Gayle Champagne

When I do something, I'm all in - I give it everything I have. That's been my approach throughout my entire career. I broke barriers early on as one of the first women in Detroit to sell media, and I learned that you have to persevere even when people doubt you or literally push you out the door. My first sales call in Wisconsin, the client said that sending a pretty little girl wasn't going to make him buy, and he pushed me out of his office. I called my boss crying, ready to quit, but I kept at it. That persistence has defined my career. I've always believed that when someone invests in you, you owe them 100 percent performance. Even if you're not happy with where you are, you need to suck it up and give it your all. Throughout my 30 years in advertising and marketing at companies like Conde Nast and Forbes, and my 30 years on the board of the American Junior Golf Association, I've focused on my ability to communicate and help people. When I see a need, I try to fill it. That's what led me to become a mediator after retirement, and now to launch this coaching program for parents of junior golfers. I wish I had figured out sooner that my real strength is in communication and helping people navigate complex situations, but you can't look back. I've learned to focus on my own path and stay true to what moves me, rather than comparing myself to others or getting caught up in what everyone else is doing.

When asked about the advice that Gayle would share with young women who are looking to start their career, she highlighted to focus on your own path and stay true to yourself and what moves you. You don't want to end up in a position that you're unhappy with, so it's never too late to change directions. Be true to yourself, listen to your own instincts and continue to persevere and strive for what will satisfy you and make you feel fulfilled at the end of the day. Anything is possible if you put your mind to it, so continue to focus on yourself and what you want out of this life and for others.

Give everything 100 percent when people invest in you - it's important to give everything you have to your performance and what you're bringing to the table. Even if you're not happy and satisfied with where you are, you need to suck it up and push forward and do it for yourself and for those around you. I understand that today people tend to be job hoppers, and that's understandable when you're looking for success, because it's not easy to find a position that you're happy in. But it's important to commit to everything you do while you're there. If you're not satisfied, then change paths early so that you aren't living a life of misery. When you're young, if you really hate the path you took - whether you wanted to be a nurse or a fireman or whatever it is - you have to change early, or every time you change careers, it's going to set you back. You can't live in misery. Find what brings you joy, find what makes you feel fulfilled, find what helps you feel inspired and follow that path and give it your all every day. Focus on your own path and stay true to yourself and what moves you. You don't want to end up in a position that you're unhappy with, so it's never too late to change directions, but do it early if you can. Be true to yourself, listen to your own instincts and continue to persevere and strive for what will satisfy you and make you feel fulfilled at the end of the day.

The biggest challenge right now is the fire hose of information coming at parents and families - it's not going to trickle calmly into our lives. There's so much information floating around, it's like Pig-Pen from Charlie Brown with this tornado of information surrounding everyone, and the question is: who's going to help you sort through it? I've been at the Junior Golf Association watching parents and kids for 30 years, and I've seen great parents and great kids who just want to continue to be great parents, but there's a flood of misinformation. Parents hear things like 'Susan's dad signed her with a full ride at Dartmouth when she was a sophomore in high school,' and a lot of that turns out to be misinformation or taken out of context. You don't know what to believe. Maybe Susie's dad bought her that scholarship, and you're on food stamps - so what can you do to level the field? That's the opportunity I see: helping families focus on their own path, focus on their own kid, and when that child is ready, when that parent is ready, giving them the tools and resources they need. The pathway to NIL is the same pathway to getting college scholarships, and it requires understanding that you not only have to be a good golfer, but you have to be a good person, understand finance, and understand what the social media you're posting really does and who it gets to and what it says about you. There are so many aspects to navigate, and my goal is to pull that together into an accessible program that helps level the playing field for parents seeking to provide opportunities for their children.

The values most important to me are giving everything 100 percent when people invest in me - I feel it's important to give everything I have to my performance and what I'm bringing to the table. When I do something, I'm all in. It makes me crazy when people just test the water and don't give 100 percent to the person that just invested in them. Even if you're not happy and satisfied with where you are, you need to suck it up and push forward and do it for yourself and for those around you. You still have to commit and give it everything you have while you're there. It's not easy to find a position that you're happy in, and I understand that today people can tend to be job hoppers, which is understandable when you are looking for success. But it's important to commit to everything you do while you're there. If you're not satisfied, then change paths early so that you aren't living a life of misery. You can't live in misery. Find what brings you joy, find what makes you feel fulfilled, find what helps you feel inspired and follow that path and give it your all every day. I've also always believed in breaking down barriers and bringing other women along - throughout my career at big companies, I always tried to hire women and mentor them, because I know what it's like to be one of the first women breaking into an industry.