Salma Merani Merani Babul

I credit my success to perseverance—keeping my head down, pushing through challenges, and allowing myself grace along the way. My mom immigrated here as a teenager without the opportunity to attend college, but she taught me one of the most important lessons I carry with me: life will knock you down, but you get back up and try harder.

She’s worked countless jobs over the years, and today she’s a project manager at Fortune 5 company. Watching her journey—from working as a cashier at fast food chain to becoming a leader at a Fortune 100 company—is incredibly inspiring. It’s proof that with hard work, resilience, and determination, there’s no limit to what you can achieve.

She’s the kind of woman who doesn’t let anything stand in her way—and that mindset has shaped who I am today.

The best advice I’ve received wasn’t something that was explicitly told to me—it’s something I observed over time in my professional journey. I noticed that men are often more willing to take risks, trusting they’ll figure things out along the way, while women tend to want everything figured out before taking the first step. Too often, that hesitation leads to missed opportunities.

Recognizing that shift in mindset made me more fearless and helped me better understand my own value. It encouraged me to take chances I might have otherwise overthought.

Even my role at HEXA came from that mindset. There was no job posting—they weren’t actively hiring. I simply reached out to the CEO and said, “Here’s what I’m looking for, here’s my background, and here’s how I can contribute.” And they created a role for me—because I asked.

That experience reinforced something powerful: sometimes the biggest opportunities come from having the confidence to go for it before you feel completely ready.

My advice is simple: go for it and figure it out along the way. You don’t need everything perfectly mapped out before you take the first step.

I’ve been in meetings where I shared an idea that was dismissed, only to hear the same idea praised minutes later when it came from a man. I’ve run payroll and seen pay gaps between men and women with no clear justification. I’ve even been in hiring situations where two candidates were equally qualified, but the man received a higher offer simply because he asked for more—while the woman hesitated.

In one case, I went back to the recruiter and said, “Encourage her to ask—I’ll match it.” And we did.

Experiences like these have shown me that confidence and willingness to ask can make a real difference. Men are often raised to take risks and trust they’ll figure things out, while women are more likely to overthink before taking action.

So my advice stands: go for it. Speak up, ask for what you want, and trust that you’ll figure it out as you go.

The biggest opportunity in my field right now is helping this space grow. We’re even exploring partnerships with co-working spaces across the Atlantic, looking at how we can collaborate and expand what this model can be.

What makes this space so powerful is that it’s not just a co-working space—it’s an innovation and collaboration hub. And that can mean everything for startups. You might have strong technical skills but lack networking experience, or you might need someone with a sales mindset to complement what you bring. You never know who you’ll meet or how a single connection can evolve into something bigger—and I love that this environment actively encourages those kinds of partnerships.

In my previous experience in the legal field, I often felt limitations—whether it was because I wasn’t a lawyer or because, as a minority woman, I didn’t fit a certain mold. That’s my personal experience. But in the space I’m in now, it’s completely different.

The culture here is truly collaborative. There’s no ego. If the CEO sees trash on the ground, he doesn’t delegate it—he picks it up himself. That kind of leadership sets the tone.

I love being in an environment where people are thinking big, but also willing to roll up their sleeves. It’s a place where if something needs to be done, you just do it—and that mindset makes all the difference.

Integrity is the value that matters most to me. There are people who talk a big game but have little to show for it, and others who quietly put in the work but don’t always advocate for their worth. I believe in striking that balance—delivering real results while also recognizing your value.

I’m a big believer in quality over showmanship. I respect people who work hard, contribute as team players, and back up their words with action. Not those who simply perform well on the surface without substance behind it.

I’ve encountered many people who present confidently and say all the right things, but when it comes time to execute, they delegate everything and seek the credit. To me, integrity means more than just how you show up—it’s about the work you’re willing to put in and the accountability you take for it.