What’s a word that reflects being a woman in retail in 2022? How about vulnerable, delegation, surviving, or thriving?

As our top 10 content pieces (based on total page views) of the year showed us, you came to Women in Retail Leadership Circle (WIRLC) for all of those things and more. Below are the pieces of content that you enjoyed the most this year:

10. Rebecca Minkoff Discusses Facing Failure Head On

Who hasn’t faced failure in their career? WIRLC readers turned to this 2019 video of Minkoff discussing staring failure head on and confronting it for guidance.

9. 8 Common Delegation Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

As leaders, you’ve got so much going on. The key is learning how to delegate tasks to free up your own time. But there’s a right way and a wrong way to delegate, as this article from Angela Civitella, CEO and founder of INTINDE, shows us.

8. Lessons From the Leadership Journey of Winnie Park, CEO, Forever 21 

Park shared a few lessons she’s learned throughout her career journey, which has ultimately led to her taking the top role at Forever 21. This members-only video is part of WIRLC’s Lessons in Leadership series. Not a member? Apply today!

7. Shea Jensen Named Chief Customer Officer of Pressed

This news about WIRLC board member Shea Jensen was shared hard and fast! In July, Jensen left Nordstrom after 25 years at the upscale department store chain to become the chief customer of Pressed, a California-based, cold-pressed juice and plant-based snack brand dedicated to making plant-forward living as convenient and delicious as possible.

6. 5 Strategies to Help Your Small Business Survive a Recession 

This article from 2020 hit home in a big way this year. Katie Lundin, a marketing and branding specialist at Crowdspring, writes about how to develop a plan to recession-proof your business. And with the scary “R” word looming behind every business conversation in 2022, this article came in handy for small businesses.

5. Express CMO Sara Tervo Shares Her Strategy for Thriving in New Roles

Our first Women in Retail Talks episode of 2022 was a fan favorite. Tervo shared how she knew she was in the right positions during her career, the things she looked for when moving to a new job or brand, and how to thrive in each new role. Great listening as we head into 2023!

4. Anthropologie’s Global CEO Tricia Smith on Career Development: ‘Put Yourself in the Driver’s Seat’ 

In this episode of Women in Retail Talks (which also made the list of the most downloaded WIRLC podcast episodes of the year), Smith shares advice for how other women can chart a course for their career in retail, how to utilize mentors to work toward a new opportunity, and discusses why she wants to be recognized as a successful leader, not just a successful female leader.

3. The 5 Guiding Principles of Facilitation

What makes a successful meeting? This question was a popular one last year, particularly as we adjusted to collaborating over Zoom calls instead of conference tables. And based on this article’s popularity on WIRLC’s website, it continues to be one of the most asked questions. Marsha Acker reviews five guiding principles to keep in mind when you’re leading your next meeting to harness the power of collective thinking and collaboration.

2. 2022 Top Women in Retail Report 

Our 12th annual report featuring the top women executives in the retail industry was steadily downloaded and shared throughout the year by people who wanted to support and congratulate the honorees — as well as learn from them! It’s no surprise this list of talented, successful leaders sits near the top spot of WIRLC’s 2022 content. Look out for the 2023 report in February!

1.Ulta Beauty CMO Shelley Haus Dies After Cancer Battle

The retail world came to a halt in June when we learned that Ulta’s chief marketing officer, Shelley Haus, died at 49 after battling cancer. Haus was an industry force responsible for many of the cosmetic giant’s recent successful brand initiatives.