Asha Shamdasani

I attribute my success to not being afraid to try new things. Throughout my career, although I've been in what we tag as a marketing field, I've been able to, within AT&T, hop around every couple of years, and I've been taking those opportunities as they come, sometimes in areas where I've never touched before. So being able to take the risk, having the student mentality, just digging in and getting it done has been what's attributed to my success. AT&T has given me that opportunity to explore different areas, and I've embraced those chances even when they've taken me into unfamiliar territory.

The best career advice I ever received was to always keep a student mentality. I think no matter how much I grow in my career, or what parts of the organizations I move to, I always make sure that I keep a good student mentality, because it's what's kept me learning and progressing, and just enhancing my skills. This mindset has been fundamental to my growth and has allowed me to continuously develop throughout my career.

I would give several pieces of advice. First, understand and know your worth. I think even at my age and my generation, we still walk around wondering, am I better than the next guy? And literally, guy, literally. So knowing that our worth is equal or more, walking confidently knowing that, is important. At the same time, understand that although our worth is equal or more, we're still different. And it is okay to have a family, and it is okay to take time for your family, and it is okay to figure out how to balance and juggle it all. Don't be afraid to embrace both your professional ambitions and your personal life - they can coexist.

The biggest challenges in my field right now are the same as the advice I would give women on how to progress and move forward. The challenges I face today are around knowing your worth, walking confidently in that knowledge, and understanding that it's okay to be different - to have a family and take time for them while still pursuing your career. Finding that balance and juggling it all remains one of the core challenges for women in my field.

Family is always first for me. Although I work in a very high-paced environment that requires a lot from me, being able to understand that professional-personal boundary so that I can give equal amount of time and quality time to my family as I do to my job is important to me. It actually also keeps my mind sharp, it keeps my mind fresh, it keeps my mind at peace, which in turn increases my productivity at work. So being able to find that balance is important for me. That work-life balance allows me to be my best self both at home and in my career.