Self-Awareness and Personal Growth

It’s simple math 🧐 I use to think that motivation was the key to monumental success. Long story short, it’s not. It’s about the little things you do every day that will take you from reasonable to slightly unreasonable to completely unreasonable progress. Your future is not defined by how motivated you are, but by your daily routines and systems. I believe in this so much that we named our company Butterfly 3ffect to reflect the value of incremental gains. we believe that that’s how the best people and brands grow. Here’s how you grow the small way: 1. Start by setting achievable goals, like reading one chapter of a book each day or going for a short walk 2. Practice gratitude by writing down three things you're thankful for every night before bed 3. Engage in daily self-reflection, even if it's just for a few minutes, to assess your thoughts and actions 4. Incorporate small acts of kindness into your daily routine, like holding the door for someone or offering a genuine compliment 5. Learn something new every day, whether it's a fun fact, a new word, or a new skill 6. Prioritise self-care by getting enough sleep, staying hydrated, and taking breaks when needed 7. Surround yourself with positive influences, whether it's uplifting books, supportive friends, or inspiring podcasts 8. Embrace failure as a learning opportunity and a stepping stone to growth 9. Stay consistent and patient, knowing that small progress over time adds up to significant improvement 10. Celebrate your achievements, no matter how small, to stay motivated and encouraged along the way.

Reading this article is incredibly painful. The findings from the Coqual report only serve to highlight the ongoing struggles faced by #GenderNonConforming people in the #workplace. It's deeply hurtful to see that a majority of #GenderDiverse people experience negative #stereotypes and uncomfortable #social interactions solely because of who they are. These statistics, particularly the fact that almost half of #transgender #professionals in the U.S. have been told their gender non-conformity is "just a phase" and are consistently #misgendered, resonate with the daily challenges and invalidation that many endure. Being made to feel like an inconvenience or being told that our #identity is not legitimate takes an immense toll on our mental #WellBeing and our ability to perform at #work. The fear of being out in the workplace due to concerns about #career advancement and job security is a reality many face daily. The survey's findings that a significant portion of LGBTQ+ #employees worry about losing their jobs because of their #SexualOrientation or have experienced anti-LGBTQ+ comments in their workplace reflects the persistent #discrimination and hostility that exist. Lanaya Irvin's call for #organizations to implement more #GenderInclusive #policies, programs, and management strategies is crucial. Genuine change starts with creating spaces where everyone, regardless of their #GenderIdentity or sexual orientation, feels respected, valued, and safe. However, this change requires collective effort. It's not solely the responsibility of #marginalized people to #educate or fight against discrimination. It's incumbent upon organizations, #leadership, and #society to challenge #biases, dismantle systemic barriers, and foster an environment where #diversity is not just tolerated but genuinely embraced and celebrated. As a trans man, seeing these statistics and stories of discrimination hurts deeply. Still, it also strengthens my determination to #advocate for change and push for more #inclusive spaces where individuals of all gender identities and sexual orientations can thrive without fear of #prejudice or discrimination. And for those who have said you don't understand why so many trans people struggle to find jobs, perhaps this article will help you understand.

I was shadowing a coaching client in her leadership meeting when I watched this brilliant woman apologize six times in 30 minutes. 1. “Sorry, this might be off-topic, but..." 2. “I'm could be wrong, but what if we..." 3. “Sorry again, I know we're running short on time..." 4. “I don't want to step on anyone's toes, but..." 5. “This is just my opinion, but..." 6. “Sorry if I'm being too pushy..." Her ideas? They were game-changing. Every single one. Here's what I've learned after decades of coaching women leaders: Women are masterful at reading the room and keeping everyone comfortable. It's a superpower. But when we consistently prioritize others' comfort over our own voice, we rob ourselves, and our teams, of our full contribution. The alternative isn't to become aggressive or dismissive. It's to practice “gracious assertion": • Replace "Sorry to interrupt" with "I'd like to add to that" • Replace "This might be stupid, but..." with "Here's another perspective" • Replace "I hope this makes sense" with "Let me know what questions you have" • Replace "I don't want to step on toes" with "I have a different approach" • Replace "This is just my opinion" with "Based on my experience" • Replace "Sorry if I'm being pushy" with "I feel strongly about this because" But how do you know if you're hitting the right note? Ask yourself these three questions: • Am I stating my needs clearly while respecting others' perspectives? (Assertive) • Am I dismissing others' input or bulldozing through objections? (Aggressive) • Am I hinting at what I want instead of directly asking for it? (Passive-aggressive) You can be considerate AND confident. You can make space for others AND take up space yourself. Your comfort matters too. Your voice matters too. Your ideas matter too. And most importantly, YOU matter. @she.shines.inc #Womenleaders #Confidence #selfadvocacy

🤏🏼 It takes so little for men to be trusted as leaders 🤏🏼 And it takes so little for women to be questioned as one. When I took my first Senior Director role in Germany, deep in the male-dominated automotive world, my future boss and I had a quiet heart-to-heart. “Jingjin, in this world, women in power are seen in only two ways: The Victim or The Villain. There is no third option, at least not yet. Which one you choose will define your entire leadership path.” I said I’d be a Victor. Naively believing performance alone would protect me. It didn’t. Because Leadership isn’t just about competence. It’s about perception. And perception for women is often rigged. 🔻 Be firm → You're a bitch 🔻 Be soft → You're weak 🔻 Be nurturing → You're not tough enough 🔻 Be assertive → You’re intimidating 🔻 Be collaborative → You lack authority 🔻 Show ambition → You’re self-serving 🔻 Set boundaries → You’re difficult 🔻 Show emotion → You’re unstable Meanwhile, men doing the exact same things? They’re seen as confident, visionary, and decisive. The game isn't fair, but it can be hacked. 💥 Here’s how I’ve learned to play it smarter, not smaller: 1. Stop aiming to be liked. Aim to be trusted.    Likability is a moving target. Respect isn’t.     2. Use duality to your advantage.    Be warm in tone, cold in logic.    Kind in delivery, fierce in boundaries.    That’s power wrapped in emotional intelligence.     3. Make allies before you need them.    Don’t wait until you're under fire.    Visibility without relationship capital = exposure.     4. Own the label, then flip it.    “Yes, I’m intense. That’s how we hit targets others thought were impossible.” Say it before they do, and reclaim it.     👊🏽 We don’t need to lead like men to be effective. But we do need to stop believing the myth that doing good work will be enough. Until we shift the system, we must strategically shape how we're seen within it. So here’s my new leadership mantra: You can care deeply and lead fiercely. You can be emotional and effective. And power isn’t a dirty word, when it’s used to lift others up. What label have you been given that you’re ready to flip? #Leadership #WomenInLeadership #WorkplacePolitics #RealTalk #ExecutivePresence #RewriteTheRules

High-achieving women have their fatigue underestimated. (2025 forbes data) Read that twice. That's the painful truth. We were sold a lie: Success = sacrifice. We played the game: Stayed late. Took the stress. Pushed through burnout. The system is rigged. It demands your time, then credits you less for the effort. As a leadership strategist, I see this daily. You don't need to push harder. You need a new strategy. The shift is from Sacrifice to Intentionality. Here are 4 actionable solutions to end your sacrifice This is how you rewrite your equation: 1. Set a hard stop boundary. You are not paid to be available 24/7. Your time off is non-negotiable. 📌 Block your exit: Put a "focus time" or "family time" block on your calendar 30 minutes before you plan to leave. Treat it like a client meeting you CANNOT miss. 📌 The script: When you log off, use a simple, confident statement: "I'll pick this up tomorrow morning." No apologies. No excuses. 2. Define your value by impact. Stop letting your hours or lack of them define your worth. 📌 Report outcomes: When you talk about your work, speak only in results: "We secured the q4 deal," or "I streamlined the hiring process." Never say "I spent 20 hours on..." 📌 Delegate ruthlessly: If a task doesn't require your core genius, get it off your plate. Delegation is a strategy for promotion. It is not an admission of weakness. 3. Stop masking your effort. The 2025 research shows that playing the martyr backfires. Lead authentically. 📌 Model self-care: If you need a day, take it. When your team sees you prioritize well-being, you give them permission to do the same. This builds a better team. 📌 Stop explaining: Your value is set. Don't justify your lunch break, your time off, or your efficient 40-hour week. Your results speak for themselves. 4. Audit your "YES." Every time you say "Yes" to one thing, you say "No" to something else (usually your rest). 📌 The pause: Never agree immediately. Use this phrase: "Let me check my bandwidth and priorities. I'll get back to you by 2 pm." 📌 Say "No" gracefully: Use "I can't take that on right now because i need to deliver on x." You anchor the "No" to a higher goal, not to exhaustion. Stop settling for less than you deserve. Lead with intention. Are you ready to rewrite your leadership equation? ♻️ Reshare to help women stop sacrificing. 📌 Follow Julia Snedkova for more career strategies.

This Kenyan tech founder built a school while still in college. Quit her job as a software engineer. Then taught 7,000+ rural children how to code. Meet, Nelly (Kosi) Cheboi. The Digital Dream-builder. Nelly is redefining what’s possible for African children. And building the future of rural Kenya, one recycled computer at a time. Born in Mogotio, a small village in Kenya. She grew up in poverty. Herding cows. Skipping meals. Watching her mother hustle, selling vegetables, mangoes and goats just to keep her daughters in school. That grind lit a fire in Nelly. She studied hard. Dreamed bigger. And in 2012, won a full scholarship to study Computer Science at Augustana College in the U.S. She didn’t even own a laptop until her third year. But graduated in 2016 with a degree in Applied Math and Computer Science. While her peers built careers, Nelly built a school. Literally. In her junior year, she founded Zawadi Yetu School, a school in rural Kenya. Then started shipping donated U.S. computers home in her luggage. In 2019, she co-founded TechLit Africa with fellow engineer Tyler Cinnamon. A nonprofit teaching digital skills in rural Kenyan schools. Today, TechLit is in 26 schools and counting. Over 7,000 children aged 5–14 are learning coding, touch typing, website development, and even robotics. In Kalenjin. In Pamba. In their native languages. Because Nelly believes: "If a child from the village can do it, so can you." “My childhood was tough and I am devoted to rewrite it. Everything I do is with so much love to these kids ” In 2022, she was named a Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Impact Leader. And was crowned CNN Hero of the Year. But she’s not slowing down. Nelly’s vision? A future where kids in remote African villages can graduate with the skills to work remotely; anywhere in the world without leaving home. She’s building a robust digital infrastructure. Not with fiber optics or shiny towers. But with love, laptops, and a limitless belief in what rural children can become. She saw a broken system. And chose to rewrite it. Not just for herself. But for thousands of kids who now dare to dream because Nelly dared to build.

The reality is that Black women cannot afford to be unliked at work. ⬇️ Now that I have your attention, let’s talk about the extra energy Black women have to exhaust to maintain a 'likable' persona in the workplace. From adding extra pleasantries in emails and internal comms to constantly managing our facial expressions, these are additional burdens that our coworkers just don’t face. We talk a lot about divesting from these behaviors to avoid burnout and inauthenticity. But our workplaces often react harshly. You might lose your job, face demotion, retaliation, or isolation. All things that only add to the pile on. It can make you feel hopeless. It’s especially challenging for us to be perceived as likable due to inherent biases. Having to smile because a neutral expression is often perceived as anger or attitude, rather than just focus. We’re always under a microscope of scrutiny. It’s important to recognize that this pressure is not a reflection of your worth or capability. Stay true to yourself and prioritize your well-being. Your value is not defined by how well you fit into someone else’s mold.

A highly qualified woman sat across from me yesterday.   Her resume showed 15 years of C-suite experience. Multiple awards. Industry recognition.   Yet she spoke about her success like it was pure luck.   SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT of female executives experience this same phenomenon.   I see it daily through my work with thousands of women leaders. They achieve remarkable success but internally believe they fooled everyone.   Some call it imposter syndrome. I call it a STRUCTURAL PROBLEM.   Let me explain...   When less than 5% of major companies have gender-balanced leadership, women question whether they belong.   My first board appointment taught me this hard truth.   I walked into that boardroom convinced I would say something ridiculous. Everyone seemed so confident.   But confidence plays tricks on us.   Perfect knowledge never exists. Leadership requires:   • Recognising what you know • Admitting what you miss • Finding the right answers • Moving forward anyway   Three strategies that transformed my journey:   1. Build your evidence file Document every win, every positive feedback, every successful project. Review it before big meetings. Your brain lies. Evidence speaks truth.   2. Find your circle Connect with other women leaders who understand your experience. The moment you share your doubts, someone else will say "me too."   3. Practice strategic vulnerability Acknowledging areas for growth enhances credibility. Power exists in saying "I'll find out" instead of pretending omniscience.   REALITY CHECK: This impacts business results.   Qualified women: - Decline opportunities - Downplay achievements - Hesitate to negotiate - Withdraw from consideration   Organisations lose valuable talent and perspective.   The solution requires both individual action and systemic change.   We need visible pathways to leadership for women. We need to challenge biased feedback. We need women in leadership positions in meaningful numbers.   Leadership demands courage, not perfect confidence.   The world needs leaders who push past doubt - not because they never experience it, but because they refuse to let it win. https://lnkd.in/gY9G-ibh

I used to think reflection was something you did in school, therapy, or after a bad decision. Turns out, when the water is rippling you can’t see your reflection, sometimes you have to stand still and let the water settle to see your reflection. When you’re leading a team, everything moves fast. Ideas are flying, emotions are high, ambition is loud, and everyone wants answers immediately. You can very easily fall into the trap of just reacting. Fixing. Deciding. Moving on. Onto the next thing. No pause. No processing. No thinking about what just happened and why. And that’s where leaders get it wrong. Reflection is what stops you from repeating the same issues dressed up as “new problems.” It’s what helps you understand why the same conversations keep coming up, why certain people disengage, or why you feel constantly exhausted even though, on paper, things are going well. As a CEO and careers leader, especially with a younger team, you are not just managing work. You are shaping how people learn, how they experience leadership, and how they understand their own potential. If you don’t reflect, you end up projecting your stress straight onto them. That’s when you start confusing urgency with importance and control with leadership. And here’s the bit people don’t say out loud: reflection isn’t just about the team. It starts with you. As a CEO, self-reflection is uncomfortable because there’s no one above you to sense-check things. No one is popping into your office to say, “By the way, that came across a bit sharp,” or “You’ve been a nightmare this week, are you alright?” You have to be willing to ask yourself those questions before they turn into culture problems. You have to be honest about whether you’re leading from clarity or from pressure. Young teams feel everything. They notice tone, they read between the lines, they learn what leadership looks like by watching how you handle mistakes, uncertainty, and stress. If you never reflect, you teach them that speed matters more than growth and that being busy is more impressive than being thoughtful. Reflection is what allows you to respond instead of react. It’s what helps you say, “Actually, I could have handled that better,” without seeing it as weakness. It’s what turns mistakes into learning rather than quiet resentment on both sides. Sometimes reflection is five minutes asking yourself why that conversation irritated you so much. Sometimes it’s admitting you’re overloaded and expecting everyone else to absorb it. Sometimes it’s realising your team isn’t the problem, society is. Good leaders don’t have all the answers. Reflective leaders ask better questions of themselves first. Now, off I go to reflect on why I said yes to three things I absolutely did not have the capacity for. Signed, Jackson Chief Careers Officer Mission to inspire 100 million people with career advice globally.

As a storyteller and an entrepreneur, I’ve had the privilege of sitting down with some of the most inspiring women in business— women who are not only breaking barriers but also redefining success on their own terms. Whether it’s Alia Bhatt with her conscious kidswear brand Edamama, Romita Mazumdar with her innovative skincare venture Foxtale, Anupama Chopra with her pioneering platform Film Companion, or Upasana Kamineni Konidela’s trailblazing work in healthcare—each of them has brought invaluable insights to the table. Here are a few lessons that have deeply resonated with me from these conversations: 👉The Importance of Identifying a Gap – Alia Bhatt: Alia saw the need for sustainable, homegrown kidswear and built Ed-a-Mamma, not just as a brand but as a movement to inspire environmental consciousness from an early age. Alia didn’t wait for expertise—she led with passion, proving that vision and heart can drive a brand to incredible heights. 👉Carving your own Path — Anupama Chopra: Anupama Chopra taught me the power of knowing your strengths. She realized she wasn’t meant for spreadsheets and P&Ls, but for storytelling. From becoming a film critic to launching Film Companion, and now expanding into Hollywood, Anupama constantly reinvents herself while staying true to her core passion. She’s a reminder that when you carve your own path, the world takes notice. 👉A Woman NEEDS to be Financially Independent — Upasana Kamineni Konidela: Upasana Kamineni Konidela exemplifies the power of financial independence. Through her work in healthcare, she’s seen how giving women control over their own money not only boosts their confidence but transforms their entire lives. It’s not just about earning—it’s about gaining respect, making decisions for themselves, and creating a better future for their families. 👉Actual Impact over Trends & Profits — Romita Mazumdar: Romita’s skincare venture, Foxtale, wasn’t built on trends but on understanding the real needs of Indian women. She didn’t just want customers; she wanted to build trust. Romita’s dedication to creating effective, science-backed products shows how focusing on impact creates long-lasting success. These women remind us that business isn’t just about numbers or growth, but about the values you stand for, the people you serve, and the story you tell. Grateful for the wisdom they’ve shared, and excited to continue learning from those who dare to lead with purpose. #WomenInBusiness #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #LessonsInBusiness