# #16 - Shakila Dabare: Leading with confidence early in your career

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-whole-truth-leadership-stories-with-sarah-perugia-7098484/16-shakila-dabare-leading-with-confidence-early-in-your-career
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-whole-truth-leadership-stories-with-sarah-perugia-7098484/16-shakila-dabare-leading-with-confidence-early-in-your-career.md
Podcast: [The Whole Truth: Leadership Stories with Sarah Perugia](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-whole-truth-leadership-stories-with-sarah-perugia-7098484)
Published: 2026-04-27T16:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.sarahperugia.com/
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/5559cffc-32cc-48dd-9a7c-7a9e3433ded5.mp3
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Duration seconds: 2499

## Resource

Shakila Dabare is a senior finance professional based in Dubai who is carving out her place in the world of finance as a young woman with remarkable clarity and confidence. As a Senior Associate at Deliveroo with over eight years of experience in strategic growth and portfolio oversight, Shakila has built a reputation for managing high-stakes responsibilities in fast-paced, often male-dominated environments. In this episode, Shakila shares her journey from imposter syndrome to truly owning her space in rooms full of experienced experts. She reflects on what it was like managing multi-million-dollar budgets in her twenties and the lessons she learned about leadership, resilience, and knowing when to push forward (and when to let go). We also explore her practical “two circles” concept for focusing energy on what’s within our control, and why building a strong community of women is essential for lifting each other up. Shakila brings thoughtful insight, honesty, and a refreshing perspective on what it means to show up for yourself every single day. In this episode, we talk about: 00:00 – Welcome and why Shakila’s story matters 00:51 – Growing up in the UAE and embracing diversity 03:40 – Choosing your inner circle and building intentional connections 05:40 – Managing imposter syndrome early in your career 07:26 – Advice for women in male-dominated environments 10:50 – Building self-confidence and showing up for yourself 14:05 – Lessons from mentors and rethinking failure 17:40 – Turning overthinking into strategic planning 19:50 – Adulting, finances, and long-term thinking 27:16 – The power of women’s communities and networks 31:09 – Finding your goal, your “why,” and what’s in your control 33:40 – Taking action: the “run after the bus” analogy 36:01 – Purpose, inner data…

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