Molly Primm

My greatest awakening over the past 3 years, which has impacted me both personally and professionally, is that we are all the architects of our own lives. Coming to the realization that if I felt stuck, that was on me. That enabled me to act with intention as to what I wanted to achieve, both professionally and personally in this life. It allowed me to gain a greater sense of awareness, set boundaries, and work towards a future that I really was the architect of. I became intentional about who and what organizations I wanted to work for, what types of organizations I wanted to work for, what type of leaders I wanted to work for, or what type of leader I wanted to be, whether that was managing up or now managing my own organization and leading my own organization. I would say that once I gained access to the knowledge that no one was coming to save me, I am my own leader, my own survivor, that the work that I do, that I put in every day, is what's gonna make me thrive. No one else. I also believe that every pathway, every step in my career development has been very serendipitous, and it's come from simply just doing good work and being kind towards others.

My advice to young women is to know who you are. Have a greater awareness of yourself. Know what your strengths are, be aware of your strengths, be aware of your weaknesses, and perhaps those are one and the same. I always advise folks to start with a diagnostic assessment, whether it's CliftonStrengths, or the Enneagram, or Myers-Briggs, something of that sort, so you can really start to tap in and gain an understanding of yourself. I think for such a period of time when we're in adolescence in school, we are always told what to do. You're either good at school or you're not, but I don't think we ever, in our education system, put as much time and investment into figuring out exactly who we are and how our unique talents and strengths can be utilized to go into a variety of different fields. Take a look at what those talents are, where your passions lie, and if it's a pathway in hospitality that suits those talents, that suits your passion, absolutely, because I feel like it's not as known that there is a pathway for success in hospitality. There are so many instances that people can start as a dishwasher or a housekeeper and later become the head of operations for a major management company or a brand company. The career pathways and growth opportunities that exist in this industry are very vibrant. But most importantly, I would say pick something, pick something and be good at it, but make sure that it aligns with your talents and your passion, because that's what has to go lead first.

Throughout my life, I have been on a path to study leadership. I have a passion and desire to drive a positive impact and good on the world. I've always been fascinated by governance and have always had a passion for impact and for good, promoting good. I studied presidents and global leaders, and my second favorite president is Lyndon B. Johnson, behind Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and the reason being is because both of them promoted both international and domestic policy that advanced human rights for the greater good. In my master's, I studied coalition building and social movements, and I studied bad leaders like Stalin and Mao Zedong to understand how not to treat your people. I've found a passion in hospitality and the amazing people that make up the industry, and it's what set me on a lifelong career pathway that I'm so proud to be a part of. It's my intention in life to not only advance women, but also make sure that women feel empowered and have a certain degree of financial independence to break away from unhealthy situations they may have found themselves in in their life, to no fault of their own. I can't think of a better way to live your life than to have your hobbies be your career pathway.