In early 2016, I set out on a mission: to travel the United States and learn as much as I could about the professional experiences of millennial women in the American workforce. All around me I saw talented, intelligent, hard-working millennial women being held down by the chains of sexism, ageism, and racism at work – and I wanted to do something about it.

I began by scouring all the available data I could find about the millennial generation, both in the U.S. and globally. While the studies produced by Deloitte, PwC, McKinsey, and other large firms were immensely helpful, they were also impersonally “macro.” All lacked the texture of individual voices and stories.  To understand the challenges millennial women face on a deeper level, I knew I needed to focus on the micro, textured stories of millennial women across the country that would give me both qualitative and quantitative data. I crafted a survey and interview questions and set up events in as many cities as I could, starting with Los Angeles and ending in New York City. Inspired by my peers, I decided to call this project The Brave Millennial.