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.
dave kamena
This question caught my eye among many others. It has always seemed to me that looking different was good, it allows you to stand out. When you look or act the same as everyone around you, you generally get the same results, which no entrepreneur wants. Being different is an easy way to cheat the system. Read More>>
Jhakira Leonard
Being the only one in the room has shaped me far more than it has ever limited me. I grew up learning very quickly that I would often walk into spaces where no one looked like me, had my story, or understood my resilience. For a long time, I saw that as a disadvantage. Over time, it became one of my greatest strengths. Read More>>
Fred Griffin Jr
There have been many moments in my life where I walked into a room, looked around, and realized I was the only one who looked like me. Early on, that feeling was heavy. It made me wonder if I belonged, if my voice would be heard, or if my perspective would matter. Read More>>
Amélie Saint-Jacques
Living in a country where the dominant language is English, it’s hard having a clearly foreign name! While my French name makes me stand out, it can also create problems because people are unsure how to pronounce it or may have trouble remembering it. I’ve decided to lean in and made my first name part of my business name: Amelie Organizes. Read More>>
Alexis Cullen
For a long time, I entered spaces where no one looked like me, sounded like me, shared my truth, or understood the layers of who I was—a Black Muslim woman, a mother, a survivor, and a storyteller who writes about the parts of life most people try to hide. At first, being the only one in the room felt isolating. Read More>>
Cosette Blasquez
Stepping into the world of business coaching after working in law felt strangely familiar, the boardrooms looked the same. The biggest seats at the table were still occupied by men, and the loudest ideas often came wrapped in male voices, male frameworks, and male definitions of success. What set me apart wasn’t trying to imitate that. It was challenging it. Read More>>
Dr. Chrystal Crawford
In order to be effective, I have learned to embrace the fact that I am a pioneer in many aspects. If we consider the Apostle Paul, we can see that being a pioneer was also part of his makeup along with other apostolic graces he walked in. Like Paul, I have learned to build and how to maintain. Read More>>
Sherese Danielle Ezelle, LMHC, LPC, NCC
Early in my career, professional spaces often felt highly monocultural. As a Black woman navigating the mental health field—an area already laden with stigma, particularly within communities of color—I frequently found myself as the ‘only one’ in the room bearing my specific intersection of identity and expertise. Initially, this solitude felt like a pressure cooker to conform. Read More>>
Camila Hargett, MBA
There have been many moments in my career where I walked into a room and realized immediately that I didn’t look, sound, or come from the same background as anyone else there. Instead of shrinking, I learned to treat those moments as invitations. Invitations to lead differently, to think differently, and to show up fully as myself. Read More>>
Samiayah Britton
Growing up, and even stepping into entrepreneurship, I was used to being the only one in the room who looked like me and who thought outside the box. Whether it was business workshops, planning meetings, or even vendor conversations. There were plenty of moments where I felt like I had to prove myself before I ever opened my mouth. Read More>>
Kimia Vakili
Growing up, I learned very early that being the ‘only one in the room’ wasn’t a disadvantage, it was my edge. When I started my real estate business fresh out of Chapman University at 23 years old, I was walking into rooms full of agents who were often twice my age, with decades of experience behind them. Read More>>
Anna Pakman
I’ve spent a lot of my career being the only visibly disabled person in the room. Early on, I thought that meant I had to work twice as hard to prove I belonged. Over time, I realized my perspective isn’t a liability—it’s the value. Read More>>
Leticia Francis
I didn’t just occasionally find myself as the only one who looked like me, I was consistently the only Black woman in the rooms I walked into. Boardrooms, strategy meetings, corporate tables, entrepreneurial spaces… you name it. My face, my voice, my background? Rare. Almost never reflected back at me. Read More>>
Zachary Basurto
I learned to be successful as the only one in the room who looks like me by embracing what makes me different as an advantage rather than a barrier, or a shell that keeps me enclosed. I approach it in a way of this is me, this is what I like and this is what i’m about. Read More>>
Maya Bosnjak
I’ve often been the only one in the room who looks like me — sometimes it feels like I walked onto the wrong movie set :)! But I’ve learned to take a deep breath, smile, and just be myself. A little humor goes a long way, and focusing on my work reminds me why I’m there. Read More>>
Luara Pinon
Being a Hispanic woman in a male-dominated industry has shaped how I show up and how I lead. For a long time, I was often the only woman — and definitely the only Latina in the room. Instead of letting that discourage me—I learned to see it as a source of strength. I became very intentional about knowing my work inside and out. Read More>>
Nuku Vang
As a Hmong/Asian American photographer, I’ve often found myself being the only one in the room who looks like me—whether that’s in the wedding industry, out in the community, or in business spaces. What I’ve learned is that being “the only one” isn’t just a challenge; it’s a perspective and strength that shapes how I show up. It’s taught me how to lead with presence. Read More>>
Crystal Mars-Noel Mars-Noel
From early on, I was familiar with being “the only one.” Yes, at 15, I was the youngest person working late shifts in the food industry, but that was just one chapter. Read More>>
Amanda Lisboa
After trying so hard to fit in, reshape myself and even shrink to belong, I realized that what truly set me apart was precisely the fact that I was different. I was one of the few who looked, felt and thought the way I did. The architecture school I attended was extremely traditional. Read More>>
Justin Marlowe
This is an amazing question, and one which directly relates to some of the content within my memoir, ‘Perfect Strangers: Echoes of a Black Suburban Youth.’ As an African American who grew up in mostly white environments, being the only one in the room that ‘looks like me’ has become commonplace. Read More>>
Zelda Polk
I’ve learned to embrace being the only one in the room who looks like me. At times, I actually welcome it because it pushes me to perform at my highest level. I want to stand out not because of my skin color or gender, but because of my work ethic, professionalism, and the value I bring. Read More>>
Jerry Grimes
When I find myself being the only African American, or one of a few, in a room or space, which I often do, I reflect on my research and scholarly interests. I mainly study how emancipated people found and created spaces for themselves in the postbellum United States in the earliest months after the American Civil War. Read More>>
Zesarae Bodie
It’s not just that I’m often the only woman of color in the room. It’s that I also chose to work in a field, sexual health and intimacy, that still makes people uncomfortable. Read More>>
Marc Liebman
This is a simple answer. Listen and lead. Assuming you are tasked to do accomplish a task with those in the room who are knowledgeable with the issues and assigned deliverable, the first step is to go around the room and have them give you a quick bio and experience that could be tapped to achieve the goal. Read More>>
Krissy Manzano
I’ve learned that I’m most effective when I don’t let being “the only one in the room” take up space in my head. Yes, there are many moments when I’m the only woman at the table. But I’m also usually in a room full of incredibly smart, capable people, even if they don’t look like me. What matters most is the energy I bring in. Read More>>
Joy Fire
I am a woman working in the male dominated fields of blacksmithing, welding, and metal fabrication in general. Sometimes there are a few other women, sometimes none. I am also Caucasian, so I am quite aware that non while women and people of color in general would stand out in different ways in different spaces. Read More>>
Kashaveli
Being the only one in the room that looks like me is the story of my life. As an artist and corporate professional, there’s not many that can relate to my daily tasks and hustles. Due to this slight discrepancy I made it my goal to be a life-long learner. Read More>>
Heather Jefferson
I have definitely experienced being the only Black Independent Insurance Broker/ Insurance Agency Owner in various rooms I walk into. Read More>>
Chazzy Productions
My looks definitely made it more of a challenge to be successful in the film industry, compared to the average person. Especially when I first got my dreadlocks. My best way of overcoming this challenge was just by being my true self and letting my talent do the talking. Read More>>
Nicole F. Smith
Being the only one in the room—especially as an attractive woman of color in the leadership and emotional intelligence space—has shaped how I lead. In this field, you don’t see many people who look like me at the front of the room, so I’ve had to learn how to hold my ground while staying true to who I am. Read More>>
Eliza Hill
oh wow. i have never been asked this question, and yet it is a feeling i have had much of my life. here are some thoughts to set the scene, and then reflect. Read More>>
Dr. Rick Graebe
The Courage to Go First: Dr. Rick Graebe on Pioneering His Own Path in Vision Therapy
By Dr. Rick Graebe, O.D., FCOVD Read More>>
Victoria Edwards
As the only person in the room that looked like me, I learned effectiveness and success by adopting the mindset that I have been sent/guided/put there to succeed or learn. I may be the only person that looks like me now, but there will be those (as a result of me being there) that will follow and will bring others that look like me in those once isolating spaces Read More>>
Adaeze Iloeje-Udeogalanya
For my entire career in STEM, I have either been the only one or one of a few in the room. In college, being the only one or one of a few in the room felt like a privilege, because I understood that I was in those rooms because I was exceptional, and I felt empowered to show up fully, be heard, and make an impact. Read More>>
