Ninety-four years after women's suffrage in the United States, intelligent and well-educated females still battle stereotypes, discrimination and, sometimes, their own fears, when working in male-dominated professions.

And there are still many of those! From the famously boys-club cultures of Silicon Valley to construction and the automotive industry, guys remain the standard in many industries - that also tend to pay better than female-dominated fields.

"Sure, women face challenges, some of them pretty unpleasant, when they're the minority in their chosen profession," says Jennifer Carroll, (www.jennifercarroll.com), the first female - and first black -- lieutenant governor of Florida under Gov. Rick Scott, and a retired U.S. Navy lieutenant commander.

Carroll, who shares her experiences in her new autobiography, "When You Get There," says what she learned in childhood and in the military helped her to not only succeed, but to be strong and confident through even the most difficult times.

"When you're struggling, you never think you'll be better off because of it, particularly if you're a good person who's trying to do well," she says. "You learn to adjust and come out of these trying times stronger and more prepared for what's truly intended for you."

Here are some of her suggestions for women working in male-dominated companies and industries.

•  Don't neglect or fail to nurture family bonds - they will sustain you through anything.
Carroll married Nolan Carroll while she was in the Navy, and raised three children and cared for her aging parents even as she rose through the ranks and then entered politics. Throughout, she made sure family was her priority.

"My husband has stayed true to the core through all the ups and downs we've experienced," she says. "He's secure in who he is, which has brought me a sense of strength and helped me ascend to whatever levels I chose."

Likewise, her children - Nolan, Nyckie and Necho - are staunch supporters no matter what happens.

Through the most difficult times, their main concern has always been, "How is mommy feeling? Is she okay?"

•  Have a deep and trusting faith in God.
"I believe God will always make a path through the storm. I believe you have to go through the storm to get to what's waiting on the other side and afterward, you'll be stronger and more capable of handling whatever comes," she says.

That faith, that God had a purpose for even the most seemingly unjust and unkind actions of others, helped Carroll when emotions including depression, anger and betrayal threatened to overwhelm.

"You have to trust that and when you do, you don't allow yourself to engage in behaviors that conflict with your values," she says. "You maintain your self-esteem, your self-respect, and the respect of those who know and love you."

•  Be a team player.
Her 20 years in the military taught Carroll, who'd been a loner as a child, the value of being a good team player. Despite her difficult two years working as the second in command to a governor who severely limited her role, Carroll persevered in working to support him, including pursuing votes and legislation using her talents and the strong relationships she had built as a legislator.

"Some people might ask, 'Why did you keep trying to help him when it was clear he didn't want your help?' It may appear futile, if you focus only how things ended," she says.

But that's not her focus.

"I can look back and be proud of what I was able to accomplish during my time in office," she says. "Just one example: As Chairwoman of Space Florida, I was instrumental in creating thousands of new private sector, space and aerospace-related jobs. I helped transition Florida into a post-space shuttle era, so we could remain the space activity capital of the world. I managed a program that enabled 15 new or growing aerospace-related programs to thrive. They'll bring us nearly 2,000 jobs over the next five years.

"I'm very happy about what those accomplishments, and others, mean for my state."

About Jennifer S. Carroll

Jennifer Carroll is the former lieutenant governor of Florida and a retired decorated lieutenant commander/aviation maintenance for the U.S. Navy. She was a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2003 to 2010 and was the executive director of the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs. Currently, she is a Political Analyst for WJXT CHANNEL News4Jax Jacksonville, Florida, and Senior Adviser for Global Digital Solutions, Inc. (GDSI) in West Palm Beach, FL. Carroll holds an MBA, among other academic degrees. She and her husband, Nolan, have three children.

Schedule: "Restoring Iowa to Her People" Policy Presentations

Iowa Party: Competing to Win, and Building a Potent State Wide Political Tool

Yesterday (Sept. 1, 2014) was the first of ten major policy presentations from the campaign in an effort to create awareness and understanding of the impoverishing impact of the Polk County Political Cartel.

A Narcisse administration will, "restore Iowa to her people," says the candidate.  

Ending Poverty in Iowa

Iowa's urban centers have become major poverty zones - more than 57% of the families with children in the "Urban Eight" School Districts: Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Davenport, Des Moines, Dubuque, Iowa City, Sioux City and Waterloo - cannot feed their children without government assistance.

In Davenport, Sioux City and Waterloo more than 60% of the families with children in those districts live in poverty and in our state's capital more than 70% of the families with children in our state's largest district live in poverty.

To put this in perspective, the Des Moines School District has more impoverished students - 21,872 - than the populations of all but 22 of Iowa's 947 incorporated cities.

High poverty isn't limited to our urban areas, however. Throughout much of rural Iowa the percentage of families living in poverty is equal to or greater than the numbers in our urban centers, for example Columbus (74.3%), Denison (73.4%) and Storm Lake (75.6%).

There are other indicators that should give us pause when hearing proclamations of how well Iowa is faring.

In their December 19, 2011, SFY 2013 Budget Hearing the Iowa Department of Human Services published on page 3 of their report that they served a total of 928,566 clients - more than 30% of Iowa's 3,046,355 population.

On page 74 of the Legislative Service Agency's 2013 Fiscal Facts 412,710 Iowans are projected to be monthly recipients of Medicaid and 437,849 are projected to be monthly recipiencts of food assistance.

On Monday Iowa Party gubernatorial candidate Jonathan R. Narcisse will layout a plan of action to eliminate poverty in Iowa.

"We live in a world where men possess the wealth of nations. It is shameful that children go to bed hungry. It is even more unacceptable that children in Iowa go to bed hungry. We have the means to end poverty in this state - we must now exert the will to end it," stated Narcisse.

"We learned a great deal in 2010. We learned how not to run a gubernatorial campaign but we also learned we have support in every county in Iowa, in every house district in Iowa, in every senate district in Iowa and in nearly every precinct in Iowa. Winning will not be easy but we are competing to win - to End the Branstad Era and Restore Iowa to Her People.

"We are building political capacity that will help us influence both the Democratic and Republican Caucus in 2016. Although we will be an official state party we will encourage our members to participate in either the Republican or Democratic caucus, get elected as delegates, central committee members, and key committee members. In many respects we will do what the Tea Party and Organized Labor have failed to do - we will be active in both parties."

Building Capacity to End the Branstad Era & Expose the Polk County Political Cartel

"We are building a potent statewide political tool that will help us recruit good candidates to run for local office - school board, city council and county seats - as well as legislative candidates we will encourage to run in primaries where our organizational muscle will help them oust vulnerable incumbents in the June elections. We will especially present a second party alternative where incumbent Democrats and Republicans at the county and legislative levels are re-elected term after term without ever facing a viable opponent, if any at all.

"One key objective is to expose the Polk County Politica Cartel. While certain compromised media has shielded Iowans from truths like Terry Branstad's biggest contributor is his opponent's business partner, we will make Iowans aware of these facts and others such as the disproportionate representation Polk County residents have on our state's boards and commissions. For example, a majority of the members on the State Utility Board and the Iowa Public Broadcasting Board are from Polk County. And, four of the nine members who sit on the Iowa Court of Appeals hail from Polk County.

"The greatest contribution, however, our campaign will make is to offer solutions. The Branstad Era has witnessed Iowa's academic decline, the rise of poverty, the plumeting of real wages, the ascent of crime, addiction, gambling and the stagnation of our growth evidenced by the loss of two congressional seats (1993 & 2013) at a time when state's like Utah are gaining seats in the U.S. House.

In addition to Monday's presentation major policy presentations are planned for:

September 9th - Sioux City (Social Concerns: Families Matter!)

September 16th - Iowa City (Justice: Delayed? Denied!)

September 17th - Fairfield (Agriculture: More Than Feed, Fuel & Meat!)

September 23rd - Waterloo (Education: Our Highest Priority!)

September 30th - Council Bluffs (Iowa: More Than Polk County and Sometimes Linn!)

October 2nd - West Des Moines (Governance: Accountability To The People!)

October 7th - Cedar Rapids (Economic Empowerment: A Better Way!)

October 14th - Dubuque (Health: More Than Illness Management!)

October 21st - Davenport (Taxes: The Sacred Trust!)

In addition to these major policy events the Campaign will hold "An Iowa Worth Fighting For" presentations in Ames, Ankeny, Atlantic, Bettendorf, Burlington, Carroll, Cedar Falls, Clinton, Fort Dodge, Fort Madison, Indianola, Iowa Falls, Marion, Marshalltown, Mason City, Mt. Pleasant, Muscatine, Newton, Oskaloosa, Ottumwa, Pella, Spencer, Storm Lake, Urbandale, and Waukee.

At these presentations Narcisse will summarize his vision for Iowa including key solutions from each of these major policy presentations.

For more information contact (515) 770-1218 or info@narcissforiowa.com and visit www.NarcisseForGovernor.com

Branstad, Reynolds have held a combined 2,454 public events since taking office

(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds announced they will complete their visit to all of Iowa's 99 counties for the fourth consecutive year today following a stop in Louisa County. Branstad and Reynolds committed to visiting every county, every year. Since taking office in 2011, the pair has held a combined 2,454 public events.

"Lieutenant Governor Reynolds and I take great pride in visiting every county in Iowa each and every year," said Branstad. "We thoroughly enjoy meeting with Iowans, hearing their ideas and sharing our vision in cafes, diners, coffee shops and community centers. I believe being accessible to all Iowans, not just those at the Capitol, is a critically important."

Branstad's and Reynolds' final county to hit in 2014 is Louisa County. They'll visit a family-owned business, Simply Soothing, which makes natural bug repellant, today at 3:45 p.m.

"Though we've visited every county in 2014, Governor Branstad and I will continue traveling the state this year to listen and share our ideas to continue moving Iowa forward," said Reynolds. "We remain committed to visiting every Iowa county, every year. Iowans shouldn't have to travel to Des Moines to talk with their elected officials. Visiting every county, every year, provides citizens the opportunity to engage in the process and share their views."

Through the first three years in office, Branstad and Reynolds have averaged a combined 669 public events per year. Through today, Aug. 28, 2014, they have held a combined 447 events in 2014.

(Cedar Rapids, IA)  Today, former Iowa Secretary of State and Mayor of Cedar Rapids, Paul D. Pate, has taken the lead in the race to become Iowa's next Secretary of State.

Public Policy Polling, a left-leaning research firm released their latest poll showing Paul Pate taking the lead in the race for Iowa Secretary of State, 35-34%.  Among registered Independents the margin is even greater with 35-24% in favor of Pate.  Additionally, 64% of Independents responded that they disapprove of President Barack Obama's job performance.  The Democrat candidate running for Secretary of State was President Obama's 2012 Iowa campaign director.

"This poll is further confirmation that Iowans want, expect and deserve a proven public servant that will represent everyone in the state and not a career partisan political operative as their chief commissioner of elections.  I have previously served as Iowa Secretary of State and served the people of Iowa in a non partisan manner while encouraging voter participation and protecting the integrity of the election process.

PPP surveyed 915 likely voters from August 22-24th. The margin of error for the survey is +/- 3.2%. 80% of interviews for the poll were conducted over the phone with 20% interviewed over the internet to reach respondents who don't have landline telephones. For complete results of the poll:  http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/2014/PPP_Release_IA_826930.pdf

A nationally recognized small business leader by the Small Business Administration, Pate is the owner of a paving construction firm in Marion and recently served as Mayor of Cedar Rapids from 2002 -2006.  While Mayor, Pate was elected President of the non-partisan Iowa League of Cities representing over 870 municipalities.  Previously, he served as Iowa Secretary of State from 1995-1999 and represented NE Cedar Rapids, Marion and parts of Linn, Buchanan and Delaware Counties in the Iowa Senate from 1989-1995.

Pate is a lifelong Iowa resident, born in Ottumwa, growing up in Linn County.