Her Story
About Denise
Denise Peek is a leadership coach and founder of MakeWaves, a practice dedicated to helping people understand their identity as leaders and influence others positively. She taught high school and college English for 11 years and worked for many years in corporate America while developing her coaching practice. Peek's early experiences as a cheerleading coach in her teens and president of a junior civitan club in high school sparked her passion for leadership, which she later nurtured through teaching and corporate roles. She draws inspiration from strong women leaders and mentors, including her supervising teacher who advised her to always be authentic and genuine. Peek has authored a self-teaching book for millennials titled Leadership What? Leading from the Inside Out, which encourages journaling and self-reflection on leadership, as well as a book of poetry called Prism of Life. Her approach centers on empowering individuals, particularly women, to tap into their inner strength and authenticity rather than focusing on material concerns.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Denise
01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I ever received was from my supervising teacher when I student taught. She told me to always be myself. So never try to fake some facade of someone else but be authentic, be genuine, and trust yourself to do the right thing and you will.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Be your authentic self. Tap into who you are. Journal and stay in touch with that person. Don't be deterred by salary or money. Don't let money stop you from moving forward in the career that you choose because the money will follow you in one way or another. You can't be worried about material things. You want to worry about the more important things.
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