How Susie Wolff Took F1 Academy from Empty Tracks to Global Partnerships

31:31And for those that are struggling with that narrative, what would you suggest for them to do? Well, firstly, I completely sympathize that it is a challenging time. Don't think that it was any different for me, that it wasn't completely clear. But I think sometimes figuring out what you don't want to do is just as powerful as kind of figuring out what you do want to do. And at the moment where I had this blank sheet of paper, I didn't know, but I started figuring out, well, I don't want to do this and I don't want to do that. Process of elimination. Yeah. It's the best for anything. Yeah. And it started really narrowing it down.

32:07It's like building a house. You're like, nope, I don't like those handles. And then the house is finished. You think, okay, next time I'll do this differently. But I also think it's, and Toto's really good at this. He says, well, give it a go. It's okay to pivot. If it's something you try and you don't like it or it's not for you, then you just pivot. I think in this day and age, it's not something that's set in stone that once you start something, you absolutely need to spend the next 10 years doing it. but it's about giving yourself the experiences to grow and figure out, okay, is this right?

32:36And you might start something and think, well, it's not this, but actually from this, I'm branching off into this because I figured out it's actually this that I really enjoy. But my biggest thing, especially to my girlfriends, I say, well, just go for it. Don't allow this self-doubt in yourself or this not having it all figured out. To take the easy path. Just start something and you'll figure it out. Have that belief in yourself that you will figure it out because you've got this skill set. You've got this, you know, I think mothers have a huge resilience anyway, a huge ability to plan logistically and to multitask.

33:09And I think 10 steps ahead. We're way more capable than what we think of sometimes.

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33:54Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online make sense? There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up required, compatibility and availability varies 18 plus. Hey friends, Olivia from Oli. Between new routines and the ultimate group project known as parenting, you need science-backed solutions that work with your life. That's where Oli comes in. Start your mornings off right with Maltese made to support nutrition and immune health. Choose from our lineup of gut-supporting probiotics and we've got occasional sleep support to help the whole fan chase their big dreams. Head back to class with the number one gummy supplement brand.

34:28Stock up on Ollie.com today. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Let's shift gears, and I wanted to talk about something that you've often been asked about first, being a woman in a male-dominated sport. And this might sound like a silly question, But I want to start with kind of understanding your involvement with the color pink. Right. When you were young, you wanted to race in a pink car. I loved pink. But then when people would take notice of that, you didn't want to feel like you stood out.

35:06You wanted to feel part of the race and not just because you were wearing pink. Whereas later in your career, there was an element of confidence that came with standing out. So walk me through that relationship. I think my relationship with pink is heavily linked to my relationship with femininity. As a little girl of eight, you're not really aware of your surroundings. I love Barbie. I wanted pink side pods for my go-kart. I wasn't your stereotypical tomboy. I did. I loved that go-kart. I had pink on my suit. And then in my teenage years, I realized that that maybe was a sign of weakness. That others thought, well, because I was a girl, I was an easy target.

35:45and I had some tough moments in racing where I probably got fired off more because a dad was telling his son don't get beat by her so the pink got yeah like you rightly said got stored away um and I remember when I joined Mercedes-Benz in German touring cars I had this real battle going on with myself because I wanted I knew it was all about performance and I wanted to be taken seriously so when I was sent to an event you know I didn't want to appear too feminine because maybe they thought I cared more about my appearance than my racing. But on the other side, everyone's well-dressed and I felt like I wanted to wear a dress because that was who I am.

36:22But maybe I should wear a trousers suit because all my teammates are in a trousers suit. These constant battles in my head. And it's only really when I came together with Toto and he said, listen, you don't have a role model. You've just got to be you. And if that means you want to wear a dress, wear it, own it. And don't doubt yourself. Just follow your path. And that was kind of a weight off my shoulder and they then painted my car pink in DTM, which, cliche. But I realized that, you know, more... But at that time, did you feel more confident about racing in a pink car? And you know what? Pink car or yellow car, if you're going to hit me, I'm going to hit you back.

36:58You know, I didn't worry that they saw that as a weakness. I was there. I knew I had to perform. I knew I could race hard. So I think that allowed me to embrace that feminine side. I realized that it got more little girls to the track because suddenly they wanted to see this pink car. And that definitely helped me in my role now with F1 Academy of trying to challenge the perceptions in the sport. But I think many women go through this probably more in a business environment where you know you're being judged on how you look and how you turn up to a meeting. And maybe that first judgment is unfair because you've not shown any performance.

37:38But that's the reality. And so I think we as women just need to own it, stay true to who you are, whether that's whatever level of femininity that is. Pink or blue, exactly. Racing, from my opinion, stands out because there's not that big of a difference whether you are, you know, your size, your height, your weight when you're in a car. And you've put it this way. You said there's a purity to sport because it doesn't differentiate by gender. when the helmet is on, all that matters is performance. Why aren't there more female drivers in F1 today? I think it's a double, well, it's a linked problem that we don't have visible role models that kind of inspire the next generation.

38:27And that then leads to just a really small talent pool. And I think part of our job as F1 Academy is to really inspire the next generation to see that the sport has, well, it's culturally shifted now. There are a lot more women in the sport. The possibilities are there. And I think visually seeing an 18-year-old girl zipping up a Ferrari race suit and jumping in what looks like a miniature Ferrari car is so powerful to change the perceptions of the next generation. And that then will help us increase the pipeline of talent coming up. But I do always say making it to F1 is incredibly tough regardless of your gender.

39:03There are so many male drivers that would also have deserved the chance, but there's so few spaces. And it's unlike football where there's divisions and leagues. It's just those 22 spots on the grid. 22 spots? That's it. So I think if we do a good job in F1 Academy, it will become inevitable that a girl gets to F1 eventually. But I don't see that as our sole target. I think we've got a much bigger job to do of changing the perceptions of the sport and getting more young talent entering. You've described the attention around gender as noise, that you sometimes wish would just go away. But other times, I imagine standing out as a woman is a powerful part of your identity.

39:48What do you think makes that difference? in the sport there's always a commercial reality and I'm sure in your career I mean I often think about female tennis players because at least in my sport I'm wearing a helmet so how I look doesn't play a huge role in who's watching or the performance whereas in your sport you're so exposed and everyone analyses what you wear onto the pitch what you look like on the pitch and there's a thousand pictures from you could be in the middle of a shot and all these pictures appear afterwards and you have to cope with that as an athlete um so I guess we were we're lucky in that we don't have that level of scrutiny but on the other side we have the scrutiny that well if there aren't successful women in f1 or in sport is it even possible is this a sport where women can compete with men and and I certainly think having gone through my career we can it's why I'm so passionate about giving the next generation a chance because I got given chances in my career And I think sometimes in life, you just need to be given the chance.

40:50And so now we're in a situation where these young female drivers are being given an incredible opportunity to show what they can do in front of a huge audience. 11 of them are linked to F1 teams, which is something I only could have dreamed of in my early career. So I feel proud that the narrative is shifting. So let's get to Formula One Academy. You retire from racing. You become a Formula E team principal and shareholder. Very smart businesswoman. And then in 2023, a new opportunity presents itself. You're tapped into to lead F1 Academy, and it's an all-female driver category for Formula One, which is essentially Formula Four if you're looking at it from a grid perspective.

41:37In the pyramid, exactly, yeah. Walk me through how that offer was made and why you decided to go for that position at this time of your career. I remember the first phone call so distinctly. I was well on my way to the next project, which was in the space industry. And Stefano Dominic, slightly different. I felt at that point that I should really do something outside of motorsport. Out of my comfort zone. You're like, out of the planet. Timeline, slightly different to what I was used to in motorsport. But I got the call from Stefano, who's a good friend, and Greg Maffee at the time, who was the chairman of Liberty.

42:14And they really recognised this shift in the female audience and the growing popularity of the sport for female fans, which I'm so encouraged by. And they had this idea. And at the time I said, listen, I'll help you from the sidelines because I really felt that it was time to try something different. But there was a lot of conversations at home and Toto kind of said, if it's not you, who is it? This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. You've got the investment, you've got Stefano, the Liberty Board, backing this idea. And your personal experience of being a female racer. Exactly. The decision became quite easy.

42:50It then became quite apparent when I got to the first race that I had a lot of work ahead of me to turn it into something that could really work. And for sure it helped that commercially the sport had shifted. this female fan base the 18 to 24 year old kind of demographic is our fastest growing then that also meant that there was a business reason as to why it made sense. I want to get into the technicality of it because one of the things you noticed when you became principal of F1 Academy is you said why are the girls competing at different tracks than Formula on races, we should be aligned. We should be on the same tracks, as many of them as possible, so that the crowds, whoever's there, the full crowds, is watching these female drivers.

43:39Was that one of the first things that you shifted when you entered the role? I did, because the first race I attended, I had never been to such an empty racetrack in my whole career, where there was just nobody. Even when you were eight years old as a carter? because it was literally just F1 Academy and I thought how is this ever going to work I mean the drivers and the teams couldn't find sponsors clearly if there's nobody watching your races you're not going to find a sponsor and also as a driver like as a player if you're playing in an empty stadium with no feedback with no energy how are you going to get better yeah how are you going to rise to the top and improve and and want to stay there for a long period of time not just on that day, right, but keep showing up to empty stands.

44:27Yeah, it was a situation that definitely wasn't sustainable. And I spent a lot of those initial months also reaching out to other women's sports to figure out the challenges they'd had, because obviously WNBA is nearly 30 years old. You know, what was the involvement over those years? Why did it take you so long? Or where were the difficulties? Did you already have that network? I didn't. I'd done a lot of research, but I didn't have the network but I very quickly reached out to to the women in those other sports to to learn from and obviously Formula One and motor racing it's very different but there were some parallels and I quickly realized we need to race with F1 because to fill a racetrack on our own was going to be nearly impossible and we very quickly needed to find a model that commercially made sense for the drivers for the teams and then I decided that the F1 teams had to be involved and I knew it was a big ask of them because this was the first time in the history of the sport they would give their name and livery to something other outside of the cars they built that they would have a female driver on their in their lineup but I give them like I said so much credit they they jumped on board and now they're signed up for the long term and something that you just said, reaching out to women and asking them questions about how they did it and whether it's a league or a team owner.

45:54Like, you know, you're not in your 20s. You're an experienced business leader, but you had the balls to call someone and say, I would like your help. How did you have that? Because that's like calling and saying, I don't know the answers to this, right? I want to learn and I want to grow. And I feel like the older we get, obviously, the more confident and comfortable we get with our decisions. But equally as women, we want to keep growing and we want to keep learning and challenging our own selves to be better. How did you find the confidence to call someone out of your network and say, can you help me out?

46:31I have never had an issue with putting my hand up and saying, I don't have all the answers. and there were moments where with the F1 legal team which really were my saviors in those months of trying to form F1 Academy we would come to situations like well how do you want to do this I said I don't know it was a completely we were in uncharted waters of how we set everything up I said let's let's figure this out how should we set up what what could be the right formal structure and in those so scary to say I don't know it is but in a way I also feel that it it creates a culture around you where people that are then open to also not trying to pretend they know it all and I'm very much I surround myself with the best people I can because I think they just a they make you look good and they make you better but I want that expert expertise in my team and I even went one step further because I knew there were critics out there who said iPhone academy that's never going to work and I sat down with them and said tell me why you think that tell me what you think we need to do better why you don't believe in it and there were painful moments of of hearing their criticisms but I think it was important to inform especially because they'd been in the sport for a long time okay what what what formed their opinion that it wasn't right that it didn't work and what what had to be different and I think criticism I think negative feedback it's painful in the moment but it should always be a part of forming your overview because you can't just hear all the good stuff you you need to know why people think things can't work but certainly going to ask for help and getting people's opinions and I put together a group even just at the end of last year people that I really respected in the industry to get their opinion on where we were and what needed to be better from the F1 teams what are we doing well but what can we do better consistently pushing myself to figure out.

48:30Yeah, which can be exhausting sometimes. I won't lie. Between you and Toto, I mean. And he's a real perfectionist. He's the first to tell me when something's rubbish. And sometimes on a race weekend, because obviously I know some of the team principals really well, they're really not shy to just send me, this is rubbish. You need to work on this, you need to do this. And I'm getting all these incoming WhatsApps, but they care. So it's got to be a positive. They care enough to write to me. When you were racing, female participation never rarely surpassed 5%. There were no role models. Financial barrier was absolutely ridiculous.

49:05Now about 40%, even more, a Formula One fan base is female, which is a huge, huge statistics. how you know for women that are looking to cross barriers and I know that's such a huge jump in figures and and the F1 has done an incredible job but what would be your advice of how women break barriers in the workplace? I think the first and most powerful thing is women standing up for each other and I think that can't be underestimated because if you've managed to carve yourself a path in an industry it's so rewarding to then pass that knowledge on to the either the next generation or the next one in line don't have her go through the same battles you did let her learn from what you've learned and that knowledge and knowledge is so powerful in in given industries pass that on because it's so rewarding and I think that's how we can foster so quickly this this idea of more women coming in and more women achieving because the more we get coming in the more chance we have of women rising into the into the top positions i've certainly found in many situations with f1 academy it has been women that have stood up and said i'm with you on this how can i help you

50:34this episode is brought to you by google chrome you think you know a browser but gemini and chrome that's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block, or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks. Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online make sense? There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up required, compatibility and availability varies 18+. Hey friends, Olivia from Oli. Between new routines and the ultimate group project known as parenting, you need science-backed solutions that work with your life.

51:07That's where Oli comes in. Start your mornings off right with Maltese made to support nutrition and immune health. Choose from our lineup of gut-supporting probiotics. And we've got occasional sleep support to help the whole fan chase their big dreams. Head back to class with the number one gummy supplement brand. Stock up on Oli.com today. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. When you need to build up your team to handle the growing chaos at work, use Indeed Sponsored Jobs. It gives your job post the boost it needs to be seen and helps reach people with the right skills, certifications and more.

51:42Spend less time searching and more time actually interviewing candidates who check all your boxes. Listeners of this show will get a$75 sponsored job credit at Indeed.com slash podcast. That's Indeed.com slash podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Need a hiring hero? This is a job for Indeed sponsored jobs. It is an incredibly exciting time for motorsports with, I mean, everyone on the moon coming to an F1 race. You've got Netflix series. You've got Brad Pitt in an F1 movie. It feels like the whole world is paying attention to a sport. How do you build, from your point of view, how do you build on that momentum?

52:24Because I feel like it's so easy to fumble it. completely and I don't take for granted the situation we're in now I think Formula One has done such a fantastic job of reaching that new young fan base through the collaborations with Lego with Hot Wheels they're speaking to that younger audience and you're absolutely right we have such an opportunity but we need to get it right and especially with F1 Academy so much momentum so many possibilities but we can't sit back and and think okay this is great we we need to keep pushing and keep coming up with the next thing and there's so much competition out there there's so much great content great other sports we need to really make sure that we as a sport are constantly pushing and making sure that we're getting it right but I just feel very grateful to be a part of it because I remember 10 years ago going to racetracks where we hadn't didn't have sold out grandstands or we didn't have a young audience and now to see where the sport is we need to thank our lucky stars we need to make sure that we are engaging with that audience and making sure that this their love for the sport just keeps growing all right so we can't get through this interview without talking about toto the incredible toto wolf um he's he is your husband and he is mercedes f1 team principal and one of my favorite things about your book is the forward that he wrote for you.

53:46It was so genuine, real, honest, sweet. Toto can be sweet. And he said, your inner confidence is quiet, but unshakable, which I loved. That is such a strong statement. But I also sense that he is very honest with his feedback. And it takes a certain type of relationship to be open to, you know, critical but honest opinions. How do you navigate that between each other? With Toto, what I really appreciated, and we had big discussions whether we put our love story in the book or not, and I really said to him, it's such a big part of who I am. It's such a big part of my journey that I feel I would be doing the book of just justice not putting in.

54:33So he kind of gave me permission, and he read the book, and then he said, okay well I got to come up with a pretty good foreword based on how open and honest you've been but I think with Toto what I what I love about him is from the very beginning he said let's not play any games you know I'm going to be honest with you you be honest with me and that communication is is always going to have to be at the core of of our marriage or our relationship at the time and being Austrian he's very direct it took a bit of getting used to at the beginning definitely I mean he's not soft and fuzzy no not soft and fuzzy at all and he does not wrap me in cotton wool but he also I guess knows how tough the industry can be so he knows that I need to have that certain resilience but he is definitely a brilliant life partner because in those moments where I need him he's absolutely there um he pushes me when he needs when I need to be pushed.

55:31But he also doesn't shy away from, you know, telling me when it's just not good enough and where it needs to be better. And we have got into a better situation now because he's sometimes very opinionated on clothing and makeup. He doesn't like a lot of makeup. He doesn't like, you know, too over the top with clothing. And so sometimes if I come dressed for an event, he's like, before he would say, awful. Now he says, I think you have something better in your wardrobe. He's been media trained. So he's been trained to not bring out that very direct punch. How is his wardrobe? Oh, he just has one tailor and just copies the same thing in different colors.

56:12That's so boring. But men have it so much easier than us. All they have to do is tailor. They do. But then on the other side, they don't have the creativity that we have. That's true. Of curating outfits. Well, they don't have the space for extra creativity, let's be honest. But what I love about that feedback from him and the honesty with which he gives it to you is that when he does deliver a compliment, you must know that he means it. And I feel like getting my recorder out just to get it on tape that it's there. I have a compliment. But he's the same with everyone in our family. And that's who he is.

56:46And I think it works because there's, I mean, I know so much that he's with me. so even when the criticism comes I know it comes from a place where he wants me to be successful he wants you to grow and wants me to grow and get better because he believes you can which I love and I think like it will be the same for you in in life that person you choose to spend your life as a woman it's the has the biggest impact on on how you're on your journey there are many women in the world that work alongside their husband or have a business alongside their husband what are some of like what's your advice to people working together couples working together I love to have his opinion on on things because he's got so much knowledge in the sport um but I also rely on my own instinct I don't he doesn't have the capacity for me to share everything with him and it's very much I'm in the weeds of F1 Academy so I need to go in my my own way he obviously it's a daily grind and he obviously has a lot on his plate but there's moments where I'm I ask his opinion he's very good at always telling me don't get caught up in the daily grind get up on the balcony look down and see what's happening so that you're always having a bigger perspective and are aware of how everything is moving and what you need to change but we really bounce off each other he will he won't interfere unless I ask I'm the same with him I wait to be asked for for my opinion unless it comes to clothing unless it comes to clothing exactly on the business side we we wait for each other to be asked but on the personal side yeah I trust him completely and we you know we have a lot of fun together we don't take ourselves too seriously we take the mickey out of each other and I feel very grateful that we both have similar interests and are on this journey together you're both raising a son who's nine years old.

58:40And one of the first few questions I received after giving birth is, is your son going to be an athlete? And is he going to be playing tennis? And he's not even four. And I'm like, I do not think so. Your son, on the other hand, is a racer. How do you, as a mom, right, who's been through it, who's, I mean, raced for so many years, knows the ins and outs of the industry. How do you think about raising your son in racing? he is the character I mean he's very similar to me he's he's he's a character that loves competition and he's very energetic and athletic Toto was completely against him going into racing to which I said I understand all the reasons why it's it's going to be more difficult for him but that's a childhood I had and if he wants to race I'm at least going to give him the chance to start racing and I have so many fond memories from my karting years and just recently Lewis and I reminisced of those karting years and how fun and how pure they were.

59:41And so I kind of started the journey with him and realized how great it was to be together away from Monaco and in a tough environment where he had to get his elbows out. He had to learn. He had to push himself. And Totos kind of very quickly then joined us and could see, a how much enjoyment it was as a family and b that he had a real passion for it so now we're on this this journey and I'm really relaxed about it if he's good enough he's good enough I'll be brutally honest with him if he's if he's not good enough because we know how tough it is but he's learning so much and I found the crazy thing is I love being back on a kart track with him we have this little motor home that we all live in and you know when we go back to this idea of saying no there's no other place I'd rather be than with him at a kart track at this stage of his life because I know how powerful those years are and that going back to basics and that time together as a family we we really love it and he has he's had some great races he had some not great races and I see Toto and I both know it's the the tough races that are just as important as the good races for his kind of journey but I think more than anything of thinking of a career it's more just the enjoyment we have doing it with him as a team as a team so who's a better driver you Toto or your son really the answer to that depends on who you ask and I'm asking you I would definitely say well I made a career out but I have to be the better driver than Toto he's a terrible passenger though so he will not speak highly of my skills as a passenger no he's no he likes to be in control I think my son is already better than I was at his age um so yeah I think he's he might outdo us both okay yeah good that's what I like to hear you've been incredible at manifesting your future and what's next sitting here 2026 and you think about the future what is next for Susie Wolf?

1:01:50I've got a big decision to take at the end of this year because I kind of feel where F1 Academy is it's in a great place yeah right now in a great place but probably need to decide kind of towards the end of this year what what the next stage looks like and I'm completely relaxed about it because I think there's there's different routes I can take all of which actually excite me and I kind of believe sometimes when those big decisions come it becomes naturally evident which is the right one, which is the right path. So I'm not putting a lot of pressure on myself and feel more excited about the possibilities ahead.

1:02:34Welcome to Pretty Tough Tips, a short series on performance presented by Pure Leaf Ice Tea. In this season, we're exploring mental focus. Today's tip is on resilience. resilience means that in the face of adversity you show up and you show up to your own self and to your mind and to your body by saying that things happen things don't always go according to plan I make mistakes there's some things I can't control but I'm going to get through this I'm going to lean in I'm going to feel the challenge there might be a little bit of pain let's see where we can take it and then I'm going to grow allowing you to bounce back and recover

1:03:14We often think about the bigger picture and the mountain that we have to climb, but during those setbacks, it's really very, very difficult to think that far ahead. So think about today. Think about tomorrow. Think about the bunny hill. Don't get so overwhelmed about the bigger picture that it becomes daunting to fight whatever setback you have in your life.

1:03:38everyone everywhere experiences setbacks in their life and I personally experienced them a lot of times it was coming back from injury and that's a huge setback because not only are you recovering from injury all the other athletes are getting better by competing by practicing and you're just sitting back doing rehab you know getting your body stronger so it feels like you have such a tough challenge ahead of you. And during those times, I thought of the things that I could control. Sometimes your body breaks down, right? Sometimes what you thought was the right technical motion on your serve you did for so many years no longer works for you and is now like breaking down your shoulder and you have to take care of it.

1:04:18So before I thought about winning again or holding trophies, I wanted to get my body right. I wanted to get my body back feeling strong because I knew that that was my weapon, like that was my engine, and that's what I needed to get back in order to have a chance to compete at the highest level. When you're going through a setback, it's really important to be intentional about your thoughts, because when we're experiencing trauma or disappointment, we always think of the worst, you know, this picture of ourselves when we're losing and we don't feel our best, and the mind is so critical at that point.

1:04:55And I know we say positive thinking, but what does that really mean? Like break it down, be kind to myself, be intentional with my next step. How am I going to recover? What am I going to do?

1:05:09Oftentimes when we face setbacks, we think of, oh, well, why is this happening in my career, in my life? Initially, we want to avoid it, right? Because we just want to keep growing. But the fact is that you grow through these setbacks and you grow through getting through them and feeling the disappointment, feeling the pain and working through it. And I guarantee you the next time that you have a challenge in your life, whether it's related to the one you had, or it's entirely new, the mindset that you carried for that initial setback will ultimately help you for the future ones. We are going to wrap this up with some pretty tough questions.

1:05:46Ready? I wouldn't expect anything else from you. What is something you have had to unlearn? Being selfish. It It was all about me and my racing career and everything was organized for me to be the best athlete. Now, as a part of a team, but being a mother, it's definitely not just about me anymore. It's not about us anymore. So that selfishness is definitely unlearned in my current situation. So relatable. What is a routine that's helped shape your success? I am big on discipline and that's always come naturally to me. So I love the fact that I no longer have a strict training regime now, but I love going and doing sport in the morning.

1:06:29Jack goes to school. I'm always doing something first thing because if I don't get it done first thing, it tends to not happen. So I really force myself first thing and I'm always happy I did because I always feel much better after. It's always difficult to start. Like once you've traveled and you kind of lose that discipline. But the toughest is starting. Once you start, I feel like it's always easier. And then the endorphins flow and you think, okay, it's great. I got it. I got it. What is a common misconception about you? I've heard a lot of people call me like tough and she's hard. I can be in moments, but I don't think that's who I am as a character.

1:07:09I like to think of myself as being someone that is kind, who's very loyal. but I have heard myself described as someone who's very tough. Punchy? Punchy and women, you know, it's really not a positive. It's a negative connotation when it's said about a woman. It is. Toto, can we call that? And it's a real compliment. And he takes it. And he loves it. Whereas when people say about me, I'm like, I don't think you actually mean that in a positive way. What is something that makes you feel tough? I think it's having all the preparation in a given moment of going into a situation, whether it's a battle in the boardroom or whether it's...

1:07:51As long as I feel I have my armor of knowledge, team around me, preparation done, I can be really tough in a situation. Armor is preparation. Armor is preparation. I like that. And finally, what makes you feel pretty? what makes you feel pretty it's dressing in a way which I feel comfortable in but good in doing my hair getting my makeup having time to do your hair having time to do my hair and having my makeup done because doing it on my own is five minutes where's charlotte five minutes and I'm done it doesn't really um look very great if I feel good about myself then I then I can go out and I feel pretty.

1:08:33I feel confident. And I think confidence is probably more important than the idea of feeling pretty. Because if you can walk into a room and you just feel good. It's the confidence with which you carry that pretty element. Definitely. Your story is inspirational. I can't wait to see what the future holds for you. Thank you so much, Maria.

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