Career Acceleration for Women

In this episode of The Power Lounge, host Amy Vaughan interviews Natasha, CEO of Envisify Global Intelligence, about career acceleration for women. They discuss the power of mentorship, emphasizing empathy and impact, the value of diverse voices in decision-making, and cultural intelligence in inclusive workplaces. Natasha shares insights on achieving goals, selecting mentors, navigating challenges, and post-pandemic cultural shifts. Tune in for actionable advice on mentorship, sponsorship, and advancing your career journey.

Connect with Natasha:

Guest LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/natashapongonis/

Guest Instagram:** Instagram (@npongonis)**

Guest Website:** Natasha Pongonis - Culture & Consumer Insights Consultant**

Episode Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro

01:23 - DEI Talk with Natasha at Illuminate Conference

08:14 - Collective Strength and Goal Setting

12:58 - Honest Feedback from Mentors

19:41 - Building Relationships with Mentors and Sponsors

23:55 - Gender Bias in Leadership

28:50 - Crafting a Stellar Bio with AI

35:39 - Direct Mentorship with Alignment

40:20 - Admiring Proactive Mentees

44:46 - Unseen Cultural Gaps

48:39 - Crucial Mentorship for Challenges

58:22 - Diverse Perspectives in Mentorship

01:02:59 - Outro

Quote of the Episode:

"Your mentor becomes your sponsor, advocating for you in important conversations, unlocking opportunities.”- Natasha Pongonis

"Empower conversations with solutions, not just problems. Be the one who offers the way forward." - Natasha Pongonis

Support the show

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:10):
Hello everyone and welcome to our weekly podcast.
This is your place to hearauthentic conversations from
those who have power to share.
My name is Amy Vaughn and I amyour host, and I'm so excited to
have all of you here with us.
If you want to learn more aboutTogether Digital, you can join
the movement attogetherindigitalcom, and today
we are very lucky to haveNatasha with us.

(00:33):
Natasha is a very new and nowdear friend.
She is a true trailblazer and athree-time founder who
currently is leading the chargeas CEO at Invisify Global
Intelligence.
Her journey is nothing short ofinspiring.
She is masterminding behind acutting-edge platform that is

(00:55):
revolutionizing howorganizations understand
cultural intelligence andcustomer behavior.
And that's just the tip of theiceberg, folks.
She has four languages underher belt.
With a global perspective thatis second to none, natasha has
been the driving force behinddata-driven strategies for
Fortune 500 companies andgovernment agencies alike.

(01:18):
Her expertise spans globaltrends, emerging tech and
building high performance teams,making her a very sought after
consultant for top brandsworldwide.
I'm excited to share thatNatasha will also be a featured
speaker.
Like I said, as soon as we gotinto conversation, I'm like okay
, we need to, we need to hangout more.
She's going to be with us intwo weeks less than two weeks at

(01:40):
our upcoming IlluminateNational Conference in
Cincinnati on October 17th.
We're excited to see many ofyou listeners there, where
she'll be addressing a verycritical topic of DEI and being
under fire, where, together,we'll be discussing and
exploring how data can empowerus and move us forward rather

(02:00):
than retreat from diversity,equity and inclusion efforts.
And this is a very relevantsubject matter, folks, as many
of you in this space know andunderstand, and I think it's a
very unique perspective thatNatasha has to share.
So I'm excited to have her onstage along with another friend
of ours, lizette, who's doingsome very important work with
the UN in the same vein.
So when Natasha is not justshaping the future of critical

(02:23):
intelligence in tech oradvocating for data-driven DEI
strategies, you'll find hersharing her wisdom as a speaker
and actively contributing to thebusiness community throughout
her many board memberships.
So everyone, please welcomeNatasha.
Thank you, natasha, for beinghere to share your insights on
mentorship and sponsorship andnavigating the unique challenges

(02:43):
that women that are capable andcompetent and amazing like you
often face and feel like theymaybe have to do alone.

Speaker 2 (02:51):
Thank you so much for having me.
I'm so excited to have thisconversation, mostly because
this is such an important topicand oftentimes we don't really
have the time to explore andreally understand the impact the
sponsorship and really meansand how we can really help us.
So you know, mentorshipsponsorship has been incredible

(03:15):
in my journey and I can talk forhours about the importance of
mentorship and I think thisplatform is just perfect for
that because you really have anaudience.
They have walked through a lotof the same challenges and they
can share incredible stories.
So I'm so excited about joiningthis audience today and being

(03:39):
part of the conference in twoweeks.
The conversation is going to beincredible and so relevant in
what we're facing women todayand making sure that we are all
sharing the experience andknowledge and empowering one
another, because we have a lotto get done.
So the next generation ofwomen's leaders have a much

(04:00):
easier path than what we did.
But still, I think part of thechallenge is how do we enjoy a
journey?

Speaker 1 (04:07):
So there is no bad experiences, only learnings.
Right.
Exactly what did we learn fromthis?
Because everyone goes throughvarious ups and downs and
struggles, and you've had a veryimpressive career.
You're a three-time founder andnow a CEO of Invisify Global
Intelligence, as I mentionedearlier, and as you said you
know, mentorship and sponsorshiphave played a critical role in

(04:30):
your journey thus far, but I'dlove for you to kind of walk our
listeners through what thatjourney has looked like for you.

Speaker 2 (04:36):
Yeah, and I think you know, looking back in my
journey, especially in theUnited States, when I came to
the US I was an exchange student.
I came for a program at theOhio State University and my
professors they were fluent inSpanish because they were
teaching actually in my homecountry, which is Argentina.

(04:57):
So when I came to OSU I didn'tfeel the need to learn the
language.
I was fluent in French and Ilove the French language, so I
had no interest in learningEnglish at that time.
So when I met my husband and wegot engaged I was like, oh my
God, this could be home and I'mgoing to have to learn the

(05:20):
language.
And I graduated.
I graduated as an architect andI have to learn the language.
And I graduated.
I graduated as an architect andbeing an architect and working
in a technical field it reallyallowed me to get immersed in
the workforce, get immersed inthe culture of my community and

(05:42):
learn the language at the sametime.
But I'm so grateful and sothankful that actually companies
decided to hire me, even thoughI couldn't really speak the
language.
But clearly my design and myideas from an architectural
standpoint was compelling enoughto open that first door and I
think from there, one I think itwas asking for help would

(06:02):
really help me along the way,just making sure that was
letting them know what I didn'tknow and what were the areas
they needed support and makingsure that I was aligning myself
with those individuals.
They wanted to be part of thejourney, that they wanted to
help me and be successful.
And I think part of that,looking back, is two takeaways.

(06:25):
I think one was identifyingperhaps individuals that could
relate on my experience either,because they were like a first
or second generation, perhapsimmigrant United States, or they
remember the moms or thegrandparents and they felt some
empathy.
So that was one.
And number two, again I can sayasking, asking for help.

(06:47):
I think we women oftentimes tendto be a little bit more shy
about it and when you are put insome extreme situations you
realize that when you actuallyspeak out of the problem, many
solutions might be presented toyourself If you didn't ask.
Perhaps you have never seen someof those options in some of

(07:08):
those solutions.
But I think you know, lookingback, and you know I'm very
excited, very proud, that I'm athree time founder.
But I think that is kind oflike that, that drive of not
seeing obstacles, obstacles andchallenges as shoes that
determine that I cannot pursuemy dreams, but more so as a

(07:30):
challenge in trying to figureout what is it that I need to do
, what is the path that I canfind, what are some of those
allies that I can find in mycommunity so I can really
fulfill my dream.
And I think one of my motto islike I want to live with no
regret.
My dream and I think one of mymotto is like I want to live
with no regret, and part of thatis really focused on my

(07:52):
professional journey that Idon't want to live with regret.

Speaker 1 (07:55):
I love it.
I agree wholeheartedly with youthere.
It's like you got just one life.
It's like we got to make itcount right and not taking that
for granted and beingintentional about where you're
going and how you're gettingthere.
And I love what you said aboutknowing what you don't know.
I think sometimes we don't knowwhere to start and asking for
help because I think from asocietal standpoint we're also

(08:16):
conditioned not to.
We have to be it all, we have todo it all and we have to do it
all alone as women often andthat's such a false narrative in
my mind there's such strengthand collective power.
Like you said, it's like it'snot one thing to just speak the
problem.
It's another thing to realizethat you know you're not the
only one struggling with thatproblem and that there's so many

(08:36):
people that have thoughts andideas and potential solutions
for you or that you have forthem.
And it's like I think wediscount the amount of
experience and knowledge that wehave to share between one
another.
And then I think it's hard forus to be, even though you know
we tend to be vulnerable.
We it's hard professionally, Ithink sometimes right to get

(08:57):
vulnerable.
And then I also love what yousaid about goal setting and kind
of having your ideal sort ofcareer in life in your mind and
thinking about who do I need tohelp me get there.
You know, so often when we'resetting goals we think it just
solely depends on us.
But no, you need support offriends, of family.
You need to speak those goalsand not just into existence for

(09:20):
the sake of manifestation.
You need to let the world know,so that they can show up and
support you in the ways that youneed support Right.

Speaker 2 (09:28):
Absolutely, and I think you know, talking about
the mentorship and thesponsorship, I think they you
know, mentors oftentimes see inyou quality or skills or
strength and even weakness thatyou don't see.
And having a mentor who can becompletely transparent and
honest because a mentor is not afriend and sometimes we confuse

(09:52):
that our friends are ourmentors.
Friends, they don't want tohurt your feelings.
Friends, they want to make surethat you continue the
friendship.
A mentor is someone who's goingto be completely honest because
, mentor, what they want is tomake sure that you are
successful in your journey.
So we have to really make surethat we understand the
distinctions.

(10:14):
Can a mentor become a friend?
Sure he can, but I think aslong you make sure that the
feedback that you get in isintended to help you grow.
So I think you know part of thebenefit to having that mentor
is oftentimes you might set yourown goals.
You might have your career pathand your journey based on your

(10:34):
own self-understanding of whoyou are and perhaps the
capabilities, until someone elsesees you far beyond of those
capabilities, and now your goalsand your journey can really
grow exponentially.
So that's one of the really, Ithink, beauty that I didn't
understand at first of thebenefits of a mentor until I

(11:00):
kind of I'm very visual, so Ineed to map out what I wanted to
accomplish, what I wanted to doin that year, and having those
conversations with the mentorwhen they start asking you
questions, right?
Like why that goal?
What is that going to take youin the long way?
What is your not your 12-monthplan, but what is your 5, your
10 years plan?
Right?
And when you start reallyseeing the long-term journey,

(11:25):
you can start really definingwhat are the guide rails that
you need to have in place inorder to accomplish those
objectives.
So I think mentors for me inthat case has been incredible,
and having not only a mentorthat you can check once in a
while, but also having someonewho is going to keep you
accountable yes, and the personwho is going to keep you
accountable might notnecessarily be your mentor, but

(11:47):
might be someone who is actuallyalso going through the same
journey that you are.
Yeah, you can keep each otheraccountable and making sure that
you actually those are thegoals that you have set in the
guide rails have already been inplace making sure that you are
actually very intentional in theprocess.
So when I have my meetings withmy accountable body, we meet in

(12:09):
a quarterly base.
Love it, it's really, you know,it really helps me to just have
a reset and evaluate timeallocation, which is critical
priorities, and I think oftenthat we don't do as women is
putting us first.
Yep, we oftentimes put everyoneelse first.
So when we have something in mycase it's visual when I sit

(12:32):
down and I'm like, okay, it'stime to check out with my friend
and how much I haveaccomplished in this past
quarter.
Did I actually did what I meantto do?
And if not, it's a goodreminder to again have that
reset and really redefine timeallocation.

Speaker 1 (12:52):
Right, yeah, yeah.
I think having a plan andsticking to it, something that's
recurring, is really, reallysmart, I think.
For me, I like to look formentors that are my disagreeable
givers.
I've talked about this book somany times now.
I won't go into depth about allof it, so you guys can just
look into it.
It's Adam Grant's give and take, and it's really those folks
who you know also speak withradical candor.

(13:12):
Another great book Kim Scott.
We've had her on the podcast inthe past as well People who
will tell you the things thatyou don't always want to hear,
but you need to hear, like youwere saying.
They're not.
They are your friends in thesense that they're giving you
their time and they're generouswith it and they're paying
attention, but also they willsee something that maybe you're
not seeing, and they're notgoing to be afraid to tell you

(13:35):
straight up what it is that youneed to hear, because that's
what you need for growth.
You need somebody that's goingto push you.
So that's something I look forwhen it comes to a mentor.
Natasha, what do you look forwhen you look for a mentor?

Speaker 2 (13:47):
You know and I think there are different mentors
based on the journey that you'regoing through, right.
So, I remember I had a greatmentor when I launched my second
company and I started in thefundraising route.
And fundraising, especially forwomen, is extremely hard, very

(14:07):
difficult, because when you lookat the representation from a VC
to angel investor, themajorities are male and white
males.
So I realized I needed to havea mentor that really already
walked through the same journeythat I had.
So I reached out to thisincredible lady who has worked

(14:32):
in the hardest and highlymale-dominated industry, which
is in the oil industry.
But she did it and she wasextremely successful.
But she was great for thatphase during that time because I
was going through thefundraising phase.
And then when I launched mythird company, it was a very

(14:54):
different approach, a different,very technology focused.
So I knew they needed to findsomebody they can be a little
bit more understanding from atechnology standpoint, more so.
So I think I have a collectionof mentors.

Speaker 1 (15:10):
But it's definitely more aligned with, like, your
goals right, based on yourobjectives and your goals.
You want somebody with thatspecific you know, industry
expertise, insight, insiderknowledge to help you kind of
crack that instead of trying tofigure it out for yourself.
You know, like why, why?

Speaker 2 (15:27):
so it's very interesting.
I think one of the mentors thatI first reached out when I
launched my company about 15years ago, 13 years ago.
There is a company, there'sonline a score I don't know if
you know score right.
So it's an organization.
I didn't know.
It was my first time launchinga company, I didn't know who I

(15:48):
can ask for help, who I can ask.
And someone mentioned aboutSCORE.
I'm going to SCORE, you canfind a mentor that way.
So I was like I'm going tocheck it out.
So I did and just happened tobe the lady.
You kind of fill out what yourrequirements are.
I didn't really understand muchabout finance.
I didn't understand P&Ls, Ididn't understand projections.

(16:10):
So I needed someone who can helpme.
I understood I had the visionfor my company.
I knew what I wanted to do.
I was very clear on theservices.
What I wasn't very clear washow can I create a financial
planning for my company that wasbeyond the six months and the
12 months, but I'm kind ofhaving the five years plan.
So that's how I reached out toSCORE.

(16:31):
I found this incredible womanwho happened to be an investor
very well-known in the community.
I was even shocked that she wasactually donating her time at
SCORE.
So I reached out, we connectedand we clicked right away.
So she accepted to be my mentor.
But then, as we started to haveour relationship at our meeting,
she realized that actually hermentee at the time would be a

(16:55):
better mentor to me than she was.
So she put the connection, yeah,with um, her mentee at the time
, who became my mentor, you know, a long time ago.
And uh, and he still is, and wedevelop a friendship, but a
friendship that is very clearlydefined on how we how can we

(17:17):
support one another in thejourney that we have.
He's also a serial entrepreneurand now he's asked me many times
to actually mentor some of hisfemale employees, but now I'm
sitting on the board of one ofhis companies.
So it's interesting how thatrelationship where he was my

(17:37):
mentor but now I'm a mentor ofhis employee but not only that,
I now have a seat at the tablein one of his companies and I
think part of that is makingsure that when you have those
relationships with a mentor isbeing able that you actually are
allocating the time and you arevery intentional in building

(17:59):
those relationships, becauseeven with mentors that I had in
the past that were very specificin one time of my company, I
still reach out.
We still have thoserelationships.
Right, christmas time comes andyou send a card or you send a
text or a phone call.
You want to check in becauseyou never know when you might
actually need that advice again.

Speaker 1 (18:19):
Yes, and it's such a good point, that's such a
fantastic point.
Anybody that is looking for amentor or is currently a mentee.
I think that's a big mistakesome of us make as mentees is
that we forget that it's atwo-way street.
We walk away from the table tosay how can I help you?
What is it that you're workingon that you know you need help
with, and I mean it can besomething as simple as spreading

(18:48):
the word about an event they'reworking on, another big project
that they're doing.
Maybe they need help andresources.
You know you have something tooffer as well and that helps
build that trust andrelationship, to show that it's
a mutual two-way street, right,and then, like you said,
following up, showing gratitude.
I always try to send somethingin the way of a thank you to
those who are kind of myconsistent mentors throughout

(19:10):
the year, just to let them knowlike how much their time means
to me, and it's such a small act, but it really just helps, like
you said, solidify thatrelationship, and the last thing
you want is to be in a crisissituation and then have to be
like knocking on people's doors,like begging for somebody's ear
and I say this for women ingeneral too, about networking,
we tend to wait and hold offuntil we have a major life event

(19:33):
, a career pivot that needs tohappen, or we get laid off or
fired and then we're like, oh,now I need to network.
And then all of a sudden you'rebanging on people's doors or
calling people up for coffeethat you haven't talked to in
five years and it's kind of hardand it feels icky because
you're like I need something andthat's why I'm showing up.
But if you work on finding waysto just make a regular habit or
cadence of building thoserelationships and connections

(19:57):
one, the rewarding, because weneed connection as human beings.
Two, you've got things to offerto people.
You know when you're showing upto these opportunities, whether
it's a mentor or a networkingsituation.
And three, it just makes it feela lot less daunting when you
are in basically a big old pileof poop and things are going to

(20:18):
hell and you can be calling onyour people saying hey, I need
your help and they're like rightthere for you because you've
always shown up and been rightthere for them.
It makes it all so much easier.
One thing I would like to dofor those who are listening and
live listeners, please don'tforget.
You can jump into the chat andask any questions that you have
for Natasha while we're havingthis conversation, but I would

(20:41):
love for you to help people whoare maybe earlier on in their
career understand what's thedifference between a mentor and
a sponsor, because I don't knowthat everybody knows that
there's a difference and whyit's important to have both.

Speaker 2 (20:54):
Yeah, that's a great question.
I think so.
So I said, and understanding,right, that you have that mentor
, and we just talked about howimportant it is to nurture those
relationships, because it's thementor who eventually will
become your sponsor, right?
So I think we talk aboutsetting goals.
You have a mentor who can helpyou figure out what are the
objectives that we want to do,but it's actually the mentor or

(21:18):
the sponsor, who is going tohelp you to make sure that those
goals and those objectivesactually become reality.
So we're talking about a careerpath.
Right, you can.
You are just entering the career, you just got your first job
with Corporate America and thenyou have your mentor, who's
someone who perhaps has been inthe field or in the company five

(21:38):
, ten plus years, and it'ssomeone who can help you figure
out.
What does that math look like,what is the career path that you
want to pursue, what are someof the perhaps recommendations
that you want to do, or what isthe next job that you want to
apply.
But it's actually that mentorwho could potentially be and
most likely will be, when thosedecisions are taking place and

(22:01):
the decision makers are at thetable and you want to make sure
that those are your mentors oryour sponsors, because those are
the ones that are going to bethe first one bringing your name
up and highlighting theaccomplishment that you have
done, the goals that you havebeen able to accomplish.
So you wanted to make sure that, again, how important it is to
build those relationships,because your mentor will become

(22:23):
your sponsor.
It's that person who is at thetable when the conversations
where you are not there, and isthere to highlight and really
bring your name up so you canhave all those opportunities.

Speaker 1 (22:36):
Absolutely, you are 100% right.
I need to send you this article.
I just read an article from theHarvard Business Review After
having read another one thatjust made my like stomach turn.
I was like.
God I was telling women to showup as in order to just, in
general, to show up as leadersthat we had to like.
This is what attractiveleadership looks like.
This is what, unattractively,I'm like okay, so that language

(22:56):
already.

Speaker 2 (22:57):
Yeah, let's put that to the door.

Speaker 1 (22:59):
It was like not neurodivergent friendly, it was
not introvert friendly, it wasnot gender friendly, it was just
like all these things.
Well then they have this otherarticle that they published
recently that talks about howwomen actually move up in the
world, and this is, to me, whyit's such an important topic
mentorship and sponsorship.
Sponsorship, like you said,sponsors are the people who will

(23:20):
speak your name in the roomsthat you are not in.
They have a seat at the table,they are of influence within a
certain space or industrycompany that you are interested
in, and they are either backingyou by again validating your
experience, your knowledge, whoyou are, or they're putting
money on the table for you, likeliterally sponsoring with money

(23:41):
at that time, saying I'll payfor you to attend this thing
because I think you need to bein this room.
Those are sponsors, you know.
So they are taking a differentkind of action, maybe, than a
mentor.
That's like more of a coachingspace, and this article was
saying basically, basically,women, when we the studies was
showing.
Um, like I said, I'll send thisto you because I know you'll
love it um you know they hadlike a man and a woman um,

(24:06):
talking at a presentation andthey flipped it to where the man
was leading the presentationand then the woman led the
presentation and the woman wasactually knocked more for being
overly aggressive and dominatingwhen she was leading, versus
the man who was assertive and aleader.
Blah, blah, blah.
We know this, we hear this allthe time.
Right, that stupid doublestandard.

(24:27):
But they also found that, youknow, face time with leaders was
also not serving women well andthey said, like some 40% of
women did actually actually didnot form strong bonds with
leadership when they had moretime with them.
What they found is that how wemove ahead is through what they
call third party validation.
It's when other people refer us.
It is when a friend of mine, aconnect, a mutual connection of

(24:51):
ours, says hey, amy, you need totalk to Natasha because she's
amazing, she runs this companyand does blah, blah, blah, blah.
It gives me all your background, tells me how awesome you are,
and as soon as we get on a call,it's like I already have it in
my mind that you are validatedin all these things and so, boom
, you're in you know, and thisfor women is like that's, that's
really the way that they'refinding that we have to do this,

(25:11):
so sponsorship is huge.

Speaker 2 (25:20):
It is huge.
It is huge and yeah, and Ithink that that also brings
another point very important.
I think we women have to beready for those moments, because
you never know when thatsponsor is going to be speaking
on your behalf.
And it might happen that youget a text on a Friday at 5 pm
or Thursday at 9 pm saying hey,I have a meeting tomorrow
morning or I'm having coffeewith the CEO of company XYZ.

(25:41):
Send me your bio, Send me yourresume.

Speaker 1 (25:45):
And you don't have it with.

Speaker 2 (25:46):
And then two, three days later, when you send that
information, it's too late.
You missed that opportunity.
So I think it's very importantthat you know we and these are
like little steps right itdoesn't require much time, but
that your LinkedIn profile is upto date, that your picture is
up to date, that you have aprofessional picture up to date,

(26:07):
but also that you have a biothat's really ready to be sent
out and that goes online to whatare some of your goals and your
objective, right?
What is it that you want toaccomplish?
What is a career path?
And making sure that you areactually highlighting the
strength that you have alignedwith those objectives.
But I cannot tell you thenumber of times that I have sent

(26:29):
an email or text saying send meyour resume right now, I have
this opportunity, it's perfectfor you, and then I don't hear
back until days later.
And and so we need to alsomaking sure that you know how we
set ourselves as a priority andwhat is it that we need to do
to make sure that we are ready?

(26:50):
because time is critical and Ilearned the hard way, the hard
way.
So I'm not saying this becauseI read it somewhere.
I'm sharing the story becauseit happens to me not once, but
twice, and at that point I waslike, okay, clearly it's my,
it's my problem, no one else'sproblem is me.
I need to fix this.
So, and doesn't mean that youmight have many bios I have so

(27:13):
many bios depending on am Ilooking for a consulting job?
Is it a board job?
Is it a potential client?
Is it a mentorship?
And I have all my bios ready.
I have different resumes readyand I think also, I talked to so
many great, amazing women.
They have been working incorporate for their whole life

(27:34):
and now they've realized thatthey're ready to take the next
step.
They want to start their ownjourney.
They want to start their ownjourney.
They want to start their owncompany.
Maybe they want to be aconsultant, and I love just
reviewing resumes or bios.
So oftentimes we are like reallysettling ourselves so short.
Oh, absolutely Don't do thatbecause you want it.

(27:55):
No one is going to help you.
If you're not speaking on yourbehalf.
It starts with you.
But also resumes are great ifyou're looking for a job, but if
you are looking for a speakingengagement, if you're looking
for a board seat nonprofit orfor profit or consultancy, or
being a fractional CMO or CEO doa bio.

(28:19):
Bio works much better than atwo pages resume, because people
really wanted to understand whoyou are to the core, what are
your passions, what are yourstrengths, what you have done,
and you can really highlightthat in a one pager that's
concise.
So if there is any takeawayfrom this podcast today, just

(28:41):
make sure that you have a bioready to go.

Speaker 1 (28:45):
Yeah, make it easy for people to champion you.
Don't make it more work, likethey're doing you a tremendous
favor by basically putting youin front of some other really
important people.
So it's like don't hesitate,don't second guess, just be like
yep, got it.
If you need to, here's a funtrick ladies Go into chat, gbt
or whatever your favoriteage-adaptive AI is.

(29:05):
Put your existing bio in thereand then prompt it to write it
like a confident white dude.
Say like, give me like the mosthyped you know bio and put it
in the tone of this and it'llgive you something.
And you'll be like oh, I wouldnever think to say these things
about myself, but it does soundpretty stellar.
And of course you're going togo and edit it and refine it,
but don't delete the bad assnessof it.
Like, keep all that in there.

(29:27):
But yeah, and then again you'vegot more people to look around
and ask to say, hey, can youreview my bio and help me?
Or how do I plus this up?
You know, but still like, don't, don't sit on it.
I think sometimes we get so inour heads about the opportunity
that you're right that we missan important piece of timing,
and you do talk about that a lot, that timing is an important
part of mentorship andsponsorship.

(29:47):
Is there any other examplesthat like you'd want to share or
that, or like maybe how womencan identify the right moment to
maybe seek or leverage any ofthese relationships mentorship,
sponsorship?

Speaker 2 (29:59):
Yeah, absolutely.
I mean, I think one of thefeedback they got I can't
remember it was like maybe eightyears ago or something I was in
a really great situation.
I was invited to be part of aroundtable conversation at the
White House and talking aboutwomen's honor, small business

(30:19):
honor, latinas honor, and it wasgreat.
And actually that opportunityagain came through a sponsor who
was at the right time at theright conversation and when the
White House asked for do we know, do you know somebody that
would you recommend to have thisconversation, my name came out.
So it was great.

(30:41):
And after we had the meeting, itwas, you know, obviously all
over the news and the media andI was getting phone calls from
CNN and NBC, from all thesedifferent outlets to have this
conversation.
And part of one of the feedbackthat I got from my sponsor is

(31:02):
don't be reactive, be proactive.
And I was, and it took me alittle bit to process that
information.
And by her saying be proactive,not reactive, what she was
trying to say is you knew thatyou were doing this white round
table at the white house yeahinstead of having right cnn or

(31:23):
all these different news outletsreaching out to you, you should
have already have a pressrelease out with your name in
advance.
Make sure that you're promotingthis with all your network and
and being reactive was after thefact.
So I think sometimes you knowwe it's hard to perhaps have the

(31:44):
full understanding and theimpact of some situations.
But maybe taking the fiveminute where you can really ask,
you know, do an assessment,evaluate the opportunity that
you are being given and how youcan truly maximize those
opportunities, so that feedbackfrom my mentor was so important
because she was right, I wasbeing reactive and I wasn't

(32:06):
being proactive, and and I willtake that forever.
So every time there is an eventor any type of opportunity, I'm
always asking myself am I beingreactive, am I being proactive?

Speaker 1 (32:19):
I love that so much.
Well, and I would say too, Ithink that just sets you up to
be the kind of person peoplewant to keep recommending.
Right, when you show up and youmake the most of an opportunity
, and they get to see the impactof that.
Anybody that's sitting on thiscall or listening to the podcast
right now that is a mentor.
There is nothing better thanwatching a mentee take an

(32:42):
opportunity that you have put intheir lap and just knock it out
of the park, like that is whyyou mentor, you know, and then
all that does is think, make youthink okay, yeah, the next time
I see something like this comeup, this is the person I'm
recommending, you know.
So it's not just a service toyourself and the opportunity,
but it's really doing a serviceto the person that puts you up

(33:03):
in that position to begin with.

Speaker 2 (33:06):
Absolutely, and I think you know, leverage this
platform.
I think that Together Digitaland in the amount of women that
we have in the group, sometimesyou know, reach out if you don't
know where to start, if youdon't have a mentor, you don't
know how, because it's yourfirst time.
It's really hard to navigatethings for the first time.
So I think that's veryimportant again, to reach out to

(33:28):
somebody you know, in thewebsite LinkedIn, they're always
featuring women in theinterview.

Speaker 1 (33:34):
You know they have already done it.
What in the interview?

Speaker 2 (33:42):
you know they have already done it.
What tips do you have?
What tips do you have for folkswho don't maybe have a mentor
yet, that are looking for one?
Like where do where do theystart?
Yeah, so I think reaching outnumber one right.
So I have attended so manyconference and then I'm walking
around like, oh my god, thiswoman really spoke to my soul
and I want to connect and youknow, and it can be intimidating
because you might be, you know,senior vice president of the
largest company in the UnitedStates.

Speaker 1 (34:03):
Yep.

Speaker 2 (34:03):
But I will send out a message on LinkedIn and say hey
, I was in.
I was in the audience.
You really spoke to the core ofwhat I'm trying to go through.
Do you have five minutes and itdoesn't have to be in person
can be virtual, and I will saythat I had more yeses than noes
by doing that and the amount ofshoes, generosity from women who

(34:29):
have achieved that level andthey wanted to give back.
So even if it's five minutes,10 minutes, don't abuse it.
So don't excuse your hour longcall, but even with a 10 minute
meeting that you come preparewith the questions that you want
to ask, what is it that youwant to get take away from that
conversation?

(34:50):
It's going to be so importantand sometimes that first
introduction call, if it's 10minutes, can really lead to a
friendship or could lead to amentorship and eventually a
sponsorship.
So I think it's just you know,we have so many tools in our
hands that we can use.
Linkedin is one of those TikTok.

(35:11):
There are so many thoughtleaders in TikTok sharing their
own experiences.
You can reach out as well.
Leaders in TikTok sharing theirown experiences, you can reach
out as well.
And so I think it's just makingsure again that you understand
what is it that you want?

Speaker 1 (35:22):
to accomplish what?

Speaker 2 (35:22):
you wanted to get out of the relationship and just
put yourself out there.

Speaker 1 (35:28):
Yeah, I love that and I I often say follow your envy.
It shows you what you reallytruly desire and what you want.
And so sometimes I'll be,you're right, I know I'll go to
an event or a conference or I'llbe following somebody on a
specific platform and I get alittle bit of a girl crush and
I'm thinking my gosh, she's justdoing amazing things and I
don't know how she's doing it.
And rather than throw shade orshame myself and think I could

(35:51):
never be that like, why not just, like you said, just reach out,
give her that credit and say Ithink you're amazing, I love
what you're doing and I lovewhat you said there.
I you spoke to the core ofsomething that I am also trying
to do.
So show alignment and then bespecific and say I think that

(36:12):
you could be a potentialfantastic mentor for me, if
that's something that you'reopen to like.
Be direct in what you're askingfor each and every time you
meet.
I think that's also reallyimportant because, like you said
, you can't use a mentor sessionlike a therapy session, because
mentorship is not therapy.
Right?
You need to have some clearobjectives and you need to come
a little bit prepared withsomething you know specific to

(36:35):
sort of tackle.
So this is something I justwant to share, if you don't mind
, a framework that a boss and asponsor mentor taught me once
that I have literally used eversince and then I've kind of put
it out there loosely because Ifeel like everybody has like
their own way of sort of kind ofcoming at all of this and I
don't think mentorship is meantto be like structured
specifically a certain way.

(36:56):
But I often encourage people toat least just show up with what
he called the three C's, whichis a comment, which is your
general status, so easy toremember.
Comment of your general statushow are things since the last
time we met?
A celebration it's a second C,great way to slow down and be
like I did something reallyawesome since we last met.
And then the third one is theconcern, like a genuine, honest,

(37:20):
straightforward concern problemthat you were facing and that's
usually where you spend most ofthe time.
Usually my like comments, likemaybe the most five minutes if
more, like to my celebration,because again, we don't really
often know how to brag onourselves and celebrate maybe a
minute right.
And then the concern, andthat's really where you spend

(37:40):
the bulk of your time.
But those three C's, even if Iam like so bogged down and then
I kind of miss on the calendar,I'm like, oh my gosh, I have a
standing meeting with a mentor,I can get on a call in five
minutes, I can at least come upwith my three C's in that
framework and like go into thatand that really helps us guide
the conversation and sort ofkeep me on the rails.

Speaker 2 (38:00):
You know I love it.
It's so easy to remember.
I'm going to definitely keepthat in mind.

Speaker 1 (38:04):
Yeah, I needed that because I'm a verbal processor
as well.
So it's like I have to becareful, and I did do that often
with my mentors in my earlydays, where and God, love them
they would just sit and listenand listen.
Love them they would just sitand listen and listen.

Speaker 2 (38:16):
No, that's.
That's such a great advice.
Yeah, I think being, you know,preparing is so important that
you should show up, to show up,but, and that that goes for
everything in life not just therelationship with mentors.

Speaker 1 (38:31):
So yeah, being prepared is key, and one of the
thing I wanted to ask you aboutis this balance of being a
mentor and a mentee, becauseI'll tell you, I am surprised
not only by how many women don'tcurrently have a mentor and
then so they're not like in thatmentee space, but how, how many
women don't even seek to bementors.

(38:53):
I'm like, wait, this shouldkind of just be like you, should
I?
My opinion, I don't even carehow many years of experience you
have or how old you are.
You are.
I don't know if you agree withme or not.
I don't think I'm ever going tonot need a mentor.
What do you think?

Speaker 2 (39:08):
Oh, absolutely A hundred percent.
I mean, we always need a mentor, always, and I think it could
be intimidating, right?
So I think the first time thatsomeone asked me if I can be a
mentor, I was like, oh my God no, I'm not prepared.
Like how can I be a mentor, likeno, but it's really not a
requirement.
There is no description of whatthe mentor should look like.

(39:30):
It's making sure that you arethoughtful, that you care, that
you're generous, that you canactually have empathy for the
person that you are in front,and making sure that you care,
that you're generous, that youcan actually have empathy for
the person that you are in front, and making sure that you
actually really care aboutmaking an impact.
So it doesn't have to be thatyou have reached and you're now
in the C-suite executive,because, again, you're going to

(39:51):
need we all need mentors withall different knowledges and
experience and background, andevery single one brings
something very unique to thetable.
So I think you know it's justputting yourself out there, yeah
, learning to say more yes thanno.
And I think the beauty of thementorship also oftentimes, when

(40:13):
I have the title of being amentor, I'm learning so much as
well.
Oh, 100%.
So it's a two-way learning.
It's no shoes that you are inthe mentor role and you telling
and dictating?
No, it's a two ways learningand it's a beautiful experience,
a beautiful relationship.

Speaker 1 (40:28):
Agreed.
I definitely look up to thewomen that I mentor because they
have, like, you know, I've likea 20 years on them.
But then I look at them and I'mthinking where I was when I was
their age and I'm just like youare so much more put together
and you're already leaning intomentorship and you're following
up on things and I'm just like,yeah, you're just getting light
years ahead and you know, andbeing pro, like you said,

(40:49):
proactive and not reactive, andthat's not to shame anybody, but
I think it is just one of thosethings where it's like to shame
anybody, but I think it is justone of those things where it's
like, you know, sitting back andwatching them and seeing the
ways that they approach and alsosee the world and the workforce
.
I think is also important tohave that perspective because
now that I'm on like the weirdother side of you know the

(41:11):
workforce and the generationaldivides, you know it's it's
weird.
It's weird.
You know I'm I'm not.
It's as much as my braindoesn't want to believe it.
I'm not a recent graduate, Ididn't start working five years
ago, and so it's like I'm on theother end of the spectrum.
So the workforce and the nextgeneration of folks coming in.
I really do want to hear andsee how they see the world and
how they see work and how theysee themselves in it, and I

(41:33):
think you know there's.

Speaker 2 (41:40):
And I think you bring like a really good point on
that, maybe not necessarily inthe mentorship or sponsorship
conversation, but I thinkdefinitely on having the seat at
the table conversation.
Yeah, Because oftentimes and Isee that in some of the boards
there's a non-profit, afor-profit, where we're looking
for years of experience, whichis great because you want to
have those conversations at thetable, which is great because

(42:01):
you want to have thoseconversations at the table.
But you also want to have thoseconversations and have people
at the table who is yourcustomer that you're trying to
reach, the demographic thatyou're trying to reach, and
making sure that you also havethose voices on the table.
So I sit on the board of anonprofit and we had our annual
meeting and the retreat and wewere talking and planning about

(42:21):
the next year and I was very newand I was like, okay, I'm
looking around and I'm like thisis great.
Some of the board members- havebeen here for 20 years, 18 years
, some have less than that, butit was very striking that there
was no one on the room.
That is a community that we'retrying to serve, so how can we

(42:42):
create a plan?
How can we create what are thegoals, if we don't have that
voice on the table, theindividual who are really being
impacted by or the individualswho are going through that
program?
So I think sometimes we need toreally take a step back, take a
look, understand what is theimpact that we wanted to do and
who are the voices they need tohave.

(43:03):
We need to have at that table.
So the impact that we wanted todo and who are the voices they
need to have we need to have atthat table.
So the goals that we create inthe products, the solution that
we create in, are relevant andare a true representation of
those needs or problems thatwe're trying to solve, and it
makes sense when you talk aboutit, but sometimes, when you look
again on the framework and therules, and what you have it

(43:25):
doesn't always is there as clearthe systems don't align that's
such a great point.

Speaker 1 (43:30):
I mean sort of on that note obviously with your
business and what you do.
You talk a lot about incultural intelligence and that's
a big part of the work that youdo.
How do you think thatintersects with mentorship,
especially with for women withdiverse backgrounds, with
mentorship especially for womenwith diverse backgrounds?
How would you speak to that.

Speaker 2 (43:46):
Yeah, I mean, culture is just such a great topic of
conversation.
It's been around for so manyforever, right Since humans were
alive.
I think now that we're startingto take a little bit more
serious conversation andunderstanding the impact of
culture, especially in theworkforce, yeah, so I think you

(44:07):
know you mentioned about the agegap, right, we see in this
generation, especially in theworkforce, right, the Gen Z
entering the workforce and westill have the boomer generation
in the workforce.
So we really have like four orfive generations right now in
one space and each of thembrings in a very different
experience.

(44:28):
So we're starting to see such adiverse population in the
workforce and it's not onlysometimes, when we're talking
about culture, people think, oh,it's ethnicity, and it's not,
it's lifestyle, it's education,it's age, it's gender, so it's
so, so rich and diverse.
So we really have to learn howwe go deeper in those cultural

(44:50):
nuances.
So I'm sure you have seen theiceberg of culture.
Right, we only see and we focuson what we see above the water,
but it's really everything thatgoes below the water that is
very critical.
So, from a cultural standpoint,you know one of the interesting,
I think, perhaps experiencesthat I had right after the

(45:13):
pandemic, right, we started togoing back into the workforce
perhaps, you know, five days aweek, maybe two, maybe three and
companies trying to be moreintentional about what is a
pipeline of talent.
What does it look like?
And really, from a culturalstandpoint, right, starting to
see there is that gap incommunication and gap in needs,

(45:37):
perhaps the needs that wererelevant when you're applying
for a job 20 years ago, 30 yearsago.
It's not the same as today, soit needs to be, they need to
adapt.
But I think what I have seenthat works from a cultural
standpoint, but also from an ageand ethnicity, is really
creating a system from anonboarding process from an entry

(46:01):
level all the way to makingsure that you're creating a
healthy and sustainable pipelinefor the C-suite role, and
oftentimes that comes withsomething as simple as creating
and having a strategicmentorship program within the
company.
It could be a body system whereyou have somebody who actually
will be from the day that youwalk in and help you to navigate

(46:25):
what is the first day of work.
And what I heard sometimes isthat in culture, training is
very critical and that inculture training means somebody
who can relate to the challengesthat you're going through and
that could come from gender,could be from ethnicity, could
be from life experience,education, right, maybe she went

(46:50):
to the same sorority that youdid.
So that in-culture piece is soimportant to making sure the
companies not only are focusingon the attraction of candidate
but the retention of thecandidate.
The retention is great.
Sadly, what I often hear insome of my work is women and

(47:10):
people of color.
They kind of feel stuck rightin that entry level,
mid-management level and part ofthat is you know, when I have
my interview is they don't seesomeone like them in the C.
My interview is they don't seesomeone like them Exactly In the
C-suite.
They don't see someone like themand we need to make sure that

(47:32):
we break that status quo, thatwe don't feel like, OK, there is
no one like me.
I guess this is as far I can go.
No, you definitely can gofarther, and part of that is
having those honestconversations Right.
Definitely can go farther, andpart of that is having those
honest conversations right.
So find that mentor, find thatsponsor in your company, find
someone who you can have anhonest conversation.
But also, don't bring problem,bring solutions to those

(47:57):
conversations.
So if you see an opportunity, ifyou see a problem within the
company and your own company,making sure that you also come
prepared with solutions.
And how can you create astrategic program.
Perhaps they can not only helpyou but help the company as a
large.
So I think you know, havingsome of those more strict ERG

(48:19):
programs are great, butsometimes a bit limited in
funding.
They can only do so much.
But that is when it comes,perhaps when you might know some
organizations that aresupporting additional level,
like Together Digital, wherethey can actually be an arm of
those ERG groups, and how youcan be more strategic and how

(48:41):
can be providing additionalsupport to what the company
already has, so that the impactis greater.

Speaker 1 (48:48):
That's so much good information in there, natasha,
just to talk about and highlightso much good stuff.
Yeah, I mean, not feeling seenis such an issue for so many
people and I don't know why it'sso hard for folks at the top to
not see and understand.
But, of course, it's hard tosee the waters that you swim in,
it's hard to understand theproblems of the world that you

(49:09):
don't have to walk in andexperience day in and day out,
and so that is why I think it isreally, really important to
find mentors, you know, even ifit means going outside the walls
of your company, to find peoplethat you know, maybe do sort of
align or, you know, experiencesimilar problems that you might
have experienced but havemanaged to kind of break through

(49:29):
on the glass ceiling, whateverthat is, whatever barriers they
have faced.
Because, at the end of the day,while it's important to have,
you know, mentors and alliesthat don't look like you, it's
going to be hard for them tosometimes understand the deeper,
more subversive things that youmight be facing right as you're
kind of moving through yourcareer, and it's just so hard

(49:50):
for us to be and see the thingsthat we can't see.
You know, it's hard to modelthat because we're not going to
get there in the same way, wearen't afforded the same
privileges, and so it's one ofthose things that it's like once
you see this, it's really hardto unsee it, but for some people
I think there's just a lot ofguilt behind that, because I
mean, I don't care who you are,we all walk around with a

(50:11):
certain amount of privilege.
But I think as soon as you cansee it and acknowledge it and
start to work to actuallyleverage it for the right
reasons, that's what'sempowering, like don't sit in
the shame, take it and dosomething with it.
And mentorship is a reallygreat way, but also sponsorship,
I think.
When you're in that position ofprivilege, I think that's where
sponsorship versus mentorshipmakes a lot of sense.

(50:32):
That's where it's like mehaving a lot of great male
allies and champions in my past.
I had a ton of great guys whowere like oh yeah, that Amy
Vaughn, you need to talk to her.
I, no joke, got a job thatdoubled my salary once because I
talked to, like the guy thatwanted to hire me spoke to one
of my college teachers who wasalso a mentor of mine.

(50:54):
They worked together at LeoBurnett years before that,
another guy in strategy whowanted to hire me spoke highly
of me, and then anotherassociate creative director who
had interviewed me like threeyears prior.
All three knew me, all threespoke highly of me and this guy
had no doubt he's like you'rethe person I want.
I just need you to go throughthe formalities.
But here's the role, here's theclient and here's the salary.

(51:15):
And it was no joke double mysalary.
That's what I mean by thiswhole third party validation.
I didn't have to go through allthe hoops and this guy just
found me on LinkedIn one day andI'm like opening up and I'm
like is this a joke?
Is this spam?
Like trying to look him up tosee if he's a real, and you know
it's.
It's one of those things whereyou know you mentioned ERGs.

(51:36):
I love the intent of ERGs.
I think where they rob me thewrong way is that we often ask
people who are in thosemarginalized groups to create
the safe spaces and to do thework of bringing content with
limited funding and resources,and you're asking people who are
already being overutilized andunderpaid, typically for their
roles, to now do more free workto make everybody else that

(51:57):
looks like them feel comfortable.
And that's what drives me nutsand that's why we have groups
like Together Digital, because Ithink we can be that safe space
and extension of your companyand culture.
We are a partner.
We're the kind of organizationthat is going to help your women
feel more seen, heard, valuedand assured that there is a path

(52:17):
forward and that, even thoughthere might not be people at the
top that look like them, thereare women that are moving
through the industry that looklike them and that there is a
way forward.
And you know, I was a memberfirst, as many of our listeners
already know, and I would justwalk in after one of our events
and I just always seem so lit up.
People were like were you at aTogether Digital event today?

(52:38):
I was like, yes, because I feltlike as a working mom, balancing
my ambition and motherhood andlack of sleep and everything
else that goes into themessiness of motherhood,
especially when they're verylittle and you're an agency
creative.
It was so good to at leaststart my day with a group of
women that I could talk aboutsome things that I would not

(52:59):
dare speak about in the rooms atmy office or my agency, and so
it helped me show up better andmore whole at work, you know,
and I just think sometimespeople don't realize what a gift
that can be to give to theirteam and their employees.
So I do think, looking forexternal support for your teams
and I'm not just saying it hasto be Together Digital, but
there's other organizations,amazing organizations out there.

(53:21):
Give them those opportunitiesto be in the spaces where
they're not the minority in theroom for a minute and let them
feel that sense of belonging andlet those tables be turned for
a minute.

Speaker 2 (53:33):
Absolutely, and that's actually a great way also
to find a mentor rightVolunteer in some of those
organizations and if there issomething that you wanted to
explore and perhaps you don'tknow how, join a committee and
in the committee you're going toreally learn so much about it
by individuals.
They have, you know, thesubject matter expert in that

(53:54):
industry, but also that's howyou start building your own
community and funding thosementors and sponsors.
I think you know allocatingthat time.

Speaker 1 (54:03):
Join organizations show up to those meetings.

Speaker 2 (54:06):
Go to those events.
It's going to be so importantin your journey.

Speaker 1 (54:11):
It is.
It is and you bring up a goodpoint there too as well Like
even your peers can serve asmentors, because even if
somebody is just like a halfstep ahead of you, you know
they're like living it, or theyjust lived it.
So like, how fantastic is it tobe like right there with
somebody that truly rememberswhat it was like to be in your
shoes.
All right, this question I'mnot sure if you don't have like

(54:36):
an exact exact example.
I know that, like data, we'reboth data nerds and a lot of
what you do is centered arounddata, but I was just wondering
if there was ever any instancewhere a data-driven insight
helped either you or your menteemake a critical career decision
, because sometimes, when you'rekind of looking at things, it's
like it's hard to know what topinpoint and what to move on,
where and when.

Speaker 2 (54:54):
Yeah, no, I mean, I think you know, just perhaps
something that we can all relateand you know, part of the data
that we do is reallyunderstanding consumer behavior,
is understanding emotions,understanding pain point, and it
could be either in theworkforce or it can be from
products that we use and consumeevery day.

(55:15):
And it was very interesting inone of the work a few years ago
that we started in the CPGindustry, in the beauty industry
in particular, and we wereworking with a hair care brand
and they were really trying tofigure out you know how much can
we find influencers.
We're coming up with thisproduct, we love it, it's great
and oftentimes brands you knowthey're like we know it all we

(55:36):
know our audience.
We know where customer is andwe're like, okay, great but
let's just tell the data, tellus the story let's just tell the
data Tell us the story.

Speaker 1 (55:45):
Let's just see.

Speaker 2 (55:46):
And really being able to understand from the consumer
perspective and perhaps notfrom the brand perspective, but
it was really interesting justto see the evolution of some of
the data points that we'recollecting with this brand that
was creating this hair careproduct, where their
demographics were females,latinas, black women and they

(56:09):
wanted to bring some color andmore vibrant and styles.
And it was a great product,great brand.
Love the campaign.
But then when we realized, whenwe were doing the analysis
because it's like the analysisyou do pre-campaign, during and
pause- and so you can reallyhave a holistic understanding as
we discover that the productsthat they were creating was

(56:33):
wasn't really meant for thehairstyle and the hair type okay
of the target audience, uh, andand the result were really the
result everyone expected.
And part of that again itbecomes because they were
targeting right, a differentdemographic where the style
perhaps, was curly and notstraight.
It wasn't thin, it was sort ofthicker.

(56:55):
But that is how some of thedata point, but not only that we
actually discover the actuallymen were loving the product and
they were loving to have funwith the product and that was a
demographic that it wasn't evenpart of the strategy.
So I think that was interestingOne to bring awareness about if

(57:18):
you're trying to reach theparticular demographic you need
to make sure that you also doyour research ahead of time and
understanding what are some ofthe needs, what are some of the
challenges, how is the productsor service or solution that
you're trying to bring?
Is that really going to make theimpact that you expect?
And making sure that when youhave this conversation, perhaps

(57:39):
this could have been avoided if,when the product was being
created, they actually havethose diverse voices on the
table.
When someone who have broughtthe insight and said well, you
know what actually Latinas women, they actually have more curl
and more body in their hair,Maybe the composition of the
product should be a little bitdifferent.
Maybe a dark blue tone mightnot show as much.

(58:02):
It is a light blue tone, solittle nuances can really make a
different impact.
And it comes back again tohaving those diverse voices,
diverse data in the process tomake sure that you actually are
delivering.
I think we all care about theROI and the ROI comes by doing
the right research from the getgo and making sure that you have

(58:26):
all voices, all perspectives inthe process.

Speaker 1 (58:30):
And you know I love this and I would almost want to
like, take it and like, move itinto the sense of like for
mentorship and sponsorship, intothe way of like, goal creation
and setting right.
You should make it measurableand be tracking it.
So, if you have a specific goal, put some numbers to it and, as
you're looking at it, like yousaid, let the data tell the
story, and sometimes that canreveal opportunities or blind

(58:53):
spots or things that you haven'tbeen thinking about before, or
it's like somebody from theoutside can look and see.
And I think this is also, too,why I think, from a peer
standpoint, for peer mentors, Ireally do try hard to have a
very diverse number of voiceswithin my peer mentor group,
because these women come fromdifferent places, different
spaces, different experiences inthe world, different races.

(59:15):
You know different backgrounds,socioeconomically, all these
things, and what's great is that, as I'm vetting things through
them, they're adding thatperspective.
So I'm not going into the worldblind, right?
Because they're seeing theworld, you know, in a different
way.
And adding that perspective isalways so valuable and, like I
said, I like my disagreeablegivers.
So if they're like, eh, Iwouldn't do it that way, you

(59:39):
know they'll tell me and it's sogreat, it's so great.
Okay, we have got one minuteleft and we're going to go
through our power roundquestions.
Our power round is kind of likea lightning round.
I'm excited about this onereally just because question
number one.
I love this question.
What is the best piece ofcareer advice that you have been
given?

Speaker 2 (01:00:00):
And who so many.
But I think, like looking backagain and I mentioned that early
is to not be reactive but to beproactive that completely
changed my outlook and how.

Speaker 1 (01:00:13):
I start my day.
Yeah, don't wait for everythingto come at you.
Get ahead of it.
I love that.
In one word, what is thebiggest obstacle for women when
it comes to mentorship orsponsorship?

Speaker 2 (01:00:28):
You know, I think it's just perhaps having that
lack of understanding of whatyou want the journey to be.
Sometimes it's like you'relooking at a mentor to help you
figure that out, but it startswith you.
I love it.
You need to have a vision ofwho you want to be and then have
a mentor who can help youaccomplish that vision.

Speaker 1 (01:00:52):
Yeah, that's gold right there, Natasha, because I
think that's the differencebetween a mentor and a coach as
well.
Right, a coach is going tocoach that out of you, they're
going to work that out of you,you're going to go through a
process with them, and they'vebeen trained and skilled to do
that, whereas, like you're righta mentor, you've got to have
that vision, you've got to havethat goal and you've got to be
able to have them to help you gofor it.
All right, last one, finishthis sentence the key to

(01:01:14):
effective sponsorship is the keyto what?
Effective sponsorship ormentorship?

Speaker 2 (01:01:23):
Sponsorship.
It's your network.
It's having a rich, largenetwork.

Speaker 1 (01:01:32):
Yeah, I love it.
Thank you so much, natasha.
This was really reallyfantastic Again, so many amazing
, brilliant, helpful pieces ofinsight and information.

Speaker 2 (01:01:44):
And anyone feel free to reach out.
You know I always open mynetwork.
It's your network.
So if I can make anintroduction, even though I
might not know that person inperson, but always happy to make
an intro when should folks findyou?
Super easy.
My name, natasha Pongonis, andall my social media tag is at

(01:02:07):
Natasha Pongonis or in Pongonis,so you can find me on Instagram
or in LinkedIn Awesome.

Speaker 1 (01:02:13):
All right, folks, I encourage you to do it.
She put it out for out there.
You know, time is of theessence.
Be proactive, not reactive.
Look, I got, like all yoursayings down here, this
beautiful list of all thesegreat takeaways.
Thank you so much again,natasha.
We appreciate it.
All right, friends, that is allwe have for you today.
I hope you enjoyed.
We are going to be on a twoweek break.

(01:02:33):
I'm going to miss you all Nextweek.
I am actually like taking offto the mountains for a little
bit of R&R before we go into ournational conference week.
So, yeah, we've got a few busyweeks ahead, so we're going to
pause on recording for two weeks.
I encourage you to go back andtake a listen to some of our
amazing past episodes that wehave.
We have three seasons now ofjust amazing content like this

(01:02:54):
to help you grow in everythingand your career, personally,
professionally, and all thingsdigital in life.
Until then, we will see yousoon.
Everyone asking keep giving andkeep growing.
Take care bye.
Produced by heartcast media.