There is a culture of respecting the men more than the women, added Ma. “They didn't see us as the primary client.” She added that for years, she has been “bully bait” and likes to “come in soft,” but she really believes that it is okay if people underestimate you as long as you don't underestimate yourself.

Panelist Marie Phillips, director at the Instant Group, knows what it feels like to be underestimated. At one of her previous companies, for example, she said that her boss was intimidated by her and would never shine a light her way.

“That was my biggest challenge,” she said. The way she overcame that challenge was to go above that boss, find a sponsor at the company that believed in her, and overall, it propelled her career forward.

Panelist Karen Halper, SVP and head of property management at VEREIT Inc., said that most of the underestimating in her career occurred when she was young. “Once you reach a certain part of your career and you are competent, then people can also be threatened.”

She said that she faced challenges when a peer of hers was threatened by her, and believed that she would step on others to get ahead. “When I move ahead, it is because I put myself there and not because I stepped on anyone.”

Her advice is to “Be authentic and true to yourself and know that there is a place for you. You really have to make moves and take risks and have confidence. Men will ask for positions when they are 50% qualified and we feel like we have to be 100%.”

She added that “You are really doing yourself a disservice if you don't push yourself.” People don't have enough confidence in themselves and it is amazing when you do. “It is amazing what can happen when you have a cheerleader supporting you—especially if that cheerleader is you.”