When I first started out in my career, I'd been a lit major in college so I didn't have a lot of choices. The traditional options were management consultant or investment banking, and I hadn't even taken an economics class so those were pretty much out. I didn't want to go into academia. For me, research and instinct were my unique tools that seemed to work best on a marketing and merchandizing path. It's kind of right-brain and left-brain.

I think being able to sit in the shoes of a woman and being able to manage products that are mostly sold to women, alongside a lot of female employees, is really helpful because you hold that empathy to the situation. You can understand where the customer is coming from.

There is no solution or perfect model you can follow. The best thing I can say is you've got to get close to what you really value. When you strip away your role as a parent, as a mother, and as an executive, what really makes your heart sing? How can you make your mark?

When I first started out in my career, I'd been a lit major in college so I didn't have a lot of choices. The traditional options were management consultant or investment banking, and I hadn't even taken an economics class so those were pretty much out. I didn't want to go into academia. For me, research and instinct were my unique tools that seemed to work best on a marketing and merchandizing path. It's kind of right-brain and left-brain.

These qualities - things like deep listening, collaboration, flexibility, tapping into our emotions - seem to me to be the kinds of qualities that are intrinsic to women. I think that's the thing I'm most excited about: continuing to promote women in the workplace.

It's important to look for mentors all around you.