Episode 058
Jigna Kapadia
Motherhood should not be a professional obstacle, yet many women face a “pregnancy penalty.” Jigna Kapadia joins Women’s Million Dollar Conversations to discuss the raw reality of losing up to two years of career momentum with each pregnancy. Jigna shares anecdotes about office “rumor mills” and managers who assumed she wouldn’t return to work after having kids. Discover her tactical advice on standing up for yourself without being abrasive, and why she is now openly discussing menopause in the workplace to normalize real-life experiences for senior leaders.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
"If you want to hire me and need my skills, you have to make space for me who I am and how I am. I do not want to change just to make my voice be heard."
Jigna: I am a first generation immigrant. I moved to the US from, India in 2001. So I’ve spent almost 24 years here. I’ve spent more time in the US now than I did in India. 20 of those years have been in Portland . my career arc has been interesting. I came from an engineering background, but I’ve never once worked as an engineer. I, I. Jumped into marketing, it just happenstance from the get go . but I found that I really liked that space. I loved talking to people. I understood the technology, but I love talking to people. I’ve been at Columbia almost nine years now, and eight years before that I was at Intel. I like staying committed to a company I like long-term commitments and investments. So that’s been my trajectory.
Jigna: Being first generation immigrant, I was very fortunate. My parents invested a lot in my education, but, I, I didn’t come from money. We weren’t a family of wealth . but what they did give me is an education… They said, go take care of yourself and live your life. After my education the first five years or so, I felt obligated to send, money back. I wanted to support my family. I wanted them to feel the gratitude . in my million dollar journey that’s why my investment and all of that started a little late because I was focused on one, actually two things. I is, when you come here as a legal immigrant… you’re paying all of the taxes, but you’re getting none of the benefits. Combined with whatever little money I could save, I wanted to send back. So that was, you know, like you mentioned, it took a couple of decades for me to get there.
Jigna: Over the course of my career, being a woman, a minority has been challenging . as a woman, I wasn’t seen too technical, but as a minority I wasn’t seen too creative. So it was a… I heard both comments blatantly, oh, you are a woman. You should go work on the brand team over there… on the flip side, it was… oh, I don’t think you’re creative . you’re Indian and you have a technical background, so I just assumed you weren’t creative enough . those are the kind of obstacles… and the good thing has been that I’ve been able to overcome it and not in an abrasive way. I did let them know that, yeah, this is not cool . having the right balance between standing up for yourself, but also, being able to not let that bring you down.
Jigna: Both my pregnancies, it was very interesting. Before my first pregnancy, I heard a rumor mill around the office that I wasn’t gonna come back. I traced it back to my manager at that time, and he was a man in his late fifties, early sixties . and I asked him, Hey, I’m hearing that you’re saying I’m not coming back. And he said, oh yeah, I, you know, my wife, after she got pregnant and we had kids, she never went back to work. So I just assumed You wanna get to come back?
Jigna: Pregnancy is a, such a natural part of a woman’s life. And for that to be an obstacle or for you to have the fear that, hey, everything is not secure, it was nerve wracking . am I going to have my job when I come back? Or how much is this going to set me back? And the truth is that you do lose about two years, a year and a half to two years of your career path with each pregnancy. The six months leading into it, and then the six months to a year coming out . the second you announce to the world you’re pregnant things start changing at work.
Jigna: I’m going through the opposite end of things right now where… I’m post-menopausal. So for the last five years have been, just very, very perimenopause menopausal… that itself is a, is very challenging . you think about teenagers and what they are going through… puberty, menopause is kind of valent to that, but we don’t really talk about it. Your body is going through so much transformation. And I have been open with everyone around here with what I am going through… I wanna make space for these conversations because these are such real life, experiences that we should not.
Jigna: Especially women, we do live in a, in a patriarchal man led world. I’ve always believed that it’s not just enough to hire women, you have to make space for how women work . one of the, senior women… years ago… I was 25, 26 at the time … she was one leader in a sea of men . and I asked her what made you so successful? And she said it wasn’t easy. And she said that when I started, anytime I would have an opinion… I was deemed, aggressive and a bitch, and she said that if I was going to be called a bitch, that’s what I’m gonna do . that for me was a key pivotal moment in my life because I made a note of that and I decided that is not what I want to do.
Jigna: If you wanna hire me and need my skills, you have to make space with me who I am and how I am. I do not want to change who I am… just to make my voice be heard. if there is one advice I give… is, don’t change who you are. Who you are and how you are is perfect . figure out how to get your voice heard in your own way, and that is plenty. Stay authentic to yourself and the rest will come. Don’t go chasing after something that doesn’t feel right or that requires you to become somebody else.
Jigna: I’m starting to Explore and be a part of and invest in a new business venture. I really wanted to bring value to them . we’re co-founding this and… I’m gonna help with operations and bringing this vision and this business to life . the Ohana Way is about helping people with life transitions, especially in the latter part of life . helping them think through what is it that they need to do To prepare themselves for the last leg of life .decluttering, downsizing… but a big part of it is also understanding what is it that you, that you’re letting go of. How are you preparing yourself and thus preparing your kids and your future generation once you are gone.
Jigna: There are 10,000 people who turn 65 and older, each day. The boomer generation is getting there but we don’t have the right resources to really help them. An empathetic partner, a compassionate person who stands alongside you helps you have these conversations and then helps you through the tactical and the physical aspects . navigating them through that so that they are free and can live in freedom, and enjoy the last leg of their lives.
Alice: Today. Jayna, we are so grateful for you… to have this conversation. Thank you so very much.
Jigna: Thank you so much for having me. It’s been such an absolute pleasure.
With 18+ years of experience in brand marketing, data analytics, strategy and operations, I am a strategic planning leader who leads the brand transformation and operational excellence of the Columbia Brand at Columbia Sportswear Company. My mission is to create and execute innovative operational strategies that drive business objectives and improve processes, while ensuring clear and consistent communication across the organization.
As a team builder and mentor, I empower and support my organisation and teams to achieve their goals and deliver high-quality results. I leverage my expertise in data based approach to provide insights and recommendations that inform decision making and optimize performance. I also apply my skills in marketing and process improvement to design and implement effective solutions that enhance consumer experience and brand affinity.