Larissa Boydston

I have such a good support system from my parents, my husband, and our family in general. They always encourage me to go for whatever big idea I have next. Very, rarely am I met with the kind of criticism that matches that large inner critic voice in my own head. My support team will help acknowledge weak points within my skills or approach, but they also will help me navigate through them. I believe all of my people have helped shape who I am.

The best career advice I received was about being present with people. We're all busy, but if someone is coming into your office, put whatever it is you have in your hand down, even if you're taxed for a deadline. Put it down, look them in the eye, and have that conversation with them. If you don't have the time to give them that in-depth piece that they need, offer an alternative time up. But get off your phone, don't answer an email and kind of halfway listen. Actually meet them at their level, make eye contact, and make them feel valued.

Be curious. Don't sit and wait to be called on. If you don't understand what people are talking about, just ask. I didn't believe this when I was younger, but there truly is no shame in needing clarification. As a female in a male dominated industry, seek other women out if you feel the need to do so. Hopefully there is one! It is okay to trust and lean on other females, and be courageous enough to do so.

It is very much male-dominated, so you feel isolated at times. Don't get me wrong, I have genuine respect towards the opposite sex. I think we all exist for immesurable reasons. But sometimes it is hard to shut that inner critic down, which makes balance and imposter syndrome challenging. Males and females have different communication styles as well, so it is easy to feel small. And a lot of the times it's us making ourselves feel small. I generally see the best in most people, so I do not believe they’re intentionally doing it. The other challenge is just the pace that technology is changing right now. You feel like you are grasping a new concept and a new idea, and you've got your wheels underneath you, and you're starting to move faster, and then all of a sudden something changes again. A new way of doing things has emerged, so you are just constantly learning and re-educating and being that self-motivator to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

I have three core values that I learned to articulate through the MBL program at Whitworth University. The first one is kindness. I think we can approach all things with kindness and respect. The second one is unapologetic self-care. My autoimmune diseases really helped foster that understanding that you don't have to go to burnout before you're allowed to rest. It's okay to take your self-care and focus on yourself so we can continue showing up. My third value is purpose. Whatever I'm doing, I need to have some purpose behind it, even if that purpose is just to have fun. I will get lost, I will get distracted if I'm not entirely sure why I'm doing what I'm doing. So those three - kindness, unapologetic self-care, and purpose - are my core values and I try very hard to make sure that my work lines up with those values.