This Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Chief Members will celebrate by donning a lapel pin featuring Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu — known for walking away from her sport at the height of expectation, then returning on her own terms to win gold at the 2026 Milano Cortina Games.

She’s a powerful reminder that success is most fulfilling when it reflects who you are.

That leadership is not only about achievement, but about trusting yourself and giving yourself the freedom to evolve.

Inspired by Alysa, members of Chief’s API community took a moment to reflect on how they’re redefining their own success, choosing well-being over expectation, and leading with authenticity.

Moving Beyond the ‘Next Big’ Title

“Moving on from Paramount Global, I decided my next venture needed to feel right, not just look right. After years in senior media roles, I realized that chasing the next ‘big” title wasn’t the right definition of success for me. I wanted to create more room for purpose, well-being, and continued growth — both professionally and personally. I especially wanted the flexibility to explore those things as well as my creative passions.

“Trusting that the experience and judgment I’d built over the years would still carry forward, even outside a traditional corporate structure, gave me the courage. That choice has made me more deliberate about my work and the impact I want to have in this next chapter.”

Jocelyn Loleng
Media Partnerships Consultant, The Content Exchange

Building a Portfolio Career

“One pivotal decision I made was to stop defining success as a single career ladder and start building a portfolio of impact — as an executive, board advisor, author, innovation leader, and mother. I chose expansion over permission, and purpose over a narrow definition of achievement. What gave me courage was realizing that legacy is not built by fitting into one title, but by using my voice, experience, and values in the rooms where change is shaped. That decision reflects how I lead innovation: connecting ideas across industries, challenging outdated models, and turning complexity into measurable business value. For me, success is no longer about climbing one ladder. It is about creating impact across the systems I have the opportunity to influence.”

Nazia Raoof
Senior Vice President, Business Transformation, Contiviti

Protecting Energy for What Matters

“I’ve learned to calibrate the energy I bring to work. Not everything needs 100% of me, and recognizing that was the pivot. I was exhausted trying to show up fully for all things, all the time. I started saying ‘no’ more, so I could say ‘yes’ better. Now I actually have more energy for what really matters.”

Reema Pinto
Global Head, Design & Strategy, Method 

Finding Clarity Through Pause

“I was feeling unsatisfied in a job and knew that it was not going to serve me well in the long run. I resigned without a new position lined up. I took time to rethink my priorities and also devoted time volunteering at a meditation center near me. I look back on that period as one of the happiest in my life: calm, centered, and more attentive to each day.”

Devasena Gnanashanmugam, M.D.
Physician Executive

Making the Leap From Executive to Entrepreneur

“The most pivotal decision I've made was leaving a successful executive career to build my solopreneur coaching business.

“In corporate, I finally worked my way up to have a seat at the table. My last company had just gone through a successful exit. I had earned everything I was taught to go after. I could've continued down that path, but I also recognized the cost of that… the exhaustion that comes from trying to mold yourself into a system that wasn't built with you in mind.

“A big part of what gave me the courage to take the leap was the Chief community (going on my 5th year of membership!). Somewhere along the way I started noticing a pattern: the Chief Members I met who seemed the most fulfilled, the happiest with their work… They were all coaches! I'd always been drawn to coaching, but seeing them up close really planted the seed for me.

“When I took a sabbatical from corporate life, I finally gave myself permission to take it seriously. I started having real one-on-one conversations with coaches I knew through Chief, my Core Guide, women I met at the Clubhouse. And through those conversations, little by little, I started letting go of the story that I wasn't the kind of person who could actually do this.

“Today I coach executives and senior leaders, and that work ripples. The reach I have today is something I never could've built inside a single corporate structure.”

Hope Gong
Executive Coach