Jacia Dionnaire

First and foremost, God. There's a period at the end of that. My tenacity, yes, what I believed in. I don't always wake up with a heart full of energy and tenacity. I think I've had more mornings of just, God, just get me through it. And I've learned just to pray for strength, and He'll give me the rest. He'll give me the way, He'll give me the path. I just can't negotiate my faith in Him. The same God who's done it before will do it again. I've learned to stop saying thank you for the things that I have, and just to be more thankful for all the things that I don't have. God, and anything else, anything that you can name, it all has come from God. If it was my choice, I'd still be laying in the bed in 2012, wondering what happened. But He got me up, He got me moving. All of the tenacity, all of the grit, the will, I don't take no for an answer. By that I mean I don't tell myself no. If I think I'm going to do it and I want to do it, I'm going to do it. I speak into people to a fault. You're not gonna tell you can't do this. We gonna figure out a way for you to do this. I think you truly get what you pour into the universe. It will get back to you. It may not come to you when you want it, but it's coming, and it may not come in the way that you think it's gonna come, but if you look closely and you pay attention, you'll realize that it's exactly what you needed.

I would say to her to, first of all, dare to challenge, dare to enter the room. Challenge yourself to enter the room. Make sure that the impression that you leave is one that is sound, one that is profound, and one that speaks of excellence. We'll all adjust, no matter how uncomfortable that makes other people, let them adjust. It's okay. You don't have to adjust to them, they can adjust to you. I would also say, make sure that you shine your light on someone else. On another woman. Make sure that you encourage her when you see her challenge. Make sure you help her look good in the boardroom. There's room for us all, and if we have made space for ourselves as a gender to enter that barrier, then let us all in, because anyone who prevents the other woman from coming in or building her, you're doing the cause a great injustice. So I say to that young woman, be brave, be confident, and be yourself in all of the decisions that you make, but also understand the sacrifices that were made for you to be there. There's responsibility in that. There's honor in that. Don't let them make you afraid or make you think you don't belong. You belong. You belong. Stay. But bring someone else along, and leave a great legacy behind so that the next generation who speaks of you speaks of you with fondness.

I wish and hope that women as leaders are kinder to one another. There's room for us all. Shining your light on someone doesn't dim your light. Great leaders, especially as women, because men have always held that honor of the good old boys. You've never heard of the good old girls. Now we have the opportunity. Women lead in the business world. Women lead in leadership roles. Women sometimes make more money than men now in higher positions as CEOs, VPs, and presidents. We sit on boards, we do all the things. So clearly there is room for us. If we made room and stepped into the rooms of the men, why would we bring down another woman? Shine your light on her. Great leaders beget other great leaders. Great leaders make other great leaders. As a leader, your true accomplishment is who you have built underneath you. That is your legacy. I think women, we have a lot to learn in that. I think we still have a lot of stereotypical characteristics of ourselves that we bring into the boardroom and into our leadership roles that do not serve us. I will say that that has been a negative, but I have been so proud to stand among so many amazing women in their own right as leaders, and for that, I am thankful.

As women, we should all share our stories. It gives us freedom, I think it gives us a sense of healing and empowering other women to know that they're not the only ones who have gone through various challenges in life. My calling was to serve my community, specifically women. Being able to pour into others what was once poured into me has been transformative. I have to give praise to the women who poured into me when I didn't have enough to pour into myself. I truly believe that you get what you pour into the universe. It will get back to you. It may not come when you want it, but it's coming, and it may not come in the way that you think it's gonna come, but if you look closely and pay attention, you'll realize that it's exactly what you needed. As I close this chapter and enter the next, I just want to be thankful for all that God has given me, for all that He has taken away from me, for all that He has allowed me not to see, not to feel, not to experience. I'm thankful both for the last 49 years.