Women in Big Data is spotlighting 8 amazing women on March 8th, International Women’s Day.
Padmini Janaki is a product and growth enthusiast, and she also runs a product management podcast channel called theprodcast. Padmini is excited about communities and networking. Her favorite activities include writing blogs, authoring courses and helping budding entrepreneurs. She is an influencer in the product ecosystem and a millennial mother of a five-year-old girl.

 

My Journey…
One of my favorite quotes is “You tend to go where you look.”

I was born in a lower middle-class family and raised by a single mother. I don’t remember any positive childhood memories previous to the point where I understood that I can design my own life. Things changed when I realized I can change anything in my life, but only when I decide to do so. I have this contagious habit of thinking BIG, and that drives me to push all the boundaries and keeps me hungry.

Majoring in Communication and Psychology, I started my career as a radio jockey in a local radio station. Talking to people, asking them their favorite tracks, made me realize my passion towards people. I love making products that can make people’s  lives easier—and here I am making technology products for the global market. I think I’m in the right place.

My Motivation…
My biggest motivations are the people around me–not just the sweet and nice motivators, but also the negative people. They all help me set bigger goals and make my life gamified! You have to play the game to change the game.

I would need more than two hands to count the number of times I have felt horrified for not being lucky, then found the magic word—gratitude. Women in previous generations did not even get some of the basic rights needed to “survive” a peaceful and fulfilled life. Today, with technology, we have every tool available to conquer the world. Some of you may argue, let’s take a deep dive. Social media can be one of the most powerful tools in our generation, if used right; the sad part is, we threw away the user manual. We may say it makes us insecure: according to Instagram, all our friends are constantly traveling around the world, with glowing skin, dressed to impress, and married to a smart guy. Are we not being unfair comparing someone’s highlight videos with our blooper reel?

I strongly believe many situations in life require us to climb an invisible ladder, and it’s not usually an easy climb. You have to earn each rung. When young girls ask me career advice, I tell them about the route I took, but I may not know the entire map. Our lives are different, yet the process and progress can make each interesting and motivating.

My favorite quote…

 “Your wiring is not basic, and you shouldn’t be either.” We’re not here to be mediocre. As millennials, we’re all told we’re special. Our parents, teachers and TV show hosts made us believe we’re a blessing to the human race, and that entitlement makes us feel that success should happen automatically. It will not. We’re not born to live an average life; life is bigger than the forty likes and double taps we have received. When every single skill is learnable, we have no reason to live a mediocre life. This is one of my favorite quotes, and it helps me stay strong.