Jessica Stewart

I attribute my success to being comfortable with being uncomfortable. A lot of times in your career, it's easy to want to stay at one place because you're comfortable, but I'm able to be uncomfortable. I'm able to say, hey, I'm a newlywed, let's go ahead and sign up for an Executive MBA program when you're only less than a year into your marriage. Or I'm doing great at this one firm, but you know what, this new firm is going to put me out of my comfort zone. That to me is my greatest accomplishment, and always, with that, keeping the same level of intensity, but also integrity. I've never been one of those people who plans everything out, like doing consulting for 2 years because I know it's going to catapult me to the next thing. Everything has kind of happened organically. I just step back and see the building blocks of that, and it kind of makes sense. When I decided to go to Robinhood, I didn't even know what Robinhood was, but I look back and say, wow, if I wouldn't have taken that jump to go to Robinhood, I don't get to go to Visa, because Visa probably wouldn't have looked at my resume or my experience in the same light. I think for me, it's just constantly being open to that flexibility and just trying something new. I think sometimes in today's society, we're so stuck on checklists, and things having to be, and oh, I gotta get the MBA, or I gotta get the certification. Sometimes you just need to be led, and it has to make sense, and if it's supposed to happen, it will happen that way. My faith comes into play in that. At least that's how I look at it.

I think it's expanding network from the sense of just showing people that there's multiple ways, because in certain industries, we only highlight, or I have seen, the consistent highlighting of powerful women in the same type of departments or fields. I think it's really important that sometimes expanding your network is just being a light or being evidence that women like you exist in that specific sector or area. That's what I try to explain or show in my brand when I'm mentoring or having conversations with younger people that are entering business or in corporate America - that they understand no one path is the same, and what worked for me may not work for you, and that's okay, and that's important to me.

The values most important to me are intensity and integrity. I always maintain the same level of intensity in everything I do, but also integrity. I believe that risk management is business management - I don't like to separate the two. I think it's important to understand you can't have a successful business or a product without thinking about the risk associated with that and having a game plan. I also value being led by something greater and having faith. I've never been one of those people who are stuck on checklists and rigid plans. Sometimes you just need to be led, and it has to make sense, and if it's supposed to happen, it will happen that way. My faith comes into play in that.