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“Motherhood and ambition don’t have to compete.”
Powerful words from Shanta Kohli, who recently began a new role as Chief Marketing Officer at WEKA, an AI data and memory infrastructure company. Shanta has more than 15 years of experience in marketing leadership and, at the time of our interview, was wrapping up her prior role as the CMO at Sysdig.
Despite her success, Shanta’s path to the C-suite didn’t always look linear or logical to those around her.
Instead, she has built her career through a series of thoughtful moves that helped her build a full life - not just a full career - by redefining what success looks like at different stages.
The power of a sideways career move
I have long been inspired by Shanta’s approach to working motherhood. When she wrote this article for International Women’s Day at the encouragement of her team, I loved her candor and practical advice.
Shanta shared a perspective that resonates deeply with many working parents: successful careers are rarely linear. Instead of climbing a straight ladder, she described her career as a “jungle gym” — a series of intentional moves, pivots, pauses, and trade-offs that ultimately created both professional success and a fulfilling family life.
One pivotal moment came when she intentionally stepped sideways in her career. After serving as a VP at Nimble Storage, she chose to move into a smaller product marketing role — even taking a lower title — to gain new skills and create more flexibility for her family. On paper, the move didn’t look like a promotion. In reality, it became a defining leadership experience that helped prepare her for future executive roles while allowing her to be more present during her children’s younger years.
“I took a role with a lower title because it unlocked depth that I knew would become invaluable. I also optimized for the role that would be best for my family at times, not my ladder to the top.”
As she shared this story, Shanta and I reflected on how many women feel pressure to maintain a perfectly linear career trajectory, even after becoming mothers. But she challenged that expectation, reminding us that taking a different path doesn’t mean you’re failing — it simply means your priorities are evolving.
“When my kids were younger, I turned down global roles that required around-the-clock calls. I was selective about travel. I moved between roles depending on what our family needed at the time.”
Still, those decisions haven’t been easy or automatic. Shanta admitted that for months she questioned whether she had made the right choice. She felt pressure to explain and defend why she had “moved sideways” instead of continuing to climb.
What helped most were mentors — particularly working mothers further along in their careers — who reassured her that career growth doesn’t always have to look traditional.
Building a shared career strategy with your spouse
No one climbs the jungle gym alone. For those who are fortunate to have a supportive spouse, they can be the biggest catalyst for professional achievement. Shanta described her career decisions with her husband as a “shared strategy” rather than two independent careers running in parallel. Both she and her husband work in tech, and over the years they’ve alternated seasons of leaning in professionally while the other “stepped back” to create stability for the family.
At times, that meant supporting her husband’s dream role, even when it involved extensive travel while their children were very young. Other times, it meant her husband intentionally taking a less demanding role so Shanta could pursue larger leadership opportunities.
The key, she explained, was making decisions together rather than competing or assuming both careers could operate at 100% intensity simultaneously.
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Boundaries make it all possible
Shanta also spoke candidly about the emotional side of working parenthood. One particularly difficult moment came after returning from a 10-day work trip, when one of her young sons wanted to stay with his dad instead of reconnecting with her immediately. That experience forced her to reevaluate the boundaries she had around travel and work. From then on, she became much more intentional about limiting time away from home.
That led naturally into one of the most practical and impactful parts of the conversation: boundaries.
Shanta described boundaries not as constraints, but as the systems that make ambitious careers and meaningful family lives sustainable.
Some of Shanta’s non-negotiable boundaries include being home for dinner, limiting travel, and keeping technology away from the dinner table to create uninterrupted family time.
Perhaps most importantly, she emphasized that boundaries only work if you actually hold them. She learned over time that no manager or company would create those limits for her — she had to define them herself. Sharing those boundaries openly with her team also became a way to model healthier behavior for other working parents.
She also spoke about working for great leaders who made structural changes to support her and her colleagues to stay in the workforce.
“Sometimes the change was structural, like creating lactation rooms when the only option had been a bathroom stall. Other times, it was cultural, like moving live webinars scheduled for 7 p.m. in an era when working from home wasn’t yet a reality. Each decision sent the same message: you can succeed without leaving your life outside of work behind.”
“Each decision sent the same message: you can succeed without leaving your life outside of work behind.”
Her message to leaders was simple but powerful: flexibility, empathy, and trust don’t weaken performance — they strengthen loyalty and retention.
Ultimately, Shanta’s story is a reminder that success doesn’t have to fit a single definition. Careers can zigzag. Priorities can shift. Boundaries can evolve.
And sometimes the decisions that look unconventional on paper end up creating the most meaningful version of success.
Shanta’s Tips
Reject the idea that career growth must be linear. Strategic sideways moves and intentional trade-offs can create both professional growth and a more sustainable family life.
Build a shared career strategy with your spouse. Building a successful career while parenting requires a “shared strategy” at home, where partners openly align on priorities, timing, and support for one another’s growth.
Boundaries are essential, not optional. Writing down and communicating your non-negotiables helps make ambitious careers sustainable.
Who you work for makes all the difference. Supportive leaders and flexible workplace cultures play a major role in retaining working parents and helping them thrive long-term.
