WOTC West 2025: Pearls Of Wisdom On Combating Data Overload, Authenticity and Being a 'Fixer'

Harnessing data as a means to stand out and bridge teams together was just one of the main ideas that were shared on stage at WOTC West 2025 this week from prominent channel leaders.

The annual Women of the Channel Leadership Summit West 2025 shined a light on some of the most prominent and rising women in the IT channel, all of whom brought their own experiences, wisdom and stories to the table.

Among the big topics of conversation this year was the massive influx of data that humans are being bombarded with on a daily basis. Using AI and other technology and tools to harness data, sort out the important facts from the noise, and prioritize the right information is crucial. Speakers shared tips on using data to build bridges to unify their teams and make their voices heard.

Attendees also learned about the dreaded "mentorship" buzzword, but rather, what women really need from their mentors, how to take that relationship to the next level, and taking on the tough problems within their organizations.

Here’s a sampling of some of the inspired advice, information and stories that were told on stage this week to an audience of more than 500 attendees in Huntington Beach, California at CRN parent The Channel Company’s Women Of The Channel Leadership Summit West 2025 event.

AP Capaldo, assistant general counsel for TD SYNNEX on how to build strong relationship foundations, particularly in mentorship:

"Mentorship is a lot like AI. The model will be as good as the training you provided. And if you are thinking that you're going to set up this relationship as a quarterly meeting, then you're going to get quarterly output. For me, when a big milestone in my life happens, I tell my mentors. You start to build that level of a board, to the point where they forget the work fronts and they start to feel that they know you on that level."

Amy Wilde, Director of Data & Research, The Channel Company, On Data Overload And Setting Priorities

"We are getting hit with so much data every single day, to the tune of 34 gigabytes a day. To give you perspective, the world's mobile data in the ‘80s was measured in gigabytes. Seventy-nine percent of professionals say that they rely on data more to make decisions. And the decisions we have to make [every] day? 35,000 … Start setting boundaries. Use digital tools to help us keep organized as we go about our day."

Carol Carpenter, CMO of Cohesity, On Being Present And Authentic

"How you show up matters so much. You have to be able to expand and put yourself out there so that people can see you in that part. You have to establish yourself very quickly and become a great communicator. It will bring lots of power to you."

Jane Lowe, Sr. Consultant, IPED, The Channel Company, On Being A Fixer

"If you see a fire, put it out. In business, when there are problems, the faster you find water to pour on them, the faster they go away. You don't need more problems, right? Be the one to go after it and try to be a fixer of problems. Be a fixer, take on the tough challenges. When we do this in consulting, what that looks like is trying to get to what problem I'm trying to solve. What problems are we trying to solve? How do we get this fixed and move on or find a substitution or another resolution. Understand what the problem is, apply the resources to it, and you will be a fixer in your organization."

Brianne Wunder, Account Manager, Televerde, On Turning Stigma Into Strength

"While in prison, there was a group of women that worked at Televerde that took me under their wing. They helped me get my GED and convinced me to apply for the job at Televerde. I had no idea how I actually got it, but I did, and they taught me everything I needed to know about business …

For the next six years I had the privilege of taking on a client -- Broadcom. They were going through their first acquisition, and so I got to be at the helm of the relationship to support them. We all know there's a lot of customer disruption during acquisitions, and so for the next six years, I supported that client and we grew that relationship 52 times what it was when we started. I got to design and create programs that help with the entire customer journey and would help with our partner ecosystem as well.

But the biggest and most important metric to me was that we were actually able to give 200 jobs to disenfranchised people that work at Televerde across the globe. During those six years, I slowly started to discover that I was actually a leader and that these other women were looking up to me. I don't have an easy job. I'm still the account manager for Broadcom. It's not an easy job, but what I can tell you is that I have a cool job and a really cool why."