LaChanda Sumbler

I attribute my success to my parents, who are both in heaven right now. My dad was very purpose-driven, and my mom was too, very purpose-driven. Everything that I'm doing with my life right now, even with my future endeavors and things that I have coming up, I dedicate everything to my parents because they really inspired me to become great in life. I know it's because of them, whether it's my professional life, my academic life, or my spiritual life, it's because of my parents. I give God the glory for them.

The best career advice I ever received is get up, dress up, show up. I live by that. Get up, dress up, show up professionally. If you're a leader, then you don't need to have someone push you, you need to be a self-starter. I have what it takes, I have integrity, I have character, I have values, and I'm very well disciplined. So when I say get up, dress up, show up, that's me professionally, on a professional level. Get up for your team, get up and dress up, and then show up, and then be resilient. Come with your game plan as far as your business is concerned, as far as your platform is concerned. What are you going to teach that day? What is your workload for that day, and how are you going to be able to implement that to be very successful as you yourself are thriving to be successful as a woman.

For young people, just make sure you put God first in everything that you do, and then whatever you set your hands to do, work at it as unto the Lord. Whatever you set your hands to do, just make sure you do it with everything that's in you, work at it every single day. You may have some days where things are not working out, and it seems like you're not going to accomplish your goal and achieve your goals. It is okay to start over again, but my advice on top of that is just be resilient and work hard every day. I promise that you will get to the other side, and you will gain the victory, and whatever you're trying to accomplish for professional life, you will see it. If you can think it, if you can dream it, then you definitely can have it.

My biggest challenge with what I'm facing right now really is just marketing and connecting with people, just trying to get my story out. I have a wonderful story, and just working hard is one of the challenges that I'm having right now, just marketing. Other than that, I see things as a challenge, but challenges bring out the best in you because it makes me want to work harder to accomplish that. When I have a challenge, it makes me want to work harder to accomplish that goal and get that account. I love hard work, I love to work hard, so when I'm faced with a challenge, then I know that I have the ability to tackle that challenge and fight and overcome it.

My number one value is I value God, I value my relationship with God. That's the number one off the top, because without God, I can't do nothing. I can't achieve nothing, I can't accomplish nothing, I won't even be successful in life. He's everything to me. And then for my work, it's all about being able to leave a legacy behind. I have a son, and eventually he'll be married and I'll have grandkids, and I want to be able to leave a legacy for my future, for the future generations that will come. As far as my work, work hard, be the best that I can be, successful in every area, whether it be me being an author, me being a pastor, me going out there for speaking engagements, me sitting down and writing my best script or my best sermon, me being able to sit down and write my best article, or me going to the hospital and being a chaplain. Just make sure whatever I do, I work hard and become the best version of me.