Not Defined by Cancer

I know that you've been very open about your battle with breast cancer not once but twice and and you chose to keep working during your treatments. Why was that so important to you?

You know for me I didn't want cancer to define me and for me part of being at work was it let me retain a part of me that I really enjoyed and at one point one of my bosses Joe Pirela said come to work if it's good for you never come in if it's for Morgan Stanley and I think the wisdom of that was he knew that it was important to me for part of my healing and and it was energizing for me not to be defined just by cancer.

I was fortunate you know that the treatment as hard as it was I was able to keep working not everyone can and so I certainly don't want to set this as the as the way one gets through cancer it is a deeply personal experience and everyone has to figure out what their right course is and what they're actually physically able to do but I am grateful that I was able to keep working and it just it was it was energizing it was energizing to be with my colleagues and to know that I wasn't just being defined by how long did did this process last.

So how would you say having breast cancer changed your perspective on life and on leadership?

I think in a lot of really important ways and about choices in my own career. You know that proverbial question where do you want to be in five years all of a sudden actually means a lot more once you've gone through this you realized that every day is a gift and what I never wanted to do is be in a position where I said well why did I keep doing that you know if if in five years god forbid it comes back again I want to ensure that every day I've really lived it to its fullest because every day is a gift. It also, when I was going through it the first time I realized that I was actually very fortunate. I have three amazing children. I've been married to an incredible man for now a very long time.

I never put that part of my life on hold and the number of women I've spoken with where I've heard things like well I'll do that once I reached this level or I'll do, you don't know that you actually have the ability to control a time line that way and I think one of the ways to be extraordinary at what you do at work is to actually have a full rich life if it's all about work I think you can become resentful not as interesting a person you've got to have a full rich light and you can't put that on hold so I would say personally it had a profound impact but also as a leader ensuring that I'm telling my team's you have live life to the fullest. Ensure that you've got that mix in your life. Don't wait for that other time you don't know if you're ever going to have that other time.