I’m a journalist and author based in San Francisco. ALPHA GIRLS is my fourth nonfiction book and is currently being adapted for a television series by an Academy Award-winning woman filmmaker.

I had written stories and books about some of the world’s most successful men: Larry Ellison of Oracle, Elon Musk, Peter Diamandis, Richard Branson, and more. In promoting my last book, How to Make a Spaceship, I realized that there were phenomenal women out there, but their stories were not being told. I set about looking for a group of women trailblazers who were virtually unknown.

I wrote ALPHA GIRLS to tell the stories of women in Silicon Valley who had played a key role in financing and building some of the foremost companies of our day, from Salesforce and Facebook to Imperva and F5. I wanted to show what it’s like to be a woman in an industry surrounded by men: how do you find your voice, develop allies, network, and land deals? How do you manage the household and kids when both partners or spouses work? In short, I wanted to show the challenges, successes, missteps, and even regrets. The book is full of pluck, strategy, and heart. The women were brave to be vulnerable and share their stories.

Reporting the book and then talking to thousands of men and women across industries and geographies has changed my view of the world. I have come to believe that the barriers that remain for women are solvable, and that executives and managers are waking up to the reality that the most successful companies are those with the most diversity at top levels. These barriers can come down, and women can thrive across industries. Alpha Girls shows us how.