At the center of Sheryl Sandberg's divisive book is a truth that's not just for women. A look at the debate raging around her new book, "Lean In."

As Marissa Mayer takes up her job as CEO of Yahoo and her torchbearer role for ambitious women juggling careers and families, Fast Company gathered wisdom from an inspiring group of women who broke barriers in media, entertainment, dance, athletics, and more.

A recent survey entitled Workplace Insights, showed that while almost all American workers believe that women have made important strides in business over the past ten years, 86 percent surveyed still felt the glass ceiling was very much present.