By the time Meridian hit our Series B—$185 million, led by Sequoia Capital—I had learned something valuable. My family didn’t need to know. They had made it abundantly clear where they thought my ceiling was. I didn’t owe them updates on how thoroughly I had shattered it.

At Thanksgiving two years ago, Marcus brought his new girlfriend, Amanda. Harvard Law. Corporate M&A practice at Davis & Polk. Family money that went back four generations. She was polished to a high sheen, the kind of woman who woke up looking like a magazine cover.

“Amanda just made senior associate,” Marcus announced over the turkey, beaming. “Youngest in her class.”

“That’s incredible!” Mom gushed. “What kind of law?”

“Mergers and acquisitions,” Amanda said, flashing a smile full of perfect, blinding teeth. “We handle major corporate transactions. Tech sector, mostly.”

She turned to me, her expression shifting to polite condescension. “What do you do, Sarah?”

“I work in tech,” I said, stabbing a piece of sweet potato.

“Oh, fun. Which company?”

“A startup. Supply chain software.”