A powerful testament to resilience and survival. From domestic violence and public housing to building a life of stability and purpose, this is a story of transformation that proves your circumstances don't define your destiny.
Her Story
About Heather
Heather Kendall is an operations and facilities management professional who serves as the Custodial and Staffing Manager for New Albany Floyd County Schools in Indiana. In her role, she oversees custodial operations, facilities maintenance, and staffing across more than 15 district buildings, leading a team of over 50 employees while ensuring safe, clean, and efficient learning environments. She is recognized for driving operational excellence through process improvements, digital workflow implementation, vendor coordination, and collaborative leadership that supports both daily school operations and long-term facilities initiatives.
Heather's career is a testament to perseverance, continuous learning, and professional growth. She began her journey as a night custodian and steadily advanced through supervisory positions before earning her current leadership role. Along the way, she gained experience in industries ranging from manufacturing to housekeeping while balancing the responsibilities of being a single mother. In addition to her work in public education, she successfully launched and manages her own registered cleaning business, further strengthening her expertise in operations management, quality assurance, client relations, and entrepreneurship.
A passionate advocate for people-first leadership, Heather believes that honest communication, empathy, and empowering employees are the foundations of high-performing teams. As the only woman manager on a male-dominated facilities leadership team, she is committed to demonstrating that capability and determination transcend stereotypes. Guided by the belief that failures are opportunities to learn and improve, she continues to invest in her professional development, with plans to pursue a bachelor's degree in business administration as she works toward her long-term goal of becoming a Director of Facilities and, ultimately, a school superintendent.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Heather
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to refusing to let anyone tell me what I couldn't achieve. Instead of being discouraged by doubt or limitations, I stayed focused, kept moving forward, and remained committed to my goals. If it were not for the individuals that gave me a chance and to show what I can offer and bring to my role now, I would not be here. They all played a huge role in my success.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I’ve ever received is to view failures as opportunities to learn rather than as setbacks. Every challenge offers a chance to grow, improve, and come back stronger. I also believe in never stopping learning—there is always something new to discover, and continuous learning is key to long-term success.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Trust yourself and your abilities. Never give up, and remember that you belong in every room you enter. Even if you're the only woman at the table, believe in your potential and keep moving forward.
What I love most about this industry is it's an endless world of knowledge - there is always something new to learn, whether it is new technology,operations, or team leadership. Don't be intimidated by what you don't know yet; step in with confidence, stay curious,and own your space.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
In school facility operations, our biggest challenge right now is managing a large,multi-site, multi-site shift team using outdated or reactive methods. When I came into this role over a year ago, we had no centralized system - meaning we were constantly putting out fires instead of preventing them, and supply tracking or task management was happening on the fly.
moving into my second year, I've turned that challenge into our biggest opportunity by rolling out a standardized digital work order system. We're moving from a reactive team to a proactive unit. Now my custodial staff can log issues,order supplies in real time, and streamline their daily workflow across sites.
Ultimately, modernizing our systems isn't just about efficiency - it ensures our schools stay safe, clean, and fully supported so students and teachers can focus on learning.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that matter most to me are respect, accountability ,integrity,leading with empathy , and giving my best effort in everything I do, and continuously learning and growing every day. Respect and kindness are non-negotiable, regardless of someone's title or background. Having held many roles throughout my career - most of them not glamorous - I've walked in the shoes of the staff I now manage and I know what it feels like to be overlooked, So I make it a priority to treat everyone with the exact respect I'd ask for. I also choose to lead with kindness, because you never truly know what someone is carrying behind the scenes.
Second, accountability is essential. I believe in owning your mistakes, learning from them, and using those lessons to grow.
Finally, Family and community keep me grounded. My family is my ultimate foundation - they lift me up on the hard days when I feel like I've fallen short. And my staff is an extension of that community. Because I've been where they are, my goal as a leader is to encourage their growth, inspire them to pursue their goals, and remind them that they are capable of far more than they might realize.
Her Content Hub
Articles by Heather
From the Project Floor to My Own Destiny: Why Every Single Breath Is Earned
From Survival to Strength: How I Built a Life Worth Living
I Come From Nothing
I don't come from a cushioned background, a safety net, or a family legacy.
I come from nothing.
When people look at where I am today, they see the stability, the title, and the life I've built with my own two hands.
What they don't see—and what I never want them to forget—is the dirt, the fear, and the absolute solitude it took to get here.
There was a time when I had no one in my corner.
Not a single soul.
I Survived Domestic Violence
I survived domestic violence—a situation so dark and terrifying that, looking back, I am genuinely amazed I walked away alive.
Living through a situation where your life is constantly at risk changes the way you see the world forever. It strips away the noise. It teaches you that breathing isn't just an automatic function of the body—it's a privilege.
Every breath I take today, every morning I wake to a quiet room and a safe sky, is precious to me.
It's a gift I had to fight to keep.
After surviving that chapter of my life, I found myself starting over from absolute zero.
I spent eight years living in public housing, raising two daughters on my own.
No financial backing.
No co-signers.
No extra hands to help carry the load.
Just me, two little girls depending on me for everything, and four walls in the projects.
Living in public housing tests your spirit in ways that people who haven't experienced it may never fully understand.
It's easy for the world to see you as a statistic.
It's easy to look at your surroundings and believe this is all you'll ever become.
But I looked at my daughters.
Then I looked at my own hands.
And I decided that where I was standing was the starting line—not the finish line.
I worked.
I sacrificed.
I took every hard lesson, every sleepless night, and every ounce of survival instinct I had developed during my darkest days, and I poured it into building a different life.
I didn't wait for someone to rescue me because I knew no one was coming.
I had to become my own hero.
Today, I stand as a woman who built a life she once could only imagine.
But I'm not writing this from a place of perfection.
I'm writing because I need you to understand this:
I come from where you are.
If you're reading this from a living room in public housing, wondering how you're going to make rent...
If you're sitting in your car, escaping a dangerous relationship, shaking and wondering whether you'll survive...
If you're a single mother carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders with no one to help...
Look at me.
You are not defined by the concrete beneath your feet or the hell you are walking through today.
You do not need a silver spoon, a wealthy mentor, or a crowd of people cheering you on to rewrite your story.
You need the courage to keep going.
The willingness to do the work.
And the belief that you deserve a life filled with peace, purpose, and possibility.
I made it out.
I built a life from the ashes of what tried to destroy me.
And every day I wake up, I use that gift to remind every woman still walking through the darkness that the light is real.
And it belongs to you, too.
Master the dynamics of male-dominated industries through competence, executive presence, and strategic influence. Learn how to lead with confidence, build trust, and redefine leadership standards.
Changing the Shape of the Room: Leading with Authority in Male-Dominated Sectors
Master operational excellence and strategic presence to lead with authority and reshape industry culture.
Leading with Confidence in Male-Dominated Industries
Stepping into a leadership role in a male-dominated industry often comes with an unwritten expectation: adapt to the existing culture or spend twice the energy proving you belong. But true thought leadership isn't about fitting seamlessly into a pre-existing mold—it's about changing the shape of the room through competence, clarity, and authority.
Whether you are managing field operations, leading technical teams, or sitting at an executive table where you are the only woman present, success rarely comes from trying to out-volume the loudest voice. It comes from mastering operational execution, building unshakable trust with your teams, and leading with decisive clarity.
Here is how to navigate the dynamics of male-dominated industries while building a sustainable, high-impact leadership career.
Let Competence and Execution Be Your Anchor
In environments where subtle biases or skepticism may exist, performance is your greatest leverage. When you consistently deliver results, optimize workflows, and bring clarity to complex problems, you shift the focus from who is leading to how well the operation is running.
- Know the operational details. Understanding the day-to-day realities of the work gives you instant credibility with frontline teams and peers alike.
- Focus on the metrics that matter. Ground your decisions in data, efficiency, and measurable outcomes. Results create an objective standard that cuts through bias.
Command the Room Without Demanding It
Executive presence in male-dominated spaces isn't about adopting aggressive postures; it's about owning your expertise without hesitation.
- Eliminate defensive language. Avoid qualifying statements such as, "I might be wrong, but…" or "I'd just like to add…". Speak with confidence, directness, and intention.
- Master the art of concise communication. In high-stakes operations, clear and direct communication earns respect. State the objective, outline the process, and establish ownership.
- Control the emotional baseline. Remaining calm, grounded, and solution-focused during a crisis naturally positions you as the steady anchor of the team.
Balance High Standards with Radical Accountability
Leadership in traditional industries requires balancing high expectations with genuine support for your workforce. Respect is built when people know exactly where you stand and what you expect.
- Set clear boundaries. Establish explicit standards for work quality, safety, accountability, and mutual respect.
- Support your team publicly; coach privately. Protect your staff when operational issues arise, but address performance concerns directly and privately.
- Lead with fairness. In industries where "old boys' networks" may subtly influence decisions, becoming known for objectivity, consistency, and fairness establishes a new cultural standard.
Build Strategic Coalitions Across the Business
Navigating traditional industries requires building alliances up, down, and across the organization. Influence rarely stays confined to your immediate team.
- Find allies, not just mentors. Seek peers and senior leaders who respect your work and are willing to advocate for your ideas in key decision-making discussions.
- Invest in frontline relationships. The respect of the people doing the essential work every day will always carry more long-term value than surface-level corporate politics.
You Belong in the Room
Leading as a woman in a male-dominated industry isn't about proving you can lead like a man; it's about demonstrating that exceptional leadership transcends gender.
By combining operational excellence with strategic presence, you don't just earn your place at the table—you help redefine what effective leadership looks like for everyone who follows.
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