Software engineer turned senior leader and strategist. 25+ years building systems in some of the most complex defense environments in the country. Then I figured out how to use AI to build something of my own. Now I teach women how to do the same.
Software Engineer · Strategist · Author · AI Educator · Founder, EmpowHER
I built a career in high-stakes, high-precision work. Operations. Strategy. Systems. The kind of environments where things have to work. When they don't, the cost is measured in millions, not mistakes.
I was good at it. I started as a software engineer with a B.S. in Computer Science from Fayetteville State University, and grew into operations, strategy, and systems leadership across 25+ years in high-stakes environments. I drove $30 million in cost avoidance. I established an organization's first PMO from scratch. I drove $150 million in business growth. I've built teams, built processes, and built systems that outlasted me.
But somewhere in the middle of all of that, I started asking a different question. Not "how do I do this better?" but "what would it look like if I were actually free?"
"You were never meant to be this tired."
That question didn't leave me alone. And when AI started becoming accessible to people like me, not just engineers and developers, I paid attention. I started building. I started experimenting. And at some point, I realized I had something real.
I had a team. An AI team. Agents built in my voice, trained on my goals, showing up every day ready to work. I wasn't doing everything manually anymore. And the freedom I'd been chasing. The real kind, the kind that's earned through strategy and not fantasy. It started to feel possible.
That's when I came back to get my girls. That's what EmpowHER is.
Started as a software engineer. Grew into senior leadership across strategy and operations over 25+ years in some of the most demanding environments in the country. B.S. in Computer Science from Fayetteville State University. MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. One of the top 5 business schools in the world. A career track record that speaks for itself.
One of the top 5 business schools in the world. The systems thinking, strategic depth, and operational rigor behind everything I build started right here.
Top 5 Business SchoolDrove $30 million in cost avoidance on a high-complexity defense initiative. The first of its kind in the organization.
Drove $150 million in defense business growth. Built the strategy. Built the team. Executed the plan.
Established an organization's first Project Management Office from scratch. Where there was no structure, I built one.
Two and a half decades across operations, strategy, systems, and leadership in some of the most demanding environments in the country.
Computer Science degree from Fayetteville State University. Started as a software engineer before growing into strategy and senior leadership across high-stakes environments.
There's a version of AI education that's built for developers and tech people. That's not what I do.
And there's a version that's built around hype and productivity tips. That's not what I do either.
What I do is show ambitious women like you how to use AI as a real operating system for your life and your work. Not a trend. Not a tool you use once and forget. A team.
I'm "Your AI Bestie" because that's what this is. Not a course. Not a program. A relationship. The woman who figured it out and came back to walk you through it step by step.
"I am learning how to become free and I want you to learn with me."
This is the movement declaration behind everything I build. I'm not selling perfection. I'm showing you the path I'm on. And making room for you on it.
Monthly · Live on Zoom · 75 minutes
Two books. Both on Amazon. Written for the woman who wants to understand the strategy before she builds the system.
By Urshala Bowles
The book that started with one line: "You were never meant to be this tired." Freedom Forward is a framework for women who are ready to define what freedom actually looks like, and build a real plan to get there. Strategy. Not fantasy.
Get It on AmazonBy Urshala Bowles
The EmpowHer 80/20 Balance Blueprint is the operational companion. Where Freedom Forward asks the big question, this book gives you the specific framework for identifying what moves the needle in your life and ruthlessly cutting what doesn't. Less noise. More leverage.
Get It on AmazonCombined sales goal: 10,000 copies. If this book finds you, you were meant to have it.
You don't have to figure out where to start. Pick the entry point that matches where you are right now. Let's move.