The Version of Success No One Sees

I took a chance on myself when I left the traditional corporate path and discovered that knowledge is most valuable when it's shared, and exposure is where growth begins. I've learned to walk into every room with confidence, knowing there are only two roles regardless of title: teachers and students.

My greatest success has been earning the trust of others. When people know your actions are guided by integrity and genuine care, they are more willing to share challenges, embrace change, and work through uncertainty together.

One of my greatest successes is building a life where ambition and presence can coexist. Beyond the accomplishment and title, I am most proud of being present for the people I love, creating a home filled with purpose and love, and becoming the kind of woman I hope my children will one day be proud to emulate.

When my son was in grade school, I brought over twenty Christmas giving tree tags into his classroom so each student could wrap a gift for a child in need. Teaching those children that it is our responsibility to help where Santa cannot and spreading the power of giving is one of my proudest achievements.

When I stopped comparing my insides with other's outsides, I became free to focus on my own inner direction. My 3-step formula for success is to honor myself, discover my expression and share it.

I was once assigned to a nonverbal child who could not drink from a cup independently, but after working with him for just a few months, he succeeded. His mother's tears of joy and gratitude were my greatest reward and a reminder that sometimes what the world deems impossible is, indeed, possible.

To me, leadership is a quality that goes beyond your job and the four walls of your office. I realised this while single-handedly organising my brother's wedding. We hosted a typical big fat Indian wedding, with close to 500 guests and people only left with compliments and praises. It taught me some really valuable lessons like leadership, management, decision making and hosting. Above all, it brought a kind of confidence that became a part of my personality.

I was the most reliable person in every room except my own. Deadlines, friends, family emergencies-I showed up. The only commitments I broke were the ones I'd make to myself. I started treating my own commitments like someone else's, the kind you don't cancel.

Everyday I wake up, I get ready for a great outcome! I prepare myself mentally and I get dressed like I'm meeting success.

In our world that moves quickly, it is an invitation to pause, to appreciate the beauty around us and remember that some of life's richest moments are found sitting by a creek, gazing at a waterfall or hiking on a quiet mountain trail! When you pause you are recharging your perseverance, creativity and overall work performance!

Become someone who can carry a lot without allowing what you carry become your identity Building an identity beyond motherhood while still making being a mom central to your life Show up when no one is applauding Always motivated to perform at a high level because of my "why", my daughter.

Always work hard for what you want to accomplish and demonstrate your willingness to put in the effort to achieve your goals. When you face rejection or setbacks, don't allow them to discourage you. Instead, view them as challenges and opportunities to push yourself harder, grow stronger, and remain determined until you accomplish what you set out to achieve.

Live a life of significance, a life of service, and everything follows passion, inspiration, and impact.

Being a single mother never felt like a burden. Watching my daughter grow up to be a beautiful, strong, compassionate, and smart young woman reminds me that every second was worth it.

I've learned that you have to keep trying, no matter the circumstances. Every step, whether it works out the way you hoped or not. teaches you something and helps you grow. To me, that is success: continuing to learn, grow, and move forward along the way.

One success that the world may not see is the overall growing connections to my family and being an influence when it comes to sports. At the moment, with the passing of my mom, I live with all men. Convincing them to learn about and watch the WNBA with the games that I cover made me proud, and now we have a better way to connect.

The success I value most in my life is being a mother. Professional accomplishments are meaningful to me, but motherhood has shaped me in ways no title, award, or career milestone ever could. As a single mother, I have learned that some of the most important work happens quietly, in the ordinary moments no one else sees. It is creating a home where my children feel safe, loved, supported, and free to be themselves. It is being present when I am tired, listening when I have a hundred things on my mind, keeping promises, apologizing when I get something wrong, and trying every day to model the kind of character I hope they carry into their own lives. Motherhood has also challenged me to grow in ways I never expected. It has made me more patient, more self-aware, more resilient, and more intentional about the person I want to be. In many ways, becoming a better mother has required me to become a better version of myself. There are no awards for the countless small decisions that go into raising children, especially while balancing a demanding career and the responsibilities of doing much of it on your own. But when I look at my life, those are the accomplishments that matter most to me. If my children grow up knowing they were deeply loved, consistently supported, and encouraged to become kind, confident, and emotionally aware people, I will consider that one of the greatest successes of my life.

A success in my life that the outside world may never see is persevering through the sudden death of my first husband five years ago. As a widow I learned that I had to keep living, finding strength that I did not know that I had.

The best advice I've received is to focus on what I can control and let go of what I can't. At first this advice sounded simple, but over time, it challenged me to rethink how I navigate stress, uncertainty, and change. While I can't control other people, circumstances, or timing, I can control my effort, attitude, and how I choose to show up every day. It truly is one of the hardest things to navigate, and I continue to find it difficult some days, but it has shaped how I approach challenges, relationships, and my mindset.

The version of success I am proudest of is not the kind that fits neatly on a resume. I survived Hephzibah House, a fundamentalist residential program where much of my adolescence was built around obedience, control, punishment, and learning not to trust my own voice. For a long time, I thought success meant simply surviving whatever came next. Now, success means building a life I actually chose. I became an author and wrote about the experiences I was once expected to stay silent about. At the same time, I am working toward becoming an electrical apprentice and building a career in the trades. I have earned safety certifications, gained hands on experience, and keep teaching myself skills that once would have seemed completely outside the life planned for me. As an autistic woman entering a male dominated field, even walking onto a jobsite willing to learn feels significant. I am also learning that rebuilding is not always dramatic. Sometimes it is studying after work, applying for another opportunity, fixing something with my own hands, writing another page, creating a peaceful home, or choosing a future because I want it, not because someone told me it was the only future available to me. My success is becoming independent, curious, skilled, creative, and unafraid to start over. I am an author, a survivor, and an aspiring electrician, and I am still becoming the woman I was never given the chance to discover when I was younger.