Episode
Lifting As You Climb: Ambassador Shefali Razdan-Duggal on Service, Sacrifice, and Success || EP.226
- Published
- Dec 2, 2025
- Duration seconds
- 1890
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Summary
At nine years old watching a presidential debate, Shefali Razdan Duggal realized something: in America, a peanut farmer and the son of divorced parents could become president. Her mother was cutting vegetables at night, working as a seamstress by day. Politics became the path to help people like her mother. Decades later, she became the first person of color to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands, where the Dutch named a fuchsia-pink tulip after her, the first ambassador from any country ever honored this way. But the journey between that childhood revelation and diplomatic triumph involved a different calculation entirely. "Women of color have to work four times as hard," Shefali states. Her response wasn't resentment—it was a choice. She calls it "weed whacking" for the people behind her. While serving 90-hour weeks, she operated from what she calls "complete and utter equality" with her entire embassy staff. The result? Her Marines ranked as one of the best detachments in Europe. Her embassy became one of the best-run on the continent. And when women of color visited the ambassador wall and saw her photo next to John Adams, they would start crying. In this conversation, Shefali explains why ego kills opportunities faster than anything else, how she managed crushing stress without punishing anyone around her, and what happens when you choose to "do something" instead of "be someone." She also reveals why your work may not benefit you immediately—but that's actually the point. Key Takeaways: Why working harder (when you shouldn't have to) clears the path for everyone behind you How to build relationships before you need them What "lift as you climb" actually looks like in practice Why starting at the base level with zero ego changes everything How to manage st…