Female CEO Shares The 9 Things She Does As A Boss That Would ‘Send Men Into A Coma’
She's taking the business world by storm and proving that a non-traditional workplace is the future.
Drazen Zigic | Shutterstock Some women have managed to break the glass ceiling and are showing how skilled they are as leaders of big companies. One of those women is financial entrepreneur and money expert Tori Dunlap, an author who runs the company Her First 100K. In an Instagram post, Dunlap explained that things run a little differently in her office than they do where men are in charge — so much so that she thinks some of the things she does would probably “send men into a coma.”
It’s just a fact that there are more men in positions of leadership in business than there are women. In fact, the Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance reported that in 2023, women held only 8.2% of CEO positions at S&P 500 companies. Gender equality hasn’t quite made it to the C-suite yet, and women are paying for it.
Here are 9 things a female CEO does as a boss that would ‘send men into a coma:’
1. She gives her employees a paid week off quarterly
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Most businesses are all about productivity, and people think that means working as hard as possible for as long as possible. Dunlap has found that that’s not actually the case, though. She gives her employees a paid week off every quarter, and they’re still just as productive as they would be otherwise, if not more so.
Writing for Harvard Business Review, Zhanna Lyubykh and Duygu Bircik Gulseren noted that people are like batteries and need time to recharge. They suggested regular short breaks — what they called “micro-breaks” — can have a positive impact on productivity. Having a week off from work would likely only increase those benefits. Some people just don’t take time off on their own. Dunlap makes sure her employees always get the breaks that they need.
2. She lets employees bring their kids to meetings
Including a photo of her brand director with her 7-month-old baby strapped into a carrier on her chest, Dunlap shared that she happily allows employees to bring their kids to work if they need to, or even just want to. That’s got to take some pressure off parents to always have childcare planned and set up in advance.
What’s more, childcare can be very costly. According to Investopedia contributor Lucy Lazarony, “The median cost of full-day care for one child ranges from $6,552 to $15,600 in 2022, depending on the state and county.” That’s a lot of money to spend on someone taking care of your child. It’s gotten so bad that a BabyCenter survey found that 13% of moms said they are now staying at home instead of working to save money on childcare, and another 45% have considered it. These numbers prove that giving employees the opportunity to bring their kids to work if they choose to can help a lot.
3. She allows employees to work from anywhere
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Dunlap said that if you work for her, you can “take a call from a European cafe or school pick up.” Basically, as long as you’re getting the work done, she doesn’t really care where you are. Her employees’ productivity is what’s important, not their location. As so many companies institute return-to-office mandates, this has got to be a huge sigh of relief for Dunlap's workers.
Stanford economist Nicholas Bloom actually studied the effects of allowing employees to work in a hybrid environment. The study, which was published in the journal Nature, concluded that employees with a hybrid schedule match in-office counterparts for productivity and promotions. They are also 33% less likely to quit. By giving her employees flexibility, Dunlap is allowing them to live their lives on their own terms.
4. She offers paid menstrual leave
The thought of paid menstrual leave could definitely send some men into a coma. For someone who has never experienced a period, they don’t understand how debilitating the pain and other symptoms can be, and when women try to tell them, they just don’t listen. For Dunlap, who has a team that is made up of all women, giving them paid time off for that time of the month is a no-brainer.
A study published in Research in Nursing and Health noted that intense period pain, also known as dysmenorrhea, is the top cause of women missing work in their reproductive years. The study also said that “dysmenorrhea is not well understood in the U.S.” Many are under the impression that pain from one’s menstrual cycle is just something to deal with and push through, and this misconception is so widespread that many women have come to believe it, too. But no one should work when they’re in severe pain, and Dunlap knows that.
5. She gives employees money for contributing to their 401(k)s
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According to Fidelity Investments, 42% of American workers invest in a 401(k) for their retirement. That’s great because it gives you money to look forward to when you retire, and actually makes retirement a possibility, when it’s being snatched away from so many people in this rocky economy. But it takes away some of the money you’re earning now.
Some employers make it a little easier to part with this money by offering some kind of 401(k) match. Fidelity explained, “A 401(k) match is when an employer puts money in an employee’s retirement account based on what the employee contributes.” However, Dunlap’s plan seems to go beyond that. While she didn’t offer any details, she said that her employees receive “free money” for contributing to their 401(k)s. This is huge for workers who are on the fence because they know they need to save money for retirement, but they also need money now.
6. She has an all-female team that supports each other
Dunlap’s team is made up of all women — something no man would ever even consider. Best of all, they’ve developed a real sense of camaraderie that allows them to support each other in all facets of life, not just work. This gives these women a support system that they desperately need while also making sure women are better represented in the workforce.
As of August 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor reported that 56.9% of women participated in the workforce, while 68% of men did the same. Part of this discrepancy is no doubt due to the fact that women are more likely to become stay-at-home parents than men are. However, it’s hard not to wonder if some of it is also caused by the way women have been traditionally less welcome in the workforce. Dunlap is making sure women are represented and holding the jobs they need to support themselves. Not only that, but they’re also supporting each other through the connections they’ve made.
7. She lets employees take time away from work during the day for whatever they need
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You know that feeling when you have a doctor’s appointment and you have to ask if it’s okay to take a few hours away from work during the day? Dunlap doesn’t do that. Not that she doesn’t let her employees go to doctors’ appointments, but she doesn’t make them ask. They could even squeeze a workout in the middle of the day, and she wouldn’t care. She understands that even when they’re on the clock, they’re still on their own time, and it’s important that they spend it however they see fit.
Dunlap knows that the most productive employees are happy ones. Giving them the chance to plan their own day around work instead of having work rule their day helps them achieve that. Dunlap is of the belief that work is not the end-all, be-all, and it shouldn’t control every aspect of our lives. As long as her employees take care of what they need to do, she’s perfectly fine with them popping out in the middle of the day to do something for themselves.
8. She let everyone take the day off when Trump was elected
Chances are, a man would never let his team take the day off because a certain candidate was elected to office. They’d be expected to put up with it and keep their emotions to themselves. Dunlap did not expect the same from her all-female team. Instead, she said they all cried together on a group call. Then, when they were done, she called for everyone to take the day off to work through their difficult feelings.
Many people saw, and still see, Trump’s presidency as a threat to women’s rights. Heather Barr from the Human Rights Watch explained that, under Trump, reproductive rights have taken a tumble, funding has been cut for key programs, and research for many women’s health issues has ended. It’s natural that women would see his election as a step backward and be worried. Instead of expecting her employees to just push through it, Dunlap gave them a safe space for their emotions.
9. She offers unlimited PTO
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Unlimited PTO isn’t exactly a novel idea, and it’s not a gender-specific phenomenon in the workplace. But Dunlap still argued that men would lose it if they found out she gave it to her employees, and maybe they would, since it’s even more paid time off on top of the quarterly weeks off they already receive. Rippling reported that 8% of U.S. employers currently offer unlimited PTO as a benefit, and Dunlap is proud to be one of them.
It’s clear that Dunlap prioritizes work-life balance and believes that the way one lives is even more important than the way one works. And, according to Rippling, having a positive work-life balance is one of the top benefits of unlimited PTO. Others include attracting new employees to the company, increasing productivity, and saving money. As an employer, giving your workers unlimited PTO may sound intimidating, but it actually benefits both them and the company in many ways.
Dunlap is definitely the kind of CEO who probably ruffles some feathers in the business world. In an industry that’s dominated by men, Dunlap is not only challenging gender norms but also giving her employees the best possible chance at a good life that fits in well with their work. No wonder she thinks she might send more traditional men into a coma.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
