Thought Leader Spotlight: Chi Thukral
featuring chi thukral (she/her/hers), the
Head of Content marketing & Sustainability at Yanko Design
Born and raised in Mumbai, Chi worked full-time in film crews while simultaneously completing her Bachelors in Mass Media. She then moved to Boston and pursued her higher education at Emerson College and graduated with a Masters in Global Marketing Communications & Advertising in 2016.
Chi currently works as the Content Marketing Head at Yanko Design, splitting her time between Japan and Toronto. Her two passions are photography and food, you will always find her with a camera in her hand or several tabs of recipes open on her phone. Be it out in the world or in her kitchen, Chi is always cooking up something creative! Her unique experience of life in India and America give a perfect balance of Eastern and Western flavours to everything she does - be it devising a global marketing strategy or fixing up fusion food, she is proud to represent both cultures through her content and career.
Learn more about Chi here.
We had the opportunity to sit down with Chi and ask her a few questions. Read more about her below.
Embrace Her Lead:
What is it like working as the Head of Content and Sustainability at Yanko Design, one of the largest design publications?
chi:
Every day is different, and I really mean that. I am covering new designs every single day so my strategies for content also have to be tweaked every day. It is very fast-paced and there are times that can be overwhelming because while we are a global publication we are a very small team. So it is always a creative challenge to make the largest impact with limited resources - it is very start-up-like in its nature and therefore we come up with a lot of innovative solutions daily to optimize our content! Think of it like Chopped but for design/content!
Embrace Her Lead:
If you could do it all over again, would you change anything about the way you approached your professional journey?
chi:
Yes, I think I would be more assertive. As an expat a lot of times you settle for things or take sh*t because you are a foreigner but I now realize the value of my skill set, my personality, and my humor which goes into the job and makes me unique. Those are skills you cant quantify so I never valued them in the beginning but now they are my biggest assets - I wish I knew this earlier on so I could have taken more risks.
Embrace Her Lead:
Describe any challenges you have faced in your career roadmap as a woman? What’s one piece of advice you would give to the younger you?
chi:
I was let go due to budget cuts one time and it was extremely stressful to be able to find a new job within my visa deadlines. On top of that my self-esteem took a hit because not many people at the time of Trump's presidency wanted to hire foreign workers despite their skills. I would often wonder if it's the policy or if I am not good enough. That was a huge challenge for me to overcome as a content marketer and as a creator. The worst part of it all was watching men who were lesser qualified than I fill up the spots I was aiming for so the second-guessing now continued into "Is it because I am a woman or is it because I am a foreigner?". We often forget our accomplishments during our failures which leads to imposter syndrome - I still fight this - but now I have a spreadsheet where I track the problems I have solved and things I am accomplishing not only so I can look back on hard days and reassure myself but also because in interviews these are great points to bring up when you are questioned about your strengths. I wish I started tracking earlier but better late than never!
Embrace Her Lead:
Do you think that mentorship is important in your area of expertise? Have you had any mentors who helped shape or impact your professional or personal growth? Who do you look up to for mentorship?
chi:
Oh absolutely! I have three mentors who have shaped the leader I am/aspire to be. My grad school professor Melissa Andretta (CMO SF International Airport) was very hands-on with teaching us about real-life marketing campaigns and involved us in the things she worked on as CMO. My current CEO, Takashi Yamada, has been my biggest mentor/teacher yet because he is constantly helping me improve as a content marketer by giving me bigger challenges and also space to keep growing - there are no boundaries and I can experiment as much as I want at Yanko Design which helps me upgrade my skills and conquer fears. Christina Garnett is a recent addition to my mentors as she helps me navigate the ups/downs of leading a community on social media and how to always give back. Mentors are so important in our industry but also in general, they are guides that can really shape your professional values and boost you on your journey - I feel less lost when I know I have them by my side. I look up to David Griner, Musa Tariq, Matthew Kobach, Christina Garnett, and Takashi Yamada.
Embrace Her Lead:
What do you think are the most important attributes of successful mentors?
chi:
Honesty! As a mentor, you are expected to know everything and have all answers but that is unrealistic. It is good, to be honest at that point and tell your mentee that you don't know something instead of trying to fake it which damages both people. And empathy is equally important for a mentor - we have all been in the mentee's place at some point and we must be the leaders that we needed for them.
Embrace Her Lead:
We think that it is your authenticity and relatability which make you an inspirational thought leader. What are you extremely passionate about?
chi:
Thank you so much for saying that, I have only recently started to fully embrace my authenticity online aka my weird self! I am extremely passionate about making pasta, sustainability, and creating content that leaves a positive impact. Everything I do/share is 100% honest and I keep it that way so that even if one more person thinks like me they feel seen - that is how you form a community and I am bullish on sharing all the good, bad, ugly because vulnerability is very inspiring in all its forms.
Embrace Her Lead:
What have been the defining factors in your personal development journey?
chi:
My failures :) they have been far more defining in a positive way than my wins. I don't dwell on them, but the lessons I learned from failing made me FAR better at my job and as a person in general more so than any of my wins. I actually cherish them!
Embrace Her Lead:
What’s one thing you want people to know about you?
Chi:
I lived in 14 apartments over 5 years in the USA and to date, every place I have moved to I have done so without ever visiting it! So I literally have been taking leaps of faith constantly. I find most people think this is crazy (and it is!) but each of these moves was life-changing for me.
Interview by Regina Singh, Chief Operating Officer at Embrace Her Lead.
Our Thought Leader Spotlight series takes a deeper look into the journeys of inspiring women forging their own path from different walks of life. We all have layers that express far beyond what meets the eye in our life’s highlight reels, and through the perspectives shared in this series, we aim to provide a glimmer of inspiration that one may just be looking for in their own tale.
