Dorie Clark: Why not me?
The WSJ bestselling author, business strategist, and Columbia professor explores identity, visibility, and making your own luck.
Dorie Clark is one of the most trusted voices in leadership and career reinvention. She’s known for her clear, thoughtful insights on how to build long-term influence, navigate transitions with intention, and play the long game in a noisy world. She’s a bestselling author, a teacher at Duke and Columbia, and a frequent contributor to Harvard Business Review. You can read more about her on her blog, in addition to her articles:
Ritika: You’re incredibly sought-after for your ability to inspire and uplift others.
Were you always this way? What were you like as a kid?
Could you have imagined the life you live now?
Dorie: I grew up in a small town in North Carolina. A golf resort town, which wasn’t a great fit for me—lots of golf, not a lot of culture. I couldn’t wait to get out. I was a tomboy. I hated dresses. I hated the expectations that were put on me.
But I was lucky.
My mom was very open. She let me do what I wanted: sports, reading, getting out into the world.
When I was 14, I found a way to enter an early college program at Mary Baldwin College in Virginia. Two years later, I transferred to Smith. I finished college at 18. It gave me a head start.
Ritika: And then? What happened after college?
Dorie: I didn’t feel totally ready for the workforce, so I went to Harvard Divinity School and earned a Master’s of Theological Studies. I finished by age 20.
My career started in journalism, but that was short-lived—I got laid off in 2001. The newspaper industry was collapsing.
So I shifted to politics. I had covered campaigns as a reporter, and I figured I could work on them. But every campaign I worked on lost.
Eventually, I ran a nonprofit. And it was through that experience I realized I wanted to build something of my own. That’s how I became an entrepreneur. I’ve been doing that now for over 13 years.
Ritika: When you were starting out, could you have pictured this version of yourself—best-selling author, advisor, speaker, educator?
Dorie: Yes.
I’m one of those people who always wonders, why aren’t I further?
I’ve always had a sense of drive. I feel a sense of mission. I’m grateful for everything I’ve accomplished.
But I’m not done.
Ritika: Where does that drive come from?
Dorie: I wish I knew. It wasn’t pressure from my parents. My mom would’ve been happy as long as I was happy. But I’ve always held myself to a high standard. I don’t need to do something extraordinary to please anyone else. I need to do it to please myself.
Ritika: Along the way, you've faced rejection. How do you keep going?
Dorie: The key is to stop assuming the gatekeepers are right.
People treat rejections as absolute.
But gatekeepers are just people. They’re fallible. They have biases. Sometimes they just don’t get what you’re doing.
When I first pitched Harvard Business Review, I got a polite blow-off. The editor told me my writing needed to be different “somehow”—without explaining how. A lot of people would’ve given up. But I knew I had something to say. I wasn’t going to let someone’s vague dismissal stop me.
If you’re talented and persistent, you’ll find your way in. The problem is when people take one person’s rejection and decide they’re broken. That’s a perverse way to think. Don’t do that.
Ritika: What role should gatekeepers play?
Dorie: They serve a purpose. Not everyone can be on the TED stage. Not everyone gets a column in the Times.
But gatekeepers have a responsibility, too. They need to see the human dimension in all this.
Most of the time, when people get rejected, they hear nothing helpful in return.
Just: not this. Not now.
If you’re the one pitching, don’t internalize that. Their lack of interest doesn’t mean you’re unworthy. It means you need to keep refining.
If there’s a fence in your way, climb the damn fence. Dig under it. Go around. Figure it out.
Ritika: How do you set goals for yourself?
Dorie: I think in two layers: ten-year goals, and six-month goals.
The long view gives me direction. The six-month goals give me focus. I don’t try to map every year—too many variables. But every six months, I pick one or two major projects to push forward.
Ritika: How did you find the topics that resonate most with your audience?
Dorie: You listen.
If you’re in conversation with your audience, they’ll tell you. Their questions will tell you. One piece I wrote for HBR was about how to write a cold email to someone you admire.
It took off.
Because we all have people we look up to, and the internet makes them feel closer.
But the question is: how do you actually reach out? What do you say?
I’d been on both sides of that exchange. So I wrote it.
Ritika: How did you get your first book deal?
Dorie: It was slow until it was fast.
In 2009, I set a six-month goal to get a book deal. I wrote three proposals. They all got rejected. I wasn’t famous enough. I didn’t have a platform.
So I went back to the drawing board. I spent two years writing for high-profile outlets. First the Huffington Post. Then Harvard Business Review. One of my blog posts for HBR took off. They asked me to turn it into a full magazine article. After that, three agents reached out. Within a few months, I had a contract.
My first book, Reinventing You, came out in 2013.
Ritika: You often talk about resilience. What gives you the confidence to keep going?
Dorie: I know what I have to say is useful. That’s it. I’m not saying I’m the only one who could say it. But why not me?
Too many people get stuck in this loop: Who am I to say this? Why should anyone listen? But I think: Why not me?
If you believe your ideas can help someone, it’s your responsibility to share them.
Ritika: Do you ever deal with haters?
Dorie: Of course.
Especially on platforms like YouTube. Sometimes people email me criticism out of nowhere. I don’t let them get away with it. I respond.
People think they can say awful things with no consequences.
I want them to know they can’t. That’s not just for me. It’s for everyone they’d try to intimidate next.
Ritika: What are some of the biggest turning points you’ve experienced?
Dorie: There are two that come to mind.
One was when I realized my business was shifting.
I started out consulting for companies. But after Reinventing You came out, individuals started asking me about coaching. At first I said no—that wasn’t how I saw myself. But enough people asked that I eventually said yes. That flexibility opened up a whole new part of my business.
The second was ending a long-term relationship. I cared about the person, but staying together would’ve compromised my career.
She was jealous of the time I spent working. She was emotionally volatile.
It was hard.
But I knew if I stayed, I wouldn’t be able to do the work I wanted to do. Leaving was one of the hardest things I’ve done. But it gave me back my freedom.
Ritika: What advice would you give someone who's afraid of uncertainty?
Dorie: Reframe how you think about risk. Having one job, one employer—that’s not secure.
Diversifying your income, working with multiple clients? That’s real security.
And when it comes to sharing your ideas, here’s the truth: most people won’t even notice at first.
It’s not that they’ll hate your work.
They just won’t see it. And that’s a gift. You get to experiment in obscurity.
You get to improve. So that when the spotlight finally lands on you, you’re ready.
Portrait illustration by Kat Cao