This letter from Mar Brandt is part of Pavilion’s International Women’s Day 2025 collection, where the women of Pavilion share heartfelt letters to their younger selves. Through these reflections, they explore the lessons, challenges, and defining moments that have shaped their careers. Read more inspiring stories here.
Dear Mar,
I know the future is a little fuzzy. It’s because you don’t YET see anyone that looks like the future version of you. What you don’t know is that you’ll be blazing a trail. Not just for your family, but for other Asian women who want to be successful in business but have yet to see examples of what “Asian women in business” looks like. This will be your north star. Your hard work, ambition and self-belief will be your drivers. But you’ll also be guided by great people on this journey whose counsel you will rely on to bridge this vision-representation gap. With their support, you will do big and hard things! You will win awards, run teams of all sizes, help build great businesses, and create millions of dollars of revenue for tech companies.
But you will be more than your work. Your impact will be felt in communities beyond the office. You will help build women’s groups, setting an example for many young women (and men) who will value your mentorship. You will help lead non-profits that focus on education and social impact. You will advise founders who are just building their dreams. You will do all of this while raising two amazing boys, who will watch your every move and model your values. And this will be the most fulfilling part of your journey.
At some point in your career you will pause and discover why the pull to pay it forward and give back is just as strong as the pull to work hard and achieve. You will realize you’ll need to balance your heart with your mind to be truly fulfilled. Forget business skills; this will be your real superpower, and will distinguish you as a leader from all others around you. Your empathy, your generosity and your genuine care for others will be hallmarks of how you succeed and lead in life and business, even if sometimes this will also cause you to feel “othered”. You’ll be considered not strong enough, not tough enough, not “man” enough, or just all around not enough. You will fail to get the job, be passed up for promotions, excluded from decisions, and generally disadvantaged because of who you are. But as a daugher of immigrants, resilience is in your bones.
When this happens, never forget that you’re The One. Let self-love be your anchor. You are more talented, harder working, and more capable than many others who will be chosen because they “look and sound like” everyone else. Use the hard lessons as fuel for growth, but also use them to define where you belong. Where you thrive. And what environments ultimately deserve to have you. This will be an important example you’ll set for other women.
So be patient with the universe, Mar. Play the long game, you will “fall seven times, and rise eight”; enjoy every moment – the highs and the lows. Know that what is right for you will always find you. Stay courageous, curious, and compassionate. And one day you will realize you’ve actually helped define what “Asian women in business” looks like. It looks like you!
With so much love,
Your Future Self
The Women of Pavilion Community is a dynamic subcommunity of Pavilion dedicated to fostering belonging, knowledge-sharing, and professional growth for women in go-to-market. Led by Anne Pao, Founder and CEO of Ignite Consulting, and Lindsay Tjepkema, Founder and CEO of Human Brands Win, this group empowers members to break barriers, advocate for themselves authentically, and advance both personally and professionally through curated content, exclusive events, and a supportive network.
Curious to learn more? Explore Pavilion membership.
