Aimee Egesa

I attribute my success to surrounding myself with like-minded individuals and people that I can learn from and grow under. I believe that iron sharpens iron, so if you can position yourself to never stop learning and growing, you won't become stagnant. Sometimes you want to stay in a place of familiarity, but there's no growth there. You have to be willing to get outside of your comfort zone. I've always tried to surround myself with people who challenge me and help me reach the next level, because when you stop learning, you stop growing.

The best career advice I've ever received is don't be afraid to fail, because that's where the lessons are. If you try to do things perfectly, you don't allow yourself to make calculated moves where you're going to take risks. You have to be focused on the outcomes you want to achieve, but you can't be afraid to make those types of decisions that'll help get you there. If you're always trying to walk a fine line and you're never willing to color outside of the lines, then you're not going to be able to get to that next level. Getting to the next level requires you to recalibrate, and that recalibration means that maybe you didn't do everything perfectly, but the lessons that you learned will catapult you and prepare you for the next level and for the next opportunity to do things differently. I always tell my team, don't be afraid to make a mistake. Do your research, make the decision that you think is the best one, but if it doesn't end up being the right decision, then what did you learn from that? Take that forward.

The advice I would give to women entering this industry is to always remember that you belong, because sometimes we enter into spaces where we're made to feel that maybe we're not the best fit, or that we're not qualified, because we don't necessarily look like the demographics of the room that we're in. But that does not disqualify you. Your skills, your experience, your tenacity, all of those things are part of the reason why you're there in the first place. So never second-guess yourself. Always answer with confidence and know that you've worked hard to achieve the success that you have so far, and that the sky's the limit. Don't allow anyone to put you in a box, and don't put yourself in a box. I actually just started a complete business around empowering women and encouraging those that work with women, even personally and professionally, not to label them. I started an organization called Check on Your Strong Friend, because everybody just assumes that women are so strong that they can carry everything without help, without assistance.

One of the biggest challenges I face in my industry is being given a seat at the table. I work in a predominantly male industry, and being a woman sometimes isn't, well, they can't discriminate against you obviously, but they don't make you feel as welcome in some spaces. I think just constantly having to go above and beyond to prove that I deserve to be in the room would be some of the challenges that I've seen as a woman working in my industry. And having to say things more than once, if you can read in between those lines.

The values that are most important to me in my work and personal life are integrity and authenticity.