St. Michaels is a great liberal arts college in Burlington, Vermont. I applied to many colleges on the East Coast, but something drew me to Vermont and to St. Michaels. I was very involved in the athletic program there as a 3-yr letterman for the women's lacrosse team, I was a member of L.E.A.P., a spiritual community on campus and had access to all of my professors who knew me and genuinely cared for my success. St. Michaels set the foundation—both spiritually and academically—of what it means to succeed and what can be achieved when your community, peers, and organization goals are aligned.

My time in Denver was a unique experience. I was 21 and had ideals about my future. When my “right out of college” job fell short of my expectations—and knowing that I had a friend moving to Denver—I decided to go with her. Not having any professional contacts in Denver, the one way I knew I could build my resume would be to find a professional internship and work to build my network and skill sets. That was when I found the Denver Outlaws opportunity. They couldn’t pay me for the internship, so I was waitressing full-time to make ends meet, and either before my shifts or on my days off, I would go into the Outlaw’s office and help in any way that I could. That experience—and persevering through a difficult financial and personal time in my life—really made me understand the value of hard work.

My dad has owned his own business for 23 years as a management consultant. Growing up in a household where both parents were involved in the family business, watching my dad do his work and seeing the potential and excitement of running your own business set the direction for me that being a businesswoman was the right career path for me. I’m a planner by nature, I love working on teams and idea creation and execution really excites me. Working with dynamic brands like Disney, ABC and ESPN was the perfect choice for me and is the reason why I’ve made a career at this company.

Being an athlete at the college level develops certain skills that can help you throughout your career. The first is that it gives you experience in “playing under pressure.” Things in a professional environment can become pretty intense, so having the experience to work through those moments is priceless. Many college athletes have experienced similar pressure, can recognize it and be mindful of how to deal with those situations when they occur. They don’t panic, they remain calm and go back to all the routines that have prepared them to get the job done.  

The second virtue of a college athlete is that they usually know how to give and receive feedback pretty well. Throughout my athletic career, I’ve received some really tough feedback and endured some disappointment. Professionally, the same has happened. Having gone through those tough times where you may doubt your abilities also gives you the tools and mindset to rise above, adjust, adapt and play better.

This sector is an amazing place to be. I get exposure to how media industries work around the world and interact with some of the most intelligent and diverse individuals. Groups like mine usually are heavily involved in new product rollouts, content distribution deals and aggregate information from the various markets and lines of business within the company.

The most challenging part of the role is that things can change on a daily basis, so you have be flexible and reprioritize as projects arise. There are core projects that are being done on a daily basis and meetings at all hours of the day with colleagues from around the world. Additionally, I’m always reading news and industry publications. I’m keeping an eye on how our content and products are performing, both domestically and internationally. Your hand is definitely on the pulse of what’s driving the business and you’re expected to know at least a little about a lot of different topics.

My approach is not just for my line of business, but for anyone who has to engage with multiple groups within an organization. I’m a big believer in transparency about goals, collaboration, being a “student” of the business and above all, being authentic. What I mean by this is that the day-to-day here in the U.S. is not the same day-to-day of someone in Bangalore, Tokyo or Sydney. Americans get stuck in their bubbles of the “right way to do things” and that’s just not always the case. If you open the door and create an environment where everyone can learn and grow together, your results are always better. I also believe there is a lot to be learned, no matter what your professional level is. Ask a lot of questions, be engaged, don’t multitask and be you— don’t try to be someone you’re not.

I have had a really exciting career at The Walt Disney Company. I get asked this question a lot about how I was able to do it, and the answer for how I accomplished it is pretty simple. I was never a person that was so much title-driven as much as I had a desire to be constantly challenged. I invest time in meeting and engaging with colleagues that could teach me something new about the business. There is so much to be learned from those that have come before you. I’ve had some incredible mentors and managers at this company. These people have encouraged and empowered me to push the limits on my learning and, in turn, I have confidence to take risks and try new things. They gave me projects that were probably a bit over my head, but they always had my back and encouraged me. I spent time making sure any new job that I went for, was one I could do well and contribute to in a positive way. You never want to take a job that you don’t think you have the skill sets for, and I’ve never overinflated what I felt my strengths and weaknesses were. You always know what you’re getting and, at the end of the day, hiring managers appreciate that kind of honesty. It establishes trust early on and creates a strong foundation for success.

I have a passion for helping people uncover their best version of themselves. I have a natural instinct to coach and lead others, and I also recognize the power of mentorship and coaching early on in a career. So many people helped me get to where I am today that, when I got to the point in my career where I understood what I was passionate about, it came down to wanting to learn how to coach others to achieve similar enlightenment. I knew in order to have the expertise to eventually be at a point where I could help others, I’d have to learn about the psychology, philosophies and history of organizational and leadership theory.  

Juggling school and work is an everyday challenge. There are days when I have to make the choice to put work aside so I can do homework. I enjoy exercising and it's something I will not sacrifice. So in order to accomplish everything, you have to create a plan, stick to it and not feel bad about making choices one way or another. Everything will eventually get done; you just have to accept your situation and make the most of it. 

Disney is a fantastic organization that cares about its employees’ development. The culture is creative, empowering, inclusive and friendly. Walt’s legacy of "If you can dream it, you can do it,” is very much alive at our company. We are one of the most innovative media companies in the world, we put our guests, consumers and sports fan first when making decisions and that creates a consistent culture across multiple lines of business. I get to go to Disneyland quite a bit, and who doesn’t want to spend time in the most magical place in the world!

Here is what I believe are the essential components of a successful business plan: trust, teamwork, honesty, lawfulness and respect for the process. Within a large corporation, people have to follow and work for common goals, and these attributes can help you reach those goals. In Neal Gabler’s biography of Walt Disney, he states that Walt himself represents that, “Through one’s own power—or more accurately, through the power of one’s innate goodness—they can achieve success.” Walt Disney’s commitment to his vision has facilitated an organizational culture rich in empowerment and creativity, inventiveness and insight, which are testaments to his role as a creative and transformational leader. It also is why The Walt Disney Company has had so much success as these attributes are still alive in its business plan today.

I’m not sure that it is important for every company to have global presence. It’s obviously a huge growth opportunity to take products that are traditionally domestic products and turn them into global brands. I believe to have a successful global product you must understand the various marketplaces and consumers within them. Disney has many teams around the world that support the international and domestic marketplaces; my group is one of them. We always strive to make smart, ethical and profitable decisions, which we take the time to analyze thoroughly before moving forward. We are innovators and we will always be looking for the next big idea—and that idea can come from anywhere in the world.

I’m excited to finish my degree and think of ways that I can integrate that expertise into my day-to-day. I’m excited to have a family one day and to create a happy life for myself with someone I love. Professionally, I will remain openminded to change and new opportunities. A favorite quote of mine that I adhere to is, "Most geniuses, especially those that lead others, prosper not by deconstructing intricate complexities, but by exploiting unrecognized simplicity.”