Her Story
About Heidi
Heidi Dindial works in government IT project management, where she has spent about six years focusing on the IT aspects of the field. Her background includes military service followed by earning her bachelor's degree in her thirties, experiences that shaped her approach to continuous learning from others regardless of their career stage. She navigates an agile and waterfall environment while driving IT modernization initiatives, often balancing project goals with the need to meet deadlines through intentional pivots. Heidi attributes her professional success to never giving up, even amid uncertainty and frequent career adjustments stemming from her spouse's military service. She values leadership and integrity highly, believing that true influence involves leaving others better than where she found them, and she extends this commitment through community volunteering. In her advice to others, particularly young women entering the field, Heidi stresses that no one's path is linear, success looks different for everyone, and one should not wait until feeling completely ready before pursuing growth opportunities, instead choosing to fail fast and fall forward.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Heidi
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to never giving up. I've had to pivot in my career a lot because my spouse was in the military and gone a lot. Everything I've done, I've always pressed forward even if uncertain, and when you look back you realize you made it through the hard moments.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've received is don't wait until you feel completely ready. Growth happens when you're willing to step into an opportunity before you have all the answers. Go for it, fail fast, and fall forward. Failure isn't negative when it leads to constant innovation.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Success looks different for everybody. What we see on social media isn't real life. Have a plan but understand you have to make pivots because every season of your life looks different. No one's path is linear. As long as you're going forward with a goal in mind, it'll all work out.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is learning that balance isn't about perfection. Work sometimes requires longer hours or pivoting to meet deadlines, but I prioritize being intentional with family time even during those periods.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Leadership and integrity are huge because when leading people you have eyes on you all the time. Lifting others is important - influencing people is about leaving them better than where you found them. I want to be who I say I am, and that integrity bleeds into everything including community volunteering.
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