I didn’t build this business because everything went right.

Elisha Foust, PhD

A woman with short, gray hair smiling at the camera in a bright room with a window and a blurred laptop in the background.

I built it because of everything that didn't.

01

Some responsibility. But not real responsibility.

the half-step promotion

“Give women just enough to keep them quiet, but not enough to give them real power.”

Early in my career I was promoted to team lead. It sounds like progress. In reality it was the kind of promotion many women are given. Accountable for keeping things on track, but without the power to go deep or make real decisions.

I had people around me who excluded me, who made me feel small. I didn't have the language for it then. But I know now what it was: gender bias operating exactly as it's designed to.

02

I stopped letting someone else make decisions for my career.

2017 - the year I learned to position myself.

My company restructured. My boss left. Our team was labelled a cost centre. I was told to take a test to prove I was right for my own role.

So I changed the language I was speaking. I stopped talking about what we delivered and started talking about what it was worth. Revenue. Renewals. Recurring income.

In seven years I went from Team Lead to Global Senior Director.

My journey wasn’t a straight line . .

  • 2011 - PhD in feminist Ethics awarded!

    no jobs available and funding drying up.

  • 2012 - landed a temporary roll

    covered maternity leave for 9 months. Stayed for 9 years.

  • 2019 - made global director

    fast paced, across cultures and using my data analytics skills to persuade others to adopt new ways of working.

  • 2021 - left it all

    joined a startup, but the culture and ethos weren’t for me. Left after 9 months with no plan. Got hired as Group Director of ops the next week.

  • 2023 - cancer hit

    Two surgeries. Three weeks of daily radiation, and deep physical weakening. Kept working throughout.

  • 2024 - made redundant

    felt relieved, and had a clear idea to help women position themselves in the new AI driven-market. Built Future by Design.

  • 2025 - the big launch

    I launched Future by Design because I know that too often our careers are decided by someone else. I’m here to change that.

03

the PhD nobody knows about

Academic depth. Commercial acumen. Values intact.

I have a PhD in feminist ethics. For most of my corporate career I kept it quiet. I'd learned it made people uncomfortable.

It threatened my co-workers and made it hard for leadership to place me.

But.

My academic work gave me a deep understanding of why gender bias exists. My corporate career gave me 20 years of evidence. And my commercial expertise gave me the tools to do something about it.

“Gender bias isn’t just unfair. It has a direct, measurable impact on women’s financial security, her ability to retire safely and her independence.”

Which describes you?

  • Already Brilliant

    for employees & professionals

    You're good at what you do, but gender bias means you're constantly having to prove it. You need the commercial tools to make the people with power actually hear you.

    Find out more

  • The Client Engine

    for women founders

    You went out on your own. Now you need clients and a way to find them that doesn't compromise everything you stand for. This is commercial strategy, not coaching.

    Find out more

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