Page 26 of Forty, Flirty & Fired

"I'm telling you I'm addressing a critical issue that affects company morale, productivity, and our ability to attract and retain top talent."

"That's a yes in CEO-inese.”

"If you like."

She sits back, wine glass in hand. "Why tell me this? Why not just do it quietly and take credit later?"

It's a fair question, and one I've asked myself on the drive over. Why am I sharing this with her, of all people?

I straighten. “Because you were right. And because I think you can help make sure we do this correctly."

"Me? The champagne terrorist?"

I allow myself a grin. “Yes. You. The corporate culture consultant with twenty years of experience and a knack for identifying precisely what's wrong with tech leadership."

Our main courses arrive, the server presenting them with flourish. Mac looks down at her halibut, then back at me.

"So this isn't just dinner.” She blinks up at me. "It's a pitch."

"It's both." I cut into my venison. "I believe people can accomplish more over good food and wine than in boardrooms."

"Is that why you tip the sommelier so much when you come here?”

“I—what?”

"Emma talks. Actually, the entire staff talks. You use wine to win people over. Because, let’s face it…You're not exactly known for your warm, approachable leadership style."

"And yet here I am, being warm and approachable."

"Here you are, recruiting me to fix your company's gender pay gap after I publicly doused you in Dom Pérignon." She shakes her head. "The tech industry is bizarre."

"Says the woman who accepted a job from the CEO she champagne-showered.”

The conversation flows more easily after that, shifting between strategy and personal anecdotes. By the time dessert arrives—a chocolate soufflé that Mac insisted was "necessary for proper strategic planning"—we've outlined a bold, transparent plan to close the pay gap. And for the first time in years, I feel like I’m actually leading, not just managing.

"The key," she says, savoring a spoonful of soufflé, "is transparency. Not just in fixing the gap, but in acknowledging it existed in the first place."

"Public acknowledgment creates liability."

"Secret adjustments create mistrust." She points her spoon at me. "You need to own this, Alex. Show that you recognize the problem and are committed to fixing it. The good publicity will outweigh the bad."

"The board won't see it that way."

"Then help them see it." Her tiny chin tilts up. "This isn't just about numbers. It's about people—women who've been undervalued and underpaid for years while contributing just as much, if not more, than their male counterparts."

There's a sharpness to her expression now—a personal edge to her advocacy that makes me curious. "You sound like you've experienced this firsthand."

She hesitates, then sets down her spoon. “Let’s just say that for a fair amount of the times I’ve heard some male coworker got the position because he had 'greater leadership potential' and 'more executive presence,’ it actually meant?—”

"That he has a penis.”

She blinks. “Pretty much.”

I nod, understanding.

With Mackenzie Gallo, every word she utters is like a dagger that drives home. It seems every time I’m around the consultant, I open another window into the woman herself—windows I’m suddenly wanting open more and more.

By the time the bill arrives, I realize that my shoulders are relaxed. My body’s relaxed. I’m relaxed.

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