The Only Woman in the Room is a powerful, unvarnished exploration of leadership, ambition, and perseverance inside systems that were never designed for women to thrive. Drawing on a four-decade career spanning government, national security, healthcare, academia, and Fortune 500 boardrooms, Lisa Davis recounts what it means to lead when you are often the only woman at the table—and the unspoken rules, double standards, and quiet pressures that come with that reality. With candor, wit, and hard-won insight, Davis traces her journey from early isolation as a computer engineering student to serving as CIO in some of the most complex and high-stakes organizations in the world, all while navigating motherhood, financial instability, and personal reinvention.

More than a memoir, the book is a practical and deeply human leadership guide organized around nine of Lisa’s principles: Authenticity, Grit, Power, Belief, Connection, Strength, Wealth, Rest and Impact.

Davis challenges conventional wisdom about success, loyalty, burnout, and “fit,” offering a blueprint for building a career without losing yourself in the process. She tackles urgent, timely issues including gender equity, leadership in crisis, and the human consequences of rapid technological change, especially in the age of AI. Ultimately, The Only Woman in the Room is a call to lead with clarity, courage, and conviction—and to redesign the systems that decide who gets a seat at the table, and at what cost.