Jennifer Brady

I attribute my success to the amazing mentors I had throughout my career who came into my life at different times for different reasons. Some were from directly working with them, some were outside of work, and they really challenged me to set my boundaries and keep moving the goalpost in my success. If something didn't work out, they helped me see it wasn't a failure but rather an opportunity to redirect my vision of where I see myself. Having mentors was so important, and now I pay that forward by mentoring others both inside and outside of work. I think being a mentor is so important to your success and to helping others. I've learned that you can tell somebody what to do 100 times, but they often learn more from your stories and things that changed you. I also believe that finding peace in your life, where you feel like you're getting it and giving yourself grace, is the best possible achievement. When you find that comfort and positivity, knowing it's okay to fall back and have setbacks, that's when you find success.

The best career advice I received came from my mentors who taught me to set boundaries and redefine what success means. They showed me that when something doesn't work out, it's not a failure but an opportunity to redirect my vision and change how I see myself moving forward. They challenged me to keep moving the goalpost in my success rather than staying stuck. I learned that you don't always learn from being told what to do, but from hearing others' stories and experiences about what changed them. This wisdom has shaped how I mentor others today, sharing my own mistakes and stories so they know it's okay when things happen and that setbacks are part of growth.

The most important thing is to really find your confidence and recognize your worth. Recognize that nothing is going to get handed to you, you have to work for it, and your integrity is the most important thing that you have. Nobody can take that away from you. I learned that it doesn't matter if you have a seat at that table if you don't belong there, because I got to some of those tables and realized that I didn't want to be sitting with those people. It's okay to go sit at your own table. There's so much focus, especially as younger women growing up, on wanting to be liked and included, that we become so focused on that instead of really recognizing our own self-worth and value. Other people's opinions are really none of your business, so you don't have to worry about what somebody else is saying. You have to know that you are worth it, you're valuable, and you define your worth to others. You don't have to sit at that table, and if you are sitting at a table that you feel like you don't belong, never shrink yourself to be there and never change who you are. You don't need to be validated. Validation is for parking, it's not for people, so you don't need to be validated to know what your worth is.

One of the biggest challenges I see is helping individuals overcome self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and the pressure to conform, especially the likability trap where people are so afraid to make decisions because they want to be liked or they're worried about what other people are thinking about them. This really imprisons them from moving forward. At the same time, this presents a major opportunity to empower women to step into leadership roles with confidence and authenticity. I'm really passionate about helping women challenge their self-doubt, step into their confidence unapologetically, stop shrinking into spaces they don't need to be in, and redefine their success. I focus on helping them find their voice so they can step up and speak up, and stop living in imposter syndrome and that likability trap. There's a real need for helping women recognize they don't need external validation to know their worth.

Authenticity, confidence, balance, and personal integrity are the values most important to me. I believe in defining success on my own terms and encourage others to do the same. Your integrity is the most important thing you have, and nobody can take that away from you. Creating a healthy balance, or what I now call 'peace' rather than balance, is central to both my personal and professional philosophy. I don't really call it balance anymore because balance insinuates a 50-50 split, but when you can find that peace where you feel like you're getting it, you're doing it, and you're giving yourself grace, and you get that comfort level in your life, that's success. Finding that comfort and positivity, knowing it's okay to fall back and have setbacks, is what matters most. I also value never shrinking yourself to fit in spaces where you don't belong and never changing who you are for external validation. As a mother, family takes precedence over everything, and now as an empty nester, I'm enjoying rekindling my relationship with my spouse and redefining what this new era looks like for us.