We had the good fortune of connecting with Asya Watkins, MBA, 6σGB, PMP® and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Asya, what is the most important factor behind your success?
The biggest contributing factor to the success of my brand is Authenticity. It can be very hard to show up authentically in boardrooms that weren’t necessarily created to recognize or support the leadership and growth of a woman of color. I love the quote, “Sometimes just being yourself is the radical act. When you occupy space in systems that weren’t built for you, your authenticity is your activism” – Ellen Welteroth. A few years ago, I totally rebranded my business –I didn’t just rebrand my business, I showed up authentically for my core audience – women & women of color in the project management industry – and they noticed and instantly understood the mission of my company.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
What sets my company apart from other project management companies is that we are the only network created to support women & women of color in every specialty of project management globally. The project management industry is still male dominated so it can be a real struggle to form connections and learn from other women in the industry – and it can be even more challenging for women of color. So you can say I came up with the idea for my business out of sheer necessity. I desperately wanted to meet more women in the project management industry that looked like me. I knew we existed, I just couldn’t find them! I want women in this industry to know that there is a community of women waiting to support them in their career journey.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
As a professional, I take full advantage for any opportunity to let down my hair and have fun! And that’s easy because there’s so much to do in the Atlanta area. A typical Girlfriend Atlanta experience would consist of some of Atlanta’s most unique experiences that you can’t get everywhere: Breakfast: Thumbs Up Diner (https://www.thumbsupdiner.com/) Workout: A Fun Live DJ Trap Spin Class at Vibe Ride (https://theviberide.com/) Dinner: Hunt down the hottest food truck for dinner Slutty Vegan (https://sluttyveganatl.com/) Dessert: Check Out the dessert food truck -Not As Famous Cookie (https://www.notasfamous.com/)

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Although my company is a global community of women in the project management industry, I would love to shout out some of the brilliant Women Of Project Management here in the Atlanta area using their project management skills to do amazing things – Edi Hayes-Roach, MS, SHRM, Diversity Campus Manager at Dell Technologies, Tamara McLemore, Executive Consultant at Tamara Joy McLemore Enterprises, & Jennifer Bridges, PMP, CHPC – Founder of PDUs2Go.com. These are just a few of the amazing women that share their knowledge with the members of this community. I respect and appreciate every one of them!

Website: https://womenofpm.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenofpm/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/womenofprojectmanagement/?viewAsMember=true
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenofpm/?source_id=1171634289548329

Image Credits
S. Marche Photography