A true changemaker, Thomas-Petit’s efforts are focused on creating an inclusive and supportive workplace. This year, she worked with AMC Networks’ streaming team to curate a wider range of content geared to important cultural moments. She helped reorganize the company by breaking down internal barriers and silos, creating a streamlined, cross-functional, multi-brand approach to creating, promoting and monetizing content.
“There is an assumptive idea that a woman’s allegiance will need to be split between the decisions she makes in her personal life and her work. These things are not mutually exclusive.”
What biases do you believe have an impact on women’s advancement in the workplace? The unconscious notion from both men and women is that every woman wants to be a mother, wants or needs to take time away from their career, or considers not returning to the workplace. There is an assumptive idea that a woman’s allegiance will need to be split between the decisions she makes in her personal life and her work. These things are not mutually exclusive, and we should never make suppositions about how a woman wants to live her life.
How do you de-stress? I have a lot of levers to pull when it comes to de-stressing. Prayer and meditation, doing things that make me laugh, spending time with people that lift me up, traveling and trying different cuisines, reading, listening to podcasts, and watching a wide range of shows and movies.
What is something you learned by mentoring someone? What I’ve learned and one of the most meaningful things about mentoring is the value that the mentee brings to the mentor – the idea that it’s much more of a two-way relationship. More often than not I find myself learning and growing just as much as the person I’m mentoring – gaining insight into generational nuances and understanding areas of work outside of my functional area of expertise.