Inevitably you will find yourself in a room where no one else is like you. They might not look like you, speak like you, pray or love like you or think like you. Managing to be effective in all contexts is an essential part of your journey towards reaching your full potential and so we asked some brilliant members of the community to share their stories and advice.
Brandon Hoff
As an electric violinist stepping outside the traditional classical realm, I often find myself in rooms where few, if any, look like me or share my path. Instead of seeing this as a disadvantage, I’ve learned to embrace it as one of my greatest strengths. Read more >>>
Nsambya Furniture Workshop
Being the only one in the room whether at exhibitions, corporate meetings, or negotiations has been both a challenge and a motivation. In many spaces, I found myself as the only carpenter, or the only Ugandan craftsman, sitting among people representing imported brands or bigger, more established companies. At first, it was intimidating. Read more >>>
The Fronk
Right now, I’m pouring significant resources—time, money, energy—into scaling this up. I’m building a show that can compete with the biggest names in the entertainment industry, but doing it on my own terms. Read more >>>
Jingyi Luna Peng
To be respectful to everyone in the room, including myself. One of the most significant changes in my mindset is learning not only to respect and understand where others stand and what their need are, but also to treat myself with the same respect. Read more >>>
Mashallo Samilo
To be distinctive, it not easy feat to pursue as people will always have expectations. To be alone in the room, thinking outside the box, i had to be strong and resilient. Read more >>>
Timetra White
Past experiences have taught me resilience and the importance of staying focused on what matters most: always doing my best and choosing to do the right thing. For example, throughout elementary school, I was tested each year for the gifted program because of my academic success, yet I never qualified. At first, those missed opportunities were disappointing. Read more >>>
Danielle Codere
Being the only one in the room has been my reality more times than I can count—whether it was because of my size, my identity, or my background. I grew up poor, I’m part of the LGBTQ+ community, I’ve always been plus-sized, and I didn’t follow the straight-line path into business. Read more >>>
Murphy Li
When I first started working in film sound in Los Angeles, I often found myself as the only Asian woman on set—and sometimes the only woman at all in the sound department. At first, that made me feel invisible or underestimated, as if I had to work twice as hard to prove I deserved to be there. Read more >>>
Amanda Joy Christensen
Moving to Las Vegas looks was always at the forefront of every successful avenue of media, hospitality, and entertainment. I always struggled to feel like I fit in which lead to years of struggling with anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and supplement abuse. Read more >>>
Erik De La Cruz
When you don’t see many that look like you, you have to become the one. You are the story you tell yourself that you are. You control your thoughts. You handle the pen. You write the script. I found inspiration in anyone who had the characteristics I felt would be needed to reach my highest self. Read more >>>
Belinda Bowman – Andreotti
Being the only woman of color in the room has taught me a lot about confidence and resilience. Even in moments when I didn’t always feel confident, I learned to carry myself with assurance and focus on the value I bring. I approach challenges as opportunities to prove not just what I can do, but how I can excel. Read more >>>
Swati Starseed
This prompt has been cherry picked by me because it is the most challenging one to answer right now. I have learnt over the past few years in my journey, that my True Power lies in my Fears. Call me the queen of Shadow Work! I have been rejected, criticized, gaslit, shamed and laughed at by the external world. Read more >>>
CHRISTIAN BURGOS
I’ve learned over time to hold my head high no matter the circumstances. That whether you like it or not, there are people that simply will not like you. The same way there are people that you just don’t like it and that’s okay. What matters is that you know who you are and are confident as well as accepting of who you are. Read more >>>
Viola Choice
As a Black woman and the first in my family to attend college, I’ve always understood that my path would be unique and come with its challenges. I didn’t have many role models growing up who were doing what I aspired to do, especially in finance or at the executive level in Entertainment, where very few people look like me. Read more >>>
George Arvanitidis
I actually see that as my biggest privilege—and one of the strongest weapons in my arsenal. In the art world, being unique is the ultimate goal. A lot of people feel the need to fit in with the crowd, but I’ve always disagreed with that. For me, standing apart has been the foundation of my career. Read more >>>
Lisa SVAN
In Sweden, being different made me ‘odd.’ In Los Angeles, it made me unique. I learned that being the only one in the room means I can be the room.’ Coming from Sweden, one of the most homogeneous cultures in the world, I grew up with the unspoken rule that the safest path was to fit in. Read more >>>
Cesar Cornier
In my career, there have been many moments where I’ve been the only person in the room who looks like me or comes from my background. While that can feel intimidating at first, I’ve learned to see it as a strength. My unique experiences allow me to approach projects with a perspective that others may not have. Read more >>>
Piragio Thompson
The way I’ve learned to be successful when I’m the only one in the room who looks like me is by being unapologetically myself, because honestly, who’s better than me? When I walk into a room, the energy shifts. Eyes turn, whether I want them to or not, and I lean into that presence instead of shying away from it. Read more >>>
Charle Engler
Being the only one in the room who looks like me hasn’t always been easy, but over time, it’s pushed me to find confidence in who I am. At first, it definitely felt intimidating. Read more >>>
Andrā Howard
I’ll never forget walking into one of my first high-stakes meetings early in my career. The table was filled with seasoned professionals, and I was not only the youngest person there, but also the only one who looked like me. I had prepared, I had my notes, and I told myself I was ready. But afterwards, in my mind, it felt like a disaster. Read more >>>
Tara Gowen
Being “the only one in the room” for me hasn’t always been about appearances — it’s been about standing firm when my voice or my choices went against the norm. There have been many times in my career when the easier option would have been to stay quiet, to go along with the crowd, or to compromise on my values. Read more >>>
Greicy Santos Charles
There have been many moments in my journey when I was the only one in the room who looked like me, spoke with my accent, or came from my background. At first, it was intimidating—I felt the weight of having to prove myself twice as much. But instead of allowing it to make me small, I decided to let it empower me. Read more >>>
Hydra
Confidence! People can feel energy and can also feel when you’re not 100% secure in your mind/body or etc. Embrace yourself completely, give yourself grace like you give others and remain focused on the goal and dream of it all! Read more >>>
Renata Coleman
I was taught early on that as a Black woman, I might need to work harder and show up stronger than others. That lesson shaped how I approach every room I walk into. To succeed, I’ve focused on being well-prepared, confident in my expertise, and intentional about how I contribute. Read more >>>
Robin W. Pearson
Our nine-member family often draws attention, not that we seek it. We’ve often been the only black homeschoolers in a room. My husband and I constantly remind our peeps (and ourselves), “You are an individual, unique part of a community.”—but not necessarily because of their skin color. How they think and use their gifts and talents sets each of us apart. Read more >>>
Chago Davis
I’ve worked in IT since roughly 2000, and there aren’t a lot of Black men in this industry. I’ve more or less had an innate desire to show others that I can excel wherever I’m placed. I’m from Detroit and grew up in a time frame where, statistically, I wasn’t supposed to live past the age of 23. Read more >>>
Rachel DeSonier
When I first started strength training several years ago, I was very often the only woman in the weight room at my gym. Things are (thankfully) different now, but when I started it was very intimidating because I was new, and often lifting wayy less than all the grunting men in there. Read more >>>
Jason Carter
Being the only one in the room makes it evermore clear that I am unique. My presence, my lived experience and my talent is unique. Furthermore, I am in a position to share what I possess with a purpose that’s greater than myself. Read more >>>
Gin Lin
As a Taiwanese professional working in New York, I often find myself the only one in the room who looks like me. When I was a researcher in Christie’s Post-War and Contemporary Art department, I was the only person from Asia, and there were moments when I worried that my language or cultural background might hold me back. Read more >>>
Kaylin Strahan
Being the only one in the room that looks like me has definitely been both a challenge and a motivator. At first, it was intimidating because I felt the weight of not fitting the “expected” mold and sometimes questioned whether I belonged. But over time, I realized that my difference is actually my strength. Read more >>>
Khalilah (like Delilah with a “K”)
Listen, being “the only one in the room” isn’t new for me…it’s practically been my assigned seat. And sure, it comes with its challenges, but I had to flip the script early on. I remind myself constantly why I do what I do and who I do it for. Read more >>>
JonesMechelle Bumpers, Esq.
Before I even walked into the room, I knew I’d likely be the only one who looked like me. Through the grapevine, I heard about the meeting —one specifically for real estate attorneys practicing in the specific courtrooms which I’ve worked in nearly every week for over a decade. But no one sent me an invitation. Still, I showed up. Not out of spite. Read more >>>
Dr. Ijeoma Okoligwe, PhD
This question hits deep because it’s been the story of my life. As a Nigerian woman with a PhD, a strategist, and a founder, I’ve gotten used to walking into rooms, especially corporate boardrooms or investor meetings, where no one looks like me. I used to see it as a disadvantage. But over time, I’ve learned to flip that narrative. Read more >>>
Yifan Cai
As a young Asian female landscape designer working in America, I have often found myself in international settings where women are rarely seen in the room. In those moments, my voice could easily be overlooked. What helped me succeed was letting my professional expertise and passion for landscape architecture take the lead. Read more >>>
Nicola Lambo
Truth be told, I have learned to be effective or successful even when I am the only one in the room that looks like me, by not worrying about being the only one in the room that looks like me, and instead focusing on why I’m in the room. Read more >>>
Kenyn Brown
Wow what a great deep question. I’ve always known that with my outgoing personality, that I was different from anyone else in the room for most environments, and it has definitely been part of my journey. Read more >>>
Austin-Tucker
For me, in any form of art you have to have a boundless duty to present as individualist as possible. The journey of creating has the same sense of not knowing as the brush that paints it. Read more >>>
Rain VanHecke
My mom always told me to be authentic—“people can tell when you’re genuine and when you’re not.” That advice has guided me throughout my life, especially when I’ve been the only one in the room who looks the way I do. Read more >>>
Olivia Martin Martin
To be successful and impactful in a room, you must embody a work ethic brimming with tenacity, resiliency, and curiosity—like nobody is watching. Pedal to the metal. Success is not a quantified metric. Read more >>>
Jessica Tseng
I grew up in a traditional Chinese family where girls are supposed to take a back seat to the boys in the family and confidence wasn’t something that was ever taught to me. Read more >>>
