NEW YORK CITY — Thasunda Brown Duckett, President and CEO of TIAA, discussed her approach to life and career during an interview on Fortune's Titans and Disruptors of Industry podcast. Duckett shared details of a personal breakdown she experienced at the Port Authority bus terminal in New York City.

The event occurred while Duckett was commuting from New Jersey to New York City and serving as CEO of Chase Consumer Banking at JPMorgan Chase. Her husband, a stay-at-home father who is also a marine and engineer, advised her to leave her job if the situation was not working for their family. "It was in that moment that something had to change, and it was my mindset," Duckett said.

Duckett, who became CEO of TIAA in 2021, said treating her life like a diversified portfolio altered her perspective. "This diversified portfolio shift—because I am in finance—changed everything," she said. She explained that a person only has 100% of their capacity and should allocate it to the things that define them. "If you live your life like a diversified portfolio, you tell yourself the truth. You only have 100%, you do not have 110%. The other truth is that you allocate to the things that define who you are," Duckett said.

She applies this philosophy to her family life, noting that her children receive approximately 30% of her time and energy after accounting for sleep, work, and school. "By recognizing that they only have 30%, I'm a more present mother by living my life like a diversified portfolio, just like market volatility," Duckett said. She stated, "I give myself a ton of grace." Duckett believes that living life as a diversified portfolio, rather than attempting to balance work and life, can lead to outperformance. "If you live your life like a diversified portfolio instead of trying to reconcile work and life, you will outperform this thing called life," she said.