Written by Joy Mason is a Certified Six Sigma Black Belt with over 25 years of experience in pharmaceutical manufacturing, laboratory operations, and risk assessment. She learned that she could be successful at work, even when she didn’t have the support systems in place. After retirement from Eli Lilly, she couldn’t stop improving and thinking about her dream of teams of women dispatched around the city to tackle education inequities, housing disparities and healthcare gaps. She created SixSigmaIndy as an innovative leadership nonprofit program designed to equip women with tools to transform their careers, communities, and confidence.
She recently published a book called “BUILT BY US: A Six Sigma Blueprint for Women Reclaiming Power, Purpose, and Process” about the journey and sucess stories of SixSigmaIndy over the last 5 years to empower women to address problems in their communities.
Her writing is honest and inspirational, bridging hard-won professional insights with stories of transformation and self-discovery. Her approach is part personal narrative and part call to action for women who feel ready to build impact but need encouragement and a practical blueprint to begin.
“This book is for every woman who senses that something is shifting and knows in her spirit that now is the time to build collaborative solutions and inclusive pathways.”
There are 13 chapters:
- The Spark
- Stepping Into Purpose After Corporate
- Purpose Is A Process
- When Vision Meets Equity
- The First Cohort – Mistkaes, Miracles and Momentum
- Creating The Blueprint – Growing The Institute
- The DEI Problem
- The Transformation of Women Leaders
- Community, Connection and Confidence
- Using Every Talent – A Biblical Reflection
- Trials and Triumphs – Leading Through Storms
- We Are The Architects – Reimagining Workforce Development
- Built To Last – Our Blueprint Forward
Here are some key takeaways:
1. Process Thinking Is a Tool for Personal Power
She reframes Six Sigma and process improvement as more than operational tools. They are ways to regain control, clarity, and confidence in life and leadership. The same discipline used to fix broken systems can be applied to self-belief, decision-making, and purpose.
2. Women Don’t Need Permission to Lead
A central theme is reclaiming agency. She challenges the idea that leadership requires external validation, titles, or approval. She encourages women to own their expertise and act from it, especially in male-dominated or systems-heavy environments.
3. Lived Experience Is Legitimate Expertise
She validates experience gained outside traditional power structures. Personal setbacks, career pivots, and moments of doubt are framed as inputs to learning, not deficiencies. Your story becomes part of the blueprint.
4. Purpose and Data Can Coexist
Rather than positioning empathy and analytics as opposites, “BUILT BY US” shows how purpose-driven leadership is strengthened by structure, metrics, and intentional design.
5. Building Something “By Us” Is Collective
The book emphasizes community, mentorship, and representation. Individual success is important, but lasting impact comes from creating systems that allow others to rise.
Learn more about “BUILT BY US” (available in paperback and Kindle)