What do you do when no one else in the company or the meeting looks like you? We asked entrepreneurs and creatives from across industries and geographies to share their experiences and advice.
Chiara Sinclair
I love this question. I believe that I learned to be effective and successful when I am the only one in the room who looks like me by learning to love me, my personality, and what my image/likeness represents. As a Black woman, I am at times the only one in the room who looks like me when I enter certain professional spaces. Read more>>
Yvette Reeves
My parents divorced when I was 6 years old so going from a two parent household which was all I knew and being thrown into a single family household of a workaholic, I got used to being alone but made good use of my time. Being brought up by parents who were overachievers, failure in anything was not an option, We had to be the best at whatever we did and always strived for greatness. Read more>>
Cent’annii
Confidence is crucial; believing in myself and my abilities positively influences how others perceive me. Preparation is also key, as being well-informed boosts confidence in others and ensures I’m ready to contribute meaningfully to any project or task. Authenticity matters – embracing my uniqueness and perspective can offer fresh insights to others; and while I’ll always be a team player, I’ll never be a “yes” man. Read more>>
Jenna Kapitan
You HAVE to accept yourself. Fully, with every ounce of your being, you need to sit with yourself and realize every flaw and every positive thing you have to bring to the table. I grew up very much as an outcast, and never fully felt like I belonged anywhere. Read more>>
DEBORAH PEGUES
I have had to deal with being the only one in the room who looks like me since I left high school in Texas in 1968. I decided then not to bemoan my reality, my difference but to mitigate its impact so that others who followed me would have an effective role model. I was a 14-year-old 7th grader when the Civil Rights Act of 1964 became law. Read more>>
Sunga Mkwezalamba
I lean on my understanding of my uniqueness and talents and understand its a blessing to standout as different, which is why I created my brand ZIMRothschild. ZIMRothschild is a platform for individuals we identify as “Unicorns”. Unicorns are catalysts for the next generation who drive positive change. Read more>>
Jade The HBIC
Throughout my life, being the only one in the room has become my norm, something I’ve learned to navigate adeptly. As someone of mixed heritage, I’ve often found myself either too black in Latino circles or not black enough in black communities. Similarly, as a gay person from The Bronx, I’ve felt out of place both in rooms full of gays and in heterosexual settings, never quite fitting in either. Read more>>
Shihori Nakane
I was always that girl who was different from other people in the room. People bullied me for that reason time to time. But I just didn’t care about being different, or couldn’t care, it may be because of Asperger syndrome? Read more>>
Tracey Jones
I am typically the only one on the room that looks like me as I spent 30 years in the high tech industry, typically a male dominated arena. As an African American female leader, I have experienced discrimination on all levels and although challenging at times, it has provided me with wonderful opportunities to let my work ethic and professionalism speak for me. Read more>>
Brandon Mead
So when we’re talking about being the only one in the room that looks a certain way, that brings me right back to high school. I was in small-town Florida living near a tropical beach but wearing black hoodies and trace amounts of glitter on my eyelids, probably resting my hand on my hip too much. Read more>>
Cxsey
You never have to consciously put in effort when you’re doing something that brings you joy, happiness, and a sense of self. When you wake up every morning and are forced to go to work, it simply feels like work. It’s something you would rather not be doing. Read more>>
Kendra Furlow
Being a part of 2 groups that can fit into the minority, being a woman and being a black woman. In the planning industry, I am a lot of times the only black woman in a lot of spaces. I am a very detail oriented person and I just make sure that my skills are emphasized. Read more>>
Joyce Akwe
Being the only one in the room who looks like me can present unique challenges, but it’s also an opportunity to showcase my strengths and abilities. Here are some strategies I’ve learned to be effective and successful in such situations: Avoid thinking of me. I focus on the task that is ahead of me not on me. Read more>>
Jamie Nicole
As the founder and executive director of The AIP BIPOC Network, a 501c3 organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for the BIPOC autoimmune community, my journey has been deeply influenced by being the only one in the room who looks like me. Navigating spaces where my identity stands out has presented both challenges and opportunities for growth. Read more>>
Haley Frieler
Well, it all begins with knowing who you are, and it took me a bit of time to figure out who I was and to be confident in that until I found Jesus! Now I know I am fearfully and wonderfully made, whether that be walking on two legs or conquering life on 6 wheels. Read more>>
Alfredo Castro
Learning to be unique has been a rollercoaster. I think the hardest part has to be taking that first step in whatever it is you want to do and owning that first step and being confident with it. Blocking out those who hate and always have something to say has been a big part in this. Read more>>
Violetta Nyx
Fun little fact about me, I grew up in a hyper-religious Catholic family. None of my immediate family or even extended family has tattoos or really goes against the grain in any way. So as you can imagine, when I went to my parents and made it known I wanted to pursue art and eventually tattooing as a career, I was met with a forceful NO and pretty much shut out from even discussing it. Read more>>
Krystal Vernee’
One of the first things I had to learn was that regardless of the room, I belong there. It doesn’t matter if any looks like me. While it can be difficult to be the only one of your race or gender in a room, I remind myself that I am there to contribute in a positive manner, whether that is to participate in a discussion, share my expertise, etc. The most important element in my success is remembering that I am capable and to never doubt myself. Read more>>
Wayne Smith Jr.
Great question. For me personally I spent a lot of days where it was just me. Getting into the film industry was a journey and starting out only doing Background work it was discouraging at times. Not really having the support or not having the ones in my corner really believing that I could make it a living. I didn’t come from a great situation. Read more>>
Mariana Peña
When I moved to the Netherlands, a predominantly white country, I quickly realized that if I wanted to build a successful career I had to get comfortable with being the only one in the room who looked like me. Leaving my home country meant that my identity shifted from being a successful Education professional at a top Mexican university to being just one more brown immigrant trying to find my place in a completely different environment. Read more>>
Natasha Wells
I remember being a kid during my college days all the way up to graduate school that I was in rooms that did not have a lot of people that looked like me. It never even occurred to me back then because I was so focused on absorbing every lesson that my teachers and professors imparted in me. Read more>>
Alikona Shizue Bradford
I’m a multi-hyphenate, but I’m a performer first. And while being “ethnically ambiguous” was the next big thing a few years back (having your ethnicity be trendy is still a concept that in and of itself is hard to digest), a lot of agents, managers, and casting directors couldn’t quite pin-point where I fit in. Top that off with my ever-changing hair color, I always seemed to get lost in the shuffle. Read more>>
Marcus Canady
Reminding yourself that you earned your place in the room and make sure I am a voice for those coming behind me. The unfortunate reality of being a minority officer in the military, especially a minority aviation officer, I have been the only person in the room a number of times. Read more>>
Lynette Allen-Pye
Upon reviewing all of the options available and so many of them are appropriate to my life’s journey thus far, I chose the above because it will allow me to interweave some of the others where possible. I was the only one in a medical group of Certified Nurse Midwives for 19 years, who looked like me. While we were all female, I was the only BIPOC individual. Read more>>
Raemi Paxton
I’m Puerto Rican and Black. So being a woman of color, I’m aware of not only who I am, but what I bring to the table. Women like me have to work even harder to create an overall amazing experience to retain clients of all backgrounds. I’m able to focus on my skill set and give my absolute best to each individual client. Read more>>
Dennis Atlas
First of all, being the smartest one in the room is not always a good thing… And just about never truly the case. There is always great blessing in being unique in that you probably have a skillset that is unlike anyone around you, and others around you probably are far more advanced or capable of something you would struggle to achieve on your own. Read more>>
Shawndrika Cook
When you are a trailblazer, no one looks like you. Your vision does not match what makes sense and your ability to stick out becomes your norm. I have learned in this journey through a space of trusting GOD and walking blindly in faith that my job is not to focus on being the only one in the room, my job is how can I impact the room, that when I leave the people in the room remember me. Read more>>
Jacquelyn Phillips
As a young woman who grew up in the 90s and 2000s, I looked different from others. I don’t mean the color of my skin, but I do mean my hair – it is curly. Now, as a grown adult, I have mastered my curls and embraced them as one of the best parts of me, but as a young girl, I wanted straight hair JUST LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE. Read more>>
Veronique Benhayoun
Keep going. Even when you’re the odd man out. KEEP GOING. Read more>>
LaSandra Collins
Being the only one in the room who looks like me used to feel like navigating a maze with invisible walls. For years, I hid behind a facade, afraid of rejection and judgment. My interactions were strictly professional, devoid of any personal touch. I avoided small talk like the plague, deflecting questions about my personal life. It was a defense mechanism, a shield I used to protect myself from the hurtful comments of the past. Read more>>
Eric Brown, Jr.
Being the only one in the room who looks like me, I’ve learned to be effective and successful by focusing on purpose and presence. My time at Delaware State University, a Historically Black University (HBCU) rich in black excellence, instilled in me a profound understanding of the legacy I carry. Read more>>
Kristy Jackson, ED.S.
Being often the only one in the room who looks like me, I’ve embraced my purpose as a pioneer to spotlight the inherent creativity in others and pave the way for future leaders. My journey includes several firsts: I was the first African American woman to become the Gifted and Talented Education Coordinator in a local school district. Read more>>
Carine-Ange Tagni, MD
Being the only one in the room that looks like me has its challenges, but I have learned to leverage my unique perspective and experiences to be effective and successful. As a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist with a decade of experience, I have often been the only Black woman in the room—someone with African heritage who speaks French and rolls her ‘R’ differently. Read more>>
Dr. Brittany Price, DNP, FNP-C
Oooo this is a good one! I was groomed for this. I grew up in an all black lower income area while attending a predominantly white middle- upper class school since 2nd grade. As dark as I was, I “talked too white” for my community and If I didn’t clearly pronounce every syllable of a word around the people at school then they acted as though I was speaking a foreign language. “I can’t understand you” they’d say. Read more>>
