Summer Shedd Campbell

Honestly, delusional positivity and resilience. I just never give up and know how to pivot. I was well on my way to being one of the most successful female spine reps in the country, but who could have ever predicted a pandemic? I got pregnant, and it was just that female survival instinct - you know, you lift a car off a child. When hard things happen, you have to just adapt. I think being beat down trying to be a professional horse trainer for so long, competing against people like Bruce Springsteen's daughter and the royal family, taught me a lot about work ethic. I used to judge people who went from job to job, but then private equity groups bought and sold my companies, and I learned it wasn't always their choice. I had a husband out of work, a child on the way, and I didn't have the option to give up. I was eight months pregnant, standing in the operating room, and then hiding in the sub-sterile taking video calls for the insurance tech software. That resilience and ability to adapt is what got me through.

The greatest piece of advice I was ever given was that if you're not being respected at your current company, someone else will respect you. You're worth it. That advice helped me understand that I don't have to stay somewhere that doesn't value me, because there are other opportunities out there where I will be appreciated.

Follow your passion, follow what makes you happy. Never feel like you have to sell yourself short for a seat at the table. I'm tired of seeing women feeling like they have to compromise themselves or use sex quid pro quo to make it. Never be afraid, and never feel like you don't deserve a seat at the table. Look at the recent Kentucky Derby win - for the first time in history, a female trainer took the win. I think more women need to stop focusing on 'oh, we're treated less than' and just go out and do it. Just never take no for an answer. And don't be afraid to go where you're respected - if you're not being respected at your current company, someone else will value you.

Honesty is paramount to me. I believe in surrounding yourself with people smarter than you and never being the smartest person in the room. Constantly learning is essential. I really value entrepreneurial mindsets - I don't like working for companies that have a very black and white approach of 'we can't do this because no one else has done that.' I love a collaborative environment with an entrepreneurial mindset. The company I am with right now is entrepreneurial, collaborative, and intelligent. Having those qualities in your personal and professional life, I think you can go very far.