Yasha Riley

I would say being a servant leader is what I attribute my success to. It's not really about what I've achieved on paper, but how I've showed up in the community. Although I'm in finance, I also show up in the community through my nonprofit work and board memberships. I show up not only in the financial realm, but as a servant leader, being resilient and intentional. That's where I would put my growth - just being a servant leader and having that mindset. I believe true influence is actually empowering and equipping others to inspire them to want to rise above. There's space for all of us, and I think the way you lead will influence others to want to do more than what you've done or pave the way. So I lead in the sense of inspiring others, not just about myself or to be seen.

The best advice I've received has come from my mentors, particularly Dr. Simone Arnold and Dr. Daniel Doss. Dr. Simone Arnold, my current mentor, leads with dignity and respect, and the way she leads is enough for me to want to do what she has done over the years. Dr. Daniel Doss, who is the president of Second Chance where I serve as a board member, has influenced me because of how she leads as a servant leader. She has a mindset of ensuring that everyone on her team is taken care of. What I love about both of them is that it's not just about themselves, it's not about being seen, it's not just about being awarded. It's really how you lead and how you show up for the community. That's the kind of leadership that has shaped my approach.

My advice is to believe in yourself, and don't go into leadership or an organization thinking about yourself. I believe influence means lifting others. True influence is actually empowering and equipping others to inspire them to want to rise above. I think there's space for all of us, and the way you lead will influence others to want to do more than what you've done or pave the way. So lead in the sense of inspiring others, not just about yourself or to be seen. It's about showing up for others and making sure your leadership creates space for everyone to grow.

For me, I don't look at the challenges. I believe more in the positive, even in the challenges that come along the way. Someone might say they don't have the time to do something, but I'm a doctoral student, a mother, I work a 9 to 5, I wrote a book called 'Walking Through Adversity Into Purpose', I'm an author, and with all the things I have going on, I still find time to show up. So although timing might be a challenge, I use it as something that is actually helpful. It's all about how you assign meaning to everything and turn what others see as obstacles into opportunities.

For me, I would say just showing up, being resilient. The experience that I had back in 2020 could have broke me. I was paralyzed from my neck down in a life-changing car accident, and instead of being mentally drained from the experience, I've used it to uplift others by sharing my experience of how I've recovered from something so traumatic. I've used different instances that have happened in life to make them more meaningful. Rather than just being broken by trauma, I wrote a book to share how you can use your experiences to create something more meaningful. Resilience, showing up for others, and turning adversity into purpose are the values that guide everything I do.