Kendra D. Johnson

I attribute my success to discipline, time management, and having the right people around me. Discipline has shown up the most during my hardest moments. Some things simply require you to go all in. There is no halfway. At some point, you realize that nobody is coming to save you, so you just handle it.

I became hyper-independent at a very early age, and because of that, self-sufficiency became second nature to me. I learned how to adapt quickly, figure things out on my own, and keep moving even when life felt heavy. While that mindset helped shape my resilience, it also meant I spent a long time believing I had to carry everything by myself.

Time management also keeps me focused. I am intentional about where my energy goes because not everything deserves the same amount of it. My network is carefully and intentionally curated, and everyone in it means something to me. I am especially grateful for the people who have sharpened me, kept me whole, and helped me stay true to myself and my work. That kind of support is rare, and I do not take it for granted.

The best career advice I ever received was to trust the process. But the experience that stuck with me most came from a former direct manager named Myron R.

I was newly hired, and he scheduled time to meet with those of us joining his team. It was a pretty standard introduction, but when he opened the floor for questions, I went right in. I asked about his management style, team building, all of that. I could tell he was intrigued. Shortly after the meeting ended, he messaged me and asked if I could hop back on another call. I was confused, but I agreed.

He told me he looks at everyone’s résumé before they join his team. Then he basically read me like a book. He said he already knew I wasn’t going to be there long because people like me, with certain credentials and career goals, don’t usually stay in roles like the one I was in. I felt exposed, but it was the first time in my career that I truly felt seen and understood.

He spoke so much life into me. Then he said, “You’re bigger than this role.” I held my composure, but deep down, I was on the verge of tears. For transparency, I’ve always had trouble seeing what others see in me. People often see the entrepreneur Kendra, the leader Kendra, the ambitious Kendra, but rarely the nervous Kendra battling imposter syndrome and constantly wondering if she’s doing enough. I was a serial job hopper, sometimes accepting positions just to learn something new, and he saw right through all of it immediately.

About a week later, he received my resignation email. I thanked him for seeing me and encouraging me to reach for the stars. That conversation reminded me that I don’t have to shrink myself to fit into rooms that weren’t made for me.

Never be afraid to be the lion when you need to roar.

Women and minority founders are already at a disadvantage. We are often undercapitalized, over-scrutinized, and constantly forced to justify decisions that men are simply assumed to be competent enough to make. The pressure to operate in ways that feel smaller, softer, or more palatable is real. But shrinking yourself has never made anyone more respected.

As I learned from my previous manager, Myron, you are bigger than any room that tries to contain you. So if you have to channel Charlotte Pickles from Rugrats to demand the respect and authority you have earned, then do exactly that, unapologetically.

And in the words of William Makepeace Thackeray, “Whatever you are, be a good one.”

I’d say the job market is not the same, and anyone who has been paying attention knows it. Thousands of layoffs have made opportunities slimmer and the competition heavier. Throughout my career, I worked as a recruiter, so I understand the ins and outs of how hiring actually works, including applicant tracking systems, how résumés get parsed, what gets you flagged, and what gets you filtered out. That knowledge has helped me, but even I will admit it is not as seamless as it used to be. There was a time, not too long ago, when you could quit a job one day and have a new one the next. That reality no longer exists.

The oversaturation of candidates, combined with AI screening, is making things worse. Most candidates do not even know what an ATS is or how it works, and at the same time, they are exhausted by the same recycled “fix your résumé” advice. Budget freezes are real, and the shift to on-demand and pre-recorded interviews has not helped either. People want to talk to a human, not a robot.

So what actually works right now? Personal branding, a solid network both online and offline, and getting into the right rooms.

For example, a couple of years ago, I was at a routine doctor’s appointment when my doctor asked about my background and what I did for work. That conversation led to him passing along a contact, which eventually led to an interview and an offer as an IT Analyst. That is networking. Everyone knows someone who knows someone, and right now, that matters more than ever.

If I had to pick one value, it would be authenticity. People can feel when something is real, and they can feel when it is not. I have never been inauthentic with the people I have worked with, managed, or mentored, and I never will be.

But I have been on the receiving end of inauthenticity, especially in the online space, and it has caused me to walk away from a lot of opportunities. The gurus, the internet “millionaires,” the recycled courses with no real substance, and the lifestyle marketing designed to prey on people who are vulnerable or desperate. I have seen people sell thousand-dollar courses to lower-income communities and call it empowerment. I can spot it from a mile away, and it is not something I can support, ethically or otherwise.

A lot of people are not actually selling knowledge or transformation. They are selling aspiration, status, and the illusion that success can be packaged into a one-size-fits-all blueprint. That has never sat right with me. And to shake the table a little, traditional mentorship is not something you pay for, at least not in the way most people market it online. I think the lines between mentorship and coaching have become heavily blurred, even though those are two completely different things.

I have been a mentor myself, and to me, mentorship has always meant taking someone under your wing and providing continuous guidance as they grow. It is an organic relationship. I have never paid for mentorship, and my mentees have never paid me. Coaching, consulting, strategy, and educational services are completely different conversations, and there is nothing wrong with charging for those things. But I think a lot of people have started labeling everything as “mentorship” because it sounds more personal and trustworthy.

Because of that, some people have created narratives that I am stuck up or hard to work with. But the truth is, I would rather be called “difficult” than compromise my integrity just to make other people comfortable. I am not interested in smiling through dishonesty, playing along for appearances, or attaching myself to anything that lacks substance. And I sure as hell do not believe in preying on people and selling them a bunch of BS that will not actually help them in the end.

At the end of the day, authenticity, honesty, and integrity matter more to me than optics ever will. Those values shape how I lead, how I build relationships, and how I move through both my personal life and my career.