Influential Woman · Corporate Training

Melissa Schubiger

Corporate Trainer, Optum Workers’ Comp and Auto No-Fault

Weeki Wachee, FL

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Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree Bachelor's degree in Computer Information Systems

Her Story

About Melissa

I've worked for Optum for 9 years, and I've always liked helping people achieve their goals. I started off as an associate for a year, then moved on to be a team lead, walking my own team through changes and through team huddles. It just made sense to become a trainer so I can help on a bigger magnitude than just a small group. Before Optum, I worked for HCA for 4 years as the PBX supervisor. Prior to that, for 8 years I was a retail sales manager for AT&T. Before that, I worked for Verizon where I was also a team lead - when I first started working there, they were GTE before they changed their name to Verizon. I've always been in a lot of communications, so everything leading up to this, with communications, everything kind of brought it to the surface that I should be communicating to people. My main area of expertise is communications - when I train somebody or a group, I understand that everybody has a different way of learning, so I kind of break it down so that everybody can understand. You always can see when someone gets that aha moment, because their eyes change or they make a facial expression, and that's what drives me more - helping people achieve their aha moment.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Melissa

01What do you attribute your success to?

Growing up, I always had really great teachers who inspired me and encouraged me. I didn't have, when I was younger, growing up, the best home life, coming from a broken home, and my dad passed away at an early age. I think the teachers that were there for me and helped me along the way really was my inspiration to help other people. I also lost my husband at an early age, and I have 4 children. The hurdle was being a single parent to four underage children - that happened 11 years ago, so I had to raise my children as a single mom. That experience just intensified my purpose, and I want my children to see through my actions that no matter where you start, or what obstacles you have to face, that you can achieve anything that you commit yourself to. I don't want them to give up on their dreams just because something bad happened. Everything that I do is grounded in that belief that I want to make sure that I'm the role model of strength, grit, the possibility for not only my children, but my community, or any other women who are navigating challenging circumstances.

02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

My message to other women going in is just know that your beginning does not determine your ending. Stay focused, stay resilient, and stay hopeful. You can build a life you're proud of. That's the message I live every day. Don't settle, just keep moving forward. Don't let nobody stop you. If nobody is willing to give you a foot in the door, sometimes, even though you got a degree in one area, sometimes you just gotta change direction and say, you know what, I'm going to excel somewhere else, and just keep moving forward. You can't let one door shut and then feel like you're stuck. You gotta keep opening the doors until you find the right path.

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