Yue Zhao's career began with aspirations rooted in a desire to help people, initially thinking she would become a doctor. However, her path led her into the tech industry, where she spent over 15 years as a product executive in Silicon Valley. Discovering the power of executive and leadership coaching became a pivotal point in her career. Inspired by her experiences and driven by her commitment to support underrepresented groups, Yue transitioned from a tech executive to a full-time executive coach. She now focuses on advancing the careers of women and minorities by leveraging her unique insights and personal journey. Through her Substack newsletter, "The Uncommon Executive," and her coaching work, Yue shares valuable lessons on leadership, overcoming challenges, and creating more inclusive workplaces. Yue has coached hundreds of aspiring executives since 2016, is an instructor at Reforge and Maven and is the author of the Uncommon Executive: Breakthrough to the C-Suite as a Minority. She's also been a VC back founder, venture partner at Life X Ventures and a consultant at McKinsey and Company. Yue has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS in Biomedical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley

What You Will Hear in This Episode:

02:16 Youi's Journey: From Aspirations to Reality

03:52 Discovering Executive Coaching

06:22 Challenges and Triumphs in Silicon Valley

09:20 Leveraging Unique Perspectives

13:37 Coaching Women and Minorities

17:27 Addressing Gender Bias and DEI Efforts

22:03 Building a Web of Influence

23:04 Challenges in Career Advancement

25:03 The Importance of Advocacy and Relationships

33:24 Creating Inclusive Work Environments

Quotes

“Being able to empathize with multiple different perspectives is crucial.”

“Finding those moments where you can say, okay, who I am, and where I naturally come from, gives me a step up.”

“If I do the work and I do it really well, that’ll get me ahead.”

“When you've been in environments where you see what great looks like, you're like, ‘This should just be everywhere.”

Mentioned:

The Uncommon Executive subastack

LinkedIn

eConnect with Bonnie

Online Course for Ambitious Women: https://www.female-career-accelerator-online.com/

Substack Newsletter: Own Your Ambition

Gendered Ageism Survey Results

Forbes article

5 Tips to own the superpower of your age

IAMMusicGroup

Purchase my book Not Done Yet on Amazon:

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