Sarah Bowe

I think a lot of discipline and always wanting to achieve more is a big part of it. I'm very focused on learning whatever I can and expanding what I know. A good example is moving from the health tech space that I was in for so long to starting at Brightside a few months ago in the financial space - it was a big jump for me. I'm constantly pushing and challenging myself outside of my comfort zone, taking on new responsibilities that maybe I haven't done before. The easy thing would be to say no, like I don't know if I can do this, but instead I say yes, let's give this a shot, and I'm gonna do the best I can. Along the way, I've made mistakes, and just owning up to them helps make you a better employee, a better partner, a better parent. When I set my mind to do something, I want to achieve it and I want to do the best I can, and that has sort of driven me my entire life. I also owe so much to my parents - I was raised by two very hard-working parents who taught me a lot about work ethic and how to raise a family while having two demanding careers. My mom was a high school French teacher, my dad started off as a salesman, and I watched him evolve and really push himself to step out of his comfort zone and ultimately become a very successful financial advisor. My background in dance also taught me a lot about getting over things like stage fright and public speaking, all of which I love to do now, and allows me to help stand in front of my team, in front of leaders, and in front of peers and customers.

The one thing that always sticks with me is work-life balance is a myth. It's impossible to find balance. There are times where you have to give more to your family, and there are times where you have to give more to your work. If you're constantly chasing that balance, I think you'll be chasing it for a long time. I will never forget where I was sitting when another successful working mom stood up and said that to us, and that's always stuck with me. The more you can give in to that pull and not beat yourself up about it, definitely the better, because I've definitely struggled with a lot of guilt, especially being on the road as a working mom. But I don't think I'll ever not feel bad about being away. It is important to understand that I do this for my kids, to give them a life that is full of experiences and things that wouldn't be possible if I didn't do what I did. You have to try and be as present as possible when you're with them, and trying to focus when you're with them to make the most of your time is really important.

I would say never give up on yourself. If something doesn't quite go your way, or if you're questioning can I do this, I always say nothing changes if nothing changes. If you're not happy with the situation you're in, maybe it's the role you're in, or the company you're at, or even how things are working around you with your team, if you don't take the initiative to change something, even something small, nothing will change. Change can be uncomfortable, change can feel overwhelming, uncertain, but you have to really lean in to that to experience change that ultimately can be more meaningful and lead to where you want to get to.

One of the biggest challenges is honestly how busy everyone is. A lot of what I do depends on talking to people, and finding the time to talk to a busy customer or a busy consultant can be tough. I've been in the vendor space for several years now, and we are one vendor of many that a large enterprise company has to manage, so fighting for mindshare and for time is a very real thing when a lot of what we do is dependent on building that partnership and that connection. Similarly, budgets in today's economy are really tight. Every customer I talk to is trying to cut back and save, not spend more. And when you're also trying to build a business and a company, you do at the end of the day need to get paid, and those customers are really feeling the strain right now, so that creates some challenges and forces a lot of creativity. It's tough right now to be in any kind of B2B enterprise space in the current landscape. In terms of opportunities, I think the biggest opportunity is just creating awareness. So many people are struggling financially and don't have the resources and the help they need. About 60% of Americans every year experience some kind of unplanned financial emergency, and 70% of Americans don't have $500 set aside to cover it. What we do at Brightside is so important, and I think there's so much untapped opportunity to get help to more people, which we do through working with large enterprise companies that employ hundreds of thousands of people. I'm excited to keep spreading the message of how we can help people and truly meet them where they are, so that they aren't constantly going to bed stressed about how they're going to make ends meet until they get to next Tuesday on their paycheck.

I would say being transparent as much as possible and showing up as my authentic self. I always want my team to know that I'm a human too. I think as you get higher in leadership, sometimes folks can see you just as a leader and not as a human, so it's very important for me to just be who I am all the time. Sometimes that shows up kind of messy, and sometimes it shows up polished and professional - it just can depend on the day. The other big one is that connections are so important, especially in what I do, and it kind of translates from what I just said about being your true self. If you can show up that way, even with your customers, and focus on learning about the people behind the company and the title, it's just so important, and it really helps establish those real connections with folks.