Melissa Fein, managing director of media APAC at Accenture Song, has told The Growth Distillery’s Stories (Un)Told vodcast the difficulties of starting out her career as a woman and the impostor syndrome that came as a result.
“20-30 years ago getting into advertising was very different for females, I definitely had this impostor syndrome. As a result, I never felt the elements of success that the general public would see. I always felt that I still had something to prove,” she said.
In what could be perceived as a double edge sword, dealing with impostor syndrome gave the ex-Initiative CEO added motivation and drive.
“I was so driven in just proving myself. What’s next for me? What’s next? What’s next? I was just so relentless on myself.”
But it was personal challenges that Fein experienced that helped put her impostor syndrome into perspective.
“I have a rare ability to pull myself out of certain things and compartmentalise because I’ve touched on this publicly, but I’ve had a lot of personal challenges… Regardless you still somewhat have to turn up to work the next day.”
As a result of Fein’s successful career thus far, she has become a role model for emerging talent.
“We see some of the effects that social media is having on this crowd [emerging talent], everything from physical appearances to, am I good enough. There is also the added pressure on young females as well, around their own fertility challenges.
“[They tell me] they want a long career. But also want to be a mother at some point. And females are challenged with that because again, when were growing up, women had children a lot earlier, and this generation wants to hit certain points in their careers.
“I’ve been very vulnerable around my own experiences with that and I’ve been happy to share my own experience.”
Fein was speaking on-stage in Cairns, too. Together with fellow Stories (Un)Told vodcast guest Alex McLean , they discussed what is needed to future-proof brands in 2025.
