A powerful reflection on how family, friends, and mentors shaped a career journey from physiotherapy to data analytics, emphasizing that success is never achieved alone.
Her Story
About Yashita
Yashita Sahu serves as Senior Business Data Analyst at Candid, a non-profit organization, a role she has held for three years. In this position, she supports multiple teams including sales, marketing, research, and data by delivering analytics and reporting. Her notable contributions include research analyzing over 50,000 non-profit organizations to demonstrate that those with greater transparency receive more than 61 percent higher funding, as well as leading migration reporting and stakeholder communication for a product consolidation initiative involving the VP of Finance, VP of Growth, product team, and data team. Prior to Candid, she worked as a contractor at BMW and held positions at various organizations in India, including Allen Career Institute. Yashita earned her Bachelor's in physiotherapy and a postgraduate diploma in management in India before completing a Master of Science in Business Analytics at Montclair State University in the United States, which provided her with valuable cross-cultural exposure and professional development opportunities. She attributes her success to the support of her family and daughter, and she values empathy, honesty, and a commitment to continuous learning in new technologies. Her advice to young women entering the field emphasizes focus, completing projects to build full skills, and ongoing upskilling amid evolving technologies such as Agentic AI and generative AI.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Yashita
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would say my parents, they're very supportive to whatever I'm doing. See, I'm from a country where divorce is not very normal, and I had an arranged marriage. And I told my parents it's not working for me, and they were still very supportive. They really helped me to cover my tuition for my master's. I attribute my success to my family and my daughter. I have a daughter, and I remember those days when I was in my universities, there was my ex who doesn't want to take care of her. My friends would take care of my daughter, they'll babysit her so that I can attend my classes. People have been really kind to me.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say a couple of things. First of all, if you're looking at the data field, the way things are changing, you need to be very focused, and that's the primary thing. If you start something, you finish it, don't play in the middle. If you're starting something and not finishing it, then you will not be developing the complete skill. I would also say the job market at present is not a great market to find jobs, but if you're focused on what you want and upskill yourself with the new technologies coming in, you'll get somewhere, so there is no need to get disheartened.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
When you say challenges, I think every day there is new technology coming in, and as a data person, you have to keep yourselves updated. You basically finish one certification and then it's on to the next. So I think that is a little challenging because of the way technology is developing. But on top of that, the opportunity is also there. As AI is growing day by day, if we are learning more about Agentic AI, generative AI, and learning all about it, then we will be later on in a better position in which we can actually automate all that work which we are doing right now manually with a better precision. The opportunity lies in automation and precision.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I think the most important value for me to start with is empathy and honesty. It goes in my work and in my personal life. So whenever my colleagues and my friends approach me, I always be very empathetic to them. I'm very honest. I don't like people who just slide their ways to get things out. These are the two big assets of mine. And also, I'm someone who would like to explore if some new technologies are coming, I would like to explore them and learn them as quickly as possible. That's also one of my assets.
Her Content Hub
Articles by Yashita
The Village That Helped Me Build My Career
How the support of family, friends, and mentors shaped my path from physiotherapy to data analytics.
The Village That Helped Me Build My Career
When people look at my career today, they may see a Senior Business Data Analyst, years of experience, a master's degree, and a professional journey in the United States. What they may not see is the village of people who helped me get here.
My career journey has not been a straight line. I began my professional life in physiotherapy, later moved into management, and eventually found my path in data and analytics. Along the way, I moved from India to the United States, returned to university, built a new career, and became a mother while navigating significant changes in my personal life.
There were moments when rebuilding my life felt overwhelming. But I was fortunate to have people around me who reminded me that I did not have to do everything alone.
I come from a culture where marriage carries significant importance, and I had an arranged marriage. When I eventually realized that my marriage was not working for me, making the decision to move forward was difficult. It required courage, but it also required support.
My parents were that support.
They stood by me when I chose to rebuild my life and continue my education. They supported my decision to pursue my master's degree in the United States and helped me financially with my tuition. More importantly, they gave me something that was even more valuable: the confidence that I could start again.
Their support taught me that sometimes the people who believe in you before you believe in yourself become the foundation for everything you accomplish later.
Then there was my daughter.
Being a mother while pursuing higher education and building a career brought an entirely different set of challenges. There were classes to attend, assignments to complete, exams to prepare for, and a child who needed me.
I remember those years vividly.
There were times when I couldn't simply leave my daughter with someone and go to class. My friends stepped in. They babysat her so that I could attend my classes and continue my education.
Those moments may have seemed small to them, but they were enormous to me.
Every time someone watched my daughter so I could attend class, every time my parents encouraged me to continue, and every time a friend reminded me that I could handle one more difficult day, they were helping me build the future I was working toward.
That is why I don't think of my career as something I built alone.
I built it with a village.
Today, as I work in business data analytics, I carry those experiences with me. My professional journey has taught me the importance of adaptability, but my personal journey has taught me something even more important: success is rarely an individual achievement.
Behind many successful women are people whose contributions may never appear on a résumé.
Parents who make sacrifices.
Friends who show up when you need them.
Teachers and mentors who open doors.
Children who become a source of motivation.
And communities that remind us that asking for help is not a weakness.
My daughter has been one of my greatest motivations. I wanted her to see that life does not always follow the path we imagine, and that changing direction does not mean failing.
Sometimes, starting over is an act of strength.
My own career is an example of that. I moved from physiotherapy to management and eventually into data analytics. I had to learn new skills, adapt to new environments, and continually prove to myself that I could succeed in a field different from where I started.
And I am still learning.
Technology continues to change rapidly, particularly with generative AI and Agentic AI. As professionals, we have to keep learning and adapting. But the qualities that helped me navigate the biggest changes in my life—curiosity, empathy, honesty, perseverance, and the willingness to keep moving forward—are just as important in my career today.
If there is one lesson I would share with another woman who is facing a major transition, it is this:
You don't have to have your entire life figured out before you take the next step.
Take the next step.
Find your people.
Accept the help.
Keep learning.
And don't underestimate the example you are setting for the people who are watching you—especially your children.
I often think about the people who helped me during those difficult years. They may not realize how much their kindness changed my life.
My parents supporting my education. My friends caring for my daughter while I was in class. My daughter giving me another reason to keep going.
These people are part of my story.
So when I look at my career today, I don't see just my accomplishments.
I see a village.
And I am deeply grateful for every person who helped me build it.
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