63 Comments
User's avatar
Shilpi Thakur's avatar

This was one of the most beautiful pieces I have read in a while. Thanks for sharing Caroline.

Expand full comment
Caroline Lau's avatar

Thank you so much for your kind words!❤️

Expand full comment
Cynthia Massie's avatar

Caroline, I resonate with your statement . . ."I don’t chase the spotlight or crave recognition. My joy comes from knowing things are running smoothly because I was there." My greatest joy comes from serving others and helping them get connected to their greatest need. Thank you for sharing with such vulnerableness.

Expand full comment
Caroline Lau's avatar

Cynthia, love that you feel this too!

Expand full comment
Norms Ashburn's avatar

What a big sister can do!! So impressed by the love that you two share! I am 22 months older than my sister and know the relationship. Wind Beneath My Wings is our song. Thanks for sharing. Great lessons!!

Expand full comment
Caroline Lau's avatar

Is that you Ms Ashburn? Thank you for inspiring the both of us!

Expand full comment
Corinna Kong's avatar

That is so inspiring to meet the person behind Perspectives. I read every single article you work on behind the scene. I also started writing my own too. I truly love reading your story. "We each define success, purpose, and fulfillment in our own ways." Absolutely!

Expand full comment
Caroline Lau's avatar

Love that you are writing too Corinna! 🧡

Expand full comment
Helen H.'s avatar

I love this post so much! It made me tear up!

Expand full comment
Caroline Lau's avatar

Awe, Helen you made my day!

Expand full comment
Shuba Swaminathan's avatar

So genuine, warm, and thoughtfully written that it felt like a hug. I teared up. Looking forward to the next post.

Expand full comment
Caroline Lau's avatar

Shuba, I hesitated writing for a long time but thank you so much for your comment. It is encouraging me to think about what I want to post next time.

Expand full comment
Shuba Swaminathan's avatar

If I maybe so bold as to suggest - what was your journey to self acceptance? How did you manage the expectations to be otherwise and stay true to who you are?

Expand full comment
Monisha Perkash's avatar

Thanks for sharing this. It's very thought-provoking and really resonates.

Expand full comment
Caroline Lau's avatar

Thank you so much!

Expand full comment
Teresa's avatar

Love this! There are so many oughts and shoulds and it's refreshing to hear about someone building their own quiet path. Please share more about how you came up with your business and built it. It would be inspiring for those of us who may be forced to develop our own paths considering the uncertainty that's going on.

Expand full comment
Caroline Lau's avatar

Hi Teresa! I could write many posts about our business. It was definitely a huge change for me. I will put it on a list of upcoming topics I should write about.

Expand full comment
Teresa's avatar

Thank you Caroline Lau! Very much looking forward to it

Expand full comment
Han's avatar

This brought tears to my eyes. I love the quiet strengths that comes from knowing who you are and what truly matters.

Expand full comment
Julia's avatar

This was beautiful and so encouraging. Thank you, Caroline!

Expand full comment
Bhushan B Heda's avatar

Love the authenticity, Caroline!

Expand full comment
Lingling's avatar

What a beautiful and authentic piece, Caroline.

I had the honor of hosting two virtual live chats with Deb in 2020 for the Women in Product community. At the time, I had just become a mother, and her journey deeply inspired me—proof that women can thrive in their careers while raising multiple children.

Now, a few years later, I’m a mom of two, have celebrated promotions, and also navigated setbacks. There were times when I was frustrated with myself, questioning whether I worked hard enough to achieve the heights I had envisioned.

Your article is a powerful reminder that success isn’t one-size-fits-all—we each get to define it for ourselves.

It also gave me fresh insights into parenting, especially the importance of celebrating each of our children’s unique strengths.

Expand full comment
Christina Chen's avatar

Thank you for writing this. I’ve never been the loudest voice in the room, and I would always question if I needed to be. Thank for your reminding me to stay truthful to you.

Expand full comment
Alankriti Tiwari's avatar

Caroline, this was beautiful. I see here also you are supporting Deb. I loved every bit of this post.

Expand full comment
Peter Yang's avatar

How did you build a 7 figure business while being present for your family? From my experience building a business can be harder than climbing the ladder :)

Expand full comment
Caroline Lau's avatar

Peter, hahaha it wasn't easy (and I read your blog posts and know about your day job versus what else you have built). Many late nights while the kids were sleeping talking to factories in china.

That will be a post for another day. We actually built 2 businesses; when life and market conditions change, we pivot.

Expand full comment
Oby's avatar

Great perspective, and much needed in our harried existence today. Purposeful prioritization has become a luxury, what a privilege to have been able to step away from the chains of W2!! Having the financial cushion to be able to step away and build a business is not common, thankfully you were able to do that. I wonder if it is more of that boldness to step out in faith? (and maybe also support). What makes some of us step out while some of us don’t? There are always numerous barriers, but sometimes we just need to start with one step.

Expand full comment
Caroline Lau's avatar

This will be a story for another day. As i am an engineer, I didn't step out without plan A, B and C in place and careful planning.

Expand full comment