Ellie Kim

Pull up your own seat at the table. And if you can't find the chair, share the seat. Just make sure you're sitting at the table, because you deserve to be there. And always speak up. Don't be afraid to speak up at meetings. Don't be afraid to raise your hand, because what your thoughts, what you're thinking about, and what you want to say matters. And that one statement can help the next person in the room, that next intern, the next coordinator, the next manager speak up at the next one. And that's what moves the organization forward.

I know this sounds cliche, but being a woman is a challenge. When you have to negotiate contracts with C-suites and decision makers of the opposite party, they do come back pretty strong when it comes to negotiating. While you want to get the sale, you also want to make sure that you are being confident and firm and sure about what you're saying and the decisions that you're making, because it does impact our business levels and the team overall down the line. That has been a challenge for me, just figuring out what's worth the fight and what's not. Another challenge is just being sure of myself. I've dealt with insecurities and just being sure of what my answers would be on a day-to-day basis, even outside of work, just in life. Growing up, I was kind of told to be in the background and just not make any waves and just go with the flow, but we shouldn't be going with the flow. We need to move the needle on things. We need to think outside of the box and reinvent the wheel. We need to make room and make way for new trends and new ideas, and for different members to join the table and have a seat at the table, because I often was not given a seat at the table. I just literally had to pull up a chair.