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.
Kayla Derengowski
As a solo beauty provider in my own salon, I get a lot of questions like “well how do you stay current?”, “how do you gain more knowledge when you aren’t physically around anyone that is better than you?”, and even “you aren’t a traditional hairstylist, how do you overcome that adversity?” Read more>>
Shelly McGowan
This requires confidence and knowing exactly who you are. Everyone has a beautiful light within. I represent light & love. People gravitate towards positivity. I go in as myself. I thrive with my God given talents and capitalize off of common ground, an open mindset, and of course my southern charm. Read more>>
Paris La Don
The beautiful part of my journey is that I for a long time WAS the only one in the room that looked like me ! Being a unique black male designer from america starting my professional career in fashion; in China is what set me aside from a lot of my competitors today. Read more>>
Dr. Burgundi Herring
In my current field of Healthcare Staffing, which is predominantly Caucasian male-dominated, I’ve learned to leverage my unique position as someone who stands out due to my skin color. This natural attention-grabbing quality gives me an advantage without needing to resort to gimmicks or elaborate strategies to gain notice. Read more>>
Deeba Montazeri
It’s interesting because I used to hate it. I was frustrated with how it felt like there was a lack of women, especially women of color in film scoring. The majority of productions, you’re working with mostly men, being in the role of audio engineer, sound editor, producer, etc. There was a few times where in a recording session, I was assumed to be one of the musician’s girlfriend. Read more>>
Jarrett Abel
I’ve come to find that the best way to be effective in these situations is to show everyone that I belong in these spaces. I achieved this by demonstrating my vast knowledge of my craft, providing consistent quality content, and lastly, by being relatable to my audience by simply being myself. Read more>>
Rydell Tomas Jr
I’ve learned to successfully overcome adversity, develop as a leader and set an example by seeking guidance from servant leaders. Mentorship, when done properly, is one of the most influential tools in our society. It can be a challenge to obtain success when you don’t see a pathway. Read more>>
Tanishia Neal
Being the only biracial woman in a room can be a unique and sometimes challenging experience. It often involves navigating a space where few, if any, share your particular blend of cultural or racial background. However, it can also be an empowering situation that fosters growth, resilience, and success. Read more>>
Karian D
Being the only one in the room who looks like you can present unique challenges, but it can also be an opportunity to showcase your strengths and make a powerful impact. I found that in order to be effective and successful in such situations, it’s important to cultivate confidence in yourself and your abilities. I’m self-aware which allows me to understand my strengths and weaknesses, enabling me to leverage them effectively. Read more>>
Michelle Lim
I am a Filipino-American woman who is transitioning from a career in software engineering to a career as a concept artist for games. Both of these fields are predominantly male, however, and I’ve often found myself in situations where I am the only person in the room that is a woman. Read more>>
Sandra Aderibigbe
In my journey, I’ve come to realize that excelling often means navigating spaces where people who look like me are underrepresented. Often times in my industry, I’ve encountered situations where I’m tasked with coordinating experiences or campaigns where individuals who resemble me are not included. Read more>>
Weam Namou
In Baghdad, I was the only Christian student in my classroom. We lived in Iraq, a Muslim country which, back then, was Baathist too. As non-Muslim, non-Baathists, we had a lot of disadvantages. I watched my family quietly maneuver through life to survive an oppressive regime and secretly leave Iraq. Read more>>
Tatiana Smith
looks like myself is the confidence that I have in the subject matter that I speak on. I am often the only black person in the room when it comes to trainings, conferences, and some networking events. Read more>>
Angela Ray
As an African-American woman who grew up in a predominately White neighborhood and then attended a PWI for college, I learned very quickly to hold my own. Once I began taking accelerated classes in school, I was in fact often the only one. At first, it was uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable. Read more>>
SARAH Nangoba
Ever since I can remember, I’ve felt like I stood out from the crowd, at the beginning that was not something that I was looking forward to. As a little girl, my main goal was to fit in, but no matter what I did, I just couldn’t shake the feeling of being different. It was there in the way I was brought up, in my family’s traditions, in the color of my skin, and the texture of my hair. Read more>>
Jonatta Harmon
In a world where diversity often defines our interactions, being the only one in the room who looks like me has been a profound journey of self-discovery and empowerment. Embracing my uniqueness and understanding my identity in Christ has been the cornerstone of my resilience. Rather than allowing differences to hinder my progress, I have leveraged my distinct perspective to bring fresh insights and innovative solutions to the table. Read more>>
Philip Balonwu
As the owner of Afrovibes TV & Radio station, Afrovibes Entertainment Group, Afrovibes Coffee, and Afrovibes Magazine, I have often found myself in situations where I am the only one in the room who looks like me. In such moments, I have learned to navigate and thrive by relying on several key strategies. Read more>>
TAYLOR THOMAS
The societal norms in America make it extremely hard for someone, who looks like me, to ever feel accepted. I am half Puerto Rican and half African American. Growing up identifying as a black woman was the biggest dictator in my life. Most people could not see past my race. Therefore, it was difficult for me to look past my race. Read more>>
Gabriela Avila
I have never been one to seek the spotlight. I enjoy being more behind the scenes. However, music performance, art, dance performance, and now speaking in my work for mental health, have all pushed me to learn to be in the spotlight and to hopefully be effective with my message when I am. Read more>>
Alyceson-Grace Eke
You are successful in those spaces when you are your best self. I grew up in that environment, actually. Most of my classes and groups were super-majority a different appearance through childhood. And I was often people’s first exposure to Black Americans or children of African immigrants, so as first impressions and instinct suggest, you want to honor your backgrounds accordingly. Read more>>
Alexandra Castro
Wow – does this happen (unfortunately) more often than not. I am a firm believer that when I am in these spaces of inequality, what makes my voice effective is speaking from both my heart and my brain. I’ve learned to be direct without having to worry about being a people pleaser. Read more>>
Carly Hyder
Being in a creative field of business as well as an entrepreneur already sets a person apart from the crowd. Executing my work has never been hard for me because when I come up with an idea, it’s so set in my head that I can’t rest until it’s done. I’ve had several people in life second guess my ideas and plans to make money or grow my business. Read more>>
Roy Holmes
I work with people from all walks of life. Playing sports growing up taught me that not everyone is the same. People have different backgrounds and different upbringings. A mantra that I like to live by is that I’m a coach, and what I offer can help anyone. I feel that people often times get caught up with defining themselves as “X.” Read more>>
Valencia Griswold
Being the only one in the room who looks like me requires two essential qualities: confidence and resilience. Whether in the workplace or classroom, this used to be quite intimidating. However, I learned to understand that being the only one who looks like me in the room is an advantage, which aided my ability to stand when most may believe that I should kneel. Read more>>
Rev. Patricia Ferreira
Ever since I can remember, being the only one who looked like me and did not fit in were themes in my life, creating a lot of internal noise and overcompensating. I call this my Shoulds & Shame ERA. I remember growing up feeling like I was not black enough in my neighborhood because I was Latina—and too black In my all-girls, predominately caucasian parochial school. Read more>>
Evangelist Angie BEE
I am a lovely, intelligent, well-spoken, African American, Alopecian, woman. That can be an intimidating factor when I enter the room. I am an entrepreneur, a minister and the voice of numerous audiobook and commercials. Men adjust their gaze when they first see me, and women have been known to view me as threatening when I approach. Read more>>
YiJun Jiang
First to be a better communicator: Expressiveness not only involves conveying the message you genuinely intend but also ensuring the accuracy of the tone, particularly as English is not my native language. I often provide examples and include visual aids when seeking clarification. Read more>>
Caitlin Fine
I joined the Navy when I had just turned 18, so I am used to being either the only woman or one of a few women in a much larger crowd of men. I am confident that my accomplishments stand for themselves and demonstrate my abilities. In the Navy and in school, I was always a hard worker and top performer, and people respected that regardless of my gender. Read more>>
Sina Azari
Being the only one can be an opportunity for growth, learning, and breaking barriers. Embrace your uniqueness and use it as a catalyst for progress. You gotta own it. Provide value, ask yourself, what can you do, present, or share to be different, ride on your strengths and take risks, fail forward. Read more>>
Jasmine Legree
My unique appearance has become my signature, setting me apart in a crowded industry. I’ve learned to embrace and celebrate what makes me different, Read more>>
Jason Duval Hunter
This is the most interesting question out of all the options because often I find myself in the situation where I am indeed the only black man in a room full of others. Through many years of experience with this scenario, I have learned to accept that if not me, then who? If there is only going to be one black man in the room and at the table, it might as well be me. Read more>>
Gina Anayana
It takes a lot of courage and self-awareness to truly embrace one’s own uniqueness and celebrate the differences that make us who we are. The first crucial lesson is to know our worth, understanding the value we bring to the table and refusing to let others’ perceptions define our worth. Read more>>
