By: Lily Morgan
Early in her career at Hewlett-Packard (HP), Julia Stegman heard a comment from a male colleague that would stay with her for decades.
He said, “You have to be twice as good as the average man just to be viewed as credible,’” she recalls.
It was a blunt assessment of what it meant to be a woman in tech in the 1990s. Julia watched her ideas get overlooked in meetings, only to be praised when restated by male colleagues moments later. The message was clear: credibility would not be given, she would have to earn it twice over.
She could have let those experiences shrink her ambition. Instead, she channeled them into a determination that propelled her into leadership roles, global responsibility, and eventually, into the work she now considers her calling–helping others find meaningful, fulfilling careers.
Fulfillment Has a Ripple Effect
Today, Julia is a certified career coach, speaker, and author of Discover Meaningful Work: A Career Transition Workbook for Professionals in the Tech Industry. Her signature system, The 5 Phases of a Career Transition™, guides professionals from uncertainty or burnout to clarity and confidence.
“When we find fulfillment in our work, that sense of purpose radiates outward. It impacts our teams, our relationships, and our communities,” she says.
A Career Launched by Necessity
Julia’s technology career began not with a dream but with necessity. At 21, newly married, and wanting to start a family, she discovered her medical insurance didn’t cover pregnancy because it was considered “elective.” She needed better pay and real benefits.
A family friend mentioned an opening at HP. The role offered double her current salary and comprehensive healthcare. Julia applied, was hired, and stepped into what would become a remarkable career journey.
Turning Barriers Into Motivation
The challenges Julia faced as a woman in tech could have easily derailed her confidence. Instead, they strengthened her resolve.
“Those experiences became fuel for my leadership philosophy,” she says. “If I couldn’t change the entire industry, I could at least change the teams I led.”
Her early leadership roles reflected that determination. In her first sales management position at HP, her team achieved three consecutive years of over-quota performance. Julia credits this success to fostering inclusion, sharing best practices openly, and maintaining positivity in a high-pressure environment.
Her results drew the attention of the corporate office. She was recruited to HP’s headquarters to help build and scale a $1 billion global inside sales revenue engine, collaborating with teams across Europe and Asia. And later, led a remanufacturing division that saved the company $23 million annually.
She explains, “I loved building systems and teams that could scale. But I also started noticing something troubling: highly successful professionals — especially women — were questioning their sense of fulfillment in tech. I recognized that pattern because I was experiencing it myself.”
Advising 300+ Tech Companies and Spotting a Pattern
Julia’s next chapter took her to the Technology Services Industry Association (TSIA), where she built a new research practice advising more than 300 tech companies on recurring revenue strategies. Her clients included Microsoft, Salesforce, SAP, and Dell/EMC. Her insights improved customer retention rates by as much as 15 percentage points, and she delivered more than 70 speaking engagements across the U.S. and Europe.
But amid the success, the same pattern kept appearing.
Professionals everywhere appeared outwardly successful, but were stuck–paralyzed by their own accomplishments. Unsure how to redesign a future beyond the identity they had built. Julia realized she wanted to help.
Creating The 5 Phases of a Career Transition™
In 2019, she shocked her peers by leaving corporate America to launch her own executive recruiting and career coaching practice.
“I wanted to build a business aligned with my values,” she says. “I wanted the freedom to pivot quickly, and to guide people with their career transitions.”
Her practice flourished, and after five successful years, she finally wrote the book that had been on her mind for two decades. Discover Meaningful Work crystallizes her experience into a clear, actionable framework, The Five Phases of a Career Transition™.
Championing Equity Through Salary Transparency
Julia’s commitment to women’s advancement extends into advocacy. She helps clients understand and leverage salary transparency laws designed to combat gender pay inequity.
Salary transparency shifts the power dynamic by requiring employers to disclose pay ranges first,” she says. She cites a persistent gap: in 2024, women working full-time earned just 84 cents for every dollar earned by men.
For Julia, helping women negotiate from a place of strength is a smart strategy as well as a continuation of the journey she lived.
An Invitation to Women Navigating Similar Journeys
When asked what she would tell women facing the kinds of barriers she encountered early in her career, Julia is both compassionate and direct.
“You may have to work harder to be seen as credible. Of course it’s not fair, but those challenges can become your competitive advantage. They sharpen your skills. They build resilience. And once you succeed, you have a responsibility to help others. Champion others’ ideas. Create the environments you wished you’d had. That’s how we change things,” she says.
“Success doesn’t require sacrificing your values. Career transitions, even the ones forced by layoffs or burnout, can become the most empowering experiences of your life,” she says.
Finding Your Own Meaningful Work
Whether you’re a woman in tech, a professional feeling trapped by success, or someone navigating a transition, Julia’s message is simple: fulfillment is accessible to anyone willing to examine their strengths, values, and priorities, and design a career around them.
For more information about Julia Stegman’s coaching, workshops, or her book, Discover Meaningful Work: A Career Transition Workbook for Professionals in the Tech Industry, visit discovermeaningfulwork.com. Connect with Julia Stegman on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram @julia_stegman.
