I Sent My Role Model a DM, Never Imagining She'd Respond — Then This Happened The whole experience taught me a valuable lesson as a woman and a business owner.
By Ashley Mariko Meilan Johnson Edited by Frances Dodds
This story appears in the July 2024 issue of BIZ Experiences. Subscribe »
From a young age, I collected role models.
In school, as a teenager, I tried to channel Beyoncé. In the working world, after my first big promotion in retail operations, I paid close attention to our female executives. By watching and emulating others — especially women of color who looked or sounded like me — I gained confidence in my own abilities.
But when I started my own company, my pool of potential role models shrunk. Only 2.1% of venture capital goes to women-founded companies, and a small fraction of that to women of color. Who could I look up to? I wondered. Who can I emulate? I decided to create an inspiration wall in my office, with framed photos of the role models I could see — women like Katrina Lake, Sara Blakely, Oprah, Michelle Obama, and Vicky Tsai, cofounder of the Japanese-inspired skincare brand Tatcha. I never thought I'd meet these women, but their success gave me hope.
Then one day, a couple years ago, I surprised myself with a thought: What if I did reach out to one of my role models? I feared rejection, but my desire for connection was stronger. I chose Vicky Tsai, whose journey had long inspired me. I didn't have her email address, so I tried guessing what it might be. No luck. Then I tried a cold Instagram DM, and she responded the next day!
That was in 2022. We've spoken numerous times since, and the conversations have been invaluable. They're rare chances to gain guidance from a woman who founded, scaled, and sold a business the way I aspire to. But here's the most valuable lesson I gained: When Vicky first replied to me, I wasn't the only one excited. Vicky was excited too — because she's always looking for ways to support other women. All my life, I'd thought of role models as a one-way relationship: I'd gain strength from someone stronger. But now I know that strength flows both ways.
I once sent Vicky a care package from my sunglasses company Mohala Eyewear. She wrote me a gracious thank-you note, and texted a selfie of her and her daughter wearing my products. Today, I keep that letter on my desk next to my keyboard — a reminder that, just as I believe in her, she believes in me. We're all here to help each other grow.
Related: How to Be a Good Role Model for Your Employees, Customers and Community (and Why It's Important)
