Tiffany Hudson Herrmann, MSHR

I attribute my success to resilience, relationship-building, and pushing through the toughest moments. I always remember that things get really, really tough when something amazing is about to happen. There have been times that I wanted to quit, I wanted to give up, and I found if I just kept going, there was light on the other side. Yeah, there were days I wanted to cry my eyes out, there were days that I was so frustrated, but it's literally like when you push a boulder up a hill - you just don't see that there's this big downhill where it gets easier. The tougher it gets, the bigger the rewards. I also believe that if something doesn't scare you at least a little bit, then it's not worth it. My success has come from taking chances even when they felt intimidating, maintaining strong relationships throughout my career, and being willing to step outside my comfort zone. Everything in my career has kind of fallen into place because of the relationships I've built and nurtured over 15 years, and because I've always been willing to say yes to opportunities that challenged me.

The best career advice I’ve ever received came from Tiffany, one of my most influential mentors. I credit her with giving me an early opportunity in recruitment, actively supporting my professional growth, and guiding me through my transition into medical executive search and leadership roles.

I would tell young women starting their own company to remember that things get really, really tough when something amazing is about to happen. There have been times that I wanted to quit, I wanted to give up, and I found if I just kept going, there was light on the other side. Yeah, there were days I wanted to cry my eyes out, there were days that I was so frustrated, but it's literally like when you push a boulder up a hill - you just don't see that there's this big downhill where it gets easier. I always tell Emily, whenever she starts getting a little frustrated, to remember that the tougher it gets, the bigger the rewards. And the second thing I would tell them is if it doesn't scare you at least a little bit, then it's not worth it. You have to be willing to embrace challenges and step outside your comfort zone, because that's where real growth and success happen.

The biggest opportunity in my field right now is really about redefining what individuals see as an executive search firm. There's a lot of AI right now, and there's a lot of executive recruitment firms who ghost candidates and don't follow up - there's no relationship building there. We call it paper pushing. Emily and I decided we were going to redefine what recruitment was and bring the people portion back into it. We make it a relationship partnership with both the client and the candidates, guiding them every single step of the way. It's not paper pushing - it's actually getting to know those individuals and redefining the experience. We're also focused on expanding into different industries. We've been fortunate to add medical to our portfolio because a hospitality individual I knew moved into behavioral health, and the next step would probably be the IT field because that's another growing industry. But really, it's about making an impact and changing the stigma of what people think about executive search firms - bringing it beyond their resume and making it about the relationship.

The values most important to me are compassion, relationships, and making a real impact on people's lives. In my work, I'm passionate about helping people succeed and being part of writing a chapter in the book of someone's life. Being able to change someone's life through recruitment and see them be successful and maintain contact with them is one of the best feelings in the world. I also deeply value giving back - that's why I created a cosmetics company where all the proceeds go to women undergoing cancer treatment and animals in need. I love making women feel beautiful, especially when they're going through something as difficult as chemotherapy. To see them open a box of products with a handwritten letter that says 'You're already beautiful, but if you don't feel like you're already beautiful, here's something to help you' - those little things can make a huge difference. I believe in building genuine relationships rather than just transactional interactions, whether that's in recruitment or in my philanthropic work. Authenticity and meaningful connections drive everything I do.