AWL Alumni Spotlight

Describe the six months you spent in the Bloombase experience for Advanced Women Leaders.
The six months flew by, and I was sad it was over. I met wonderful women from across the country with very different roles and experiences and yet we had so much in common. The experience forced me to stop every month and focus on me. What did I need to be the best wife, mom, friend, leader that I could be? And, how do I want to show up every day? The best next step is all I ever need to take.

Describe the benefits of the AWL Experience.
This experience came at a perfect time in my career. It pushed me to a place of curiosity and belief that I did not need to have all the answers. It forced me to shift my focus to leading confidently and invest in my team and environment, so they were successful. I realized I did not need to lead perfectly, and I embraced leading authentically in a more outspoken way.
 
Describe the benefits of being a part of the post AWL community.
Being with a group of AWL alumni reminds me that I can ask for help and invigorates me every time I interact to keep leading courageously. 

What did you get out of the Executive Coaching sessions?
The Executive Coaching was a gift that came at just the right time. I was dealing with a couple of issues at work that my coach was instrumental in helping me successfully navigate.

What would you say to someone else considering this experience?
Embrace the experience and uncomfortableness; that is when you can grow the most.

What is the greatest ROI for this investment you made in yourself?
It solidified the notion and gave me the courage to lead in a way that was my own and it didn’t need to mold to anyone else’s idea of leadership. I am extremely effective just by being me.

The values / behaviors that are important to me are… integrity: doing what I say I will do; Humility: willing to do whatever it takes and serving others; Excellence: driving to deliver the best outcome; and Caring: genuinely investing in others and helping them with a kind heart.  That is what I want others to say about me and how I strive to live and lead.

My favorite way to spend a morning by myself is… going to my favorite workout class and then having a nice quiet breakfast with many cups of coffee, clean up and shop a little. That would be enough “me time” and then I’d have to meet up with someone for the rest of the afternoon.

The kind of work I’m most passionate about is… solving complex problems and executing with excellence!  I don’t need to be a subject matter expert; I just need to know who to go to to ask for help and investigate to get to the root of the problem, and then put the right people on the job!

To me, leadership is… all about people, how am I serving them, helping them achieve success, listening to the problems and molding a plan to go solve them. It requires courage, empathy, knowing myself and cultivating relationships.

What gets you out of bed in the morning? Coffee and my workout partners.

Something that makes my life ridiculously fun is… being with my people – my women’s group at church is life giving, our soccer and volleyball families are so fun, and my husband and I navigate this game of life with a lot of mileage and humor.