Why It Is Never Wrong to Ask for Help with Sophie Cunningham

Sophie Cunningham is head of client operations at Mobsta, bringing 18 years of experience across advertising operations, customer success, and client servicing.

Throughout her career, she’s led teams to deliver campaigns that don’t just meet performance KPIs and profit goals but consistently push beyond them. She’s equally passionate about building strong and lasting client relationships rooted in trust and collaboration.

At Mobsta, Sophie focuses on building strong technical partnerships, helping teams turn data into meaningful insights, and guiding the smooth delivery of programmatic campaigns.

Outside of work, Sophie is a proud mum of two, a media mentor, and an enthusiastic fan of the outdoors – whether that’s through rambling, yoga, or running (ideally somewhere with a good view at the finish line).

Below, Sophie looks back on the moment she learnt the value of confiding in others in times of overwhelming stress.

I first received this piece of advice during a particularly challenging point in my career, and it fundamentally changed the way I approached both ambition and seeking support.

The lesson was simple but powerful: if you need help, ask for it.

When things feel overwhelming, hiding the struggle only makes it worse. There’s no weakness in reaching out, quite the opposite. If responsibilities start to slip and you don’t flag it, the accountability still sits with you, and that will be noticed. But if you’re open about the challenge and ask for support, the outcome is very different: problems are shared, solutions are found more quickly, and you earn trust by being transparent.

In 2017, I was head of business operations at Collective Media (now Azerion) when the company had just been acquired by a major publisher. We were in the middle of a merger, my department director was on long term sick leave, and I was pregnant with my first child. I’d been working at Collective for four years, and was well established at the company, but it was a time of high pressure. Additionally, like many women preparing for maternity leave, I was reflecting on how becoming a mother – and stepping away from work for a time – might impact my career progression.

With my director absent, a leader who had always been a reliable source of support and guidance, I often felt overworked and, at times, out of my depth. I was balancing my own responsibilities while also stepping into a role that required making major decisions about the future of operations after the merger. Working alongside more senior, more experienced stakeholders made holding my ground especially challenging. I felt overwhelmed and worried about the impact this could have on my part of the business. What struck me most was that no one seemed to notice.

Eventually, one of the business leaders did reach out to offer a check-in meeting, which I accepted immediately. In that conversation, I was told something that has stayed with me ever since: I was seen as a ‘swan’, calm and composed on the surface, but paddling furiously underneath. To those around me, I looked like I was managing well: delivering results, staying positive, and smiling through it. What they couldn’t see was how much I was struggling, and because I wasn’t asking for help, they simply didn’t know I needed it.

What resonated with me was that his words echoed advice I often gave to others outside of work. After all, we all need a little help from our friends. At that stage in my career, I was ambitious and eager to show I was always ready for the next step. I saw asking for help as a weakness, but he reframed it for me: seeking support is a sign of strength, while staying silent and allowing things to fail is far weaker and carries greater consequences.

Now, I make a point of asking for help when I need it and being open when I’m feeling overwhelmed. Just as importantly, I encourage others to do the same.

It’s important to be self-motivated, to seek solutions proactively, and not to expect others to provide all the answers. There’s a fine balance between relying on others for problems you can tackle yourself and reaching out for support when it’s genuinely needed. I’m mindful of this distinction in how I apply the advice myself, and how I share it with others.

This is advice I share with anyone that will listen! People generally respond positively. However, it’s crucial to follow through. Trust can be quickly lost if you promise support but fail to deliver.

Equally important is ensuring that the advice is understood correctly, so it’s clear that asking for help doesn’t replace the need to be self-sufficient or to think independently.

This is a photo of me at my work baby shower (Collective Media) in 2017.