Debbie Miller

I attribute my success to grit and the understanding that my strength comes from who I am, not what I accomplish. When I went through Hurricane Wilma and the recession, I used those devastating experiences as my superpower. I learned to dig deep and ask myself, 'What can I learn from this?' every single time something went wrong. I also learned the power of vulnerability - being okay with my weaknesses and understanding that you don't know what you don't know. I surrounded myself with others in my industry who knew more, and we became like a major jigsaw puzzle, understanding the power of numbers. When leaders nationally and internationally were flying in just to check on me like I was a little girl, that love of the industry got me through. I learned that vulnerability is a core essence of being the best version of yourself, because if you can't be vulnerable and really get that you don't know what you don't know, you're never going to see your potential. My success comes from being open to possibilities, being willing to transform what I thought I wanted into something I didn't even know was possible, and understanding that my mission was really to show women that their strength will be who they are.

Be open to the possibilities. Just be open to exploring what feeds you. Be open to having vulnerability in the world of you don't know. Be open to transforming what you thought you wanted to do to the possibility of maybe there's something else that you don't even know about. And be open to growth. I think there is a generation that wants to get rich quick, but if you really do understand that your success is not measured by money - it's a lovely thing, but it can go as fast as it came, and I've experienced that - then you'll be much happier. Don't let money be your friend, because if you experience relying on the money to make you happy, it's going to make you a very unhappy person. Just be open to everything that's possible, because the younger generation doesn't know what's possible, and they're influenced by outside media showing them what's possible for others, but not necessarily what their own possibilities are. Be open to anything that's possible, and understand that your checklist will not get checked every day. You get a do-over every day.

The most important values to me are empathy, kindness, and understanding the true human factor in everything I do. I believe deeply in the power of listening skills and understanding the value of culture in a company. Customer service people need to understand that the people communicating with them need them, not just what they can deliver. I learned this through my own difficult experiences with customer service during the hurricane and recession - these people were not trained to show empathy. I also value vulnerability as a core essence of being the best version of yourself, because you've got to be okay with your weaknesses. In my personal life, part of my strength is my marriage and having a partner. I can be a badass, I can be a mentor, I can be a leader and a speaker, but when I walk in my home, I have a partner. Part of being a strong person is to ensure that your partner is part of that strength. I also learned from my mother, who was defined by her grace - she treated everybody from her heart with kindness, and everybody was treated with grace. She loved hard and was just a good being. Those values of treating people with respect, being gracious, and understanding that whether you're a neurosurgeon or a clerk at a 7-Eleven, you still have customers putting food on your table, and you should be gracious about that.