Pastor Tanequa L. Badger

I attribute my success to my family. I was a mom of multiple children by the age of 20, and so from a young age I always had to live and have a certain responsibility. My children definitely ignite that spark and have since I was a teenager to be successful. Successful in many ways, but definitely, I have to say my children. They motivated me to work hard and take on leadership responsibilities from a very young age, and that drive has carried me through my nursing career of 19 years and now into my full-time entrepreneurship and ministry work.

I actually haven't received specific career advice from anyone directly, but I did see a quote that resonated with me deeply. When I was speaking at Arizona State University as a student development speaker, I saw a quote that said something like, you could either work for a company and help them with their dreams, or you can work and build your own. That is something that stuck with me. I even have a screenshot of it, and it just motivated me to do what I'm doing now, which is basically build my own brand. That quote was a turning point for me in deciding to pursue entrepreneurship full-time.

The advice I would give to young women entering the leadership development industry would be to lead by example and don't be afraid to work hard. I definitely feel like in this industry of leadership development, you have to first be developed yourself. So I would say don't be afraid to work hard and to lead with integrity. You can't guide others in their leadership journey if you haven't done the work on yourself first, so invest in your own development and always maintain your integrity in how you lead.

The biggest challenge I face in leadership development right now is shifting people's thought process and what they believe is true. People are fearful to move beyond their current level because they think that they either can't do it, or they think that the field is saturated. So the biggest thing is just making sure that clients understand that there is room to improve and that there is space for them. Getting them out of their own head right now is the most challenging thing for me in this field. It's about helping them see past their limiting beliefs and recognize the opportunities that exist for them.

The values most important to me are integrity, authenticity, and representation. I'm big on making sure that the way I show up in my personal and business life is one that's to make God proud, and I'm very mindful of how I'm representing myself in my personal and private life. These three values guide everything I do, from how I mentor my clients to how I conduct myself in my community. I believe in leading with integrity in all aspects of my life and being authentic in who I am, while always being conscious of the representation I provide for others who look up to me.