Gowri’s Guide: My Next Journey
A few weeks after my birth, I was diagnosed with a life-threatening condition that left me almost breathless. As a third daughter in a poor single person working family in India, no one truly cared about my survival other than my mother. I was only given a second chance in life because of her courage to take action, even when she was alone in her path.
My parents gave me freedom. They treated me like the son they never had, and dressed me in boys clothes until I was two years old. Norms and rules never guided me. I had the fortune of being born twice! I, Gowri, could do anything. I was unstoppable. I walked through my life and career with just that mentality.
Until the day that I notified my 800+ team about my departure from Walgreens, no one suspected me of leaving the company. I was driving value and highly engaged until I walked out the door. My dedication, ethics and passion never wavered, but I was ready for a different journey.
When failure is not an option — would you dare to disrupt your career?
I did.
For two decades I was a highly driven corporate warrior — committed to launching multiple multi-million dollars successful transformational programs that re-invented business models. I had disrupted the industry, but I had yet to disrupt myself. The same care I took in re-inventing business models I had to bring to my own life. The internal struggle that I battled with was unprecedented. I knew that I was on the edge of my dreams, and would have to fight until I found success. But, I had to build a foundation for this major life change first.
To do so I:
1. Learned how to focus on the present. Adjusting from a hectic corporate schedule to having unstructured days was difficult. Believing in the future gave me the courage to stay positive.
2. Dedicated a few months of my time to my family and friends. I spent time bonding with my family, helped my father improve his health, and traveled with my friends — creating priceless moments and memories.
3. Served as a judge for Future Business Leaders of America to observe and learn more about our future talent and how I can provide better support.
4. Leveraged the strengths of my expanded network of friends and peers to realize ways to add value to the community around me and get new perspectives.
5. Learned to understand that success is not making money, but money is a byproduct of success — which is building your dream and living life on your terms.
After re-grounding myself, with the support of my family, I took a deep dive into my views and understanding of the business world. Emerging technologies have forced our world to undergo major changes and will continue to do so. The fourth industrial revolution is impacting both mechanical and cognitive work. I had first-hand seen the challenges in organizations as technologies began to blur the line between business and IT teams. Business teams are being empowered through democratized data and self-service activities, meanwhile team members are caught in-between without having time to understand the bigger picture and plan for how to adapt with the changing landscape. I knew that I wanted to be at the forefront of these events, to help enterprises and people be successful.
I had found my mission: Empower organizations with the power of analytics and people to rapidly develop Machine Learning solutions, and reskill staff to participate in AI/ML implementations.
So What Am I Up To Nowadays?
· Leveraging my corporate experience, innovation and analytics passion to launch Volantsys Analytics, an organization that focuses on implementing enterprise scale Analytics solution while empowering the workforce. Our data science implementation platform will provide engineering tools and enable staffs to transform their skills to be prepared for future jobs while making enterprise analytics and AI implementations successful.
· Assisting in organizing Chicago AI Days conference with a mission to advance Artificial Intelligence and Robotics within the Midwest region in U.S.A.
· Empowering WOMEN: There is a striking difference between bringing awareness of women inequality and taking actions to address it. I launched a non-profit organization chapter, ChickTech to increase the number of girls pursuing STEM careers and to empower women in the technology workforce.
· Active on the “A Safe Place” board, a non-profit organization focused on preventing domestic abuse and enabling victims of domestic abuse to regain control of their life though shelter, security and support.
· Reconnecting as an alumni with the University of Chicago community by working from the Polsky Exchange and partnering with the Relaunch program to give women a second chance to launch their career.
My ask from those of you who share my values:
1. Be brave and do not worry about what others think. Opportunities arise when you are devoted for your cause. “Courage starts by showing up and letting ourselves be seen” — @BreneBrown
2. Champion for each other! This article shows the shocking reality of the employment world. There are many good people like Oleg Vishnepolsky and Brigette Hyacinth who truly care and help individuals to get noticed by potential employers. We have to move beyond HR checklists that merely keeps us legally good enough to be morally responsible and make meaningful impact on lives.
3. Learn more about Volantsys Analytics, Give Volantsys an opportunity for a WIN-WIN partnership to help your organization excel in analytics by empowering your staff.
I will leave you with one thought…
“Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think” — Winnie-the-Pooh
