Who loves to hear feedback? Most people cringe the moment they hear someone has feedback for them. However, Mary Pryshlak, Senior Managing Director, Partner, and Head of Investment Research for Wellington Management, is one of the few people I’ve met who equates feedback to being a gift to help people grow. Mary has always been direct with giving feedback since she was a little girl and appreciates the same from others. She believes feedback is a valuable gift and uses it to better herself. That built Mary’s character and made her an impactful leader. Mary also isn’t afraid to ask others for help. She believes she can gain something from anyone she meets and has all kinds of mentors who teach her valuable lessons. Join us on this podcast as we listen to Mary’s stories about authenticity and building great relationships and a solid, supportive community.  Visit https://www.iambeyondbarriers.com where you will find show notes and links to all the resources in this episode, including the best way to get in touch with Mary. Highlights:  [02:24] How Mary ended up in her current role in the financial industry [07:02] How Mary gained clarity about her career path [10:23] Pushing through fears to take advantage of opportunities [12:39] Overcoming setback  [16:34] Learning from feedback [20:31] Leveraging your community [23:53] Finding commonality to build relationships [26:08] How Mary built her circle through authenticity [29:14] Mary’s mentors [30:53] Lightning round questions Quotes: “Feedback is a gift.” – Mary Pryshlak “You can work hard, but you don’t always win.” – Mary Pryshlak “Self-reflection is a blessing and a curse.” – Mary Pryshlak “There is something you can learn from everyone.” – Mary Pryshlak Lightning Round Questions: What book has greatly influenced you?  “Turn the Ship Around! A True Story of Turning Followers Into Leaders” by L. David Marquet What is your favorite inspiring quote or saying?  “Dance like no one’s watching.”  What is one word or moniker you would use to describe yourself?  Fierce What is one change you've implanted that made your life better?  Starting to run with my daughter and surrounding myself with the right people. What power song would you want playing as you walk out onto a stage?  “Fly From the Inside” by Shinedown   About Mary L. Pryshlak: Mary L. Pryshlak, CFA, is Senior Managing Director, Partner, and Head of Investment Research for Wellington Management. Mary leads a team of 130 investment research professionals who directly manage over $165 billion in client assets. These investment professionals conduct in-depth long term research and provide investment recommendations across Wellington’s global investment platform, which includes more than 900 portfolio managers worldwide. Mary’s team manages assets across a spectrum of strategies including hedge funds, sector funds and long only products. In aggregate, Mary’s team represents Wellington’s largest book of business for which Mary is the single point of accountability for investment performance and talent. Mary focuses on ensuring that Wellington is attracting, retaining, and motivating world-class securities analysts and investment talent; developing skills and capabilities that enable this world class team to globally connect the dots and evolve with a continually changing marketplace. Collaboration is a critical part of Mary’s philosophy and a hallmark of Wellington which is what enables the firm to identify future trends make informed investment decisions on behalf of clients. Prior to being named head of Investment Research, Mary was the director of Global Industry Research and previously spent 13 years as a global industry analyst covering property & casualty insurance stocks. Prior to joining Wellington in 2004, she was an equity analyst covering financial services at The Boston Company (2001 – 2003). Before that, she worked as an analyst at State Street Global Advisors (1995 – 2001) and held positions at Aeltus Investment Management Company (1994) and Spears Benzak Saloman and Farrell (1993 – 1994). Mary received her BA in economics and French from Rutgers College (1993). She also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a member of the Association of Insurance and Financial Analysts (AIFA), the CFA Institute, and the CFA Society Boston. Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-pryshlak-09748912/