What was your journey like to get where you are today?

I grew up riding and training horses, and that’s what I imagined my life would be like. However, I was diagnosed with Graves’ Disease and Leukemia and I unfortunately couldn’t ride anymore, and sadly had to give up on that dream and explore other options. What happened next was either luck or fate (maybe both) but a friend of mine reached out to let me know there was an opportunity to work as an assistant to someone who was planning a 3000-person convention in Las Vegas. They knew I had no idea what I was doing, but they were willing to teach me. Unfortunately, the woman I was working for was let go, and I became the event manager at that company, which I stayed with for a few years before moving on to a Fortune 500 fitness company.

After launching their first inaugural conference, I started working at a non-profit association management company, where I started out as the Director of Events. Eventually, I was promoted to the Director of Operations and, later, Vice President. This was my final position before taking the leap of faith to open From The Hart Management, LLC, after 7 years with the prior company.

What has been the success mantra that constantly helps you arrive at positive outcomes?

My success mantra is pretty boring but I live by “mind over matter”. This has helped me push through negative diagnosis’ with my medical history (and current status), as well as my business. The power of the mind is an incredible thing. I also practice the Silva Method (of meditation). If you haven’t heard of it, I highly recommend it.

What have been the most significant milestones that you have achieved so far in your journey?

For me opening from The Hart Management, LLC, was one of the most gratifying. Part of my story a lot of people don’t know is that I was the “succession” plan for a company I worked at previously. I was winning awards, which I was incredibly grateful for, but it was never under my own name. Some events took place that made me re-think my future and I took the leap of faith to instead go off on my own. I had been paralyzed be fear of starting over, which should be a lesson for anyone reading this. Within two months of opening, we were winning bigger awards, I was on the cover of magazines, and it was under my own company’s name. It finally felt like everything I had worked so hard for had finally paid off. 

Recently, I was invited as a member of the International Association of Top Professionals and honored with the Top Inspirational Entrepreneur and Speaker of the Year Award. This was probably the most gratifying for me. My mission with everything I do is to create change, so this really meant a lot to me.

What are your top-notch offerings that have a strong foothold in your industry?

From The Hart Management provides association management, business manage and consulting, event management and production, and marketing. We manage the day-to-day operations of non-profit organizations, so to the general public we would appear as their full-time staff. This is everything from accounting, publications, membership, education, legislation – anything and everything involved in that particular organization’s structure. On the event side, we manage and produce conferences, trade shows, festivals, and sporting events. We do this from initial concept and venue selection through event execution. We also have a marketing and graphic design team, so for the most part, we keep everything internal. While we will work with companies to assist with brand identity, we typically only offer marketing and social media services to our current clients.

I believe we stand out and have a strong foothold because we are willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done right. Most importantly, we are not the “puppy mill” / people-pleasing company that says yes to every opportunity. In fact, we will even turn down new clients if it jeopardizes the quality of time we can spend with our current clients. We are also proud of the fact that we have zero employee turnover, happy team members, and long-time clients who honestly feel more like family.

What obstacles did you have to overcome to get where you are now?

The first thing that comes to mind is the everyday challenge of leukemia and never-ending surgeries, while managing the daily demands of my business and life. There are moments when I honestly just feel like giving up, but what gets me through that is my “why.” I remember that the work I’m doing is meaningful and has a positive impact on people’s lives. I think about the incredible people in my life like my business partner, Chaunsea Keller, who has literally saved my life by raising money to help pay for these surgeries, and is just there for anything I need. My close friend Kate Thomas who calls me every time she lands from California to see how she can help me with our Gifts Company.

 Dorothee Kumpe, another rockstar entrepreneur, who is always checking in on me and assisting with content shoots. She is also responsible for almost every piece of jewelry you’ll ever see on me, as she owns Deep Purpose Jewelry – another purpose driven company.  These people are all my heroes and my reminder to never give up and that kindness is still alive. I’m truly blessed to be working with purpose-driven individuals who are out here fighting to create a change with me. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure I’ve overcome this challenge but I’m certainly doing my best to move through it without losing sight of all the blessings that keep me whole.

What advice would you give for anyone trying to reach high levels and a prominent position in the industry?

As cliché as it sounds, my biggest piece of advice would be to dream big! Madam Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf once said, “The size of your dreams must always exceed your current capacity to achieve them. If these dreams do not scare you, you’re not dreaming big enough.” The first day I thought about opening my own company I pictured the tall building with windows all around, and the large sign with my company logo on top. I never thought about “office space” and that’s the way I think about everything. Mindset is key. There is truth to the saying “believe and achieve” and if you don’t believe in yourself, why should anyone else?

I feel the life events I have endured give a little more meaning to the words “never give up” for me, but you’re going to get knocked down time and time again, and it’s how you come back that will separate you. I love to tell my clients PEOPLE don’t fail, ideas fail. We actually learn more from our failures than we do from success. We learn what doesn’t work and adjust as needed until we find the solution. This is the mindset every entrepreneur, and really every person in general should keep. Beyond this, when you’re working within an organization and you believe it’s time for a promotion, be sure to speak up. I think sometimes leadership waits for this as a test to see if you’re ready and if you don’t, you will never get the promotion. Know your worth.