#57 Unapologetically becoming self!

In this episode, I connected with Rumailah Burden-Tuuk, a woman whose life has been shaped by courage, responsibility and an unwavering commitment to stay true to herself. We met in a crowded room at Microsoft NL and something in her presence stood out immediately. This conversation reveals why :)

Rumailah grew up as the daughter of Filipino immigrants, became a mother at nineteen and was underestimated more times than she can count. Instead of shrinking, she chose to play big. Today she works as an AI advisory solution consultant at ServiceNow, translating complexity into clarity while holding a deep ethical compass around technology, leadership and human dignity. Her journey is one of survival turning into purpose, ambition grounded in gratitude and success shaped by values rather than titles. 

Deep dive talking points:

👉🏾 becoming a mother young: responsibility as a catalyst for growth;

👉🏾 unapologetic selfhood: refusing to play small to fit in;

👉🏾 intuition and courage: knowing when to walk away;

👉🏾 women in tech: navigating power, credibility and voice;

👉🏾 ethical AI: engineering with integrity and care;

Nuggets of empowerment:

🙌🏾 your starting point does not define your ceiling;

🙌🏾 intuition is a skill you can learn to trust;

🙌🏾 success means nothing without peace;

Rumailah’s empowering quote:

🙌🏾 “I am becoming my truest self”

Book mentioned:

📚 The rhythm of life: living intentionally and in gratitude

Closing reflection:

Where in your life are you still dimming yourself to belong, and what might change if you chose yourself instead?

Connect with Rumailah:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rumailahburden/ 

Website: https://www.servicenow.com  

Learn more about our sponsor:

https://reinforcer.ai helps leaders turn everyday feedback into measurable behavior change, right where work actually happens.