Mara Mossberg

My family was very ambitious. My mom was an incredibly brilliant woman who worked with computers, and my dad always pushed for success and finding the thing you love. He always said, like, do what you love. Don't do work. Like, it's gonna be work anyway. Do if you love it, it's gonna be better than having to show up every day to something you don't enjoy. I feel like watching my brother be so successful, especially after he helped me get into this field, that's always been a really big inspiration for me. My mom was an actuary for AXA Equitable, and she loved her work. It was her passion, too. That whole family environment of ambition and passion for work really shaped who I am today.

My first manager when I worked at Oppenheimer Funds in my first real adult job out of college taught me a lot about how to work with people, even when they were difficult, or the job was hard, or you weren't getting the success you were looking for. He actually said perception is everything. I had a really hard time with it at that age. I was very much an idealist, you know, you do what's right, you stand up for what's right, and be rebellious. But in a professional environment, it's really important to navigate a lot of the drama and the politics that go on, and make sure that you're careful what you say. You do what's right, and you help people, but at the same time, there's a lot of navigating that political environment. It was not an easy thing to first start doing, because as an idealist, you know, I want to stand up for what's right, and I want to be rebellious, but that's not always the best plan in a work environment. I would never compromise my integrity for my professional reputation, but I've been fortunate enough that I can do both.

As a woman, you can do anything. You know, to be strong. Sometimes this industry can be male-dominated, and to really take those good mentors and learn everything you can from them, because that's just been a gift in my career, both personally and professionally. I've worked with some people who've inspired me and have become like family to me, and I don't say that in the dirty, corporate, your-family-to-us sort of way. Keep learning, keep finding out the career path that you're on, and seeing what inspires them. Not to just take the next job that comes, but to intentionally choose a path. To stay with something that inspires them and fills their passion.

In business overall, the biggest challenge and greatest tool and exciting future is just the speed that technology is changing. With AI becoming so integrated in every aspect of every field, staying relevant is probably the biggest challenge. It's important for everyone. My boyfriend's kids, one of them is in his senior year of a computer science degree down in Texas, and I told them, I said, he has to start getting some AI experience, even if it's just rudimentary, because every job, every role is using it. If you have a position that's open and there are two candidates with the same background, they're going to pick the one that has the AI experience.

Well, integrity. I like to do what's right. I like to bring the people around me up and leave places better than when I got there. I always want to have a positive influence, whether it's working with a young person who's making choices about how they work in their professional life. I have to go to sleep with myself at night, and with my own mind, so I would never compromise my integrity for my professional reputation. I like to make the people around me feel good. I like to leave a positive influence, and that's also something that took a long time to learn, but I feel like not only am I happier and more satisfied in my life, but I feel like the people around me get to feed off of that as well. I like to help people and animals. Your outlook is going to affect everything you do, and it's not always easy to choose the positive or the high road, but it definitely pays off in the end.