Darcy Guidry

I attribute my success to sheer grit and determination, but most importantly, my support system. My family, husband and son who cheer me on and put up with my flux work schedule and the demands of the job, and especially my mom who's my biggest fan and who has been there for me throughout everything. My women's group and my ladies have coached me through just about every possible obstacle and reminded me that I can do it - they've helped me push past that voice that questions whether I'm good enough. And those male champions and mentors that have challenged and guided me during some ups and downs. In this industry, it's also about who you know, not just what you know. Making the right connections with good people who will back you and support you, and who will speak your name in good things when you're not even in the room - those are the kind of people I've tried to surround myself with. By eliminating those who didn't fit into that bracket, that has been probably my biggest helper in this journey so far, and I think it will continue to be. It's about building relationships with people who genuinely want to see you succeed. The channel is huge, but small and building a reputation of integrity and gumption is essential to my success and I will always strive to do more, be better and to lift others up along the way. "A strong woman looks a challenge in the eye and gives it a wink."

The best advice I ever received was the definition of insanity - doing the same thing and expecting a different result. I was in a position where I was unhappy and never going to get any more out of it, and I wanted a change. It just kind of clicked one day that I'm insane if I stay, because I'm just going to keep going through the motions and being unhappy. Someone else told me that if it's uncomfortable enough, it requires change. How long do you stay in the same rut, the same relationship, the same place, anywhere really, until it gets uncomfortable enough that you have to make a change? I hit my point when I went to a luncheon lead by The Executive Evolution. It was my first time seeing these women in a room speak about empowerment and advocating for yourself. I had read some articles about women empowerment, and when I went to that luncheon, I decided I was going to do it - I was going to start building my own network, meeting people I wouldn't have before, and making a name for myself.

If I did it, you can do it. You have to believe in yourself and know that you're fully capable, even when you don't feel like you can. My biggest thing is network - start showing up, shaking hands, making friends. Self-promote, even though that can be very hard for some people to be boisterous about yourself and your abilities. I still struggle with that from time to time, but you have to toot your own horn. A lot of people are nominating themselves for awards and throwing their own hat in the ring, because if you don't and you just wait, who knows if it'll ever happen? Don't hold yourself back like we as women tend to do. A lot of men wouldn't question whether they're qualified - he would just go for it. So believe in yourself, network relentlessly, and don't be afraid to promote your own accomplishments. Surround yourself with good people who will support you and speak your name in good things when you're not in the room, and eliminate those who don't fit into that bracket.

The biggest challenge in my field is the sheer number of competitors - you can't throw a rock and not hit one, though we all kind of play in the sandbox pretty nicely since we're all friends too. What really sets you apart is being truly different from the others. The customers have too many choices, and it dilutes the water so that when they're presented with better options, they hesitate because someone else is offering a better bonus or a different discount. There's just so much noise in the space that it's hard to be heard sometimes. The biggest opportunity is to be an innovator instead of just following a trend. I would love to influence the next generation of women in our community and tech space. I love going on STEM field trips and relating to the girls, encouraging them to do it too, because we're definitely closing the gender gap but we're not there yet. We don't want a seat at the table just because we're a DEI checkbox either - I want to earn that spot fairly based on true merit and performance, not just because you're pretty or likable. When I come across a female engineer in our space, it's really, really rare, and those are the people I like to sit beside and learn from as much as I can.

The values most important to me are integrity, trust, respect, and treating others the way you want to be treated - God, family, country kind of thing. A wise friend of mine once said that whoever you meet, no matter where you are, they could potentially be a friend, a colleague, a boss, or a client someday. So you treat everybody with that same sweetness and care, and you'll be fine. If you are a good person with good intentions and you move with positive intentions to help people, then you'll definitely end up in a good place. I try to show up like I'm lucky to be there with an attitude of gratitude. I have affirmations on my whiteboard in my office to keep me in that headspace, like 'no one can steal your thunder if you are the storm' and 'turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you.' Even on my bad days, I try to remember where I was before and how much happier I am doing this now. Building a brand on integrity and trust means being someone that people truly want to work with, not just because they like your personality, but because they know they get what they get - they can count on you to deliver.