Check Out Deepa Purushothaman’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Deepa Purushothaman.

Hi Deepa, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers. 
I spent two decades climbing the corporate ladder and ended up as a senior partner at Deloitte. I helped clients in the Tech and Telecom industries grow, and I also led WIN, Deloitte’s renowned women’s initiative, for the firm. Although I was successful and at the peak of my career, I was burned out and getting physically sick. I made the decision in the early stages of COVID to exit my career and figure out a new path. After spending some time focused on healing, I wrote a book called The First, The Few, The Only. The books includes the stories of hundreds of senior women of color executives and how they found their voice and power in structures and systems that don’t always see them. I spent the last few years helping senior women leaders thrive, not just survive, and I work with a lot of Fortune 100 companies on how they can elevate more women into their senior ranks. I recently launched a new company called the rewrite. It is an unconventional think tank focused on reimaging how we work. We conduct research on topics of worth, success, health + wealth, and how we can help leaders lead in their authentic and full voice. I am also an Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School which is a great way I can explore these topics with the next generation of leaders. Almost everything I do these days focuses on advancing women at work and exploring how we can reimagine the place that work takes up in our lives. 

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I left my career of 21 years at the beginning of the pandemic. Many people told me I wasn’t being smart, leaving at a time of uncertainty. But I sold my book just 6 weeks after leaving and have spent the last 3 years speaking at companies all over the world. I have learned that sometimes you have to leap even when it’s uncomfortable to find your path. I am also still learning what it means to be an entrepreneur. I launched my new company about 7 months ago. It’s a hard time to be talking about how we work differently, how we advance women and POC. DEI is under attack, and so much of the work I do is about getting people to see that success and work can look different. I push leaders to question the systems and structures around us, but it is getting harder to have these discussions. The market has shifted, the work still has to get done, and it can be hard to find fortitude and reserves to keep going on this important work. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Companies and leaders call me because I had a successful corporate career. I know what it is like to lead in the C-suite because I have been advising executive teams and boards for years. I can hold space for hard conversations and discuss how the expectations of talent is changing in ways that senior leaders can listen and engage. I do a lot of speaking with executive teams and workshops on how companies understand current work trends and the impacts on their culture. 

I am proud of the fact that I have reinvented myself so quickly and have impact in many important conversations. 

As an author, I am proud of the fact that my book and my research help women be seen and heard. That I can have helped people navigate toxic work situations and trauma and find their voice and themselves. 

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I was poured into as I was coming up at Deloitte. I had many sponsors and mentors. They believed in me even though I had a very different background than others around me and at my level. For example, I was the only non-MBA in my start class. Now, I have a very strong group of women authors and though leaders who support me. We share info, help promote each other’s work and listen when we need to talk through challenges. In my book, I talk about how we need the power of me + we. The we is community and I think it is so important for entrepreneurs and creatives to have these groups because our work can be very isolating. 

I would also say my husband, Manoj. He was also a partner at Deloitte. He left a few years before I did and has gone on to establish a successful technology company in the apparel, retail, and cannabis space. Seeing him walk away from the partnership of the firm helped me have confidence I could follow my passions too. 

Contact Info:

• Website: deepapuru.com and workrewrite.com
• Instagram: @deepa.puru
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepapuru/

Image Credits
Leslie Bohm Photography
Sheldon Botler Photography