An inspiring reflection on authentic leadership that emphasizes resilience, humility, and the transformative power of remembering one's own journey from the bottom to success.
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Success in balancing career and family comes from adaptability, not perfection; Showing up, learning from setbacks, and knowing you don't have to choose between family and your dreams.
Kristie Green · In Her Own Words
Her Story
About Kristie
Kristie Green entered the pharmacy world in 2012 after working in call center roles at a pharmacy, having previously held secretarial positions with no prior healthcare experience. She became a pharmacy technician and now serves as a pharmacy instructor, sharing her knowledge from that perspective with students. Green credits her career progression, including moves into leadership and mentoring roles, to several mentors who supported her because of her open-minded approach and desire to learn and grow. She emphasizes that success comes from persistence, noting that challenging tasks like learning drug names and calculations become second nature with repeated practice. Green encourages young women entering the industry to avoid undercutting themselves despite feeling like the underdog, to maintain an open mind regardless of formal education, and to work hard while remaining respectful to others and themselves.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Kristie
01What do you attribute your success to?
My success comes from having several mentors who took me under their wing because of my open-mindedness and willingness to learn. Without my mentors I definitely wouldn't be where I'm at today. They've really pushed me to move forward in my career and I'm so grateful. I'm still friends with all of my mentors.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice from my mentors is just keep going. If it feels hard it's because it is hard but the repetitiveness of it will become second nature. I remember days in pharmacy where I was just like I have no idea this is horrible I don't know these drugs names I'm never gonna know how to do this math and my mentor would say just keep practicing keep doing it and eventually it made sense.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Never undercut yourself just because you're coming in as the underdog. Don't take having less education or big titles from others and make it something overwhelming. Keep an open mind it's not just a degree that equals how well someone works or how much they love their job. It's all about staying open-minded being willing to do the climb and work hard for where you want to be. Just be respectful to everyone along the way including yourself.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges in pharmacy right now is balancing the increasing demands on healthcare teams with the need to maintain quality patient care. Pharmacy technicians are taking on more responsibilities than ever, which creates a tremendous opportunity to expand their roles and better utilize their skills. I also see a major opportunity in education and workforce development. By providing technicians with strong training, leadership development, and opportunities for advancement, we can help address staffing challenges while improving patient care and creating a stronger, more empowered pharmacy workforce.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that matter most to me are integrity, perseverance, compassion, and treating people with respect. I believe in doing the right thing even when no one is watching, and I believe that how you treat people says more about your character than any title or position ever could. I’ve also learned the importance of perseverance, when things don’t go as planned, I don’t give up; I look for a way forward. In both my personal and professional life, I want to be someone people can trust, someone who encourages others, and someone who leaves people better than I found them.
Her Content Hub
Articles by Kristie
The Best Leaders Remember the Climb
From the Bottom to Leadership: How Resilience and Humility Shape Exceptional Leaders
The Best Leaders Remember the Climb
Article by: Kristie Green
Success is often portrayed as a title, a promotion, or a leadership position. What we don’t talk about enough is the climb: the long days, the self-doubt, the mistakes, and the moments when you question whether you’re capable of more. Those moments are where true leaders are made.
That is success: the resilience to keep climbing!
I didn’t begin my career as a supervisor or an instructor. I started where many people do—at the bottom. I wasn’t the person who always had every answer, and I certainly wasn’t the most confident. But I was curious. I worked hard. I asked questions. I volunteered to learn new things.
Most importantly, I refused to let fear convince me that I wasn’t capable of growing.
Over the years, I have had the opportunity to work in nearly every corner of the pharmacy world. From retail and hospitals to oncology, specialty pharmacy, long-term care, physician offices, mail-order pharmacy, and managed care, every role taught me something different.
Looking back, I realize there was no such thing as a “small” job. Every position gave me knowledge, strengthened my confidence, and prepared me for opportunities I couldn’t yet see but hoped for.
Eventually, those experiences led me into leadership.
I have had the privilege of supervising pharmacy teams, mentoring employees, hiring and developing staff, coaching people through challenges, and helping individuals discover strengths they didn’t yet see in themselves.
Watching someone grow in confidence and realize their own potential became one of the most rewarding parts of my career.
That experience also changed my understanding of leadership.
Leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It isn’t about being the smartest person in the room or holding the highest title. It’s about creating an environment where other people can succeed.
It’s about listening before speaking, teaching instead of criticizing, and remembering what it felt like to be the newest person on the team.
The best leaders never forget the climb.
Like many people, my journey hasn’t been without unexpected setbacks. After serving as a Pharmacy Operations Supervisor, my position was eliminated during a large company reduction in force.
Losing a job is never easy. It can leave you questioning your direction and wondering what’s next.
At first, it felt like a door had closed.
In reality, it opened one I never expected.
That season led me to become a pharmacy instructor, where I discovered a new passion: helping students build careers as pharmacy technicians.
Instead of measuring my success by the teams I have managed, I began measuring it by the students I encourage, the confidence I help build, and the future pharmacy technicians I have the privilege of teaching.
Every class reminds me of something I once needed to hear myself:
You don’t have to know everything to get started.
You don’t have to be fearless to move forward.
You don’t have to have the perfect résumé or the perfect plan.
What you need is the willingness to keep learning and the resilience to keep climbing!
Some of the most successful people I’ve met weren’t necessarily the ones with the highest IQ. They were the ones who stayed curious, embraced feedback, adapted to change, and refused to quit when things became difficult.
Resilience often matters more than perfection.
Character often matters more than talent.
Consistency often matters more than natural ability.
Your journey isn’t supposed to look like anyone else’s.
There will always be someone with more experience, more education, or more confidence. But there will never be another person with your unique perspective, your work ethic, your compassion, and your ability to make a difference in someone else’s life.
If there is one lesson I hope every woman carries with her, it’s this:
Don’t let where you begin determine where you believe you can go.
Keep learning.
Keep asking questions.
Keep saying yes to opportunities that stretch you.
Don’t allow setbacks to define your future; they may simply be redirecting it.
And when you eventually find yourself in a position to lead others, remember the climb.
Remember the uncertainty.
Remember the people who gave you a chance.
Remember the lessons that only came through hardship.
Lead with humility.
Lead with empathy.
Lead in a way that makes someone else believe they can do it, too.
Because the most influential women aren’t those who never struggled.
They’re the ones who climbed anyway—and reached back to help someone else do the same.
Keep climbing!
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