CINDY LIN

“[During] the past couple years, I really struggled to learn how to manage time well in terms of spending time with family, and then also balancing with work as well, because it was a big transition period in terms of being a working mom. And that was a big struggle to figure out how to be good at both, and also coming to the realization that it's impossible to be perfect at both, and that was really difficult. Because in the past, I'd always prided myself as being someone who could really excel at work and do a really great job at everything. But with the time commitments and the emotional needs that also come with having to take care of a family, you just have to learn that you can't necessarily do everything that you always wanted to do. You just have to find the right balance and have to decide where you want to prioritize and learn to let some things go.

You have to really be true to yourself, and yes, females I think unfairly get labeled as overly aggressive, whereas [if] a male who's acting in the same way, people are like, ‘Oh wow, he's got really great leadership skills.’ So as a woman, you have to do what you need to do to get your work done or get your point across. And in some ways, you have to just avoid the noise and not listen to it. But I consider myself a very caring person, so you still have to make sure that you show empathy in the right instances [because] everyone's working towards the same goal.”