Alexandra Colquhoun

I attribute much of my success to maintaining a strong, determined mindset that allows me not only to persevere through challenges, but to use them as springboards for growth and momentum.

I have always been driven to succeed, and when I encounter obstacles in my career or personal life, I try to view them as opportunities to learn, adapt, and evolve rather than setbacks.

A critical part of that evolution has been learning how to balance high performance with self-care, particularly in a high-pressure sales leadership role where burnout is a very real risk.

Early in my career, I discovered yoga during a period when stress was beginning to manifest physically in my body. That practice taught me lessons that have stayed with me ever since. Things like how to breathe through difficulty, how to balance effort with ease, and how to honor where I am both physically and mentally in any given moment.

As a mother of three and a leader of a large specialty sales team, I’ve come to understand something fundamental: I have to show up for myself first in order to effectively show up for my family, my company, and my team.

That mindset has become central to how I lead, how I perform, and how I sustain myself through the demands of both work and life.

The best career advice I ever received came from my mother, who worked as a trader on Wall Street in the 1980s in a deeply male-dominated environment.

From an early age, she taught my sisters and me to never view gender as a limitation. Instead, she encouraged us to see ourselves as leaders and to stay focused on building our own careers and progression, rather than relying on external validation or dependency.

She also gave me incredibly practical, lasting advice about personal finance and building equity. One of her earliest pieces of guidance was simple: the moment you have access to a 401(k), start contributing, early and consistently. At the time, it felt overly cautious. Today, I see how foundational that advice has been in setting me up for long-term financial stability.

She would often use phrases like “buy low, sell high,” which I’ve come to realize applies far beyond markets. It applies to career strategy as well. You don’t want to be making big career decisions from a place of depletion or uncertainty. Instead, you are often in your strongest position when your “equity” is high, when you are performing well, adding value, and operating from confidence. That is when you are best positioned to negotiate, explore new opportunities, or advocate for what you need.

Another mentor once shared something that has stayed with me: leadership is a long game. It requires clarity about what truly matters, the discipline to prioritize those things, and the willingness to let go of or forfeit less important battles in service of larger goals.

I find myself returning to that perspective often especially when deciding whether to push on something or step back, knowing that effective leadership is not about winning every moment, but about being intentional with where you choose to invest your energy.

My three pieces of advice for young women entering this industry are:

1. Remember that people are just people.

You may walk into a room and see leaders who are 20 years older than you, but at the end of the day, everyone has fears, insecurities, and moments of self-doubt. Imposter syndrome is far more common than it appears.

Breathe through it and show up anyway.

Don’t let fear stop you from taking the actions you know matter. And don’t be afraid to ask the “stupid question.” Most of the time, it isn’t stupid at all, it’s curiosity. And curiosity is one of the most valuable traits you can bring into any industry.

When you ask thoughtful questions about your customers, your industry, or emerging technologies like AI, you don’t diminish your credibility, you strengthen it. People respect those who genuinely want to understand what they do.

2. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. In fact, expect them.

I’ve made plenty of mistakes in my career, across every stage of growth.

My husband, a former professional basketball player, and I often talk about leadership in the same way he talks about coaching and performance in sports. His favorite player is Michael Jordan. MJ is known as one of the greatest shooters of all time. Not just because of his talent, but because he took more shots than anyone else. And yes, he also missed more than anyone else.

You can’t develop mastery without volume. You have to be willing to take shots, miss shots, and learn from both.

I often tell my kids that I hope they miss a lot of shots because it means they’re trying. And trying is what ultimately leads to growth.

Failure isn’t something to avoid. It’s data. It’s feedback. It’s part of becoming great at what you do.

3. Stay intellectually curious.

There is so much opportunity in this industry, but it belongs to the people who stay curious.

Curiosity keeps you learning. It keeps you relevant. It keeps you open to new ideas, technologies, and ways of thinking. And over time, it becomes one of your greatest competitive advantages.

Right now, one of the biggest challenges in my field is navigating the rapid technology pivot around AI and the advancements in automation across industries. There are real challenges for people in the industry when it comes to fear around job security, wondering if technology can take over their roles, or if what they sell will even be necessary with AI. We saw some large technology stocks get hit pretty hard when certain announcements were made around automating compliance and legal processes through AI, so I know that concern is top of mind for people in the industry. However, I also see this evolution as a tremendous opportunity. I encourage my associates, my younger employees, and my summer interns to leverage AI as much as they can in their day-to-day work so that they fully understand it and are positioned for success regardless of which direction the industry goes. We are seeing institutions trying AI solutions within compliance processes doubling over the last year, so this shift is definitely happening. But those AI technologies need people to train them, monitor them, guide them, and quality check them. If you really fully understand those solutions, there will be a place for you to be able to do that work. The most important thing is not to be afraid, but to be curious about it. If people are intellectually curious about AI and genuinely want to learn, they will be able to adapt and thrive in this changing landscape.

The values that guide me most in both my professional and personal life center around balance, self-awareness, and showing up with a growth mindset.

In high-performance sales organizations, I have learned there is a very real risk of burnout. Because of that, I’ve become intentional about regularly checking in with myself and focusing on what requires my attention in the day ahead. I often distill my to-do list down to three priorities. And on some days, those priorities aren’t strictly business-related. They may include things like going for a walk or blocking time to strategize a topic. Those simple actions are often what allow me to show up more effectively in everything else.

As a mother of three, I carry the responsibility of being present for my family. As a leader of a team, I carry the responsibility of being present for my people as well and supporting them through challenges, decisions, and growth. As my circle of responsibility has expanded, I’ve come to realize that my responsibility to myself has expanded too. The only way I can truly be effective for my family, my team, and my company is if I am also taking care of myself.