Anwen Thomas

I attribute my success to always moving forward. I try to treat each day as a fresh start—an opportunity to learn, adjust, and grow. I believe we can achieve just about anything when we move gradually, with purpose and consistency. Most things do work out in the end, even if they take years to fully come to fruition. When you live day to day with intention and love, you don’t just chase success, you become it.

The best career advice I’ve ever received is simple, but it’s shaped how I move through every opportunity: everything happens for a reason—treat every opportunity as an open door.

Not every door leads to the perfect role, the perfect team, or the perfect timing. Some doors open to things that are challenging, inconvenient, or, honestly, not what you expected. But even then, there’s usually something on the other side that matters: a skill you didn’t have before, a connection you wouldn’t have made, a clearer understanding of what you won’t settle for again, or a moment that pushes you closer to the work you’re meant to do.

Evaluating opportunities as open doors doesn’t mean saying yes to everything. It means staying curious instead of dismissive. It means asking, What could this lead to? What could I learn here? Who might I meet? What story might this add to my path? Sometimes the best moves in a career aren’t the ones that look perfect on paper—they’re the ones that expand your perspective and build momentum.

That mindset has helped me take chances without fear, pivot without shame, and trust that even detours can be part of progress. When you stay open, you stop treating your career as a straight line and begin to see it as a series of meaningful steps. And more often than not, the doors you choose to walk through end up shaping you in ways you couldn’t have planned—but are grateful you didn’t miss.

To young women entering marketing: your perspective is an asset, not something to soften or shrink.

Marketing is a field where everyone has an opinion, and you’ll feel pressure to make your work “universally liked.” Don’t. Focus on making it intentional, strategic, and rooted in real people. Taste is subjective, but clarity, consistency, and outcomes aren’t. Learn how to explain why you made a choice—your creative decisions should always be tied to an objective.

Treat every opportunity like an open door. Say yes to things that teach you, stretch you, or put you in rooms you haven’t been in yet. Not every door will be the right fit, but every door can give you something useful: a skill, a portfolio piece, a contact, a stronger sense of what you want next.

Also: protect your confidence. You’ll get feedback from people who don’t understand design, data, or brand building—and they’ll still speak with authority. Listen for the insight, ignore the ego, and don’t take critique as a verdict on your talent. Ask questions, gather context, and remember that you’re allowed to advocate for your work.

Finally, build your skillset like you’re building a toolkit. Learn the basics deeply—writing, visual hierarchy, brand consistency, analytics, and project management. Be the person who can execute and think. The more you can connect creativity to results, the harder you are to replace.

Marketing isn’t one-size-fits-all, and neither is your career. Keep moving forward, take things gradually and with purpose, and let your work speak loudly.

Marketing right now is defined by a tension I think about constantly: AI lets us create more, faster—but it also makes it easier for everything to feel the same and less trustworthy. One of the biggest challenges is standing out in a world of “good enough” content, while staying honest as audiences grow more skeptical of what’s real. At the same time, AI is a real opportunity when it’s used intentionally—streamlining busywork so marketers can spend more time on strategy, storytelling, and real human insight.

For me, staying relevant comes down to one thing: authenticity with standards. I’m focused on work that’s transparent, values-based, and rooted in real people—because trust is becoming one of the most valuable brand assets. And while AI can support the process, I’m most interested in creating experiences that don’t just perform well online—they stick with people. The kind that feel personal, meaningful, and memorable long after the post is gone.

The value that matters most to me at work and in my personal life is honesty.

In work, honesty shows up as integrity and clarity. It’s telling the truth about what’s working and what isn’t, even when it’s uncomfortable. It’s setting realistic expectations, owning mistakes quickly, and giving feedback that’s direct but respectful. Honesty also protects trust, which is the foundation of every strong team and every strong brand. Without it, you can have talent, results, and momentum, but you won’t have anything stable.

In personal life, honesty is how you build real relationships. It means being truthful about your needs, your limits, and your intentions. It’s choosing authenticity over approval, and consistency over performance. It also means being honest with yourself about who you are, what you want, and what you’re willing to tolerate. That kind of honesty is both grounding and freeing. It keeps you aligned and moving forward.

Honesty isn’t just a moral principle. It’s a way of living with intention. It’s how you stay credible, stay connected, and stay true to the life you’re building.