As part of Women Leading Travel & Hospitality’s 2023 Top Women in Travel & Hospitality report, which features in-depth interviews with leading female executives from across the industry, we asked honorees several questions, including “What’s the greatest challenge you’ve faced in your career and how did you overcome it?” Here are a few of their responses:

“I was at a bit of a crossroads back in 2010 when I was in New York City. My work environment had become very challenging and not at all fulfilling or enriching so I had planned on making a major career change. Then I received a call about a new position with a new company that would take me down to Washington, D.C. I decided to give the hospitality industry one more chance before making that major career change. Ultimately the move and opportunity with a new group was the best decision for me and has led me to where I am today.” –Jennifer Barnwell, President, Curator Hotel & Resort Collection

“The greatest challenge I faced was sexism as a new reporter for the Charlotte Observer. My editor waited his entire career to get where he was. And here I was, hired straight out of college. To him, it wasn’t fair, and he treated me with dishonesty and disrespect. In some situations, it’s crucial to know when to leave. I was under so much stress my eyelashes were falling out. Leaving that situation was the best move I ever made. When changed jobs, I met my husband.” –Eleanor Flagler Hardy, President and Co-Owner, The Society of International Railway Travelers

“During the pandemic and shortly after giving birth to my second daughter, I was laid off from my corporate hospitality job. I was shocked and upset at first, but decided this was a chance to do something new. I used this opportunity to start my own company, Lanyard, and gave myself a six-month runway to get it off the ground. Six months later, I had built a brand, identified a co-founder and was in the midst of fundraising. Building a company has stretched my resilience and determination in ways I never knew possible, but I’ve loved the intellectual challenge, the personal growth, the new relationships and the wins along the way.” –Nina Kleaveland, Co-Founder and CEO, Lanyard

“One of the toughest decisions I’ve faced was to step away from a role that I loved but had clearly outgrown, as it was no longer challenging me nor allowing me to grow new skills and expand beyond the original scope of the role. It required me to do some real soul-searching and to explore what lies beyond my comfort zone. While there’s fear in facing something new and unknown, there’s also a lot to love about exploring new possibilities and the beauty of turning uncertainty into new beginnings. While it was hard to live through, it turned out to be one of the best growth periods of my career and allowed me to get crystal clear on what I was looking to do and grow into as I step into this next phase of my career.” –Isis Ruiz, Chief Growth Officer, Virgin Voyages

To hear more from these women leaders (as well as other honorees) on additional important topics related to both leadership and the travel and hospitality industry, download the full report, 2023 Top Women in Travel and Hospitality.