Spotlight on Women Leaders: Beth Forester on the Power of the Pause

Spotlight on Women Leaders Series

👉Celebrating women leaders across industries and advancing the conversation on leadership—reflecting CFW Careers’ expertise in retained executive search, global executive search, and professional coaching.

Welcome to our Women Leaders Spotlight blog series, part of our Changing the Conversation initiative. This series reflects our founding commitment to advancing women in leadership by moving beyond identifying barriers to focusing on solutions, supporting women in their careers, while also influencing organizational practices and policymaking.

At CFW Careers, we combine the reach of global executive search with the insight of professional coaching, serving leaders and organizations. Since 1973, we’ve been committed to opening doors, creating opportunities, and helping anyone on the rise in their career not just succeed but thrive.

Beth Forester, CEO of Animoto

Today we are talking with Beth Forester, CEO of Animoto, whose path to leadership spans more than 25 years as an entrepreneur before stepping into the corporate world. Beth, can you start by describing your experience and role at Animoto?

My path into corporate leadership was not traditional. I spent more than twenty-five years as an entrepreneur running my own photography business before shifting into the corporate world later in life. I eventually joined Animoto and moved from product marketing into broader leadership roles, and today I lead the company through an exciting transformation.

Animoto’s purpose has always centered on empowering people to tell their stories. Our vision is to help anyone connect with others through video by making creation fast, easy, and accessible. We believe everyone has a story worth sharing, and we are building a platform that supports the full video journey from creation to distribution. At its core, our work is about helping people communicate, express themselves, and build lasting connections through authentic storytelling.

Because of my own nonlinear path into leadership, I am also deeply committed to supporting the next generation of women leaders. Outside of my role at Animoto, I spend time coaching and advising women who are growing into leadership roles, helping them build confidence, EQ skills, and clarity in their careers. Supporting women as they find their voice and step into leadership is something I care about deeply.

You’ve had an impressive career path at Animoto, working your way up the ladder, ultimately, to the CEO position. Women often hear that we need to “Be Bold” in order to rise in our careers? Has that been your experience?

I do think women are often told to “be bold,” but in reality many of us hesitate to ask for what we want. I’ve learned that if you never ask, the answer is automatically no.

Earlier in my career, I had just led a cross functional initiative that resulted in a major win for the company. I felt confident that I had clearly demonstrated I was ready for a senior role. So during my performance review, when my boss shared positive feedback but didn’t promote me, I was honestly surprised.

In that moment, I decided to ask questions. I asked, “Do you feel I’m doing senior level work?” He said yes. I asked, “Is there anything I’m not doing that would be required for that role?” He said no. So I told him I didn’t understand why I wasn’t being promoted and that I was disappointed in the decision. I wasn’t confrontational and I didn’t threaten anything. I simply asked for an explanation.

Afterward, I felt frustrated, and the lack of clarity didn’t sit right with me. So I took a moment to reflect, which is something I’ve learned can be incredibly powerful. When you pause, you can set the emotion aside and focus on what you need. I went to HR, not to accuse anyone, but to explain that the conversation didn’t feel resolved. I walked through what I had contributed and asked again for clarity on why there wasn’t a path forward.

A week later, I was promoted and received a larger raise.

Looking back, asking questions turned out to be the best thing I could have done. Not only “Why wasn’t I promoted?” but also “What could I be doing better? What does the next level look like?” These are questions we all should be asking regularly. They help you understand where you stand, what is expected, and they create accountability on both sides.

One thing I’ve learned is that no one is out there proactively managing your career for you. You have to advocate for yourself. And advocating doesn’t have to mean being loud or forceful. Sometimes boldness looks like staying grounded, pausing before you respond, collecting your thoughts, and then asking directly for what you’ve earned.

I’m curious: in your different roles at Animoto, how did you make sure people noticed your contributions without coming off as self-promoting or “too pushy”?

I think many women struggle with the idea of self-promotion. We don’t want to come across as bragging, and I’ve always felt that way too. So I focused on an approach that felt authentic to me.

I leaned on data. Data is factual. It takes the ego out of the equation and keeps the attention on the impact, not the person. But I didn’t just share numbers. I worked to shape those numbers into a clear story so people understood what the results meant, why they mattered, and how they connected to our goals.

That balance helped me share my contributions without ever feeling pushy. I wasn’t trying to “sell myself.” I was communicating insights, outcomes, and next steps in a way that moved the work forward. And when you do that consistently, the right people notice — not because you’re bragging, but because the story and the results speak for themselves.

Returning to the cliche, “Be Bold,” you shared with me that you have had to share hard truths and push back  when necessary. Can you provide an example of this?

One of the boldest moments in my career happened when I stepped into the VP of Marketing role and realized the revenue targets I inherited were completely unrealistic based on where the business actually was. Any time I take on something new, I try to understand what success looks like and whether the team is truly set up to achieve it. In this case, it was clear we weren’t.

When I asked how the targets had been created, the answer was basically that the company needed that level of growth. There wasn’t a clear strategy or any initiatives tied to those numbers. When goals are disconnected like that, it makes it incredibly hard for teams to prioritize or focus on the work that truly matters.

So I pushed back. I shared that the goals weren’t achievable under the current plan and built a model grounded in our historical performance and what we could realistically expect based on upcoming initiatives. That gave us a shared view of what was possible, not just what we hoped for.

One lesson I want women to hear is that standing up for yourself is not selfish. It is also standing up for your team. If you stay quiet, your team ends up carrying unrealistic expectations with no real way to succeed. Reframing it that way gave me the confidence to speak up.

Fortunately, my boss listened and was open to another approach. And the outcome was bigger than just marketing. Resetting those goals shifted company priorities and created more clarity across the business. That experience reinforced for me that being bold often means telling the truth plainly, protecting your team, and making sure everyone is working from the same understanding of reality.

How have you learned to advocate for yourself when the opportunity (or support) you needed wasn’t automatically on the table?

There was a point in my career when I was offered the Director of Product Marketing role, and it wasn’t an automatic yes. At the time, I was on the growth team running experiments, which I really enjoyed. I had also seen the frustrations of the leaders before me who tried to stand up product marketing and struggled, and I didn’t want to walk straight into the same headaches.

My first instinct was to say no. I wasn’t convinced the organization was ready for product marketing to succeed. My boss asked me to think about it, so I paused and gave myself space to reflect. I made a spreadsheet of what I liked, what I wanted, and what I felt would be needed to set myself and the team up for success. That pause gave me clarity. It helped me separate emotion from what I knew to be true: I liked the challenge, but only if the foundations were in place.

When I walked into the conversation to advocate for myself, I felt confident because I had nothing to lose. I liked the role I was already in. I wasn’t pushing for anything unreasonable. I was simply being honest about what it would take for product marketing to work: clear ownership between PM and PMM, defined KPIs, a product marketer embedded on every team, and real support from the head of Product.

If the organization wasn’t willing to support those needs, I was perfectly fine staying where I was. That confidence, and the clarity behind it, made the conversation straightforward.

There’s a lesson in this for women. Too often, women are offered opportunities after others have tried and failed. And we feel like we have to take them at face value because we might not get another chance. But when you slow down, think through what you need, and advocate for the conditions that will set you up for success, everyone wins. Most people are not offering opportunities hoping you’ll fail. They just don’t know what is required for success unless you tell them.

Walking into a new role with clear expectations isn’t demanding. It’s alignment. It ensures you, your team, and the organization are all starting on the right path. And that clarity is one of the strongest ways to advocate for yourself.

You’ve written about how EQ, specifically self-regulation, is essential for strong leaders. I’m curious how you think your own high EQ has helped you, specifically as a woman leader?

EQ, and especially self-regulation, has had a huge impact on me as a woman leader. One of the most important skills I have built is learning to pause before responding. Early in my career, I reacted quickly out of excitement, frustration, or self-doubt. As I grew into bigger roles, I realized that the pause is where better decisions happen.

The pause gives me space to separate emotion from context, to ask clarifying questions, and to reflect on how I want to show up. It lets me choose a thoughtful response rather than reacting in the moment. Women are often expected to either stay quiet or prove themselves instantly. We are rarely encouraged to slow down and take up space. That ability to pause, reflect, and then respond with intention has been a major source of strength for me.

It has also helped me in situations where I may have been overlooked or underestimated. Instead of reacting defensively, I step back, gather the facts, understand the perspectives in the room, and return with clarity. That approach builds credibility and trust. It also gives me the confidence to advocate for myself and for my team without escalating emotion.

EQ is a muscle, and you build it through practice. Pausing, reflecting, reframing, and listening with intent are habits that have helped me grow as a leader. They also help me bring out the best in others. Women do not have to be the loudest voice in the room to have influence. Some of the most powerful leadership comes from being aware, choosing our response, and creating space for better conversations and better decisions.

What kinds of support systems or mentors made a difference for you?

The biggest support system I had early on was my parents. Growing up in women’s sports taught me that sometimes you have to ask for access. When I was eight, I wanted to join the local basketball league, but it was only for boys. My parents didn’t hesitate. They asked if girls could join, and I ended up on the team.

That experience made a real difference later in my career. Playing on a boys team helped me feel comfortable in mixed groups. It taught me early that I belonged anywhere the work was happening. And being surrounded by coaches and mentors who advocated for girls in sports showed me what it looked like to stand up for yourself and others.

Later in my career, when I didn’t get the senior promotion I knew I had earned, a woman in HR became an important advocate for me. She listened, she validated my concerns, and she helped open the door for the conversation that ultimately led to my promotion. That experience reminded me how powerful it is when women support one another.

For women in the workplace today, I don’t think confidence comes from one moment. It’s a muscle you build over time. You can’t expect yourself to suddenly feel bold or self-assured in a high stakes situation if you haven’t had practice. Start by asking small questions. Start by speaking up in smaller ways. Lean on other women. Put yourself in situations that stretch your comfort zone, even outside of work. Every repetition builds the muscle.

It’s similar to EQ. You don’t flip a switch and suddenly have emotional intelligence. You practice it. You reflect. You get a little better each time. Advocating for yourself works the same way. The more you practice asking for clarity, asking for opportunity, or asking for support, the more natural it becomes. And over time, that confidence becomes something you carry with you in every role you take on.

When you reflect on your path to CEO, are there moments you wish you’d been even bolder?

Of course there are moments I wish I had been bolder. I think anyone who grows into a leadership role can look back and see times where they hesitated or played it a little too safe. But the key for me has been taking the time to reflect on those moments, understand what held me back, and think about what I would do differently next time.

You can’t go back and redo those situations, but you can learn from them. That reflection has helped me build more confidence over time. It has made me better prepared to speak up, ask for what I need, or challenge something that doesn’t feel right. Boldness isn’t something you magically wake up with. It’s something you build, situation by situation, by paying attention to what you learned the last time.

How can people connect with you and learn more about your work?

You can reach me on LinkedIn or via email at beth.forester@animoto.com.

Through our work in retained executive search and leadership development, at CFW Careers, we’ve seen the powerful impact of amplifying women’s voices in business. This series celebrates women leaders across industries, sharing their perspectives and paving the way for the next generation.