The Girl Who Didn't Have the Roadmap
From HR to the Executive Suite: A Journey Built on Curiosity and Courage
Life Is Short, Wear the Heels
People often ask me how I became a Chief Technical Operations Officer.
The truth is, I never had a master plan.
I wasn't the person who mapped out every promotion or knew exactly where my career would end up. I simply fell in love with learning. Every opportunity became another chance to understand something I didn't know the day before.
Building a Foundation
I started my career in Human Resources, but I was fascinated by the people around me: the engineers, the scientists, the operators, and the manufacturing teams. I wanted to understand not only what they did, but why it mattered. Every conversation became a classroom. Every new assignment became an education.
Some people thought I was taking a detour.
Looking back, I realize I was building a foundation.
Over the next three decades, that curiosity led me into manufacturing, quality, engineering, technical operations, global leadership, and ultimately the executive suite. I didn't get there because I knew all the answers. I got there because I wasn't afraid to ask questions.
That's something I wish more people understood.
Too often, we believe we need to follow a predefined career path. We wait until we're qualified enough, experienced enough, or confident enough before raising our hands. But confidence rarely comes first. Confidence comes after we've had the courage to step into something unfamiliar.
The School of Hard Knocks
I often say I graduated from the school of hard knocks.
What I mean is this: my greatest education didn't come from a classroom. It came from difficult conversations, failed projects, unexpected opportunities, incredible mentors, and moments when I had to figure things out because there wasn't a playbook.
Those experiences taught me something far more valuable than technical knowledge.
They taught me resilience.
Today, I lead organizations responsible for building the infrastructure that helps life-changing therapies reach patients. Yet the lesson that has stayed with me has very little to do with manufacturing.
It is this:
Never let where you start determine where you finish.
- Your title doesn't define your potential.
- Your degree doesn't define your future.
- Your circumstances don't define your ceiling.
- Curiosity does.
- Courage does.
- Character does.
Every one of us has the ability to build a life larger than the one we imagined. The question isn't whether opportunities exist.
The question is whether you're willing to say yes before you're certain you're ready.
That single decision changed my life.
It might change yours, too.
Life is short. Wear the heels.
