Elizabeth Shipeio: In Conversation
Listening to Portuguese women, all March long
Elizabeth Shipeio moved to the United States seven years ago. Born and raised in Lisbon, she is currently a Senior Product Marketing Manager at Microsoft, where she approaches her work as a career and as a mission, guided by the belief that meaningful impact is achieved through collaboration and teamwork. She has also held positions at Cofina and the British Embassy in Lisbon.
Passionate about diversity, technology, mental health, and bringing people together, Elizabeth Shipeio believes that true success is always built collectively.
Outside of work, she hosts the podcast Faith in Action, featured on Radio Renascença, engaging in open conversations about how faith shows up in everyday life. She also loves writing.
Read her full interview below:
What professional achievement are you most proud of, or a moment where you felt you advanced opportunities for women in your field?I would say I’m proud of two experiences, mainly because of what they taught me.
The first goes back to my time as an intern at Microsoft. One of my first projects was helping organize “Do IT Girls,” a company initiative focused on closing the gender gap in tech by changing perceptions. That’s when it really clicked for me how much talent we lose simply because of the way careers are perceived. Many girls don’t consider STEM not because they can’t do it, but because they don’t see the impact, the possibilities, or role models they can relate to. Wanting to continue contributing, a colleague and I later started “Girl Engineers for a Day,” where women engineers visited schools to talk with students. The goal was never to push girls into tech, but to give them visibility and a real choice. Seeing how small conversations could change confidence and perspective stayed with me.
What is one piece of advice you would give to women at your career stage?I often see the pressure people place on themselves and that women, in particular, sometimes internalize when they reach a certain role or opportunity. The moment is framed not only as a step for personal growth, but as a responsibility to “represent” an entire gender. With that pressure can come the feeling that once you are in the room, you must prove something: that doubts were misplaced, that assumptions were wrong, that your presence needs to be justified.
I believe this mindset creates a great deal of unnecessary weight. It turns opportunities into tests and learning into performance. When the focus shifts to disproving bias, it can quietly take away the freedom to ask questions, to make mistakes, and to grow at a natural pace yet those moments are often where the most meaningful development happens.
My advice is to show up fully prepared and authentic, for yourself. Bring your work ethic, stay aligned with your values, and focus on doing your best work. That is where growth, impact, and personal pride come from. By consequence, not obligation, those who hold assumptions may find an opportunity to reflect and reconsider them. But changing mindsets cannot be the sole responsibility of the individual.
You are not responsible for correcting every assumption the world holds. Your responsibility is to your values, your path, and the person you are becoming. When that remains the focus, you create space not pressure for both you and others.
Is there a book, tool, or resource that has helped you and that you’d recommend other women explore this month?I love journaling because it gives me a moment to slow down and really see what’s going on inside me, especially in such a fast‑paced rhythm of life. We don’t often give ourselves that space. And when things are busy, it can feel hard to find the time for it.
That’s why I usually recommend keeping it very simple. When time is limited, a few minutes focused on gratitude, intentions for the day, and a short reflection on how I could show up a little better is more than enough. So, the best tool that I would recommend, The 5‑Minute Journal framework works really well for that. It’s simple, practical, and easy to stay consistent with. For me, it’s a small daily habit that creates clarity and awareness over time.