Refreshing Advice That Helped These Marketers Get to the Top

We study the greats in history because we want to know their stories, their paths—the keys to their success. We want to know the mentality it took to get to greatness. In our case specifically, we want to know—what is it that makes successful marketers tick? We asked the latest trailblazers featured on Adweek—what’s the single best piece of advice you’ve ever received? Whether the advice came from their parents, family members, friends or mentors, one thing is clear—these industry leaders listened and took the advice to heart on their climb to the top. Take charge of your narrative “You can reinvent yourself at any point in your life. Someone told me this in my 20s when I was essentially trying to map out the rest of my career and life. I revisit it all the time when I’m feeling stuck, burnt out or uninspired. It reminds me that achievement doesn’t mean a straight, singular path that can’t change. You can pivot, step backward or sideways or stop for a moment if you like. What matters in that advice is the ‘you’ and we all have so many different facets of ourselves that we can tap into through our career and life.”—Amy Hufft, head of global brand marketing and communications, Shopify Fill your own cup “If you do not know how to love yourself, you cannot love others.”—Gurpreet Kaur, head of global accessibility, Twitter Nurture your confidence “’If you’re having a bad day, try dressing up tomorrow and you’ll feel better.’ I can attest that this really works. Overall, my friends have observed that I dress up a lot and it really does help me maintain confidence.”—Becky Kekula, director of the Disability Equality Index® (DEI), Disability:IN Be the cheerleader and the star player “The best piece of advice I have ever received came from my father at a very young age. Repeat ‘I can do it’ 10 times every day, or anytime things seem too hard and I feel like giving up.”—Toni Ko, founder and CEO, Bespoke Beauty Brands, LLC Show your (real) self “Allow yourself to be vulnerable. Vulnerability is what leads to trust. I didn’t understand that earlier in my career. I thought I had to maintain a professional distance to be taken seriously. A lot of that was driven by my culture and upbringing. I remember having lunch with one of my former bosses and her telling me, ‘People can’t relate to you if you try to be perfect all the time.’ She was right.”—Jackie Gagne, svp of multicultural marketing, WarnerMedia Take that leap of faith and fly “You learn a LOT from starting a company, but one of my favorites is to be a near-term pragmatist, so you’re aware of potential roadblocks, but a long-term optimist, so you always retain the will and determination to push through any short-term roadblocks.”—Evelyn Rusli, co-founder, president and CMO, Yumi Anything is possible, everything is not.Charlene Coughlin, president, TWIST Creative Respect your own time “’Anything is possible, everything is not,’ from Nancy Hill. My Type A personality makes me want to be able to do all of the things—in my personal life as well—and I’ve realized there’s only so many hours in the day. I have learned how to best prioritize my time in order to avoid burnout and to still have the fun I want to.”—Charlene Coughlin, president, TWIST Creative Don’t make brash decisions “’Sleep on it.’ My dad always told me to not feel pressured into making a decision. Think it over, weigh out the pros and cons and be informed.”—Kristen Risk, co-founder and svp of marketing communications, Frankly Organic Vodka Know your worth “Always counter and negotiate with the first offer before you take the job.”—God-is Rivera, global director of culture and community, Twitter Keep your eyes on the prize “My uncle told me this when I was growing up and this advice pretty much applies to everything: ‘sometimes you have to give a dime to get a quarter.’ This means that sometimes you will have to sacrifice a thing or two in order to get what it is that you REALLY want. This mindset has allowed me to put my head down and do the not-so glamorous work in order to get the results that I want.”—Donye Taylor, CEO, Taylored Consulting 5 Everyday Ways to Invest in a Healthy Well-Being and Successful Career

Women Trailblazers

10 Refreshing Pieces of Advice That Helped These Marketers Get to the Top

Trailblazers from Twitter, Shopify and more share the greatest advice they’ve ever received

Take charge of your narrative

Luz Corona

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Luz Corona