283: Leading in a Male-Dominated Industry, Leveraging AI, and Building Ethical Impact as a CEO with Shelley Copsey

What does it really take to lead in a male-dominated industry — and build an AI-driven company grounded in trust, ethics, and human impact?

In this episode of Leading Women in Tech, I'm joined by Shelley Copsey, CEO & Co-Founder of FYLD — a fast-growing, AI-powered platform transforming how frontline teams in infrastructure and utilities make decisions, stay safe, and improve productivity in real time.

Shelley brings over 20 years of experience at the intersection of physical infrastructure, digital innovation, AI strategy, and human transformation, and she shares powerful insights on navigating self-doubt, being underestimated, scaling ethically with AI, and leading teams through rapid change.

If you're a woman in tech, an aspiring executive, or a leader navigating AI transformation, this conversation will elevate how you think about leadership, trust, and impact.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

⏹ How Shelley went from underestimated early-career consultant to award-winning CEO

⏹ Why traditional male leadership role models don't work for women — and how she found her own executive presence

⏹ The mindset that helped her secure a CEO role during the height of COVID

⏹ How she builds trust as a CEO — and why hiring with a "presumption of trust" changes everything

⏹ What ethical AI looks like in high-stakes environments (safety, field operations, human risk)

⏹ Why leaders must reimagine every role in the AI era (customer success, operations, engineering & beyond)

⏹ How to bring teams along when they resist AI

⏹ What self-doubt looks like at the CEO level — and how Shelley manages it with clarity and compassion

⏹ The best leadership advice she's ever received (and the worst!)

**Useful links**

⏹ Connect with today's guest, Shelley:

⏹ Web: https://fyld.ai/

⏹ Shelley's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelleycopsey/

This episode was supported by Shelley Copsey, CEO of FYLD. Thank you Shelley for helping to bring Leading Women in Tech to this community!