We recently connected with Christine Soussa and have shared our conversation below.

Christine , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

There are so many stories I can share on taking risks or leaps of faith, here is how I synthesize risk. Oftentimes, it’s viewed as two extremes: risk vs. reward. I choose to see risk from the lens of opportunity assessment. We make countless decisions daily – the opportunity to have choice is a privilege.

Each of us is 1 of 8.1+ billion, living in a world with infinite moving parts. The magic is in recognizing if an opportunity excites you and aligns with how you want to live your life.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve made decisions based on what I call “HEAD, HAND, HEART SYNERGY”. At a high level here is my framework:

HEAD: Does this opportunity make sense to what you consider are your metrics for decision-making? These include things like health, family, joy, income, stability, flexibility, potential, just to name a few. It’s important to think about what really matters to you so the decisions you make are data driven, logical, and prudent.

HAND: Do you actually enjoy doing the work required? Are you willing and eager to commit? Are you willing to do the work? The hand plays a more practical role. It is vital to think about whether you are willing to invest time, daily and long hours, to execute with commitment and dedication.

HEART: Does this opportunity excite you? Does it make your heart sing or grow? Do you feel passion, enthusiasm? Does this energize you? Do you feel rewarded?

Connecting your why, how, and purpose is critical to ensuring you are living the best version of yourself. This combination is magic. How we spend our time and energy is precious, thus, at minimum, the goal is to harmonize these three components.

Christine , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m someone with various interests and pursuits. Things aren’t always linear – they are multidimensional and multi-layered.

Professionally, for over 20 years, I have been in Strategic Sales at a variety of companies. Currently, I am a Global Client Director at Equinix, the world’s leading Digital Infrastructure Platform. Ever wonder how the apps on your phone work with such ease and speed regardless of where you are in the world? How is your user experience the same everywhere you go? How does it all work so seamlessly? A lot of that agility is dependent on a company’s digital and infrastructure architecture – in other words, where are their assets housed and how they are networked and interconnected globally? In my current role, we help companies define, refine, and execute their digital, business, and cloud strategies. I love being a part of global innovation and seeing all the nuances that go into enabling the digital world.

Any advice for managing a team?

• Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Reputation and relationships are critical as are perception and mindset. We dedicate a lot of our life to our profession. No one gets time back, it only moves forward. Thus, things like Integrity, Delivering Value, Consistency, Expertise, Collaboration, Effective Communication are some of my non-negotiables. Most importantly, I love my profession, I love what I do, who I work with, and the impact we make serving our customers and community. Brazilian Poet, Mario Quintana writes, “Don’t waste your time chasing butterflies. Mend your garden, and the butterflies will come” – this reminder applies to how to grow clientele and customer-for-life approach.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Everything is an exchange of energy. I choose to focus my energy on creating, building, learning, growing and glowing. This approach helps me stay focused, recover fast, embrace feedback, and adapt quickly. Remember, your thoughts are powerful, very powerful and life is filled with uncertainties. Lead with care; especially during a storm, when things are falling apart, remain sensibly optimistic and focus on delivering meaningful value.

It was not easy for me to get into Technology Sales decades ago; my experience was in Media/Entertainment, Entrepreneurship and Fashion. I was often overlooked because of the things I didn’t have: a diploma from an Ivy League University, a degree in technology, or Tech sales experience. To top it off, it was exceptionally rare for women to be in traditional quota-carrying technical sales roles. Instead of letting these realities discourage me, I leaned into the value I bring and the things I do have.

In this dynamic constantly-changing world, I love being on the front lines, working with some of the most brilliant technologists, innovative companies, and some of the most remarkable changemakers of our time.