Lifting Up: Lessons from Verizon Women Leaders Verizon / WKI Custom

And that’s a wrap (with a bow on it!)  Gabrielle, Jacinda and Adriana share personal highlights from Season 6 - filled with lots of powerful collisions, varying lived experiences and embracing the power of the pivot. Including pivoting into our final episode, with Wendy Taccetta and Sonia Murray.
Wendy and Sonia bring a powerful episode sharing their journey and stories of the importance of owning your own personal operational excellence, while paying it forward. Through the power of community, vulnerability, and fearlessness these ladies share how they have achieved many professional wins, while managing all the challenges and joys life brings with perseverance. 
“I always embrace challenges. Sometimes when I do something I'm like, Oh wow, I did that. But I know I can do it.” -Sonia Murray
“If you're living your life fully, you're gonna make mistakes, and you're gonna fall down. Falling down, doesn't matter. It's getting up.” -Wendy Taccetta
“I try to challenge myself to be in rooms where the information is new, the perspective is different, where I expect someone to disagree with me. Because I find that it helps me either clarify what I believe, or it expands what I know to be true.” -Wendy Taccetta
 
“We need to be curious. We need to be learning from each other. We need to be inspired by this next generation. Not threatened by it. We still need to learn from our elders. We need to be curious about each other. And if everyone you know thinks the way you think, you are not in the right ones.” -Wendy Taccetta
Wendy Taccetta
Instagram: vztaccetta
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendytaccetta
Sonia Murray
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonia-murray-25132576/

Kuulei Jacubczuk (Director - State Government Affairs; Tribal Liaison) and Alecs Lifschultz (Senior Director - Great Lakes Market) get real about how meaningful their work is to them, the strengths they finetuned by taking risks and breaking barriers on their journey, and the very real sacrifices made along the way. Both women share setbacks, caretaking challenges, and how they navigated it all to become the leaders who inspire so many others today.  
On becoming a role model: “These were women who stood up in ways culturally, but also professionally, to break barriers and to do things. And they were my role models. So that was something that I think is in the core of me, but I never realized how much it was part of the core of me until I started getting into the professional world.” - Kuulei Jakubczak
On being authentic to stay inspired: “So showing up and having the ability to be me, keeps me going and keeps me inspired. And hopefully by me showing up as me that inspiration is allowing others the space to show up as themselves as well.” - Alecs Lifschultz
Alecs Lifschultz
Instagram: alecs_southsidechi
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alecsandria-lifschultz-ma-4654327b/
Kuulei Jacubczak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kuuleijakubczak/
 

 

Jenny Weeditz (Associate Vice President - Global Corporate Security Operations) and Susan Kim (Finance Senior Director) bring unending energy to this episode of Lifting Up, where they share how they have earned the admiration and credibility of the business teams they support - and so many others. Despite sitting in two very different organizations - security and finance - they are united in their focus on authenticity, learning from setbacks, and delivering value - and a vision for what is possible.  
On confidence: “Some of the benefits of getting older and having experience is having more comfort and confidence in yourself and being self secure. And it allows you to be vulnerable…. And so when you start doing that, I think you're just natural, and people respond to your natural authenticity, and it feeds into that self. And then you just develop more credibility, and it builds trust.” - Susan Kim 
On collaboration: “it's a lot of negotiation, and making sure you're being the best version of you to get the best out of them.” - Jenny Weeditz
Susan Kim
Instagram: susan_kim_vz
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-kim-b78628a0/
Jenny Weeditz 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenny-weeditz-7b7660184/

In this episode of the "Lifting Up" podcast, Christina Gonzalez (Marketing Director) and Adriana Dawson (Director of Community Engagement) discuss their journeys to Verizon and the challenges they faced along the way. Adriana overcame her initial fear and self-doubt by embracing curiosity and giving herself permission to step into a new career path. Christina stepped outside of her comfort zone by taking on a new role in an unfamiliar industry while pursuing her doctorate degree. Both speakers emphasize the importance of challenging oneself, having a growth mindset, and not being afraid to take risks.
 
Quotes
"I muted that voice of uncertainty and really bolstered that, hey, I can do it, I can figure it out." - Adriana Dawson
Just keep swimming. - Christina Gonzales
"Try me, not why me." 
I gave myself permission to just be curious. 
if I'm having a really tough day, but I have something really important. I say to myself, I just need to be great for one hour.
LINKS 
Christina Gonzalez
Instagram: @christina.gonzalez.trojanmami
 
Adriana Dawson
Instagram: @adriana_in_rhody
LinkedIn: .linkedin.com/in/adrianadawson/

Ask people across Verizon who inspires them, leads authentically, and/or has given their career a boost, and you’ll likely hear the names Kelley Kurtzman and Kathy Grillo. These two legendary leaders unite in this episode, and share how connection and seizing the narrative has powered their success and impact - and how the ability to connect and tell your story has never been more important.
On cross-organization connections: “I think when you have someone that's in a very different part of the business, you learn so much from them” On authenticity: “Being authentic, being open, being grateful for the work that other people do is so important” On leadership: “I've always felt like if you treat people right, they're gonna treat you right. And if you show up as a real authentic person, then they're going to feel more comfortable being authentic.” On organizations: “Not just people - organizations have their own dynamic as well” On broad horizons: “That external connection, I think is so important. Making sure you're connecting outside of Verizon in different ways will help you be a better leader will help you be a better person, we'll help you feel like your heart is full, because you've done volunteer work, or you've been able to bring an idea from another company into your business.” On self-knowledge: “I feel like the real path to leading people well is to know yourself very well, first.”
LINKS  Kathy Grillo, S1 E1  - Apple Podcasts | Spotify Donna Epps, S1 E2 (as mentioned by Kathy) - Apple Podcasts | Spotify Kathy Grillo
Instagram: @kathy.grillo LinkedIn: .linkedin.com/in/kathleengrillo/  Kelley Kurtzman
Instagram: @kellyakurtzman LinkedIn: .linkedin.com/in/kelleykurtzman/

Take a hike - on the trails of encouragement, with Pacific Retail Vice President Ana Aguilar, and Mountain Retail Senior Director Monica Pate! Ana and Monica have not just been shining examples to scores of the people they lead - but shine on each other to super (and solar) charge each other. Including when the trails get extremely rocky - and Ana and Monica get real and vulnerable sharing personal struggles they navigated while still climbing, inspiring, and lifting others.
On openness: “if you invite others onto your trail in life, as I say, look where that brings us” 
On the trails of encouragement: “And so the journey, we're still on the trail together in life, its ups and downs, peaks and valleys. Sometimes we're running fast together. And sometimes we're taking it easy on the trail. That is where it began. We're still on that today, as encouragers. And partners may be in a different capacity now, but still there.”
On comparison: “Instead of in that moment feeling like oh, I should be where she is. Or why haven't I made it: clap!”
On connection: “It’s not overcomplicating things. It’s simplifying things for people, whether it's,how was your day, what brings you to work and tell me a little bit about you know, your, your holiday and your weekend.”
On action: “things that were frustrating to see Monica and I decided we're going to stop being frustrated about it, and we're going to do something about it.” 
On lifelong learning: “make sure that your mind is always creating new neurons and new ways to keep your mind healthy is staying a learner”
Ana Aguilar
Instagram: @ana_aguilar_pm 
Linkedin:  linkedin.com/in/ana-aguilar-8b73b625/
Monica Pate
Instagram: @monica_gruenewald_pate
LinkedIn:  .linkedin.com/in/monica-gruenewald-pate-1a114260/
https://www.trailsofencouragement.com/