Christy Honeycutt

I attribute much of my success to curiosity, grit, and a deep desire to create a different future than the women who came before me were allowed to have. My mother and stepmother came of age in a time when women couldn't open a bank account, get a credit card, or access financial independence without a man co-signing. Opportunities that many of us take for granted today simply didn't exist.

As a Native American woman, I've also experienced firsthand what it means to navigate systems that weren't always designed with people like me in mind. But rather than seeing those realities as limitations, I've chosen to see them as invitations—to rise, to learn, to grow, and to keep moving forward. I'm incredibly grateful for how far women have come, but I also recognize that our work isn't finished. Every generation has a responsibility to push a little further, open a few more doors, and create more possibilities for those who come next.

The best career advice I've ever received would be to bet on yourself. And the best advice I personally give is that relationships aren't owned by your company, they're not owned by anybody else, they're owned by yourself. So any relationship you have is owned by you, because people move around all the time.

If I could give one piece of advice to young women entering the workforce, it would be this: don't wait for permission. Your voice matters before your title does. Be curious, ask questions, build relationships, and trust that you belong in the room—even when you don't feel ready. There will always be people who underestimate you, question you, or tell you how things have always been done. Listen, learn, and then decide for yourself. The women before us fought for opportunities many of us now take for granted. Honor that progress by using your voice, owning your strengths, and creating opportunities for the women coming behind you. You don't have to have it all figured out. You just have to keep showing up.

One of the biggest challenges I see right now is ego. The moment a leader starts prioritizing being right, protecting their position, or serving their own interests over what's best for the business and the people they lead, problems begin to surface. I've watched organizations lose incredible talent, innovation stall, and trust erode—not because of strategy, but because ego got in the way. Leaders stopped listening. They became more focused on preserving their identity than serving the mission. The opportunity is the opposite. The best leaders I know are self-aware enough to set their ego aside. They're willing to ask hard questions, admit when they don't have the answer, and make decisions based on what's right for the organization—not what's best for their image. When leaders lead with humility instead of ego, people stay, trust grows, and organizations thrive.

The values that matter most to me—in business and in life—are integrity, vulnerability, and transparency. As someone who coaches founders and CEOs, I've learned that success isn't about having all the answers. It's about having the self-awareness to know you don't. The leaders I respect most are the ones who can regulate their emotions, take ownership of their actions, and remain open to learning. None of us are perfect. We all fall down. The difference is that great leaders don't hide from their mistakes—they learn from them. They understand that every setback carries a lesson, and every challenge is an opportunity to grow. When integrity guides your decisions, vulnerability creates trust, and transparency builds strong relationships, incredible things can happen. In my experience, if those values are present, almost anything can be accomplished.