Her Story
About Fonda
My life has been one of public service. I am currently an elected official in my township as a supervisor, which is like being a mayor. I've served on my school board, and my parents taught me to be of service to people. My dad worked at Michigan State University as a custodian throughout his career until he retired and passed. Every Thanksgiving, we would have kids that had nowhere to go sitting at our dining room table, so I learned long ago to keep the ladder down, keep the door open, and be of service. My corporate background was in marketing, where I was the head of marketing for an insurance company. I started off in human resources, spending 11 years out in Los Angeles as the director of human resources at Columbia Pictures and Turner Broadcasting. Now I'm working on my book called Blooming Every Season, which I started about 3 years ago after losing my mother, father, and sister within a few short years of one another, and going through a horrific divorce. I chose a life of service and to write, which I love doing. I'm active with my church, on a lot of boards in my community, and I love working with youth. I love all things fashion and beauty, and I've just designed my first fashion jewelry collection that I launched last week, with a clothing collection coming soon.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Fonda
01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I received came from my mentor, Edith Suttles, who served on our school board for years. She took me under her wing and taught me group dynamics, leadership, and most importantly, to listen more than you speak. The nuggets I garnered from her paved the way for me to go on politically and to join boards and organizations where I could give back and be of value. I'll never forget Mrs. Suttles and the lessons I learned under her.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I'm all about empowerment for women. I believe there's an abundance of empowerment, and that word is strong and has so many meanings. It's beyond just financial, but it is spiritual, it is in love, it's in life, it's in liberty, so many things. Just give yourself permission to go for stuff, even if you're afraid. Try it! You have nothing to lose. Service is free, and it can be simply smiling where you are, because you don't know what people are going through who are standing in line in front of you or behind you.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Service is the most important value to me. My parents taught me to be of service to people. We never had a holiday where we didn't have kids with nowhere to go sitting at our dining room table. I learned long ago to keep the ladder down, keep the door open, and be of service. Service is free, and it can be as simple as smiling at someone because you don't know what they're going through. I really want to help people, especially women of color and anyone in marginalized communities. I want to show them how they can make money and empower themselves. I believe you have to invest in yourself to grow your business, and I'm constantly reinvesting into creating new things.
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