"All of a sudden I thought, 'this is why women leave!' I never understood it ... I thought I had it all figured out," Farmer said.

However, that's the reality for women in tech, she said.

"We're going to change throughout our careers," Farmer said. "You don't have to sacrifice your goals, you don't have to give up on them. But you do have to be open to changing the path to get there."

With that insight, she said, it's been easier to handle all the challenges in front of her.

"I had my daughter, I also had my son. And I've been promoted twice at Google since. That's no small feat, for anyone unfamiliar with Google," she said.