For most of her career, Isa Watson felt like she was living somebody else’s life. She started out as a chemist working her way up the academic ranks, and then she became a world-traveling VP at JP Morgan. And a lot of people online started to take notice of her impressive career. Isa told us she felt she was always chasing the validation of a ‘30 under 30’ or ‘40 under 40’ list, while neglecting her relationships and her own happiness. So, she stopped obsessing over that public praise. And founded Squad, the app that provides the easy and fun way to talk to your friends – away from social media.
In this episode, Isa shares:
How she’s dealt with the pressure of other people’s expectations
The life event that put everything into perspective for her
How she rebuilt her relationship with herself
Why she also became a professional skydiver
Her advice for setting better boundaries with social media
On Leaving her PhD Program
Isa: I also felt a lot of shame because, let's make no mistake. Larry and Sergey can leave their PhD programs to start Google and it's like, “Oh, they have better things to do.”
But when a Black girl leaves her PhD program, it's like, “Oh, she couldn't handle it.” You know?
On A Pivotal Realization
Isa: When I switched over to Wall Street and I was getting ‘40 under 40’ or ‘top 100 this’ or ‘top 30 that,’ I would put it on social media. And I started getting all this validation from people… And I kind of got a little bit addicted to that in a way that made me, kind of a little bit, neglect my real life and the strength of my real relationships in lieu of this positioning life. And when my dad passed away, especially in the way that he did, it made me come back and realize that I had really abandoned some of those strong relationships that had brought me joy for so long.
On What Keeps Her Going
Isa: You always have to live a life that's true to you. And you will disappoint other people along the way. But as long as I'm true to me, and I'm kind, and I show up in the world in a good way, then I'm pleased with that.
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