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The first panel of the day took place on the Authors Stage, moderated by Melissa Noel, in conversation with innovators Kendra Bracken Ferguson, founder and CEO of BrainTrust Agency, and DeLatta Cole Rhodes, Chief Equity Officer of the professional sports team, the Atlanta Braves. Topics ranged from what it takes to succeed in the workplace to how tenacity can help you lead through tough times in life.
Career journeys are often marked by moments of perseverance. Bracken Ferguson said she decided to become a communications professional when she was 6 years old and discovered press while watching TV with her mother. “I wanted to be the person who wrote and gave all the feedback,” she said of wanting to be a press professional. She shared that studying public relations at Purdue University and working at FleishmanHillard were further milestones in her life. These formative moments gave her the tools to get to where she is today, a serial entrepreneur and communications professional.
Throughout her professional career, Rose said she never thought about promotion. “It was important to take things one step at a time,” she said. When asked about the qualities of a visionary leader, Rose explained that staying true to herself was very important to her. Specifically, Rose said that being authentic was a key factor in her success. It was also crucial for her to voice her opinions at this stage in her career.
As someone who has helped build brands and raised $15 million for her companies, Bracken-Ferguson says perseverance has helped her keep going. “It’s a jungle gym, not a ladder,” she says. Living a visionary life, even when you fall and get back up, is important to Bracken-Ferguson. She says standing up for herself when it came to making important decisions was non-negotiable for her. Another tangible asset she feels helped her get through difficult moments was celebrating the good and positive moments.
Before the panel concluded, Rose shared some insightful tips for success, most notably: “Always believe in yourself. [and] “Always speak up,” Bracken-Ferguson said. Carving out what’s important to you can help you get through unmotivated times. “Make the hard decisions,” she added.
