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.
Roamy
This was the hardest part to master when creating music. I stayed home while my roommates at the time would go out every night to drink and party. All while i stayed home and worked on producing music Read More>>
LUCIRI
I’ve learned to be effective and successful by fully embracing what makes me different. Growing up, I moved from state to state. I was born in California, then lived in New Jersey, and eventually settled in Texas. Because of my mixed Latino heritage and the moving around, I was rarely surrounded by people who looked like me. Read More>>
Dauss Miller
I’ve been the only one in the room for most of my life…the kid with tattoos from small-town Indiana sitting across from global brands, the darkest skinned artist in a room full of executives, the visionary in a room full of analysts, the one who saw story before strategy. At first, that used to feel like a gap I had to close. Read More>>
Darius Walker
When you’re the only person in a room who looks like you—which can be the case quite frequently as you work different rooms throughout the Midwest—an invisible, weighted jacket is worn at times. This jacket carries the weight people have added to it through the perceptions they’ve built about me prior to even meeting me. Read More>>
LaTasha Smith
Being the only one in the room that looks like me has never been easy, but it’s taught me how to stay grounded, focused, and intentional. I had to learn early on to block out the noise—the doubt, the assumptions, and sometimes even the silence—and keep my eyes on my goals. Read More>>
Angela Yarber
As a queer clergywoman, I often found myself in spaces where I was not only the only woman in the room AND the only queer person in the room, but I was also surrounded by people who thought my very existence was an abomination. Read More>>
Jasmine Stokes
For twenty years in the corporate world, the reality was stark. 98% of the time, I was the only Black Woman on my team, in that department, in that room, or chosen for that leadership table. In the early days, my strategy was pure survival. Read More>>
Bryson Bernarde
I’ve always been the youngest in the room — the kid sitting across from people twenty years older, talking business strategy. To make it more interesting, I’ve never exactly looked like your typical Wisconsinite. Read More>>
Mary McCrary
There have been many times when I’ve walked into rooms where no one shared my story — rooms filled with people of wealth, influence, education, and clean records. In those moments, I could easily feel like I don’t belong. But what grounds me is knowing who I am and whose I am. Read More>>
Danielle Coulanges
I’m a retired high school teacher turned blogger (One Aging Diva) and YouTuber (D’Auntie Speaks), where I share advice on faith, relationships, self-worth, and life’s twists and turns. My guidance is rooted in lived experience, humor, and grace Read More>>
Sharday Adams-Lee
Remove the ‘looks like me’ mentality. In other words recognizing and applying the truth that my identity is not wrapped up in what I look like. My identity is in the Messiah and in doing so, I am able to see or search for like fruit in a room rather than clothing, style, gender, skin color, etc. Read More>>
Brando Rivera
During our journey in the music industry, we have definitely learned how to keep our heads up high. This industry has helped us understand constructive criticism, how to compromise, overcoming obstacle, as long as multiple aspects of being an artist going through our story! From struggling with no assets to having as much as we can, there will always be something to work on! Read More>>
Marshella Lie
Being the only one in the room who looks like me has actually strengthened me as an educator. At first, it was intimidating, but I learned to see my background as a strength, not a barrier. It allows me to bring a unique perspective to conversations about student needs, equity, and culturally responsive teaching. Read More>>
Marge Riks
I’ve been in situations where I felt like I was the only one who looked different or thought differently. I so deeply wanted to be like everyone else — to be able to present myself the same way, to learn more and more, hoping that maybe then I would meet the standards and achieve something. Read More>>
Sharonda Scott
This is something that I am still experiencing working in hollywood for the last 7 years. I think growing up in diverse environments and traveling has helped me built a confidence that no matter where I go or no matter where I am my voice still matters. The truth of the matter is that all diversity matters. I just makes better stories. Read More>>
Marco Harrington
I focus on what and not who. I aim to achieve my goals regardless of who is watching me. Read More>>
Tene Francis-Phillip
I was twelve the first time I realized I was different. I went to an all-girls boarding school in small, very white, suburb in Reading, England. Three hundred students. Just 3 of us were Black. I grew up in the Caribbean where *I* was the majority, and white people were the minority. Read More>>
Sierra Dockery
I really appreciate this question, both as a teacher and as the CEO of my company. In the early stages of my entrepreneurial journey, I often chose to stay in my role as a teacher and intentionally didn’t let others know that I owned the company. When I interacted with others, I would speak as though I was simply an employee. Read More>>
Gomo Masilo
I’ve learned to stay effective by staying true to who I am and keeping my focus on the goal. I don’t seek validation from others; instead, I find inspiration and motivation from within. That inner drive keeps me grounded and confident, even when I’m the only one in the room who looks like me. Read More>>
Zona Akunwanne
I find there is strength in being like absolutely nobody else. I’m definitely not the only Nigerian American female director, actress or writer to ever exist. There were many before me that paved the way and allowed me to exist in these spaces. But I am definitely the only Zona. Read More>>
Caroline Gombe
I was born and raised in an almost all white Eastern European country, Romania. Living there i was not only the only Black person in the room, most times i was also the first Black person people would see. The first thing i remember doing, since i was a very young child, is justifying my existence. Read More>>
Dr. Calvin L. Haygood Jr.
Question: Being the only one in the room: how have you learned to be effective and successful even when you are the only one in the room that looks like you? Response: I’ve learned that being the only one in the room who looks like me can be both a challenge and a calling. Read More>>
M-J Vincent
At the majority of events I attend, I’m the only Indigenous artist. I’ve built a place for myself in my city over the years to feel comfortable and confident in taking up space. There were some major changes I had to make within myself to get to where I am today. Read More>>
Dr. Natasha Ward
I’ve been the only one in the room since second grade. I was tested for the “Gifted” program, and once I was placed, none of my classmates looked like me from that point on. I still remember those moments: walking the fine line between knowing who I was and why I was there, and testing assimilation to see if it fit. It never did. Read More>>
Quanika Maddox
I hold myself to a very high standard when it comes to my goals. I truly believe in myself. I know that I am powerful and unstoppable because of what I’ve endured and the things I accomplished that others thought were impossible for me. I understand that I cannot compare myself to others because they don’t share the same vision as I do. Read More>>
Chloe Banks
Because I no I’m here for a reason not many survived even one bullet and I survived 9 the chair didn’t stop anything it’s just like jewelry something added to my cloths cuz I’m still the baddest still bossy and demanding the same as I would if I stood on concrete but since I’m 10 toes to metal aka the foot rest I’m demanding even more respect cuz I did what u did already now I gotta do this and still going out some respect in my NAME Read More>>
Portia Ishmon
Being the only one in the room who looks like me didn’t intimidate me — it initiated me. It taught me how to lead with audacity, to show up as my full, unfiltered self, and to embody authenticity no matter who’s watching or where I stand. Read More>>
Tori Diaz
To bring the light allowing the light to shine through me is my faith and trusting the process Read More>>
Purple Vegan Momma
Attention spans are getting increasingly shorter. My goal is to grab and maintain attention. I do that in a variety of ways. 1. Purple hair. It’s a head turner and a great conversation starter. Once we begin speaking we can delve into my specialty which is the Art of Expression. Read More>>
Jada McCray
Being young and Black as a wellness entrepreneur has often left me as the only one in the room who looks like me. I can think back to many instances—from trainings to grief retreats—where I am not only the only person in their early 20s, but also the only Black person. Read More>>
Gabriela Flores Morales
Success, for me, feels like an ongoing process, one I’m not even sure I’ve truly learned. As an immigrant, and as someone who visibly looks like one, it often feels like I’m walking on eggshells. Every step forward is cautious, calculated, and clouded with the awareness of how I’m perceived. Read More>>
Jonathan Leon
I learned to be effective even when I was the only one in the room. I had ideas that some people thought were impossible or doubted that I, with just a small camera, could ever reach the point where I am today. But most of all, I became effective because of the experiences and challenges I faced in the past. Read More>>
Victor Migalchan
Eagles fly alone. Being the only one in the room, whether it was a business meeting room, or gym, or restaurant, it has never intimidated me – it has motivated me. Coming from a multicultural background, competitive spirit and navigating industries like entertainment, business, and government relations, I’ve often found myself in spaces where no one looked or thought like me. Read More>>
