Leadership Driven by Vision and Grit

Mary Li, Founder and CEO of Atlas, is a leader whose path reflects extraordinary resilience, reinvention, and unshakable purpose. Born in China and educated under an intense academic system, she mastered college-level math by age twelve. Yet when she moved abroad, she had no English skills and no professional network. After nearly eight years as a full-time housewife, she began her career answering phones as a receptionist - one of the few roles available to her at the time. From those humble beginnings, Mary went on to found two companies and successfully sell both, each built through relentless learning, sacrifice, and long hours while raising her children. She later led Alibaba’s air-ticketing division across multiple countries before launching Atlas in 2019 at a time when global travel was collapsing. Her philosophy emphasizes doing the right things, creating meaningful value, and accepting that no one can excel at everything at once. Mary’s journey reflects rare courage: the willingness to start over, reinvent herself, and embrace discomfort to build a life aligned with purpose. 

Notable Quotes/Highlights

• “It is never too late to start. Look at me.”
• “You can’t be great at everything at the same time.”
• “Purpose is what makes you truly happy for a long time.”
• “When you make a choice, accept it. There is no zero-risk life.”
• “Forgive yourself, let it go, and sleep, everything will be good when you wake up.”

Closing Reflection 

Mary Li’s story is a powerful testament to what it means to rebuild a life from the ground up. She speaks candidly about grappling with depression, exhaustion, and persistent imposter syndrome, feelings that followed her even after founding and selling two companies and leading large global teams. There were nights she could not sleep, days she felt like she did not belong, and moments when the pressure of carrying so much, motherhood, entrepreneurship, financial risk, felt overwhelming. Her healing came through therapy, self-awareness, and embracing her own humanity. She learned to slow down, forgive herself, meditate, exercise, and “time-travel” through novels to regain perspective. And she discovered the importance of surrounding herself with people who lift her up rather than drain her energy. Mary reminds us that courage is not the absence of fear, it is choosing to move forward while carrying it. Her journey shows that leadership grounded in honesty, resilience, and self-compassion can transform not only organizations, but lives. She proves that it is never too late to start again, and that true strength comes from being vulnerable enough to grow. 

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