Katie Shultz, Chief Communications Officer, Community Foundation Tampa Bay.

What's the single decision that had the greatest impact on your professional success?

I’m not sure it was one single intentional decision, but rather a decision I’ve made over and over again throughout my career: prioritizing genuine relationships. Those relationships have impacted my success far beyond anything I could accomplish on my own.

Early in my career, I worked for a small nonprofit serving at-risk youth involved in the juvenile justice system. One thing the staff would always say to the youth was: “It’s not who you know or what you know—it’s who knows you and likes you.” That has stayed with me ever since.

At the time, I realized that success isn’t just built on credentials, titles, or connections alone. It’s built on trust, connection, and authentic relationships. I made a conscious decision to invest in connecting with people in a genuine way—and I don’t mean networking in the transactional sense. I mean building real relationships with the people you work with, learn from, and grow alongside, both in and outside of the office.

Those relationships have had the greatest impact on my career because they’ve also had the greatest impact on me as a person. On the hard days, when things are stressful or uncertain, those are the people who carry you through. And on the good days, they’re the people you want to celebrate with. They ground you, challenge you, support you, and remind you why the work matters in the first place.

What did you have to unlearn in order to grow?

What I had to unlearn was the idea that I needed to adjust who I was based on the people around me. Early in my career, I spent a lot of time trying to manage how others would respond to me—worrying about disappointing someone, making someone upset, or not fitting a certain expectation. Because of that, I found myself constantly changing my approach, communication style, and even parts of my personality depending on who I was interacting with.

Over time, I realized how exhausting and unsustainable that was. People move on, roles change, and seasons of life shift. Constantly reshaping yourself to meet everyone else’s expectations just isn’t sustainable because, at the end of the day, the one person you are always left with is yourself.

Growth for me came from learning to show up consistently and true to myself, regardless of who was in the room. Once I stopped trying to reshape myself for others, I became more confident, grounded, and effective—both professionally and personally.

How do you handle being underestimated?

I think being underestimated used to bother me much more earlier in my career. I would internalize it and wonder what I needed to change about myself to be taken more seriously. Over time, though, I’ve learned that being underestimated often says more about someone else’s assumptions than it does about your actual abilities.

Now, I try to handle it by staying grounded in who I am and letting my work speak for itself. I’ve also realized that you don’t always need to fight for validation in every room. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is continue showing up confidently and authentically, even when others don’t immediately recognize your value.

Ironically, some of the moments where I’ve been underestimated have ended up becoming opportunities. They’ve pushed me to trust myself more, sharpen my voice, and prove to myself—not just to others—that I’m capable. Most of the time, people eventually catch up to what you already knew about yourself.

Have you ever had to advocate for yourself in a way that didn't come naturally? How did you find your voice?

Advocating for myself has never come naturally to me, and honestly, it’s still something I actively work on. Like many women, I’ve always found it much easier to advocate for other people than for myself. Asking for more—whether that’s more compensation, more authority, or more opportunity—can feel uncomfortable because it requires you to put your own value and ambitions forward in a very direct way.

What has helped me find my voice is reminding myself of two things. First, advocating for myself is my responsibility. No one else is going to fully understand what I want or need unless I’m willing to say it out loud. Second, if I choose not to ask, I’ve essentially made the decision for the other person before they even have the opportunity to respond.

I’ve also realized that the moments when I feel most compelled to advocate for myself are usually the moments when my instincts are telling me I’m ready for more. Those gut feelings have guided me well throughout my career, and ignoring them eventually becomes harder than speaking up. Interestingly, the more I’ve done it, the more I’ve found that those conversations usually turn out far better than I imagined. That’s probably why it gets a little easier each time.

Do you have any advice for emerging female professionals early in their careers?

My biggest advice for emerging female professionals is to surround yourself with other women. Find your village. Find women you trust—women who will reflect back to you the strengths and potential you may not always see in yourself. Women who will support you, challenge you, encourage you, and lift you up. And just as importantly, be that person for them too.

For me, those relationships have meant everything. The women in my life and career inspire me, push me to grow, and remind me of what I’m capable of, especially during moments when self-doubt creeps in. Having a circle of women who genuinely want to see each other succeed creates a kind of confidence and resilience that’s hard to find anywhere else.

Early in your career, it’s easy to think success is only about performance or achievement. But the people you surround yourself with matter just as much. The right women will help ground you, advocate for you, celebrate your wins, and help carry you through the harder seasons too.