Pressure Truly Builds Diamonds

Sophie: The Easy Yes

This is Camille's first year at WWT. It's also her first year in tech, period. New to the field, new to the company — and yet somehow already the person whose potential was impossible to miss. Her eagerness to learn didn't show up occasionally. It showed up consistently, which is the harder trick to pull off. 

Potential doesn't turn itself into capability. It needs space, structure, and someone willing to say

That's exactly what I wanted for Camille: a real shot at turning raw potential into lasting skill, plus room to grow the confidence and relationship-building muscles that don't come from a job description. They come from reps.

So I encouraged her to apply and put her name forward, betting on a peer group navigating the same early-career milestones, direct lines to mentors and leaders she wouldn't otherwise meet this early, and real chances to practice the exact skills she'd already told herself she needed. That last part is the one I'm proudest of — nobody had to tell Camille what to work on. She already knew. I just wanted to hand her the runway.

Camille: What I Actually Needed the Runway For

Here's the part Sophie couldn't see from the outside: presenting terrified me.

"Throughout school and even into the start of my career, presenting was always something I dreaded. It wasn't that I didn't know what I was talking about — I was just so focused on what everyone else might be thinking. I'd overthink every word, worry about saying the wrong thing, and convince myself people would notice every mistake."

So I avoided it, every chance I got — even knowing, deep down, those were exactly the moments that would help me grow.

Three things changed my mind:

1. Everyone gets nervous. I noticed that every leader I admired admitted they still get nervous before presenting. That flipped my thinking completely: confidence isn't the absence of nerves, it's showing up anyway.
2. I got to choose my own inner voice. Be my own biggest critic, or my own biggest supporter. Once I picked the message over the fear of imperfection, presenting stopped feeling so intimidating.
3. Reps make it real. The Academy gave me a place to actually practice. Every presentation got a little easier than the last — because nobody in the room expected perfection in the first place.

Sophie was the one who encouraged me to apply and put my name forward. That one opportunity changed so much for me. I've learned that growth rarely comes from staying comfortable. It comes from saying yes to opportunities that scare you. I'm genuinely grateful to her for believing in me before I fully believed in myself.

Sophie: Watching It Land

This is the part I got to watch from the other side of the nomination — Camille turning "I hope this works out" into "I told you so." That's the whole bet, paying off in real time.

Camille: My Advice to the Next Person

When you're handed the opportunity to do something new — be ready to fail a few times. And when you do, don't let the memory of failing yesterday talk you out of succeeding tomorrow.

Both of Us: Here's to the Next One

Congrats, Camille. Here's to a year of stretch assignments, new mentors, and the kind of confidence that only comes from showing up anyway.

Make a new world happen.