Only three moments in my professional life have made me sit back and say “Dang, Girl you doing something now!”
1. My first check from the College of William and Mary. In 2019, I jumped in the marsh mud with a bunch of Waterman desperate for markets to sell their product. Virginia Institute of Marine Science picked it up and hired me to educate and coach some of Virginia's hardest-working men and women. Collectively, they are called Waterman.
The work I did with these farmers of the water, and continue to do today, is some of my finest work. Better than building multiple billion-dollar international businesses. My heart is in those oyster-selling businesses.
But the cherry on top was that first check from William and Mary. If you don’t know, W&M is an elite liberal college. Far from the reach of my younger self, both academically and financially. The closest I ever got was raising the roof at the Green Turtle bar.
W&M was for someone else. Someone who didn’t struggle to maintain a 2.6 GPA. Someone who had access to support. Someone who had funding.
So that check…
Look who’s paying who.
2. Billed my first $1M. Yep. The day I made one million dollars of my own back was everything. I never set out to make $1M consulting. I don’t think I ever even thought it was possible.
It took me 6 months to get my first paying gig. I thought it would never happen. So many people cheered me through those first 6 months.
I made some mistakes. My trucker mouth still gets me in trouble. No company, not even Amazon, moves at the pace of Amazon in the 2000s, so slow you’re a$$ down. And I still call the baby ugly…but somebody has GOT TO DO IT.
But I built some cool stuff, made a lot of people millionaires, and had a flex schedule that allowed me to adventure to my heart's content.
I’m still at it, chunk away at that next million.
3. Your alma mater books you for an event. Shew, child! This one—I never saw it coming.
In Vegas, no doubt.
When you leave a company, the thought is that you will always go on to do better. Most do…some don’t.
If you are smart, you learn everything you can about that company while you are there. Be curious!!
And then you compound that knowledge with the next company…and so forth.
And before you know it. You have something to say.
I started a podcast back during the pandemic and tried to launch keynote speaking right before lockdown. Neither was massively successful. Most of the problems were lousy timing and terrible Wi-Fi.
But there was part of me that wasn’t quite ready. I hadn’t found my voice yet.
Now, if you have ever been in a meeting with me, you will find it very hard to believe that I ever lost my voice.
But, nonetheless.
So, post-lockdown, I hit the pavement again. Slowly, I started booking- Chicago, Nashville, Virginia…Thailand.
Supply Chain Now picked me up as a co-host—a big honor.
But your Alma Martar? A company you left behind for bigger and better wants you to speak at their event. That’s ‘your ex wants you back’ stuff.
But sorry, Amazon. I’m booked.
So there they are—the three most defining moments of my professional life. I didn’t aim for any of them—no manipulation of players or politics to achieve preconceived goals.
Just hustling every day, doing good work, and lifting others. From corporate conference rooms to muddy chairs in oyster houses, building businesses and helping people.
Maybe I will get to write this blog again someday. The three will change as even more amazing and unexpected events happen. Singing at the Super Bowl, maybe. No, no…that’s a very bad idea.
P.S. Amazon - Just for those dates. Pls DM for all other available dates.
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