Inspiration can come from anyone — teachers, managers, neighbors and other unexpected places.
Written by Avery Komlofske Published on Mar. 08, 2022
When we talk about mentors, it’s usually in the context of careers, such as a manager or supervisor who helped us grow professionally. Having these mentors is especially important for women — for example, Microsoft News reported that the number of girls interested in STEM doubles when they have a female role model. However, it’s not just career leaders that can inspire us.
Inspiration can come from anywhere, but it will likely come from close to home. A 2018 YouGov report discovered that 52 percent of the women surveyed have a female role model in their personal lives. That percentage dwarfs the next highest category, which is entertainment at 38 percent. Seeing women they personally know confidently pursue their dreams can inspire other women to pursue their own, creating a chain of personal successes.
For International Women’s Day, Built In NYC spoke to women leaders at Contentsquare, Reonomy, Octane, DigitalOcean, Cockroach Labs and Galileo about the women in their lives that inspired them. Their answers varied wildly — these women were inspired by teachers, neighbors, career leaders and one very unique 9-year-old girl. Yet each of these figures also have one thing in common: They forged the path they wanted to walk for themselves. Their stories have valuable lessons that can inspire anyone who takes them to heart.
Looking back on your career so far, is there a woman who has consistently inspired you?
A 9-year-old girl named Eva. She was the youngest member of the Paris Summer Innovation Fellowship, a program I created for the city of Paris. I designed it not with children in mind, but seasoned urban designers, open street mappers and PhDs. She applied, proposing: “The streets of Paris are sad. I want to build a robot so they’ll be happy. I’m learning to code on Thymio robots, but I can’t make it work. I want mentors to help me.”
I accepted her, and she inspired me. I wrote to her, “Nothing on the website said this was open to 9-year-olds, but nothing said it wasn’t. You said you had trouble making the robot work on your own and needed help. That was brave to admit, and we were convinced to take on your project.”
I watched her grow, stumble and learn while building her robot at our partner Fab Lab. It was inspiring to see her at work. I had been such a different little girl: eager to please, afraid of sounding silly or coloring outside the lines.
Then, we interviewed her and asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I’ll never forget her answer. She said, “I built a robot, so I bet everyone expects me to say I want to become an engineer. But the truth is, I don’t think the job I want has been invented yet.”
Nothing on the website said this was open to 9-year-olds, but nothing said it wasn’t.”
How have you incorporated the lessons and achievements from her life and career into your own?
Following Eva’s mantra, I invented my own job as Contentsquare’s chief impact officer, the newest animal in the C-suite jungle. Instead of rebranding a head of CSR, I designed it as analogous to a CRO. If a CRO generates revenue in a startup, a chief impact officer is responsible for any social and environmental impact, defined by their company’s mission and values.
Even a company whose line of business isn’t directly concerned with climate or health needs to prioritize impact. Whether it’s global warming or social injustice, the world faces real challenges — everyone needs to pull their weight, especially startups with funding.
Contentsquare empowers businesses to create digital human experiences that others love, seek and deserve. In UX, human tends to mean personalized — what if it could also mean more inclusivity for all? If Contentsquare can make UX a force for business, it can also make it a force for good!
To answer with integrity, I bring together product, people ops, legal, R&D and philanthropy. I experiment with innovative models of startup philanthropy and — if we make it — I’ll help create a new role I hope to see across startup C-suites by 2023.
Looking back on your career so far, is there a woman who has consistently inspired you?
This year’s International Women’s Day theme is “Break the Bias.” When I think about the women who have impacted my career, there are many I have witnessed break the bias. I have been extremely fortunate to work with, play with and to be raised by incredible women. However, when I think of those who have had an impact on my career, it comes down to moments of courage.
Early in my career, I had the pleasure of working for Phyllis Yaffe during the time she was the CEO of Alliance Atlantis, an international film and television company. Phyllis was a change agent — she knew what she wanted to do, thought boldly and moved swiftly. I watched her listen to people in meetings tell her all the reasons why various strategies or initiatives wouldn’t work, but she never wavered and she achieved great things.
I recall one day being invited to lunch to hear a group of CEOs speak on the lack of representation of women at senior levels. The panel was all men. One CEO proceeded to provide the opinion that the reason there wasn’t better representation was because there weren’t enough qualified women available: It was simply a talent pool issue. Phyllis addressed the bias head on. She courageously said “look around this room. Half of this room is full of talented women. We are here — you just need to see us.” It was a moment I will never forget, and an act of courage that still inspires me to this day. Phyllis went on to continue to break glass, sitting on many boards and eventually becoming the Consulate General of Canada in New York.
She courageously said ‘look around this room. Half of this room is full of talented women. We are here — you just need to see us.’”
How have you incorporated the lessons and achievements from her life and career into your own?
Phyllis started her career as a librarian. Her path was not straight but it was based on her ability to align herself to organizations she believed in — organizations that required courageous leadership and commitment to purpose. In the face of adversity, I often think of Phyllis and her ability to find a way. A mantra I use often is: There is always a path.
I have also tried to focus my leadership practice on courage. It will not always be in a big room calling out bias, but there are always ways to have quiet conversations that get your message across and stay true to your path.
