For Ivanka Trump, the 33-year-old daughter of property mogul Donald Trump, work is certainly high on the list of priorities.
Among other things, Trump is a businesswoman, author and lifestyle entrepreneur.
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She serves as the executive vice president of development and acquisitions for the Trump organization, and she also founded the Ivanka Trump fashion brand.
Last year, Trump launched her own apparel website along with #WomenWhoWork, a video campaign that aims to “celebrate the many different ways in which women work — and to redefine, and break stereotypes around, what it looks like to be a working woman today.”
Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, who were married in an Orthodox Jewish ceremony after she converted in 2009, have two small children.
In a recent interview with Business Insider, Trump described what success means to her, what it’s like to be a powerful woman, and how the modern workplace has evolved.
Here are some excerpts from the interview:
BI: Have you ever felt singled out as a woman in the boardroom?
IT: My primary business is real estate. There aren’t many women in real-estate development, construction, or finance. You see more women in sales and brokerage positions. Early on in my career, I got used to being the only woman in the room.
There are still barriers. I try to have a positive outlook. I consider myself incredibly fortunate to be a woman working in America. It looks very different to be a working woman in other places in the world.
BI: How has the workplace evolved for women over time?
IT: We live in an interesting time. Work is changing for men as much as it is for women. Men expect and want to be part of their children’s lives. They’re living in a different way than their fathers did.
BI: What’s different now?
IT: Technology. Twenty years ago life was siloed into work and home. Now it’s very different. People send emails at 11 at night. There’s been a breakdown of that division between the professional realm and personal realm.
BI: What’s your definition of success?
IT: Happiness. I don’t think you are truly successful unless you are a happy person and are happy with your life. I know many people who are professionally successful but miserable. I’m happy when I’m achieving my professional goals and when I’m with my husband and children.
BI: What do you think it takes to achieve success today?
IT: Identify what you love doing and do it. It’s very hard to be great at what you do if you aren’t deeply passionate. I know plenty of brilliant people who never went the distance because others were more passionate, worked harder, and had a laser focus.
If you’re in a relationship, it has to be the right person. If I had a husband who didn’t approve of my decision to have a professional life, that would stymie me in a real way.
It’s not just who you marry, but who you surround yourself with. Pessimists are toxic. I love optimists — and by that I don’t mean people who are unable to see challenges. Optimists are solution-oriented.
