Hilary Haron grew up around the automotive industry, a male-dominated industry, and hopes that her stories and the stories of others can help inspire other women in the workplace. Photo contributed

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”

-Robert Frost

Those words, written by New England poet Robert Frost, resonate with the underrepresented in a variety of vocations. Automotive, agriculture, construction – many of these fields have historically been male-centric, owing to decades of hierarchical structures.

Valley native and former co-owner of Haron Motor Sales Hilary Haron hopes to break some of the generations-old stigmas associated with many industries — including the industry in which she was raised and found success.

 

“A Road Less Traveled,” a podcast launched by Haron on Feb. 2, aims to highlight women in male-dominated industries, aiming to showcase their accomplishments and highlight that there is indeed space in those industries for women to make a difference in ways that they may not have considered before.

“While we were still in the store every day, it was a little bit more of a dream than a reality, so when the opportunity came up to put a lot more focus on it, it felt like divine timing,” Haron said. “I really think that there’s something important to be said.”

Haron, who grew up in the automotive industry, said that her experience as a woman in a male-dominated industry was challenging; initially, she said, struggled to find her place.

In 2015, Haron was invited by a state association to attend a lobbying trip to Washington D.C. where she was able to advocate for the industry.

“The way that they interacted with me versus the way they interacted maybe with someone they expected to see,” Haron said. “My age and gender was different, I think, than what they’re used to.”

Haron was elected to the board of the California New Car Dealers Association in 2019 while pregnant with her daughter.

From the time she was two-weeks old, Haron took her daughter to all of their meetings, as she served on the state board.

She was only the second woman on the board consisting of 25 people.

 

Haron said since that time they have elected more women to the board.

Expanding on her success at the state level, Haron continued to pursue leadership positions in the industry. When she was pregnant with her son, she ran for the national board, missing out by one vote — something unusual for an up-and-comer who hasn’t been through decades in the industry.

“I was actually really proud of that,” she said.

The second time she ran, she won, becoming one of just a handful of women to serve on the board of 65 members.

Haron hopes that through her podcast, she can not only tell her story, but facilitate others in telling their stories of women generating success in the workplace.

“If we’re looking at it purely from a business perspective, it is time and time and time again been proven by research that a company’s bottom line is better if their board is more balanced with not just women, but minorities, because you’re including the opinions of an accurate representation of your consumer,” she said.

Haron said that the Valley is either at one extreme or the other, saying that in her experience, companies are either very open and accepting of women and minorities in business or they seem to lag behind in inclusion of minorities and women in the workplace.

“I hope that if my daughter chooses to live here, let’s say, that she doesn’t have to have that battle in every single room that she enters,” Haron said.

The podcast released its first episode on Feb. 2 featuring State Center Community College District (SCCCD) Chancellor Goldsmith. On the podcast, Haron sat down with Goldsmith to discuss her journey in overcoming obstacles on her way to top leadership positions at West Hills College, Fresno City College and eventually, becoming Chancellor for the SCCCD.

Haron said that Goldsmith was the perfect candidate for her initial podcast.

“She was fantastic,” Haron said. “Her demeanor is calming and reasonable and for me personally, she was a fantastic person to have because she put my nerves at ease.”

In the future, Haron hopes to speak with women representing many other fields, including agriculture, construction and medicine, as well as political leaders.

She also hopes to discuss multi-generational businesses, family businesses and other business practices that can feel less common nowadays.

“We’re really looking all over,” she said. “My hope is that this is an outlet for other people to not feel so alone.”

“A Road Less Traveled” will release episodes every other week and are available anywhere podcasts can be downloaded.