Dawn Walker Lindley

I attribute my success to the many different protective factors and individuals throughout my entire life - the random teacher, the different advocate. It's not one person or one industry or anything. It's literally the collaboration, connection, and interplay of networks and neighborhoods. People have made me successful. I wouldn't be where I am if it wasn't for other people. My failures push me to keep going and redirect and shift my thinking. It's truly the interplay of all of us working together.

Listen to yourself. Don't take no for an answer. If I listened to other people, I would only have maybe one associate's degree. I wouldn't be in my dual master's program right now with all my graduate degrees. Don't listen to other people in the sense that you should be yourself and stay true to yourself. Lead with your heart, and then everything else is just easy. Let go of expectations - society's expectations and your own. Let go of thinking 'I have to do it this way because this is what I'm told.' Just relax, just breathe, and go where life takes you. See what can happen because of that. Don't ever stop - you can slow down, but don't limit yourself.

Authenticity is most important to me. Do what you're saying. Say what you mean. If you're gonna show up, show up. Being authentic is owning up to your mistakes, wiping your feet off, and continuing to go - you learn the lesson. I also value self-care and honoring yourself, honoring your boundaries. When I say boundaries, it doesn't have to be like a brick wall - be flexible. It took me a really, really long time to get to the place where I'm at now, and it's a lot of hard work. I'm proud of what I've come through, what I've become, and how I've gotten here.