LaTondra Starling

I attribute my success to my mother and my upbringing, and my grandmother. They always told me to go after what I want, don't settle, and don't let anyone bring negativity. When I say I like to do something, they taught me to know that I can do it and don't let anyone stop me. My mom was in the Army, and my grandmother was also hard on me, and my dad was in the Army too, so I grew up in a military household where they were very strict. I'm appreciative of that because it's hard to find that nowadays with the new generation of children. I try to tell myself every day that I'm proud of myself and where I came from and how far I've gotten. I have to give myself a pat on the back a lot.

The best career advice I've received came recently when I got promoted. A friend and co-worker sent me a quote that I carry with me daily: 'When we work with purpose and support each other, we create real impact.' She sent me that because in the very beginning, I'd never had direct reports, and I was a little nervous, so that advice was right on time. I've also been told to be myself, be honest, and take your time. I've had a lot of peers along the way and a lot of support, but that quote about working with purpose and supporting each other is probably one of my favorites.

My advice to young women entering the industry is to make every day count. That's one of my biggest things - big or small, everything matters and everything counts. Just make every day yours.

The biggest challenge in my field is learning not to take things personal. That's absolutely a challenge. Another challenge is learning to breathe and just know that things will work out. I can multitask, but learning how to juggle many different hats at a time has been a challenge, but it's a challenge I'm handling. That's all you can do - just handle everything day by day, take your time, and just know that the work will get done.

The values most important to me are making sure that you separate work life and family life. Yes, there's a time to work, but spending time is also important. Knowing how to balance the two is very important to me. A lot of people bring their work life into their personal life, and I know sometimes it's hard not to do that, but that's one of the things I value - the fact that yeah, I have work, but I also have my family, and once work is over, work is over. You gotta leave it at work. I value time - the time that I spend with family, but also the time that I spend with my job.