Women in Freight Leadership: No Gatekeeping on What It Takes to Succeed

No gatekeeping. That's the premise of this Women's History Month episode of The Journey Podcast, where Will Jenkins is joined by Erin Sweeney, Maya Quijada, and Nicki Bottan to share what they've learned about navigating the freight industry as women — and what they wish someone had told them earlier.

The conversation centers on mentorship: the specific relationships that shaped each of their careers, how those mentors showed up when it mattered, and what it looks like to pay that forward inside an industry that still asks women to work harder to prove the same things their male colleagues get assumed credit for. They talk about mentorship not as a nice-to-have but as a structural mechanism for creating opportunity — and what's lost when women in leadership positions don't make it a priority.

They discuss leadership lessons learned the hard way — the moments that required them to advocate for themselves in rooms that weren't particularly interested in hearing it, the strategies that worked, and the ones that didn't. Erin, Maya, and Nicki also share what they hope to see change in the freight industry: the representation gaps, the systemic friction, and the cultural shifts that would make freight a more attractive career option for women entering the workforce.

This episode is candid, specific, and worth the listen for anyone who builds, leads, or hires in the freight and logistics industry.

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