Advice I'd love to give to my younger self.

There's many things in life that you can re-do, your youth is not one of them (unfortunately!) but its the thing I would most love to do. I would love to go back and give the following advice to 20 year old me or at the very least, share these nuggets of wisdom with my network in the hopes that this reaches someone who needs to 'hear' it...

Don’t be afraid of being a Minority and certainly don’t be afraid to break stereotypes.

Don’t let your minority status make you self-conscious or stop you from being yourself. It’s much better to focus on the fact that you are unique and have something great to contribute. Instead of feeling out of place because you’re a female in a male-dominated environment, take advantage of your uniqueness and help other people to do the same. Build good relationships with all the women around you, every woman you come into contact with. Treat those connections as collaborative, rather than competitive. Foster support networks by offering support to and asking for support from other women.

Be the “wise fool”

Something my mentor had said to me was, always be the “wise fool.” He went on to explain that when you’re a “wise fool,” you are wise enough to ask questions and foolish enough to not care if other people think your questions are dumb. Asking questions that might be dumb can help you move forward with a project, provide you with valuable information that you would’ve missed otherwise, or spark a conversation or thought process that will lead to rewarding results. 

You never know—so go for it! I, personally, have learned through multiple experiences that when I am wise enough to ask the dumb questions, I am a lot more effective and successful. As women, we are often concerned with how others perceive us which makes it harder to be a wise fool, but we can greatly benefit from it if we’ll try.

Get a mentor – You don’t have to do it alone!

I’d never been encouraged to get myself a mentor until recently. But It’s safe to say that women naturally enjoy communicating and building support networks. So, it just makes sense that successful women have mentors who help them along the way. Be it a guy or a girl, formal or informal, you can learn a lot from having a mentor. Having a mentor, means that not only can I go to them for advice, knowledge sharing and a different perspective on how I am viewed within the business. 

However, Find a mentor, and an advocate. They may not be the same person.

I’ve also found that there’s a lot to be learned from mentoring others. Mentoring has given me a broader perspective and improved my communication skills. Plus, helping others is a great way to pay it forward.

Don’t Underestimate Yourself

This is the most important point. Do not underestimate yourself.

Take ownership for what you know and seize opportunities to use your skills. I’ve learned that being confident in yourself makes a world of difference in what you’re able to accomplish. But also, when the team behind you is also confident in your ability, you almost strive to not let those people down.

This is a diverse and inclusive industry where you can innovate, grow, and make an impact on the communities you serve regardless of your age, gender, ethnicity or beliefs. Most environments within this industry are ones that look for the best in people and offer every opportunity to inspire people to grow which is definitely something to take advantage of. 

Anything is possible if you just believe.