Melissa Miller

I base my success on the mindset that I'm not in competition with anybody but myself. I had to realize that really young because of my disability. I got laughed at in kindergarten for not being able to read a word out loud, and it was hard, and I promised myself that every day I will try to prove those people wrong, that I can be the best version of myself. I never felt that I was in competition with the person sitting next to me, in front of me, behind me, and that the only person I needed to be better than was me. When other people are succeeding, I can applaud them, and I can focus on myself at the same time. That way, our success is kind of mutual. You always want to cheer the person next to you on, not compete with them. And I think that's really kind of what set my career trajectory apart. Because I wasn't worried about what everybody else was trying to compete with. It was just always about, can I make this project better than my last one? Can I study harder for this test? Can I get a better grade? And it's never been about, I have to be better than Sally, or I have to be better than Bob. I have to be better than myself the last time. I've been very driven since that moment, and every time it would happen, I just got more and more purposeful in how I would be proving you wrong. There were teachers who didn't believe in me. There were people that thought I was stupid and never was gonna amount to anything, and it's just like, no, I'm gonna prove all of them wrong.

The biggest career advice that I was always given is that as you grow in your career, your number one person that you have to support is your leader. Making sure that they're getting the support that they need means that your team gets the support that they need. If you think of it the other way around, you're not actually supporting your team, because you're causing more pain at the top than at the bottom. So that's been the best career advice, is that if you're helping your boss, you're helping your team at the same time.

My advice to young women entering my industry is to speak up and not be afraid to use their voice. Women should not feel the need to apologize for who they are. When we stand together and express ourselves clearly, we ensure we are heard and taken seriously.

From a business perspective, AI is both a challenge and an opportunity as it is rapidly transforming industries. While it may change or replace certain tasks, the focus should be on retraining and upskilling employees so they can adapt and grow with the technology. Core skills like creativity, strategy, and human judgment will remain essential, and AI will ultimately enhance rather than replace creative work for those who learn how to use it effectively.

Integrity is the most important value in both my work and personal life. It’s something my father instilled in me early on—that you may go through good and bad jobs and work with different leaders, but you should never compromise your integrity. That principle guides how I make decisions, even when they are difficult or unpopular. I believe in being honest about challenges and addressing issues directly rather than avoiding them, because I would rather be transparent and do the right thing than anything else.