While there's been advancements for women in business, she pointed out that there's but still a lack of women at the highest levels. Women, Clinton pointed out, are still woefully underrepresented in the C-Suite of most Fortune 500 level companies, particularly at the helm of such organizations. There remains a huge gender disparity in pay, she added, not only in base pay but also in the pay cut women take when they leave the workplace to temporarily care for a new baby—a.k.a. the “motherhood penalty,” given the lack of paid family leave in the US.

“No country can truly thrive by denying the contributions of half its people,” Clinton said. “It's important to keep looking for the talent that's right in front of your eyes. We must continue to fight to bring equality. We would be a stronger, more prosperous economy if we had more help for working women. When women participate in the economy, productivity and growth increases, and everyone benefits.”

Clinton also addressed attendees on an individual level, challenging them to rise to the occasion when opportunities present themselves. “If we don't dare to compete, we don't know what we're capable of doing,” she said. “We have to be confident in our abilities and our willingness to take risks, even to fail. It's important for women like us to model that risktaking, get out of our own comfort zones. Be willing to fail.”

It's true that women face discrimination every day and are judged by a different set of rules than men. (How many times, for instance, are male CEOs or heads of state asked about their children or wardrobes?) Yet even your critics, she stressed, can be great advisors. “They'll tell you things that your friends won't. Use it to your advantage and don't take it personally.”

Following her keynote, Clinton sat down with 2014 CREW president Judy Nitsch to answer some audience questions. While the topic of a potential 2016 run for president was off-limits, she did share some anecdotes of her time in the White House—both as First Lady and as an advisor to President Obama.

When asked what piece of advice she would give to her grandchild, Charlotte, Clinton had a few. One is to try to be the best at everything she does, but also to learn from mistakes and failures. Above all, “be kind. Find time for kindness every day. And find something you are passionate about, are invested in, and pursue it.”

She advised the CREW members, and the entire audience, to work together to help each other and pay it forward. “All women who get to a certain point in our careers should try to mentor and guide” younger women and men, she said. “The more we can help younger generations support each other and we try to create opportunities for them, the better. Together, we can reach parity and become the country we should be. That's the country I want my granddaughter to grow up in.”