Joanie Kraut

I attribute my success to wanting it badly enough and being willing to push through barriers to achieve it. Growing up in a trailer court in the middle of a cornfield in Illinois, I learned early that if you want something badly enough, you will achieve it. As a single mom with 3 kids, I'm very conscious that I have six little eyes on me, so if I don't do it, they won't see it. That drives me to keep pushing forward. I also believe in the power of mentorship and taking advice from people who are in positions you want to be in. When I got my master's degree, my boss told me she'd rather have experience over a piece of paper, and I was embarrassed to post about it. But because I had that master's degree, I got a CFO job, and she's still a controller even today. I learned to take what resonates and do things my way, not try to fit into someone else's box. My biggest focus has always been on removing barriers and creating opportunities, because I know firsthand what it's like when opportunities aren't accessible. I finished my associate's degree while pregnant, completing my last final on June 28th and going into labor on July 1st, because so many people told me I wasn't going to finish and I had to prove them wrong.

Don't wait for somebody else to open the door for you. You need to push it open yourself, and we give you those tools to push open a door, walk into a room, and feel confident in yourself and in your abilities to vouch for yourself. Change your mindset from asking to negotiating. When men approach conversations about salary, they say they're here to negotiate, but women and underrepresented people say they're going to ask for a salary increase. Just changing the word from ask to negotiate changes your mindset. Take up space and stop hiding your accomplishments. Post your achievements on LinkedIn and social media because that's your personal brand. When you get a degree or certification, or when you're going to conferences, make sure people know what you're doing. A lot of people hide behind worrying that nobody will like their posts, but you don't need 16,000 likes on your master's degree. If you post that you have it, then people know you have it, and the right person will appreciate it. Take advice from people who are in positions you want to be in. Everybody's going to tell you you're doing it wrong or how to do it differently, but you've got to take what resonates and do it your way, because your way is going to be what works for you, not somebody else's way. We've got to stop trying to fit in a box and move forward with what makes sense for us.