Her Story
About Jennifer
Jennifer Branch is a freight broker in the logistics industry, where she has worked for approximately 4.5 years. She entered the field after a career as a teacher, motivated by the potential for sales growth and increased income. In a male-dominated sector where men comprise about 90 percent of the workforce, Branch has distinguished herself as one of only two female freight brokers in her office. She previously held a leadership role involving coaching junior team members, setting goals, and holding others accountable, but stepped back six months ago to accommodate a hybrid schedule for personal reasons. Branch credits her success to being unapologetically herself, backing her ideas with confidence, force, and logic, while processing emotions privately. She advises young women entering the industry to be aggressively authentic and to seek mentorship from other women. Branch finds a balance between challenges and opportunities in her field, noting that some clients value her empathetic approach while others prefer direct communication.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Jennifer
01What do you attribute your success to?
I kind of came into it like taking a page out of the white man's book of hey I'm gonna be unapologetically me and loud and do everything that I can. It worked. If I backed up what I thought with enough confidence and enough force and also logic behind it. I cried in the bathroom with my girls and never let them see it. Having that really strong front and being open and honest afterwards has been helpful.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
To trust myself, and to calm down in moments of insecurity, panic, whatever that might be. You're okay, you know how to find a forklift. You can't find one yet because you know how to find one. If you do everything that you can control the rest will fade out. Believing in myself and keeping a calm level by really leaning on that I am the best person for this job because nobody cares as much as I do.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
To be aggressively you, and also to form mentorships with women before you. Whether that's through LinkedIn or through your company. Seeing is believing. It might look different than how the men are doing it.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
It's a mixture of both challenges and opportunities. There are people who when I call them to work out a problem it's a breath of fresh air like understanding and empathetic while solving the problem. But some people take comfort in people who will call them and be very straight and to the point. There's a lot of opportunities for women because 90% of the workforce is men.
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