Redefining Resilience and Developing Strength Through Loss and Leadership
“Each member of Alissa’s team knew what they had to do to make my headshot experience seamless. What struck me most was how well-organized & prepared her setup was.” That is what Manju Seal, Managing Partner & Founder of Terra Impact, shared about her recent headshot experience.
Manju is a seasoned leader in sustainable finance with extensive Wall Street experience. “I started on the sell-side at Goldman Sachs, then moved to institutional asset management & built a career focused on fixed income.” After some years, Manju faced two huge losses in quick succession. First, the sudden death of her brother. “It was a huge personal tragedy. There were days that I didn’t think I would make it through,” she recalls. Soon came the financial crisis in 2008. “I lost my hard-built career & pivoted to working with nonprofits focused on climate change, domestic violence, & poverty in the USA, India, & Singapore.”
During this time, “Adoption of a baby girl came through after four long years, & it was one of the most transformative experiences.” While in Singapore, “As a special mom, I was raising my little one while working for an ultra-high net worth family’s foundation, supporting my middle schooler’s rigorous school curriculum & remaining the primary caregiver to my parents remotely.”
Instead of giving up, Manju grew stronger. She allowed the challenges to show her the path to resilience. Looking to return to Wall Street, Manju realized she would need to create a different version of herself, so she enrolled & obtained her MBA in Singapore.
“When I returned to the US, I lived in California but moved to New York City, where I joined Bank of Montreal & was the first banker ever hired for sustainable finance & ESG.” There, she was a thought leader, innovator, & drove firm-wide initiatives for the public adoption of sustainable finance as a new business line.
“During Covid, I had to make tough decisions. I chose to take care of my aged parents & older daughter with major health issues. That took the last several years. Recently, I set up my own sustainable finance advisory company. Living in different countries has cultivated a global mindset.” Instead of thinking in silos, Manju believes in thinking expansively. “Sustainable finance needs a global outlook & international partnership—much like MIT’s Poverty Action Lab—to tackle complex, long-term challenges.”
While Manju is excited about her company, she is open to what else is in her future, especially involving tech. “I would enjoy being in tech. I started my Wall Street career primarily as a programmer. I find innovation to be invigorating. I like developing new solutions for old problems, especially today with the advent of AI.”
Offering supportive advice, Manju says, “When all seems lost, your mind can tell you things will not work out for you. It is imperative that you surround yourself with people who champion you & raise your spirit.” She believes resilience is not static; it evolves with changing circumstances & requires ongoing self-reflection & adaptation.
“Upheaval provides opportunities. Consciously build a definition of modern resilience for yourself. The resilience you need today is not the same as years ago. We must redefine resilience in the context of today.
My headshot experience was great. My favorite photo is the one with my glasses. Alissa is very focused on customer satisfaction. I deeply appreciated that!”