Redefining Success: Questrom Women Charting Their Own Paths in Business

In today’s ever-evolving business landscape, women continue to navigate unique challenges while forging innovative pathways to success. The insights shared by accomplished female leaders who comprise Questrom School’s Women in Business Alumni Council reveal powerful common threads: the importance of authentic self-expression, the critical role of advocacy beyond mentorship, and the necessity of defining success on one’s own terms. Their collective wisdom offers both practical guidance and inspirational vision for women at every stage of their professional journey.

Owning Your Unique Value

One of the most prominent themes emerging from these leaders’ experiences is the vital importance of recognizing and confidently owning one’s unique perspective and strengths. As Sarin Barsoumian (Questrom ’05), founder of SLB Financial Strategies, emphasizes, “Growth in this industry comes from confidently owning the unique perspective you bring to the table.” She acknowledges this as a personal struggle early in her career, noting how the industry mantra of “this is the way it’s always been done” can limit innovation and progress. Her advice to “assert your value and advocate for yourself in conversations about career advancement, compensation, and leadership opportunities” speaks to the power of self-advocacy.

This sentiment is echoed by Dee Polat, Council Co-Chair and Questrom’s Director of Alumni Engagement, who observes that “Oftentimes, we tend to downplay our natural abilities and strengths because they come easily to us, not realizing that these same qualities might be exactly what others find valuable or remarkable.” She advocates for “leaning into and leading with our inherent strengths (versus fixating on our perceived weaknesses)” as a pathway to growth and fulfillment.

The challenge of negative self-perception is further highlighted by Georgia Homsany (Questrom ’09), Founder of Daily Dose Wellness, who points to “our own negative self-talk” as a significant barrier women face. She notes that “Every day we have between 60,000-80,000 thoughts and 80% are negative!” and encourages women to “start catching the ways you put yourself down at work or in your personal life and instead reframe that with what you’re good at.” Her practical suggestion to replace self-criticism like “I’m bad at budgeting” with affirmations such as “I’m great at project management” offers a tangible strategy for shifting perspective.

Beyond Mentorship: The Critical Role of Advocacy

While mentorship has long been recognized as valuable for professional development, these leaders highlight the insufficient nature of mentorship alone. Nari Malkhasyan (Questrom ’20), Head of Vendor Management, Mass Beauty, Amazon, makes the crucial distinction that “mentorship alone isn’t sufficient for career advancement.” She explains, “Mentorship serves a valuable purpose – having an insightful advisor and a sounding board can be a critical tool for self-reflection and growth. But it is also critically important to have advocates – those who speak highly of you when you aren’t in the room, who help unlock critical opportunities, be it staffing you on high-visibility projects, or throwing your name into the hat when a coveted role opens up.”

This call for advocacy is reinforced by Kara Peterson (Questrom ’08), Council Co-Chair and Founder of descrybe.ai, who observes firsthand the challenges women face in AI, where “lack of representation in leadership, investment, and technical roles” creates serious blind spots in the industry. She emphasizes that women are driving change through “building their own networks, supporting each other’s work, and holding companies accountable,” underscoring the collaborative nature of meaningful progress.

Jessica Padula (Questrom ’08), VP of Marketing & VP of Sustainability at Nespresso, frames this responsibility as “lifting as you climb,” noting that “Women need to consider how they can bring others with them into the room, give them a seat at the table alongside of them.” She advocates for greater vulnerability in leadership, suggesting that “sharing more of our journey and the story behind the ‘headline’” allows others to see beyond perfection and better understand the realities of women in business.

Kevyn Garcia (Questrom ’16), Vice President of Sales at pharosIQ, expands on this theme, describing “authentic self-expression and active elevation of others” as “the most powerful way to support women across all industries.” She highlights the responsibility of successful women “to widen our path of success to accommodate others,” which includes “deliberately creating opportunities at decision-making tables” and “sharing crucial information about navigating complex workplace systems.”

Redefining Success on Your Own Terms

Perhaps the most empowering thread throughout these leaders’ insights is the invitation to define success individually rather than conforming to external expectations. Michelle Heath (Questrom ’92), CEO & Chief Fractional Marketing Officer, Growth Street, offers the powerful advice to “Don’t live someone else’s definition of success.” She shares her personal realization that she was “living someone else’s dream” when pursuing traditional markers of achievement and encourages women to “decide what success looks like for you – and celebrate the small wins along the way.”

This personalized approach to success extends to how women balance competing demands in their lives. Dee Polat addresses the challenge of “our achievement-oriented culture that celebrates constant productivity,” noting that “women with caregiving duties often find themselves rapidly depleted.” Her perspective offers relief from perfectionism: “Our efforts need not be flawless in every moment… some days will naturally favor work commitments while others will prioritize family needs, but viewed across time I trust that my consistently ‘trying my best’ will create a meaningful equilibrium, even when individual days feel unbalanced.”

Moran Ben David Shapira’s (Questrom ’16) experience in the pharmaceutical industry reinforces the value of simply starting rather than waiting for perfect conditions. The VLX Chief Development Officer’s advice to “Set ambitious goals first — figuring out the ‘how’ comes later” challenges the tendency to delay opportunities until circumstances seem ideal. Her reminder that “everything is reversible” encourages women to take risks, knowing that “more often than not, when I took a step forward, I found solutions along the way.”

Georgia Homsany offers practical wisdom for managing the overwhelming to-do lists that ambitious women often create. Her suggestion to “pick 1 goal you can accomplish short-term” acknowledges that “as ambitious women, we always juggle WAY too much!” By focusing on “something small and actionable,” women can experience the satisfaction of completion rather than the disappointment of unfinished tasks.

Building Meaningful Networks and Communities

The importance of connection and community emerges as another vital element for women’s professional growth. Sarin Barsoumian highlights her participation in “LPL’s Women Advisor Community” and “a monthly study group with a group of fellow women entrepreneurs” as “instrumental to my growth over the years.” She actively encourages “every female advisor to find a supportive network.”

This emphasis on connection is particularly important in industries where women remain underrepresented. As Sarin notes about the financial sector, “When I first started in finance, I was often one of the only women at events or conferences and always the youngest in the room.” Her assertion that “representation matters” underscores the need for women to see themselves reflected in leadership roles across industries.

Moran Ben David Shapira similarly encourages women in pharma/biotech to actively seek guidance: “Don’t Hesitate to Reach Out – Seeking advice from experienced professionals can provide valuable insights and open unexpected doors. Most people are happy to share their journey if you ask.”

Embracing Risk and Resilience

The courage to take risks and the resilience to learn from failures emerge as essential qualities for growth. Moran’s advice to “Take Risks – Growth comes from stepping outside your comfort zone” recognizes that meaningful development often requires embracing discomfort. She also emphasizes that “Resilience Matters – Not every project will succeed, but every experience will teach you something valuable.”

Kate Barrand (Questrom ’85), President of Horizons for the Homeless Children, addressing women transitioning from the private sector to nonprofit work, encourages a mindset where organizations “fail often and fail small.” She points out that “Even failures, if kept small, should be celebrated as they provide exceptional learning moments.” Her observation that “By encouraging risk-taking one creates a learning culture where continuous improvement prevails and people feel excited and engaged” highlights how this approach benefits not just individuals but entire organizations.

Bringing Authenticity to Professional Spaces

Several leaders challenge the historical expectation that women should compartmentalize their personal and professional qualities. Kevyn Garcia notes that “women have been pressured to maintain separate professional and personal identities, with instructions to leave valuable ‘personal’ qualities like empathy, respect, vulnerability, and emotional intelligence at home.” She argues that “human beings aren’t designed to compartmentalize so rigidly” and has “witnessed exceptional female leaders who succeed precisely because they integrate these supposedly ‘personal’ attributes into their professional approach.”

Jessica Padula similarly advocates for vulnerability in leadership, suggesting that it “allows others to see that perfection isn’t the goal.” Her approach acknowledges the importance of seeing “the woman behind the role” to help others “more accurately predict, plan and prepare yourself for how you want to be a leader and what compromises and juggling you’re willing to do.”

Founder of Yorkville Consulting Dina Shapiro (Questrom ’91)’s advice to “shine” encompasses this authenticity, encouraging women to “give off how you would like to come off” and asking, “How would you like to be perceived by others?” Her suggestion to maintain a daily journal of learning and accomplishment creates a practice of self-recognition that counters the tendency toward excessive self-criticism.

Conclusion: Charting Your Own Path Forward

The collective wisdom of these accomplished women offers a roadmap for navigating the complex terrain of professional growth. Their insights reveal that while structural challenges persist across industries, women are finding powerful ways to advance by defining success on their own terms, building meaningful networks, advocating for themselves and others, embracing risk-taking, and bringing their authentic selves to their work.

As Kara Peterson powerfully states, “The key to growth is taking up space and refusing to wait for permission.” This sentiment captures the proactive spirit that runs throughout these leaders’ perspectives. By owning their unique value, seeking and offering advocacy, defining personal measures of success, building supportive communities, embracing calculated risks, and bringing authenticity to professional spaces, women are not just navigating existing systems but actively reshaping them.

In the words of Michelle Heath, “The road less traveled may seem daunting, but it’s where the real growth happens.” For women charting their own paths in business, this collection of insights offers both practical guidance and inspirational vision for the journey ahead.

Insights compiled and edited by Dee Polat. Contributors: Kate Barrand (she/her), Sarin Barsoumian (she/her), Kevyn Garcia (she/her), Michelle Heath (she/her), Georgia Homsany (she/her), Nari Malkhasyan (they/them), Jessica Padula (she/her), Kara Peterson (she/her), Dee Polat (she/her), Dina Shapiro (she/her), Moran Ben David Shapira (she/her).