Some careers develop along clear tracks. Others are shaped by repeated exposure to uncertainty, new systems, and problems that do not come with instructions. In this conversation, Sandra Abi Rashed describes multiple points in her career where she had to build, translate, and lead without a ready model—first in early digital commerce, later in publishing transformation, and now through mentorship work connected to data, AI, and tech.
Building Without a Blueprint
Sandra points to two early roles that influenced how she approaches change. One was at L’Oréal, around the early period of digital commerce. She describes being part of a team launching the first e-commerce website in Canada at a time when digital work inside large organizations was still undefined. Her description is practical: teams were learning in real time, and the work required building processes from scratch rather than applying templates.
As she puts it, “There was no playbook.” In that setting, she says the work could not be done by waiting for direction. “You have to actively seek solutions.”
Later, she moved into publishing in a role that involved digitizing a traditional journalism team. The context changed, but the conditions were familiar: she entered a system she did not know, and there was not a standard method for transforming a print-focused magazine business. She frames these experiences as training in how to operate when certainty is limited. The effect, in her words, was learning to be “comfortable in the uncomfortable.”
The Connector Mindset
Sandra describes herself as a connector, but not as an identity she set out to develop. She traces the label to feedback from someone else. During a call, a manager introduced her by saying her “superpower is connecting people with purpose.” Sandra describes hearing that and recognizing it as something she already did, not something she had consciously chosen.
She connects this tendency to her childhood. Her mother is from the Philippines, and Sandra spent time in a village environment where daily life was organized around community effort—people cooking together, checking on neighbors, and helping each other through routine needs. She describes villages as places where “there’s nothing that you do alone.” In that framing, connecting people is not only social behavior; it is a way of working.
She also describes a feedback loop that reinforces the habit. When she connects two people and later hears that the connection led to an opportunity, she treats that as evidence that the act had practical value.
The Business Translator Between Data and Marketing
A recurring theme in the discussion is the gap between technical teams and business teams. Sandra says she has often worked between those groups and describes herself as a “business translator.”
She explains what she means by that term in concrete terms: she can understand data systems and analytics well enough to interpret them and explain them, even though she is not a data scientist or engineer. At the same time, she can understand business goals and executive needs well enough to communicate those needs back to technical teams.
This is not framed as an attempt to eliminate friction. She calls the tension between marketing and data “a healthy tension,” and argues it should exist. The work, as she describes it, is not to choose sides but to connect the logic, language, and priorities across both.
Leading Through Transformation
Sandra speaks about transformation as a recurring condition rather than a single project. The challenges are not only technical. They show up in how people interpret change, how they react to uncertainty, and how teams align around a shared purpose.
When asked about motivation, she returns to the need for shared reasoning. In her framing, the core question is often: “Why are we doing this?” She describes leaders as needing to do more than assign tasks; they need to help people connect daily work to business growth, personal development, and future changes.
She also makes a point that does not present transformation as universally desirable. Some people will not want to be part of it, and she treats that as a real outcome rather than a failure. “If it’s not for you, then it’s not for you.” She repeats the idea in a way that suggests boundaries: transformation can be necessary for the business, but participation may vary.
Style as Energy and Presence
When the discussion turns to leadership presence, Sandra does not focus on fashion as status. She describes style as a tool for managing energy, tone, and how she shows up in a given context.
She says she chooses what she wears based on the energy she wants to project. “I feel the style is related to the energy.” In her example, color can align with a mood or a setting, and small decisions can support focus in a meeting.
She also describes tactics that are not visible to others. Because much of her work is remote, she sometimes wears heels even when others will not see them. The point is functional: the physical feeling changes how she stands, how she speaks, and how she carries herself. For her, the goal is not performance for its own sake. It is preparation for a situation where tone and presence matter.
Mentoro: Mentorship Built on Coffee Conversations
Sandra and her co-founder launched Mentoro after observing a pattern while working in publishing. They received calls from young professionals asking for coffee meetings—often with editors, fashion directors, and other leaders. These were requests for access, context, and career guidance.
She and her co-founder encouraged their team to say yes, not because every meeting would lead to a measurable outcome, but because of the asymmetry of impact. “You’re going to forget that you had coffee… but they’re going to remember that for the rest of their life.”
The origin story includes a decision point about structure. She describes a period where they explored pitching an app and a growth-driven model. They stepped away from that approach and chose to build a nonprofit instead. Mentoro, as she describes it, remained focused on the original unit of value: coffee conversations between mentors and mentees.
Mentorship in Data, AI, and Tech: Hard Skills and Soft Skills
In discussing the Miami-based cohort focused on data, AI, and tech, Sandra describes what mentees often seek first: hard skills. People ask how to do the work, how to develop analytics capability, and how to enter technical domains.
She argues that mentorship in these fields should also emphasize soft skills. “We need to encourage them to lean into the soft skills also.” She positions communication, adaptability, and human connection as necessary for careers shaped by rapid change.
She also references the skill categories that appear repeatedly in major workforce conversations: “Critical thinking… analytical thinking… adaptable to change.” In her view, these skills are not separate from technical progress; they are part of how people remain effective as tools and roles evolve.
Another theme she emphasizes is exploration. She encourages mentees to stay curious, examine multiple options, and widen their understanding of what roles exist. The idea is not to delay commitment indefinitely, but to avoid narrowing too early without information.
Authenticity Under Pressure
When asked what authenticity means in high-stakes environments, Sandra does not give a complex framework. She defines it directly: “Being true to yourself and true to your values.”
She acknowledges that business life can push people away from that. Metrics, KPIs, and growth targets can dominate attention. Her response is that leaders sometimes need to pause and ask what they actually care about, what feels aligned, and what the right decision is—especially when business objectives pull in a different direction.
This is not presented as rejecting performance measures. It is presented as a reminder that decisions still have a values component, even when the language in the room is operational.
Advice for Women in Leadership: Reduce the Standard of “Perfect”
Asked what advice she would give to women stepping into leadership roles, Sandra focuses on capacity and expectations rather than tactics. Her direct recommendation is: “Be comfortable cutting corners.”
She explains this as being willing to be imperfect in some areas, and not treating that as a personal failure. She talks about giving yourself grace and accepting limits, especially when balancing multiple roles and responsibilities. She also challenges the language of “good enough,” suggesting that it can still represent full commitment even when execution is not flawless across every domain.
Her view is that leadership sustainability depends on making choices about where to focus, rather than attempting to be perfect everywhere at once.
Closing Thought
Across the conversation, Sandra returns to a consistent set of ideas: learn to operate without a playbook, translate across disciplines, treat tension as manageable, and invest in relationships through mentorship. The unit she comes back to most often is simple: one conversation, one connection, one decision. In her work, those units are not symbolic. They are the system.
If her experience suggests a model, it is not a fixed method. It is a practice of building clarity in uncertain environments—and doing it in ways that keep both business demands and personal values in view.
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