I love VWO's latest podcast series Women in CRO. It speaks to how far the industry has evolved over the years that I've been in it. I'm grateful they recently had me as a guest on the show to share some of my story. It was a cool moment for me now that I'm one year into running Chirpy. If you haven’t yet, I highly recommend checking out my episode of the podcast here!
In my episode, I talked a lot about different sayings and phrases I've carried with me for inspiration and I want to drop another one. I heard this recently and thought I could share a bit more of my story with the hope of inspiring more yeses (that will make sense if you keep reading).
The quote:
“What matters is that mastering one thing gives you the confidence to try something else.”
— Katty Kay, The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance – What Women Should Know
From an early age, my dad instilled in me a valuable lesson, one that has shaped my journey since I was 12. His words have remained a guiding light, offering me one of the most empowering teachings for a woman navigating this world.
I could make a timeline of milestones in my life that I'll remember forever of me proving to myself what I can do. Each big milestone -- and all of the small ones in between -- have always been additive. Failures have contributed positively, too. They show you what you're made of inside just as much as wins do.
I'm grateful that my dad fostered this in me as I believe that oftentimes, society doesn’t set up women to be taught tools to build confidence. This mindset is a huge part of what got me to the point of opening Chirpy.
I also couldn’t have opened Chirpy without proper professional experience. Throughout my professional journey, I've had the privilege of working at esteemed companies, each serving as a crucial stepping stone. It wasn't merely about refining my skills; it was a relentless pursuit to immerse myself fully in every aspect of CRO and business. Every place I’ve worked was a classroom with lessons and challenging hurdles, and each was an opportunity for growth.
Guided by the invaluable lessons passed down from my father and my specifically curated professional experience, I understood that true expertise encompassed not only technical proficiency but also the confidence to innovate and lead. Armed with this knowledge, I embarked on the entrepreneurial path, founding Chirpy with a clear vision to redefine the standards of excellence in the industry.
Lastly, there are two specific challenges I want to mention that I intentionally had to overcome:
I walked into this industry knowing that it was a male-dominated one. I knew it would be more of an uphill battle in many ways because of this, but I still said, "sign me up."
I was petrified of working with clients at first. I'm an introvert at heart and the thought of choosing a client-facing job was another conscious choice with extra challenges. But again, I said, "sign me up."
I made the decision to overcome both of those soon after graduating college, so I really just went head first into it. I felt others didn't think I'd stick it out, and I was questioning it myself to an extent, of course. But I took all of the confidence I'd gained up to that point and stacked it up against those challenges (thanks, Dad!). Luckily it was enough seeing as I'm still here. Had it not been for that confidence, I might've said "no" in those moments.
By sharing nuggets of my story, I'm hoping to inspire other females to put their hat in the ring. I hope I can inspire more yeses — big and small. Others have cheered for me over the years, and I want to share that in cheering for others.
Ladies, if you need a pep talk, I'm someone out here cheering for you. Reach out if you want to chat: haley@mychirpy.com.
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