How to recognize and break through what’s holding you back

The biggest barriers to professional growth often aren’t external obstacles or lack of opportunity—they’re self-built invisible ceilings.

My mother was always the last parent to pick me up from gymnastics practice. While other moms arrived in jeans, she’d sweep in wearing a power suit, fresh from her role as a senior marketing executive at a major software company. At the time, it was a bit embarrassing. Looking back, I realize I was witnessing someone who refused to accept artificial limitations on what she could achieve.