Ximena Castillo Olivera of TikTok México: It’s important that we women respect, support and appreciate one another

Within the framework of Brava, a project of Publicitarias Mexico (Advertising Women of Mexico), which seeks to help ad women in that country enjoy their share of the limelight, Ximena Castillo Olivera, brand strategist for TikTok Mexico, revealed what she has learned over the past 10 years and the challenges she has faced. She similarly spoke of her intention to strike a more even balance between her personal and professional life. She first noted the importance of a healthy work environment, where colleagues respect one another and everyone’s opinions are respected.“Having a good boss, someone you can admire, makes all the difference, which means the person who directs your team not only tells you what to do, but guides you, inspires you and helps you grow in your profession. I feel lucky to have worked with such people throughout my career,” she said.Though she believes the perfect job does not exist, she likewise said that employees should always speak up if there’s something they don’t like about their work or if they don’t feel comfortable in their surroundings. In any such case, she thinks the best thing to do is move on. “I really appreciate having a support network on the job – a network of people I admire that I’ve been able to work with up close and personal, and who have not only shared their experience and knowledge with me, but also their friendship,” she added.One thing she learned is how important it is not to accept the unacceptable. “If there’s something you dislike about your work, you have to speak up about it, and if it isn’t fixed right away, it’s worth looking for another job that satisfies you more, that inspires you and makes you feel more you. And while it’s not always easy to find work where you feel appreciated and at the same time enjoy what you’re doing and feel happy to be there, it’s always worth looking for what makes you feel good,” she said.As for launching a career in companies mostly dominated by men, Castillo said that from the start she noticed that more female voices needed to be heard on boards of directors and in dealing with clients. “As a woman it often seemed I wasn’t listened to when decisions were being made. Fortunately, in my various areas of employment I’ve had women and some men leading the push for greater equality, and who above all have attacked the sizeable salary gap that exists between the sexes, which is another big problem. Even so, I believe we have a long way to go to achieve a fairer state of affairs,” she said. After her nine-year career, she said that if she could go back in time, she would tell herself to forget the nerves and the worries while taking time to chat and learn from all the people she worked with. “I’d say to myself: listen to them and realize how valuable it is to share and discover all you can learn from them. In fact they push me to speak up more at meetings because my opinion is worthwhile, and they believe me when I tell them that people will want to hear it. They say I will make great friendships with many people and will have many incredible experiences, and that having a support system on the job is vital.”For that reason, she noted the importance of speaking up when one doesn’t agree with something and above all, she understood that we should never put work before our mental or physical health.“I consider myself a workaholic. The pandemic made me realize the truth of that – it’s something people close to me had already mentioned but I never gave it much thought. What I do now is try to strike a balance and not work too much while making time for leisure activities like gymnastics, reading, watching movies and series, spending time with family and friends, walking the dog…” she said.She consequently recommended that women in the industry establish timetables. “For example, I work much better in the morning, so I like to begin early and knock off early. The flexibility of a home office, though at first it was a challenge, now enables me to have a more disciplined routine that lets me close down the computer early enough to enjoy the rest of the day. That is so important,” she said.Finally, Castillo noted that women’s projects involving festivals, job openings and advertising positions should continue to be promoted to achieve equality in every sense of the word. And where it is observed that no such projects exist, she said it’s necessary to take action and speak with the corresponding authorities in order to raise awareness of the matter. “It’s the responsibility of everyone and not just of women to make that happen. At any rate, it’s also important for women to respect, support and appreciate one other. It gives me great satisfaction and pride to see the achievements of my female friends and workmates, to see them doing the work they love, to see them fulfilled, to see each helping to publicize the achievements of the others,” she said.