Episode 151: Unapologetically Ambitious with Fortune 500 Board Member Shellye Archambeau

Have you ever felt guilty about chasing your dreams? Or fearful of being judged by others for your ambition? Well, you are not alone.

Research shows that women are more predisposed to feelings of shame and guilt than men. From a young age, women are conditioned through social norms to believe that putting yourself first and following your dreams is selfish. And these feelings increase when it comes to going after the life of your dreams.

Our guest, Shellye Archambeau, will teach you how to shed the fear and guilt, and be unapologetically ambitious.

Shellye is one of high tech's first female African-American CEOs and has a track record of accomplishments building brands, high-performance teams, and organizations. Shellye currently serves on the boards of Verizon, Nordstrom, Roper Technologies, Okta, and two national nonprofits, Catalyst and Braven. She is also a strategic advisor to Forbes Ignite and the President of Arizona State University.

She is the author of Unapologetically Ambitious: Take Risks, Break Barriers and Create Success on Your Own Terms.

In this episode, Shellye reveals the mindset, tools and strategies that helped to achieve her dreams.

Shellye shares stories from her own journey – the highs and the lows on her way to the top. She also shares her struggle with imposter syndrome and what helps her deal with it – and how you can do the same. Shellye will empower you with the tools to fight your own battles, make the tradeoffs and create the life you want.

Visit https://www.iambeyondbarriers.com where you will find show notes and links to all the resources in this episode, including the best way to get in touch with Shellye.

 

Highlights:

[02:28] Inspiration behind Unapologetically Ambitious

[03:29] Sharing lessons through storytelling

[05:32] Advice to those who don’t have a plan

[08:40] Figuring out your North Star and how you’ll get there

[10:31] How imposter syndrome has impacted Shellye

[17:31] Evaluating risks and opportunities

[20:38] How to let others know you are looking to advance

[26:05] Biggest opportunity to prepare for

[28:12] Integrating the different parts of our lives

[34:36] Finding your cheerleader

 

Quotes:

“Realize that we are responsible for our careers, we own our careers, not the company, not your mentor, not your spouse, or your partner.”– Shellye Archambeau

“Your whole life should be about learning. The more you learn, the more you grow, the more you're able to contribute.” – Shellye Archambeau

“To pursue your vision, you need to define what you are trying to achieve, what has to be true for it to happen, and what do you need to do in order for it to be true.” – Shellye Archambeau

“When chaos is around you, stay focused on what is really important, and let go of the rest so that you can stay on your feet.” – Shellye Archambeau

 

About Shellye Archambeau:

Shellye Archambeau is an experienced CEO and Board Director with a track record of accomplishments building brands, high performance teams, and organizations. Ms. Archambeau currently serves on the boards of Verizon, Nordstrom, Roper Technologies, and Okta. She is also a strategic advisor to Forbes Ignite and the President of Arizona State University, and serves on the board of two national nonprofits, Catalyst and Braven.

Ms. Archambeau has over 30 years of experience in technology. She is the former CEO of MetricStream, a Silicon Valley-based, governance, risk, and compliance software company. During her tenure MetricStream grew from a fledgling startup into a global market leader.

She is the author of Unapologetically Ambitious: Take Risks, Break Barriers and Create Success on Your Own Terms. A book that will inspire you and provide the tools to enable you to fight the battles, make the tradeoffs and create the life you want. She is also a Forbes contributor and the protagonist of the Harvard Business School Case Study: Becoming a CEO.

Ms. Archambeau enjoys the performing arts, traveling, cooking and writing a blog that provides career advice, insights and other musings (https://shellye.com).

 

Links:

Website: https://www.shellye.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shellye-archambeau/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShelArchambeau

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shelarchambeau/