview below:

“My contract was up for renewal [at Sony/ATV] and I was negotiating just to become the President. I was the co-President and had all this success, and I’d hit a wall. He [Bandier] just wouldn’t do it.

“I spent my career being the loyal good girl, on every level… so I decided, you know what? I’m going to take my power [into my own hands].

“I called a competitor, Lucian Grainge, and he said, Are you ready to be the global Chairman of Universal Music Publishing? And I said yes.”

“My business is very male-dominated in the executive ranks,” she said. “And while you see all these incredibly strong and powerful female artists dominating the business – whether it’s Beyonce or Adele or Alicia or Gaga or Taylor Swift, even – who are really controlling their own careers, it’s the men in our industry who are controlling [the business].

“[I thought that] by not going for the big jobs and being a good girl I was going to get the reward… without having to take it. One day somebody said to me, ‘Uh uh – it’s time for you to step into your own power and think about you, don’t worry about him.’

Here’s some helpful advice Gerson gives to women not only in the music business but in other industries as well:

“Support one another. I think what’s happening today is we all have to realize that we share very similar experiences. We have to support each other and sometimes we even have to push each other to be successful, to be on top and take those big jobs.

“It’s not enough that there’s only one [female] Chairman of a global music company. There should be more than one. But we’re not going to get there unless we support each other and we put each other in that position.”

Read the full interview here or watch the interview below.