Shauna Wu

I would say what attributes the most to my success is the willingness to work and not being afraid to work. This younger generation, for whatever reason, is allergic to working. For me, if you want to work in Formula 1, be ready to mop the floors and work your way up. Be willing to do anything. I'm not saying say yes to everything, but you should have a growth mindset and push yourself outside of your comfort zone to do things you've never done before. Because if you're not uncomfortable, you're not growing. Always push yourself to not be afraid to work. Hard work and good work ethic, which I learned from my mom, goes a long way. You build relationships, you build trust, you network, and you have people in your circle and in your corner that you can count on. Here's another unlock I just realized - every single job, every single contract, every single opportunity, every single client, every single job opportunity that pays me money, whether it's consulting or a full-time role that I've worked for has come from a referral. Somebody who's worked with me, who knows my work ethic, who can endorse me and say, this is why we need Shauna. All of my jobs, all of my contracts, all my work is all from referrals from somebody that I worked with. I don't do any advertising. That just goes back to the power of when you're not afraid to work - people take notice. It's really obvious these days with the younger generation that think hard work is taking a couple naps in between the day and catching up on Netflix. I literally have worked with people who are much younger than me that are like, yeah, I was just catching up on my Netflix today in between meetings, and I'm like, I'm busy building an empire.

Working in a male-dominated industry is not for everyone, but you have to be able to cut through the noise and bring evidence-based, facts-based data. Have confidence in your experience and your expertise, because you've earned your way here. Don't question whether or not you belong, because this whole idea of women working in male-dominated industries is just getting started. If you want to work in Formula 1, be ready to mop the floors and work your way up. Be willing to do anything. You should have a growth mindset and push yourself outside of your comfort zone to do things you've never done before. Because if you're not uncomfortable, you're not growing. Always push yourself to not be afraid to work. I'm very much an advocate for women or young girls even playing in sports, because studies show that if you're a young girl and you grew up playing sports, you're more than likely to be in some kind of leadership position when you're an adult. A lot of women in leadership executives have in common that they played sports, because they were taught teamwork and leadership and morale. I would say my goal is to help other women and show them that you can come from nothing and do crazy things, like work in Formula One, if you're not afraid to work. I want to hold up a mirror to them and say, look at yourself in the mirror - you're already doing all of these things, and I'm just going to share a couple tips and tricks on what's helped me make it through my path and my journey.

This whole idea of women working in male-dominated industries is just getting started. There's going to be a shift at some point or another where women start to take over those male-dominated industries, because they're cracking the code. Men have been doing it for so long, a certain way, and women want to see change. We want to see innovation, improvement, and change, and doing things for the better. Women executives are in the best position to help shape that narrative. I feel like women are emotionally intelligent and aware of purpose and knowing your why - something that men naturally are not going to ask. The more you uncover your purpose and your why, and why you exist, whether it's you as a brand or a company as a brand, getting clear on that helps find your North Star. I'm very much an advocate for women running businesses. There are so many qualified women to be in leadership. You look at all the things that are controlled by money, and a lot of it is men in this world. I'm not saying women taking over men's jobs - I think we can cohabitate - but the shift of women slowly taking over is going to happen.

Having purpose and knowing your why is something that emotionally intelligent women are aware of. They know their why, they know their purpose as a company and as a brand. I feel like women are in the best position to help shape that narrative. I do that with my clients today - what's your why? I was in a boardroom and I was the only person that asked, why? What's the why? What's your why? What do you stand for? What do you believe in in the world? Do we want to make the world a better place? Why does your brand matter? The more you uncover your purpose and your why, and why you exist, whether it's you as a brand or a company as a brand, getting clear on that helps find your North Star. My number one goal is to help other women and show other women that you can come from nothing and do crazy things if you're not afraid to work. It's all about empowerment, especially for women that work in male-dominated industries. If I can help other women, if it helps one person, then great. It's less about me and more about helping other people.