Natalia V. Golenkova

The only thing you might regret is that you didn't try. It doesn't mean that all the doors, when you're knocking, will open, but if you won't knock, they won't open at all. So, try. And it's okay if you won't win all the time, because if you're winning all the time, it means your goals are not competitive enough. But do your best. Go for it, but don't be afraid if sometimes it won't be successful. Sometimes life gives you something for an experience, and it's great because it makes you better. If I want to run a marathon, I try. The worst case that can happen is you won't be able to accomplish it. Okay, but at least you tried.

Invest in yourself, and it's not selfish. Invest in your education, invest in your hobbies, because if the only thing you do is home and only studying, you will burn out very quickly. So listen to yourself and try to be in balance. For women, to be in balance means trying to be successful in your personal space, in your professional space, and with your family and friends. Find the balance and follow it. This is the only way not to be burned out, and I know it because I work in tech and you work in front of a screen 12 hours per day - it's very easy to burn out. This is why I start running.

I'm very grateful to live in the United States and be a citizen here, where women are quite supported and we are doing great progress. But because I'm at a leadership level, I have been working in companies where to be promoted, you have to be in a gentleman's club. No matter how good you are, you're a woman. I think this is the problem, but once again, the country is doing so much, so it's improving. But still, there is such perception in some of the companies, and I experienced it firsthand. Additionally, marketing is becoming more complicated with AI and technical stuff, so I really think women should not be afraid to go there.

For me, the most important value is to be sincere in everything I do and to be professional. But for me, being professional doesn't mean just to say yes ma'am or yes sir. When someone is hiring me, it means they hire my professionalism and my knowledge. So I'll be respectful, but I will always try to verbalize my opinion honestly. If my boss or anyone who I'm reporting to, or as a team, we decided to go other ways, it's okay, I'll accept that. But you should always be ready, very politely and nicely and respectfully, to voice your professional opinion. Because sometimes people are afraid of what they will think about me. But they hired you for who you are, for your professional experience, so voice it. Work on the way you express your opinion, but nevertheless, do it.