At Kahoot!, we believe in supporting and celebrating women in leadership all year round. But today, in honor of International Women’s Day, we’re shining a spotlight on some of our incredible K!rew members here at our company. These women are leaders who inspire us every day, and we want to amplify their voices to share their unique perspectives and wisdom with you!
Read on to enjoy this exclusive interview with our very own Carla Carsenzuola, Senior HR Director; Trish Sparks, CEO of Clever; Galilea Morales, Senior Account Manager (Americas); and Zainab Iqtidar, Senior Customer Success Manager (Business).
What do you like the best and the least about being a leader?
Carla: “What I like the most about being a leader is the possibility to impact our people’s work experience in Kahoot! and support our staff’s professional and personal growth. In fact, “people first” is our slogan in the People team at Kahoot! I enjoy our working culture, how collaborative and innovative everyone seems to be; we are passionate about what we do and are driven by our mission to ‘make learning awesome.’ The main challenge for me as a leader is managing the time and with that finding a balance between work and personal life.”
Trish: “What I enjoy most about being a leader is the opportunity to be in service to other people to help them achieve their goals. One of the hardest parts of leadership is balancing the ability to maintain a high bar of performance excellence while also leading with compassion and building an environment of psychological safety.”
Galilea: “Undoubtedly, the most rewarding aspect of leadership is the capacity to influence significant spaces while upholding both personal integrity and the well-being of others. I firmly believe that genuine leadership isn’t bestowed but earned, and I aspire to consistently make choices that inspire confidence and trust in my leadership abilities among those I lead. The greatest challenge of leadership lies in witnessing the failure of those under my guidance, as it ultimately reflects on my effectiveness as their leader.”
Zainab: “The best would definitely be the impact you have on the experience of everyone who works with you and to be able to see your team and product grow. We spend about 30% of our waking hours at work during our working lifetime. It’s a major part of our life experience and leaders can either make that an amazing, joyful part of our life or completely miserable. It makes my heart go all warm and fuzzy when someone I managed 10 years or so ago would find me on LinkedIn or reach out to share the impact I had on their life or career. Leaders have to make tough choices though, and sometimes those decisions can be the worst part of being in that role.”
As a female leader, have you encountered any gender-related obstacles or biases throughout your career? How did you handle these situations, and what advice do you have for other women aspiring to leadership roles in overcoming such challenges?
Carla: “Long time ago, in my career I did encounter gender related biases when I was not a leader. The way I handled the situation was to address my concerns to my direct supervisor who supported me and helped me find the best possible solution. My advice to other female leaders is to speak up and not be afraid to address gender challenges if you or other colleagues encounter them.”
Trish: “Being a woman has provided me with both obstacles and opportunities throughout my career. While some roles have been challenging as a woman, I am fortunate to have worked for companies focusing on equity and making space for all voices to be heard. LinkedIn had an incredible sponsorship program for female leaders that supported my journey to becoming an executive. Some of the best advice I have received over the years is, ‘If there is no seat at the table, pull up a chair.’”
Galilea: “As a woman of color, the challenges I’ve faced throughout my career are innumerable. I’ve been discredited due to my race, I’ve been minimized due to my gender, and I’ve been overlooked due to both. In these moments, your most powerful tools are your voice and your resilience. Take up space, call out injustice, and most importantly, keep showing up! Do not let them scare you away or silence you. Demonstrate to skeptics that your path blazes a trail for others to follow, and that you are the unwavering wind of change. Let them underestimate you, let them ridicule you, let them dig themselves into a hole, and then show up, unfazed and certain that you are exactly where you belong. Be unwavering and be kind as your unique life experience might just be the key to dismantling the status quo.”
Zainab: “I would be surprised if any woman said they had not experienced gender related obstacles in their careers and life in general, let alone an immigrant woman of color in a male dominated field. I started working in tech sales in 2007 and you can imagine the demographics back then when even today in 2024 women only make up 33% of the tech industry workforce. My experience with gender bias has been rather open and direct where managers openly said that they were not offering me projects or roles because I was a woman and they or the client preferred the project to be handled by a man. At times, even direct reports didn’t want to follow my guidance while they would accept the same feedback from a man. Getting past these situations and finding your space is a combination of competence and grit… and knowing when to leave a space when neither is valued. My lived experience has taught me not to fall for lofty motivational quotes and speeches, but one of the best managers I’ve ever had taught me the Serenity Prayer early in my career and that keeps me sane and driven even today.”
What woman inspires you and why?
Carla: “My mother has always been an inspiration for me. She has been the leader at our home, the educator for me and my brother, a protector, and the biggest cheerleader.”
Trish: “There are many strong, smart women leaders with a passion for serving others that are inspirational to me. Among them are Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, Brené Brown, Oprah Winfrey, Eleanor Roosevelt, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, etc. They embody the ability to lead with compassion while also being committed to excellence and making a positive impact on the world.”
Galilea: “I could certainly list several sources of inspiration, but for this particular question, I want to pay tribute to the league of women in my family who built the foundation upon which I now stand, and who without, I would not be who and where I am today. However, I must acknowledge the two remarkable women who raised me specifically. My mother, an immigrant and single parent, defied the odds to provide for our family, allowing me to proudly claim my identity as a first-generation Latina. Then, there’s my grandmother, the matriarch of our family, who weathered countless trials and played a pivotal role in nurturing me while keeping me rooted in our heritage. These extraordinary women have endured hardships beyond my comprehension yet have remained unwavering in their strength, grace, and compassion. They embody the kind of woman I aspire to become one day.”
Zainab: “If you think about it, when do women not inspire? All women carry a deep, quiet inner strength. They navigate complex social relationships with tact and wisdom. They demand to be seen, respected and valued for who they truly are. They create entire new humans! (That alone should be enough to be inspired by their strength, period). Bearing the mental load that often goes unnoticed, managing households, caring for children, and also working outside the home. My mother became a young widow who raised four well-educated and financially independent daughters. She built a construction business without a professional degree in business, architecture, or engineering. She inspires me every day. One of my sisters built a successful media business in an asian country out of zero connections to the industry. She inspires me every day. Another is raising a beautiful kind little girl while single handedly running a career and a household. She inspires me everyday.”
Want to keep celebrating International Women’s Day and discover more inspiring women leaders from around the world? Explore our special Women’s History Month Kahoot! collection, and challenge your coworkers, friends and family, students, or just yourself to learn more about women who’ve made history!