Breaking the cycle of climbing the ladder with Dr. Candy Ho
How can women of colour break free from traditional career hierarchies and embrace their full potential as leaders?
Join us in this insightful conversation with Dr. Candy Ho, award-winning educator, consultant and entrepreneur.
Candy shares her leadership journey, masked by kindness, compassion and values-driven decisions, especially during challenging times. She discusses the limitations of the traditional career ladder and offers a refreshing perspective—viewing life and career as a constellation of roles.
Candy emphasizes balancing leadership, personal growth, and meaningful life choices to create a fulfilling career. Reflecting on her career shift from a tenure-track position to entrepreneurship, Candy highlights how the pandemic prompted her to prioritize authenticity, agency, and ambassadorship.
Together, we reflect on identity as a powerful source of truth and success for women of colour and consider how a shift in approach to leadership can impact future generations.
Celebrate breaking new ground in your leadership journey with new definitions, intentional decision-making and value alignment.
Listen to the episode here or watch the episode on Youtube.
---
Learn more about Candy on LinkedIn.
---
03:51 – Candy shares her leadership journey, marked by multiple acts of kindness, compassion and discovery of her values, especially during challenging times. Her career as a researcher, educator and award-winning speaker has been shaped by creating a shared vision, fostering collaboration and recognizing the evolution of a leadership jigsaw puzzle.
06:09 – She discusses the limitations of the traditional hierarchy of ladders in careers and offers a refreshing shift in perspective – seeing life and career as a constellation of roles. Candy highlights that approaching a balance of leadership, personal growth and what matters most in life can support a more meaningful direction in career and leadership choices.
11:00 – To break this cycle of climbing up the ladder, Candy reflects on making a pivotal career shift by leaving a tenure-track position to pursue great flexibility and entrepreneurship. She shares the deep introspection that came with the pandemic and how this prompted her to prioritize authenticity, agency, and ambassadorship in her career. Candy emphasizes that intentional decision-making in creating constellations in life is freeing and has aligned her work with her values, more significant questions, and actions.
28:55 – We end the episode with Candy’s advice for women of colour to embrace their identity as a source of true power and success. She highlights how the available opportunities now provide a profound responsibility to pave the way for future generations, and each woman can make a difference.
African Proverb: “When the music changes, so does the dance.”
What is one step you can take today to bring you closer to what you really want?
