Be True to Yourself and Change the Game

One of the key quotes that comes to mind for me this month is: "She remembered who she was and the game changed."

I think reflecting on being a young girl and growing into the woman I am today, I've always tried to fit in, be accommodating, and in ways shrunk my thoughts, personality, and my opinion to always make sure that I was liked and considered agreeable.

In doing this, I feel like I've done myself and others a disservice by not bringing my full authentic self to my professional and personal life. This quote is a reminder to remember who I am, the value in my voice, the energy I bring, and the intelligence I've earned. 

By remembering this, I can change the game.

Since I am in recruiting, I am helping change the game when it comes to ensuring women have the opportunities they need. I get the opportunity to share my experience at Palo Alto Networks with candidates and why I've chosen to call this place my work home for five years. 

One thing I always share is that I've experienced so much change during my time here. That includes changes in our strategy, our product evolution and our leadership, but all of the changes have positively contributed to our success.

Regardless of the changes we’ve experienced here, the one thing that has remained the same is our culture and how we treat and interact with each other. This is a low-ego company where people genuinely want to help each other succeed and even though the pace is fast and things are constantly evolving and changing, the people and culture have remained consistent.

For me, it's a blessing and a curse to have experienced a company like this so early on in my career, because I know I'll be chasing this experience and culture for the rest of my life.

That’s especially true as it relates to our FLEX programs. I love having the ability to choose where I work from, whether that is going into the office, working from my apartment, or going somewhere else for the day to change things up. 

The FLEXBenefits program is also a really nice added personalized perk that I've leveraged towards making my work-from-home life better. Mostly, I’ve used it to feed my Lululemon addiction and buy my new work-from-home attire as well as the workout clothes that help me stay active.

I’ve been able to change the game at a company that is constantly changing the game of cybersecurity and I couldn’t have asked for anything more.