This week my guest is Visha Kudhail, Director Business Marketing EMEA, Pinterest talking to me about speaking out and giving other people a chance to have their voices heard, which is so important in creating open and collaborative cultures. 

Visha shares her insight into how she felt that her life was defined for her as a young Indian woman. She believes society often sets the rhythm and we as humans have to follow after it, whether that is in relation to our friends, partners, education or career paths. It can become so linear that people lose sight of who they really are.

She explains how she took her moment of reset and broke away from what she felt she had to do, to find her own rhythm in the extremely creative,  advertising and marketing industry. With an early career at MTV, Thinkbox and Google it became apparent that the excitement of this industry brought out her best side. Her passion for her work, her people and a desire to drive change helped her to define herself again. 

Together we discuss how to not only speak up ourselves, but how to also encourage our people to speak up and out. We reflect on some horrible bosses who made us doubt our own confidence and just how daunting speaking up can be in that environment. She reveals her top tip for personal growth – take time to stay on top of trends, learn more and listen to others, this can help ensure what you say is correct and relevant. 

Visha reminds me that life is a learning process. You don't always have to be right, just be open to others, kinder than kind and maintain a positive outlook.