Cynthia Pong, JD, is a feminist career strategist, speaker, and author of Don’t Stay in Your Lane: The Career Change Guide for Women of Color. An NYU-trained lawyer turned career coach, she is on a mission to embolden women of color to get the money, power, and respect that they deserve. Her career advice has been featured in NPR, HuffPost, FastCompany, and more. She also stands as a LinkedIn Top Voice for Job Search and Career. A proud introvert, Pong told us more about her quest to help others unlock that raging force inside that cultivates success.
What’s the title of your panel session and why is your topic important to you?
Unapologetically Introverted. Thanks to capitalism, White supremacy, and patriarchy, the world we live in doesn’t respect or reward introverts like it does extroverts. So I always want people to know that:
I’m 100% an introvert.
I won’t apologize for it or how my introversion manifests (wanting to reflect on things, not having an immediate response, valuing time alone and in deep thought).
My introverted nature makes me the force that I am.
What tools and processes do you use to find peace?
I aim to meditate five mornings out of the week in order to get my day started on track. When I find myself getting stressed or agitated, I make sure to pause and take a series of deep breaths. And taking walks outside in the fresh air has also been key to maintaining my inner peace during this time.
What are some of the things you do to help you renew your mind, body and soul?
Carving out unstructured blocks of time for myself to let my mind wander. Finding time to be, rather than do. And laughing with friends is always restorative for me too.
What is one of the most sacred places that you like to travel to find peace & purpose? Why?
There’s a trail in a park near where I live in NYC that’s usually pretty quiet. Part of the trail winds close to the Hudson River and I always love going there whenever I need to think something through. I always feel grounded after time there alone with the sounds of the birds, the silence of the woods, and the white noise of the traffic below (it’s still NYC, after all!).
