About Work With Me Resources Blog Contact
Kathy Sizemore speaking at Security LeadHER 2026 in Minneapolis. Stop Being the Best-Kept Secret: How Women in Security Get Seen.

You don't have a credibility problem. You have a visibility problem.

^ let's fix that

Bookmark this page. Come back to it. Send it to the woman who was sitting next to you.

The Session

What We Covered

You're excellent at what you do. The people who work with you know it. But the broader industry doesn't, and that's costing you opportunities you've earned.

We looked at why accomplished women stay hidden, what's behind it (it started before you got your first job), and what to do about it. The Visibility Trifecta gives you three channels for building professional recognition: strategic networking, thought leadership, and industry involvement. You pick the one that fits and start there.

Everything you need is below. Start this week.

The Prompts

The AI Experience Inventory

Most of us are terrible at seeing our own experience clearly. We call things "just volunteering" or "just doing my job" and move on. The Experience Inventory takes the emotion and the baggage out of it and shows you what you've actually built.

Open ChatGPT, Claude, or whatever AI tool you use. Copy the prompt below. Then list everything: jobs, volunteer roles, projects, certifications, training, side work, committee roles. All of it. Don't edit yourself.

1The Experience Inventory
I'm a woman in the security industry and I'm going to list everything: my professional experience, volunteer roles, projects, certifications, training, leadership positions, and accomplishments. I tend to downplay what I've done, so I need you to take what I list and show me what it actually represents. After I'm done listing, I want you to: 1. Organize this into categories of professional expertise. Name the categories based on what you see, don't use generic labels. 2. Identify the leadership, operational, and strategic skills demonstrated. If I described something as "volunteering" or "helping," reframe it to reflect what I actually did. 3. Tell me what I should be known for in my industry based on this evidence. 4. Write a 90-second introduction of me as if you were presenting me to a room full of security industry leaders who need to know why I matter. 5. Draft a "Known For" statement in this format: "I want to be known as the person in this industry who _______________." Give me three options based on what you see. Be direct. Don't hedge. If the evidence says I'm an expert, say it.
2The LinkedIn Rewrite
Using the experience inventory and Known For statement from my previous exercise (pasted below if needed), rewrite my LinkedIn summary. The first 2-3 lines are the most important. They show before people click "see more." Lead with what I'm known for, not my job title. I want it to: 1. Open with my Known For statement or a version of it 2. Include 3-5 specific accomplishments with real detail: numbers, outcomes, or scale where I have them 3. Sound like me talking to a peer at an industry event, not a resume or a corporate bio 4. Be written in first person 5. Stay under 300 words Do not use: "helped with," "assisted in," "was part of a team that," "passionate about," "seasoned professional," "leveraging," or "utilizing." If you catch yourself hedging, rewrite the sentence to be direct. [Paste your experience inventory and Known For statement here]
3The Speaker Bio Builder
Based on my experience inventory, write me a speaker bio for someone who speaks about [your topic, e.g., visibility, leadership, business growth, security technology]. I want three versions: 1. Short (50 words): For event programs and spoken introductions. This should sound natural when someone reads it out loud at a podium. 2. Medium (100 words): For conference websites. Lead with credibility on my specific topic, then accomplishments. 3. Full (200 words): For speaker applications. Lead with credibility, include 3-4 specific accomplishments, and end with one human detail that makes me sound like a real person, not a credential list. In all three versions: lead with what makes me credible on this specific topic, not how long I've been in the industry. No version should open with "With over X years of experience." No fluff, no filler, no "passionate about."
4The Undervalued Skills Finder
Look at my experience inventory again. I want you to find skills I'm probably undervaluing. Specifically: 1. What skills show up across multiple roles that I might be calling "common sense" instead of expertise? Name the skill and show me where it appeared more than once. 2. What leadership patterns are visible that I might be dismissing as "just stepping up"? Show me the pattern across roles, not just one example. 3. What would a hiring manager, conference organizer, or committee chair see in this list that I'm probably not putting in my bio, resume, or LinkedIn? Be specific about what they'd value and why. 4. Where am I using language that minimizes what I've done? Show me the exact phrase I used, then rewrite it to reflect what I actually did. For each finding, show me my language → what it actually represents. Example: "I helped with the fundraiser" → "I led a fundraising operation that doubled revenue in two years." Be thorough. I've been undervaluing myself for a long time.

After you list everything, hit enter. Most women who do this have the same reaction: "I didn't realize I'd done all that." You did. You just stopped seeing it because you were too close to it.

The Exercise

Your "Known For" Statement

You started this in the room. Now refine it.

"I want to be known as the person in this industry who _______________." specific, not perfect

Not your job title. Not your company. This is what you want people to associate with your name when it comes up in a room you're not in.

What makes a good one

Too broad

"I want to be known as a leader in security."

Specific

"I want to be known as the person who makes video surveillance understandable for small business owners."

Too broad

"I want to be known as someone who helps women."

Specific

"I want to be known as the integrator who trains the next generation of women technicians in our region."

Too broad

"I want to be known for my expertise."

Specific

"I want to be known as the end user who turned a 200-camera system into a case study other universities reference."

5Refine Your Statement
I'm working on my professional visibility statement. Here's my draft: "I want to be known as the person in this industry who [your draft here]." Help me make it more specific and memorable. Ask me questions about what I actually do, who I serve, and what makes my perspective different. Then give me three refined versions to choose from.
The People

Your Five

Five people who should know your name and your work, and don't yet. Names, not categories. Not "someone at SIA." A specific person.

1
Name
A decision-maker, committee chair, editor, peer, or speaker you respect
What you'd want them to know
Be specific, not modest
Potential sponsor?
Someone who'd say your name in rooms you're not in yet
2
Name
Who should know what you can do?
What you'd want them to know
The accomplishment, the skill, the track record
Potential sponsor?
Yes / No / Not sure
3
Name
Someone making decisions you want to be part of
What you'd want them to know
What would change if they saw your full resume?
Potential sponsor?
Yes / No / Not sure
4
Name
A peer whose respect would mean something
What you'd want them to know
The thing they can't see from where they're standing
Potential sponsor?
Yes / No / Not sure
5
Name
Someone who spoke at a conference you attended, or runs a committee you want to join
What you'd want them to know
Why you belong in the same room
Potential sponsor?
Yes / No / Not sure

Mentors and Sponsors: Know the Difference

A Mentor

Gives you advice. Helps you think through decisions. Shares what they've learned. Valuable, and you probably already have one.

At least one of your five should be a potential sponsor. Someone who, if they knew what you'd built, would say your name when the right opportunity came up.

The Ask

Tell People What You Want

This is the part most of us skip. We wait to be asked. We wait to be noticed. We wait for someone to see what we've built and hand us the opportunity.

You have to say it out loud. Not in a pushy way. In a clear way. If nobody knows you're reaching for it, nobody can help you get there.

Conversations you can start

"I've been thinking about submitting a proposal to speak at [conference]. Have you been through that process? I'd love to hear what worked."
"I'm interested in getting involved with the [committee name]. Do you know who I should talk to?"
"I'm working toward [specific goal] and looking for people who've done something similar. Would you be open to a conversation?"
"I've been building expertise in [area] and I'd like to start writing about it. Do you know any editors at [publication] who might be open to a pitch?"
"I'd love to get more involved with [organization]. What's the best way in?"
"I'm putting together my speaker one-sheet. Would you be willing to give me a quote based on the work you've seen me do?"

Every one of these does the same thing: names what you want, asks for guidance instead of demanding an outcome, and shows you're someone who's moving. The voice that says "I don't want to bother them" is the same voice that's kept you invisible.

The Plan

The 90-Day Visibility Framework

Days 1-30Claim It

This month is about seeing yourself clearly and telling the first few people.

  • Run the AI Experience Inventory. Read what comes back. Let it reframe what you've built.
  • Finalize your "Known For" statement. Say it out loud to at least one person.
  • Identify your five. Reach out to two of them. Lead with what you can give.
  • Update your LinkedIn using the prompt above.
  • Join or re-engage with one professional committee, association, or industry group. Show up. Sit in the front row.
Days 31-60Build It

This month is about creating evidence that you're visible, not just credentialed.

  • Write or publish one thing. A LinkedIn article. A trade publication piece. A case study. Something that puts your expertise in front of people who don't already know you.
  • Attend one industry event with the specific intention of being known. Introduce yourself to three people. Ask for photos. Follow up within 48 hours. Tag them.
  • Follow up with all five of your people. Share something useful with no strings.
  • Start one thought leadership stack. Volunteer to lead a training. Offer to present at a local chapter meeting. The first one is small. That's the point.
Days 61-90Sustain It

This month is about making visibility a practice, not a project.

  • Check: are the right people starting to know your name? If yes, add five more. If not, look at which of the three channels needs more from you.
  • Submit for something. A speaking proposal. A committee nomination. An industry award. A trade publication article.
  • Tell someone what you've done. Out loud. In a conversation. Say it to someone who can help you take the next step.
  • Look at your "Known For" statement again. Is it sharper? More specific? Update it.

After 90 days

Visibility is not a personality trait. It's a practice. The framework doesn't stop at day 90. It becomes how you operate.

The hardest part isn't the plan. It's the voice in your head that says "who am I to put myself out there?" You already know who you are. You did the inventory. Trust the evidence. Do it anyway.

The Framework

The Visibility Trifecta

Three channels. You don't have to do all three at once. Pick the one that fits and start there.

Strategic Networking

Becoming known in rooms that matter. Choose where you show up based on who's in the room, not what's convenient. Sit in the front row. Follow up. Be the person people remember because you helped.

Thought Leadership

Turning experience into recognized expertise. You don't need white papers. Lead a workshop. Teach a session. Volunteer to present. Start small and let it stack. One talk leads to the next one.

Industry Involvement

Becoming part of the infrastructure. Committees. Associations. Standards boards. This is the long game. It builds a public, findable track record and changes how you see yourself.

The Evidence

The Research

Everything cited in the session, with sources. Tap to expand.

Research originating from an internal HP report found women tend to apply for positions only when they meet 100% of qualifications, while men apply at around 60%. Corroborated by LinkedIn behavioral data and Behavioural Insights Team research.

Smith & Huntoon, Montana State University (Psychology of Women Quarterly, 2014). Women are socialized to appear modest, deny credit, and accept blame. Violating modesty norms through self-promotion triggers social backlash.

Moss-Racusin & Rudman, Rutgers (Psychology of Women Quarterly, 2010). Women experience social and economic penalties for self-promotion. The backlash avoidance model shows fear of consequences actively interferes with self-advocacy.

Forbes / CHIBE at UPenn (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2023). Women who self-promote are perceived as less likable and less hirable than men who do the same thing.

Exley & Kessler, Harvard/NBER (Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2022). Same test, same scores: men rate their performance 61 out of 100. Women rate themselves 46.

SIA Women in Security Forum 2025 Study (BEYOND Insights, 261 respondents). 81% report a "good old boys' culture." 91% believe women work harder for the same promotions. One-third likely to leave in the next year. 99% are proud of what they've accomplished.

The Speaker

About Kathy

KS

Kathy Sizemore

CEO, A-Bell Alarms | Visibility Strategist | Resideo Premier Dealer

Kathy spent ten years being invisible to someone she saw every week. When that friend needed a security system, she bought from ADT, because she'd forgotten Kathy owned a security company. That moment changed everything.

After 30 years as CEO of A-Bell Alarms Company in Southern California, Kathy has learned what it takes for women to get seen in an industry that wasn't built for them. She speaks and trains for First Alert Pro at national conferences and served as City Commissioner and Commission Chair. She now coaches business owners on visibility through her ELEVATE framework.

-- Kathy
Keep Going

Stay Connected

This page isn't going anywhere. Come back when you need the prompts or the framework or a reminder that you've already done the hard part.

LinkedIn The Visibility Shift Newsletter