Candace Sake

The short version:  “People may forget what you said or did, but they will remember how you made them feel.” - MA

The long version: Don’t chase roles. Build a reputation. Focus on authentic relationships and outcomes, not optics. Rough company? Bad pay? Unstable boss? Doesn’t matter. Know what your values are. Pivot if you need to. But consistently produce work you’re proud of as a matter of principle—and do it in a manner you’re proud of too.

You do not need to step on heads to get ahead. Empathy is a superpower. Practice listening first. Make the time to understand what’s in it for everyone else in the room. Use what you learn to craft a solution with the highest likelihood of success—but understand that if you’re accountable to the decision, you’re the only one making that decision. Trust yourself. And give yourself grace if you biff one now and again. 

You grow through what you go through. Layoffs. Detours. Disappointments. The trick is to be able to take a hit, process it, realign with your values, and keep moving forward. Sometimes the coworkers at our not-so-hot-job today end up being the ones who refer us to our much-better-job tomorrow. Our professional selves are constantly evolving organisms. As long as you’re growing in a values-aligned way? Just keep growing.

Sometimes getting a door slammed in your face is a blessing. Early in my career, I got passed over for a promotion I was certain I deserved. I sobbed about it for an entire week. And then I tried something different. I reflected. Did I even want this job? Or was I simply responding to the rejection? Spoiler alert: it was the latter. 

If you’re rejection-sensitive like me, start making friends with failure now. Learn how to love yourself through missteps and full-on wipeouts.

Rejection is redirection. If I had walked through that open professional door, I would have missed Product Marketing as a path entirely. Being passed over was a painful but profound reminder that you can’t find anything new if you don’t get lost from time to time. All success asks of us is to continue to find a path forward. 

My advice for anyone feeling lost at work is to start by knowing where your skills are. Follow your strengths. Identify company problems you’re well positioned to solve—and then solve them on your own. When you do, internally market the outcomes you’ve produced. Spend more time on internal marketing than you think you need to, trust me.

As you’re solving these problems and talking with colleagues, check in with yourself. How do you feel doing the work? Is your brain lighting up? Or are you dragging yourself to the finish line? You are the only constant in your career, so get curious and invest accordingly.

Cognitive overwhelm is real in 2026. You basically don’t have the time to overthink how you show up at work, so just come as your authentic self—it's easier to remember. If you’re a naturally anxious person prone to overthinking it? Totally fair, but also an easy one to explore addressing (with * of course). It takes less time to trust your instincts and campaign for your ideas when people around you know the authentic you. The original you. 

Obviously be professional. But original people are original thinkers. 

The other thing I'm noticing: AI proliferation is softening demand for traditional STEM-based tech skills. But there's good news too. AI is increasing demand for organizational dot-connectors, communicators, cross-functional coordinators, systems-builders, and people-centric people leaders.

The world has never been noisier. The need for connection has never been more urgent. My advice is to invest in becoming a storyteller. 

Storytelling is a skill as old as humanity itself. As human beings, we continue to be inexplicably attracted to artful storytelling in every language, everywhere in the world. To start, learn to write well. Figure out how to start & sustain relationships. Be curious and capable in research. Take data insights and craft them into artful narrative arches. Present your ideas with passion. Know how to compel people to action. These are the skills you will need to be successful no matter what comes next. 

Have you seen the TV show Silicon Valley on HBO? Give it a watch if you want to work at tech startups. It’s technically fiction. But it’s a decent preview of how startups operate. Prepare yourself for a few distinct challenges.

• Pace and pivots are psychologically demanding: Do you prefer to follow instructions or do you like to freestyle? Do you want a map or do you prefer to find your own way? My take is that earlier stage startups tend to reward those who build solutions from nothing. If you crave consistency, trusted direction, mentorship, and clear paths—this environment may not be for you. At startups, expect the pace to be unrelenting and urgent at all times. And expect the mission and target to change constantly. If you’re asking yourself, “Well, why would anyone want to do this?” Fair, ha. But it simply depends on how your brain is wired. For those willing and able to put in the work, you walk away from the professional experience with deep resilience, a ruthless ability to pivot and reprioritize, and a non-precious relationship with your own work—all of which require you to build emotional skills nobody teaches in school.

• Representation gaps are real, especially at the top: Women make up a significant share of marketing teams, but leadership—Founders, C-Suite, VPs, Boards—still skews heavily male, particularly in fintech and deep tech verticals. You will likely need to advocate for yourself more forcefully than your male peers, negotiate harder, and actively seek sponsors (not just mentors) who will pull you into rooms.

The seasons of your life are always changing. I believe your values change with them. My suggestion to both friends and colleagues is to identify your values every year. To do this, I use a values exercise from another influential woman: Brene Brown. Her “Living into our Values” worksheet forces you to pick only two values to anchor you at a time. These two values help you make decisions and move toward the best version of yourself year-over-year. Below is a look at my two values for 2026.

Value #1: INITIATIVE

Defined as: The power or opportunity to act or take charge before others do.

Spirit: Being a leader doesn’t mean you have followers. It means you go first.

What is one behavior that shows you are operating in alignment with this value?

• Action doesn’t equal obligation. And taking action requires some degree of discomfort or awkwardness. Embrace active information gathering. Be willing to book an exploratory call—but mostly, be willing to look stupid while you figure it out.
• Chart the course that feels uncertain or untraveled. Even if it’s a total f*cking mess, at least it’s not boring.

Value #2: RESILIENCE

Defined as: Resilience is the ability to adapt and recover from adversity, trauma, or stress. It involves building skills through actions like nurturing strong relationships, setting meaningful goals, practicing self-care, and reframing negative thoughts. This ability is not an innate quality but a learned set of behaviors that helps individuals endure hardship and bounce back from setbacks.

Spirit: The waves do not stop—and neither do you.

What is one behavior that shows you are operating in alignment with this value?

• Resilience requires a love of iteration and appreciation for a well-placed pivot. Get comfortable not knowing the “right” way. The right way is about continuing to try. That’s it.
• Embrace that “rejection is redirection.” Respect that the path, especially one less traveled, may not reveal itself with ease.