March 8th is International Women's Day! International Women's Day is a global celebration of women's social, political, economic, and cultural achievements. This year's theme for International Women's Day 2022 is #BreakTheBias, which means there's a strong call to action to rally women's equality.
Easyship prides itself on being a company where gender doesn't affect hiring decisions. So, to commemorate International Women's Day, we've asked the women of Easyship to share inspiring quotes about the advice they would give women in tech.
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Meet the Women of Easyship!
Easyship is being the change it wants to see in the tech industry for women. Here's what 13 of our leading ladies have to say about the advice they would give to women in the tech industry, a mantra they live by, and how they balance work and life as a woman in tech!
Alexandra (Ally) Ortolani, Junior Content Strategist
Q: What advice would you give to women in the tech industry?
Q: What mantra do you live by?
Be unapologetically yourself. As long as I'm doing the right thing and doing things to better myself, I know I'm in the right place."
Q: How do you balance work and life as a woman in tech?
I think it's essential to balance work and your personal life. For me, I wake up every morning at 5:30 am to go on a run in preparation for my half & full marathon this year. After work, I also go to hot yoga to help decompress and meditate – and I always feel super refreshed! Working out helps set my day and intentions and overall makes me feel like a happier, more motivated person.
On weekends, I love spending time with family and friends & trying new places to eat. I'm constantly alternating between Filipino food, Korean food, and Japanese food! Visiting my favorite Asian market is also one of my favorite pastimes!
Anjie Hanuman, Sales Executive
Q: What advice would you give to women in the tech industry?
Q: What mantra do you live by?
If it does not bring you joy, let it go! I like to apply this to every aspect of life. We're here for a short time, so why hold on to things that bring negative energy into your life, they should always bring joy!
Q: How do you balance work and life as a woman in tech?
Setting boundaries is important. If you don't set them, work can consume your day. For me, it is important to set those boundaries in order to have a healthy work/life balance. This allows me to enjoy my time outside of the office doing the things I love and spending time with my family.
Jackie Ostrov, Head of Growth
Q: What advice would you give to women in the tech industry?
Q: What mantra do you live by?
The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them.
Q: How do you balance work and life as a woman in tech?
I believe Covid-19 has taught us "work-life balance" is actually bringing together the synergies in work and life - or finding "work-life integration." My primary focus is to maintain the practice of mindfulness and balance - to do this, I aim to prioritize daily, weekly, and quarterly objectives - and breaking these tasks down allows me and my team to celebrate small wins and major milestones.
Sharon Dhaliwal, Talent Acquisition Specialist
Q: What advice would you give to women in the tech industry?
Q: What mantra do you live by?
Being a perfectionist, I try to live by the mantra "If something is working well, don't try to make it better." This is something that has stuck with me since my Criminal Law lecturer first mentioned it in my undergrad years. This mantra has helped me massively in letting go of control over the outcome. It's also helped me not second guess my decisions, by putting out my work within a shorter timeline; without compromising on a consistent standard of quality.
Q: How do you balance work and life as a woman in tech?
Being a woman in tech and also a homebody, I try to use techniques that work for me personally, in order to manage my time effectively and have the best of both worlds. At work I practice "Power Hours" and prioritization where I am able to fully focus on a particular task; whilst also being accessible to my candidates when they need me.
Once I am home, I try to be present for my dog and partner; and remain mindful of how I feel as I unwind. My go-to relaxation routine is by cooking quick and healthy meals, with my favorite playlist in the background. I also bust out the occasional bath bomb every now and then for some extra TLC. This simple routine allows me to unwind and destress effectively whilst also really enjoying what I do at work and bringing my best version home and to work every day.
Lilly Brown, Digital Art Director
Q: What advice would you give to women in the tech industry?
Q: What mantra do you live by?
You can wish for it, or you can start working for it. If it feels overwhelming, just remember to put one foot in front of the other. The universe rewards the bold.
Q: How do you balance work and life as a woman in tech?
I believe in setting clear boundaries and being very present within those. When I'm at work, I'm fully at work and when I'm home, I'm fully at home. By doing so, I've found that my mind is clearer in both and I'm overall much happier. A tip I have for keeping your head clear is to always make a to-do list at the end of your workday for the following morning. That way, when you start work in the AM, you know exactly what needs to be done first and you can hit the ground running!
Alexandra Guedou, Associate HR Manager
Q: What advice would you give to women in the tech industry?
Q: What mantra do you live by?
As a black woman in business, my parents always taught me that I have to work twice as hard as everybody else, I guess now it has become my mantra
Q: How do you balance work and life as a woman in tech?
I make sure to really disconnect on weekends, I prioritize work on weekdays, but my phone is on mute during my weekends!
Eunice Hou, UX/UI Designer
Q: What advice would you give to women in the tech industry?
Q: What mantra do you live by?
If you dream it, you can do it!
Q: How do you balance work and life as a woman in tech?
I would prioritize my work and manage my schedule. In my free time, I love to cook and play with my cats which makes me feel happy and relaxed!
Shivanjali Bhaskar, Enterprise CSM
Q: What mantra do you live by?
Be present & care.
Q: How do you balance work and life as a woman in tech?
For me balance is being able to prioritize and working towards building both my career and personal life. It's something I look at on an average basis keeping in mind both the short and long term.
Sarah Stonehill, Product Manager
Q: What advice would you give to women in the tech industry?
Q: What mantra do you live by?
"If it scares you, then it's probably worth doing" - Within reason, of course, I think this is incredibly true and I try to live by it as much as I can. Trying things that scare you or that go against the grain is the best way to grow!
Q: How do you balance work and life as a woman in tech?
I've heard other women in tech describe an alternative goal to finding "work-life balance" as "filling your buckets." The way they described it was: As you progress in your career and new responsibilities get added to your list, it's an unrealistic expectation to put on yourself to keep everything at work and outside of work in this perfect "balance". Instead, you should identify the things that are important to you outside of work and dedicate time to "fill your buckets" whenever you can, understanding that some will be more or less full depending on what's going on at the time - which is normal and okay.
I don't think this advice is particularly gender-specific, but I think it's a helpful distinction to make for women who might be feeling pressure to keep all the plates spinning at once.
A few of my "buckets" outside of work are:
- Adventures in nature
- Quality time with my fiance, dog, & friends
- Keeping up with loved ones abroad
- Movie/TV marathons
- Good food & wine
- + hopefully "traveling the world" will be added back to the list soon!
Daisi Zheng, Global Operations Associate
Q: What advice would you give to women in the tech industry?
Q: What mantra do you live by?
"I know that I know nothing" by Socrates. This quote has inspired and constantly remains me to stay humble and keep learning. The infinity of knowledge that a man can perceive always keeps me motivated and achieve self-development.
Q: How do you balance work and life as a woman in tech?
Enjoy my work and respect my time.
Sara Bertola, HR Administrator
Q: What advice would you give to women in the tech industry?
Q: What mantra do you live by?
Remember why you started. Resilience will get you through anything.
Q: How do you balance work and life as a woman in tech?
For me, balance is an equal measure of rest, fun, healthy habits, and work. Hard work is important, and so is self-care.
Marta Wojcik, Finance Manager
Q: What advice would you give to women in the tech industry?
Q: What mantra do you live by?
One day at a time.
Q: How do you balance work and life as a woman in tech?
I believe the quality of the work our team does is more important than the length of time we sit at our desks doing it. No sneaking out at 6 pm, apologizing as I do, instead, I respect my commitments outside of work and make them happen.
Selena Zheng, Talent Specialist
Q: What advice would you give to women in the tech industry?
Q: What mantra do you live by?
You only live once. Focus on what you want to do, don't be scared to try stuff.
Q: How do you balance work and life as a woman in tech?
There is no difference between men and women who work in the tech industry, the thing is we have to distinguish and schedule our work and life.
Also, keep learning new knowledge and improve ourselves.
Marine Levert, SEO Manager
Q: What advice would you give to women in the tech industry?
Q: What mantra do you live by?
Go big or go home.
Q: How do you balance work and life as a woman in tech?
Working remotely and in the tech industry can sometimes be challenging, so I try to have as many outdoor activities as I can to reset. This enables me to bring new ideas to the table and have a healthy balance.
Easyship is Leading the Change for Women in Tech
Easyship is committed to creating a respectful environment where women feel comfortable to be themselves. Considering the International Women's Day 2022 theme is #BreakTheBias, Easyship believes it's essential to break these barriers for women to excel in their careers.
Check back next year to see more inspiring quotes from the leading ladies at Easyship and how far we've come to create equal opportunities for women!
Ready for your next move? Easyship is actively hiring women in leadership positions, so be sure to check out our careers page.
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