Her Story
About Roxanne
I have been in my field for over 50 years. I started Lively Communications 13 years ago while still working at GE, where I was being sought after for public speaking engagements. As a fitness instructor, I met many people through my fitness journey who saw my personality and encouraged me to pursue facilitating, which I was already doing in my role at GE. From facilitating different venues, I was offered public speaking engagements throughout Tampa Bay for women's groups and churches, where I talk about spiritual, motivational, or relationship-based subjects. Under the Lively Communications umbrella, I focus on training and fitness training, and I teach Zumba, which is just a fun thing I do. I do a lot of off-site engagements for corporate businesses, hospitals, and colleges. My energy and motivational style is very contagious, and through these connections, I branched out into more facilitating work. My background in customer service and sales has awarded me different positions where I consult with companies on how to improve their processes and grow their business. I was hired by GE as a trainer without a college degree because they saw something in my energy. I became certified in facilitation and then became a master facilitator, responsible for training other trainers and helping shape executives. I obtained my undergraduate degree from the University of Phoenix and later earned my MBA from the same institution when I was asked to be a site leader at GE. I earned certifications including the Greenbelt from GE, and certifications in the excellence of customer service and sales. Throughout my career, I have always been willing to do the work and serve alongside my teams, whether making calls, resolving issues, or selling. I believe it's important to know not just what your people do, but how they do it, and to care about them. I have earned numerous awards for excellence from just about every organization I have worked for. I retired from corporate America in 2022, but I continue to do my own thing, attending women's seminars and other venues. I also teach Bible study and do announcements at my church.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Roxanne
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would say my greatest gift is the energy I bring in motivating and inspiring others. Motivating doesn't really get a person to move, but when you inspire them and get people to volunteer to follow you as a leader, that's what I really enjoy. Even though I'm not working in corporate America, it seems like God has blessed me so that whoever I encounter, I leave a lasting impression. That impression is there to give them food for thought. Throughout my career, I have always been willing to do the work and serve. If my agents could make calls, I could make calls. If my managers could resolve issues, I could resolve issues. If my managers could sell a $20 million sale, I could sell a $20 million sale. I served together with my teams, and they knew that Roxanne was always there and that I knew what I was talking about because I wore their shoes in every position. I feel that it's important to know not just what your people do, but how do they do it. When they see you sitting side by side, taking phone calls, and managing people, you get the buy-in. The other thing is that I care. It was never a job for me. You have to care about your people, whether they're agents, managers, or VPs. They have to know that you care, and that's basic 101. People make it transactional, and it's not. It's about being people purpose-driven. That's what leadership is about.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
When I first started, I had a particular manager who really stuck out in my mind because she said it's not about making a journey, but it's how you walk through the journey. She has passed on, but that advice has stayed with me. More recently, my mentor Reverend Randy Ames has helped me see beyond myself, and that's really important. He taught me that it doesn't matter if you're good if nobody else thinks you're good, or if you're given a word and it doesn't hit and it's not fake and it aligns with the Bible, that's what matters. That's helping me with my leadership and my public speaking. He inspires me not just in the religious realm of things, but in everyday life.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
First of all, I would ask: Is it your passion? Because it has to be your passion. And do you have not just the like, but a love for people? And with that, what is your purpose? Why do you want to go into this? What is the purpose? Is it to edify yourself, or is it to edify others and see how you can serve and help lead that lasting impression for what your audience is looking for? Because everyone's not cut out to be a motivational speaker or someone that enjoys public speaking. If it's just a job and it's just for the money, it will not last. It has to be passion, something that you feel strongly about, and that you recognize it as your gift. People aren't born with that. It's something that you adapt through your journey in life. You find yourself always trying to uplift or encourage others, or stretching others to make them better. That's the difference.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I'm preparing now a business plan where I am going to be going out to medical offices and offering them services for training their frontline reps for excellent customer service. We're missing a lot of that in these doctors' offices, and the doctors don't know what's happening. Sometimes their people are rude or just not attached at all to the business. When you walk in, it feels cold. So I see this as a real opportunity to help improve the customer service experience in medical offices and train their frontline staff to create better connections with patients.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The most important values to me are caring about people and being purpose-driven. You have to care about your people, whether they're agents, managers, or VPs. They have to know that you care, and that's basic 101. People make it transactional, and it's not. It's about being people purpose-driven. That's what leadership is about. I believe in serving alongside others and being willing to do the work. I've always worn the shoes of every position, sitting side by side with my teams, taking phone calls, and managing people. It's never been just a job for me. I also believe in passion and purpose. It has to be your passion, and you need to have not just a like, but a love for people. Your purpose should be to edify others and see how you can serve and help leave that lasting impression. I'm continuing to develop and grow, and my mentor has helped me see beyond myself, which is really important.
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