Valencia Vee Bradley

Well, I would say not only from the inspiration of my parents being entrepreneurs , but just really my journey has been shaped by a blend of professional disciplines. Surrounded in an all community-driven, purposes. When I work at Overstock.com, which is now Bed Bath & Beyond, that I was with for 9 years, I did have the opportunity to work with the charity portion of the company bringing, handcrafted products to production and distribution to through B2B sales, I just enjoyed that so much because I got to really get connected with the artisans that are creating these products, and then take it to market for them, and just watch them bloom and grow in their communities. So that was always something that I felt very proud to have accomplished, knowing I was truly supporting others. That really drove me and gave me a lot of motivation to continue on, even when facing challenges. For me understanding you can grow from those experiences to oversee large operations in a fast-paced environments very quickly, just by rooting yourself in that type of service.

I'd say that my voice and my presence and my purpose are needed in my career and in my community. It's been very inspirational for me, to watch and learn from not only my mom, but also the foundation director that runs the Women of Worth Foundation that educate and assisted individuals that experience traumatic events, whether that's domestic violence, drug use, whatever their situation may be, really contributed and aligned with my career philosophy that your voice, your presence, your passion and your purpose are needed.

I would say lead with your heart and build with purpose. Reassure yourself that you're putting yourself in an environment that, you can learn and grow from, because most of the time we are in an environment with just men, right? In my last position as an operational manager, I was the only woman within the upper management group there, for our clients department. So it can be a little challenging and just grow from that, think with strategic clarity and put people first in your leadership. That in my experience has always driven great results and will give you some investment advancement of what you're looking to achieve.

I would say the biggest challenge is mostly surrounding the Medicare industry for our senior communities, that is a big challenge in reaching out to them and making sure that they actually do understand all the features and benefits and options that they have. What goes along with Medicare like I mentioned before, the life and the accidental type policies that I really believe in, and it's very crucial for them to have that cover heart attack, stroke, cancer. And I'm very passionate about that due to my family's experience with my mom's cancer. Really making sure that the Medicare Beneficiaries understand that they have some support and some stability with some type of coverage that can really help them mitigate those financial losses due to health. It's crucial right now, because it's so expensive and for those. in that community can be detrimental to them and their families financially stability. So, just making sure that your supporting staff/agents understand how to really outreach to those within their communities can be very challenging at times. But also, I would have to say my example before, your co-leadership peers, They may not always understand some of the compassion or thinking out of the box that I may be able to come up with, So, I tend to work a little smarter and not harder in a lot of fashions, so we have to make ourselves adaptable to that. So don't get discouraged when your ideas or your processes are not utilized. Just try to re-present them and reposition them in a different way, would be my advice when you're up against that type of challenge. And just really think through it strategically by providing a more specific features and what the overall performance results potential will look like. Don't be afraid to change up your style to connect with your audience.

I would say, you know, my leadership style is really rooted in service, whether that's developing teams or improving operations or supporting young women or underserved communities throughout my charitable work. But I'm personally I'm just really proud of making an impact in those types of communities, if that makes sense. I guess, really using my experiences just to shape my abilities to lead with both strength and empathy.