Mercedes Reese

I grew up watching both sets of parents work incredibly hard, and that shaped my foundation. It instilled in me a sense of tenacity—a drive to work hard and make a difference.

I deeply value growth and meaningful, authentic connections with people. Sometimes that starts in the simplest ways—complimenting someone’s smile, their eyes, or even something as small as a necklace. Those small moments matter. We all have the ability to create change, and it starts with how we show up for others. But first and foremost, that change begins within ourselves. I’ve done a lot of hard work on myself, and it’s something I continue to prioritize. Because of that, I want to see other people experience what I’ve experienced—that through hard work, growth and success are possible. And success doesn’t have to look the way society defines it. It’s not always the degree, the car, or the house. Real success is personal. It’s about who you become, how you grow, and the impact you have along the way.

The things you naturally gravitate toward in your free time are often the very things you should be doing in your career. For me, my background is rooted in research—not professionally at first, but personally. I’ve always had a natural curiosity, a drive to dig deeper, to search for answers. That instinct is what ultimately shaped me into a strong investigator.

Someone once told me that what you enjoy doing personally is something you should integrate into your professional life, and that idea stayed with me. When you align your work with what naturally excites you, it becomes life-giving. It fuels you instead of draining you. That’s when you know you’re operating in the right space—when the work you do feels like an extension of who you already are.

Take the time to learn as much as you can, build as many skill sets as possible, and truly hone your niche. Know who you are and what you bring to the table.

It’s important to recognize that, as women, we often enter careers in investigations or the legal field believing we’ll have the same stamina at 40 that we did at 20—and that’s simply not realistic. Growth requires adaptation, and understanding your capacity at different stages of life is part of long-term success. Professionally, women bring a strong sense of discernment and communication—qualities that are incredibly valuable, yet often overlooked. These strengths should not be minimized; they should be recognized and cultivated. It’s also important to have someone in your corner—someone who sees your work, acknowledges your accomplishments, and supports your continued growth.

The balance between family and career has been an ongoing challenge. After my twins were born, I took a three-and-a-half-year break, and honestly, being home was more challenging than working. What I’ve learned is that balance isn’t something you achieve once—it’s something that constantly evolves with the seasons of life. You think it might get easier as you get older, but then new responsibilities come—like caring for aging parents. It becomes an ongoing ebb and flow of adjusting and reassessing. There are seasons when your children need more of your time, and you have to ask, how do I integrate that? Other times, your work demands more, and the question becomes, how do I show up fully there? It requires a level of introspection and an awareness of the people around you. When you’re on your own, it’s easy to pour 60 hours into your career. But as life changes, you change—and learning how to adapt with those changes is where real growth happens. Balance isn’t about perfection; it’s about being present, aware, and willing to shift as life calls you to.

Purpose, continued learning, integrity, communication, and building relationships—bringing people together—are the values that matter most to me.

I even have a sign by my door that I see every day as I leave my bedroom: What can I conquer today? It’s a simple reminder to approach each day with intention and growth in mind.

Meaningful, authentic connections are incredibly important to me. You can walk through something as routine as a trip to the grocery store and have the same surface-level interactions as everyone else—or you can choose to be present and make an impact, even in a small way. That’s what I believe my purpose is: creating connection and leaving people better than I found them.

I take pride in being reliable, detail-oriented, and proactive. I carry an ownership mentality in everything I do, and I’m passionate about helping organizations grow their capacity while maintaining integrity and a high standard of work. For me, success isn’t just about outcomes—it’s about how you show up, how you grow, and how you bring others along with you.