Madelyn Burt - International Women’s Day

For International Women’s Day this year, I reached out to a handful of women I deeply respect.

This is in no way a “top list.” I know so many extraordinary women - and there are countless more I don’t yet know.

These women come from different industries, backgrounds, and seasons of life. Coaches. Writers. Leaders. Career women. Creatives.

I asked them a few powerful questions about leadership, success, unlearning, and becoming.

And today, I want to introduce you to Madelyn Burt.

If you asked her at dinner what she does, she’d probably explain it like this:

“I write and negotiate contracts for a children’s book publisher.”

But that simple sentence hides a surprisingly intricate role.

Madelyn sits at the intersection of creativity and precision - translating the agreements between authors, agents, and publishers into the contracts that ultimately bring books into the world. She negotiates terms, manages royalties, triggers advance payments, and ensures the business side of publishing works the way it should.

In many ways, she helps protect the relationship between writers and the stories they create.

And there’s a quiet personal thread woven into that work.

Madelyn once shared a story about her grandmother, who loved writing and dreamed of becoming a journalist. She was curious about the world and full of questions - but growing up, she didn’t have the financial means to pursue school, and a career like that simply wasn’t possible in her community at the time.

“Book publishing isn’t exactly the same thing,” Madelyn reflected, “but I’m grateful I’ve had the chance to chase my dreams in a way she didn’t. And I like to think she’d be proud that one of her granddaughters works with writers.”

In her day-to-day work, Madelyn advocates for authors - helping ensure the agreements behind their books are clear, fair, and honored.

Learning to turn that same advocacy inward has been one of her biggest growth edges.

“I’m still learning to advocate for myself rather than defaulting to being helpful or keeping the peace,” she shared. “It’s always been easier for me to advocate for other people. What I’ve had to practice is recognizing that it’s okay to push back and stand up for myself as well.”

That self-advocacy has shown up in powerful ways in her own career.

Earlier in her publishing journey, Madelyn worked as a literary agent - championing authors and bringing their manuscripts into the world. But over time, she realized she wanted to sit on the other side of the table and work inside a publishing house, negotiating the contracts themselves.

It wasn’t a typical career move, and she knew she didn’t yet have all the skills hiring managers might expect.

I remember her telling me about this at the time, and I was so impressed by the way she approached it.

She started applying for roles a little earlier than she expected to - before she felt fully ready - and ended up landing a few interviews sooner than she thought she would.

Instead of seeing that as a problem, she treated those early conversations as a chance to learn. She paid attention to the questions she was asked, the areas where hiring managers pushed deeper, and the places where her experience still had gaps.

Then she went away and worked on those gaps.

By the time she started interviewing for the roles she truly wanted, she had a much clearer understanding of what the job required - and she walked into those conversations far more prepared.

Not long after, she landed the publishing job she had been aiming for.

Watching her approach that transition with so much thoughtfulness and strategy made it clear to me that the confidence gap we often talk about between men and women isn’t about capability.

It’s about permission.

Her perspective on opportunity reflects that same mindset.

Madelyn pointed out the well-known research showing that women are far more likely to apply for a job only if they feel they meet most or all of the qualifications, while men will apply when they meet just a few and assume they can learn the rest on the job.

Her belief is simple: more women should trust themselves to reach before they feel completely ready.

Preparation matters. But so does believing you can grow into the opportunity.

Right now, she says she’s stretching toward becoming someone who worries less about other people’s opinions.

“Even when I know I’m doing a good job, I tend to be concerned about whether other people agree - whether that’s at work or in social situations. I’m working on becoming someone who doesn’t let other people’s reactions rock her boat.”

When I asked her what success feels like in her body these days, her answer was simple and beautiful.

“Success feels like victory and pride. It’s warm and pleased. It’s confidence and the realization that you can do hard things. And it’s excitement to move on to the next challenge.”

And finally, I asked her to finish this sentence:

“I am a woman who…”

Her answer?

“I am a woman who loves puns.”

You can find Madelyn quietly supporting the work of writers through the books she helps bring into the world.

There are so many extraordinary women in my world - and so many more beyond it - who aren’t represented in this small series.

Consider this a celebration of them, too.

And in Madelyn’s words:

Trust yourself to reach for the opportunity - even before you feel completely ready.