Gwendolyn L. Young
As the owner of an executive support agency, I oversee both our internal operations and the strategic delivery we provide to clients. My role focuses on operational excellence, ensuring our systems work, workflows are followed, handoffs are seamless, and the business runs efficiently from the inside out.
I also lead revenue activation efforts, including proposal strategy, follow-up, pipeline review, and business development priorities. Internally, I review SOPs, monitor priorities, and lead conversations around metrics, goals, and quarterly execution. I regularly meet with clients, lead my team through performance and accountability discussions, and coach our Admin Experts to identify training opportunities and strengthen service delivery.
Beyond operations, I invest in visibility and thought leadership through podcast interviews, strategic conversations, and founder communities that support growth, innovation, and high-level decision-making.
• Master's Degree in Organizational Leadership
• Bachelor's Degree in Business Information Systems
• Most Influential Women in Business by the Daily Business Ledger
• Judith O'Connor Scholar Award (one of 20 U.S. recipients) for Emerging Nonprofit Leaders by Board Source
• Dorcas Destiny International,
• Seed of Hope Foundation
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success first to my faith. It has been the anchor of my life and the foundation I have leaned on through every season. It has given me strength, clarity, resilience, and the ability to keep moving forward even in difficult moments.
I also attribute a great deal of my success to my mother. She has been a tremendous source of inspiration to me. Watching her survive domestic abuse and take her life back with courage and determination left a lasting mark on me. Her strength, combined with my faith, has shaped how I lead, how I persevere, and how I view what is possible.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
One of the best pieces of career advice I ever received was, “Don’t ever play poker.” A director told me that if I wanted to grow in leadership, I had to learn how to manage my facial expressions and my emotions because people could often tell exactly what I was thinking before I ever said a word.
What she meant was simple but powerful: in leadership, composure matters. You will not always agree with what is being said, and you will not always like what is happening, but how you respond in the moment shapes perception. That advice taught me the value of emotional discipline, calm presence, and controlling the narrative I communicate. It has stayed with me throughout my leadership journey and has been especially valuable as I have led teams and built strong professional relationships.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Trust yourself, continue developing your craft, and stay authentic. Your voice matters, your skills matter, and what you bring has value. Keep growing, keep learning, and do not lose yourself trying to fit someone else’s mold.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
AI is both the biggest challenge and the biggest opportunity in my field right now. It is changing how support is delivered and raising the bar for speed and efficiency, which can feel disruptive. But it also creates powerful opportunities to streamline work, increase capacity, and elevate administrative professionals into more strategic roles. The future belongs to those who can use AI as a tool without losing the human touch, judgment, and leadership support that cannot be automated.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that matter most to me are integrity, efficiency, and excellence. Integrity comes first because I believe in doing what is ethical and right in both business and life. Efficiency is important because I have seen firsthand, through healthcare and through motherhood, how much systems and structure impact people’s everyday experience. And excellence matters because I believe it is not just about what you do, but how you do it, with care, detail, professionalism, and respect for others.