Rich in arts, history, cuisine and culture, Nashville — and the South in general — is also rich in fierce females. Leaders in fields that range from politics to pie making, these women have channeled their passions and knowledge and stepped up as leaders in our community. Each woman we feature as part of our FACES series is proof that success is not determined by gender, but by drive, creativity, tenacity and fervor. They demonstrate the possibilities of making your dreams come true. Due to their success and support of our community, their insight is valued, so it makes sense that we turn to them for advice they have received in their personal and professional lives. Today, we have gathered that advice that has been shared with — and by — these women. As you step into the new year, let the wise words guide you into your best year yet! Cheers to 2018!
PinDanielle Busby: “There is always tomorrow. A lot of people ask, ‘How do you do it?’ and the No. 1 thing is I start my day off with trying to keep God as the focus, so with a devotional and keeping my head clean and telling myself I was given this life to take care of and to be the mother of these extraordinary babies and Blayke, and that’s what I’m going to do every day. And it’s gonna be challenging, but there’s always the start of tomorrow, and you will get through it.” Image: Audrey BrownPinKandace Springs: “Be yourself. But, keep an open mind. You may learn something about yourself you didn’t know. But, deep down you know who you really are.” Image: Ashley HylbertPinJane Brooks: “I vividly remember having a conversation with my dad when I was a little girl, probably around [age] 9. I was trying out for Clara in The Nutcracker. He told me that I could do anything I wanted to do if I wanted it badly enough and worked hard for it. That year I did not make Clara. However, that stuck with me and has resonated throughout other things in my life. I have found that the things I am passionate about are the things at which I work hardest; therefore, those are the things where I’ve found the most success.” Image: Ashley HylbertPinHeather Rohan: “Always keep the patient at the center of your conversation, and to paraphrase the Tim McGraw song, be humble and be kind. Those things make sense all of the time.” Image: Ashley HylbertPinMichelle Blue: “Don’t just network, build meaningful relationships. We would never be where we are today without the people who have helped along the way.” Image: Catrina MaxwellPinManeet Chauhan: “My dad told me, ‘Do whatever you want, but be the best at it.’ That is a mantra I use to push myself and succeed.” Image: Ashley HylbertPinSharon K. Roberson: “My father told me, learn how to type. I didn’t want to learn because I believed I was going to be greater than that. But now I realize this was one of the single best gifts my father gave me. It was a good lesson for a number of reasons. If you have the opportunity to learn something, take advantage of it.” Image: Ashley HylbertPinMary Gauthier: “Well, when I was trying to decide if I should move to Nashville or Austin twenty years ago, Guy Clark told me, ‘I love Texas, Austin is wonderful. But the music business is in Nashville. If Kathy Mattea’s looking for one more song for her record, she ain’t calling people in Austin to come to the studio and play her some songs.’ I moved to Nashville. It worked out well.” Image: Ashley HylbertPinGlennon Doyle Melton: “My friend Nadia Bolz-Weber always says, ‘Write from your scars, not your open wounds.’ And I think that is important. The way I write, people think that I am writing everything in real time. Oftentimes when people do that, it comes off as a cry for help and not art. We have to let what happened to us sink in to get truth out of it, then serve it back to people. My other favorite piece of advice that I got recently was from my friend Liz Gilbert. I called to ask for parenting advice, which is so funny because she doesn’t have any kids. But she said, ‘Your family is in an airplane and there is a lot of turbulence right now. What do we do when there is a lot of turbulence? We look to the flight attendant. And if they are freaking out, we start to freak out, but if they look calm, you feel calm. Your kids are looking at you on the plane right now. You need to keep smiling and serve some freaking peanuts.’ Since I have been steady throughout this time, my kids believe that despite the turbulence, we will all be okay.” Image: Amy PaulsonPinMclaine Richardson: “My mom always uses silly little sayings and I pick up them up from her. They are so ingrained in me that half the time I don’t even realize that most people have never heard them. But the one I’m really trying to own, that she’s preached to me for years, is, ‘Be present.’ We live in a loud world where we are pulled in 90 different directions on a daily basis. It’s difficult to focus, but I find it incredibly important to be there for friends, customers and anyone that I have the pleasure of coming in contact with throughout the day. I’m working on checking my phone at the door and just trying to ‘be.’” Image: Ashley HylbertPinBailey Spaulding: “A friend of mine who was a postdoc at Harvard and a professional falconer once told me, ‘Find what you love doing in life, and con somebody into giving you money to do it.’ Maybe the way he said it was a bit funny, but what resonated with me was that I could find my own way and make a living at it.” Image: Ashley HylbertPinBailey Rae: “Whatever you do, find your ‘why’ behind it. I heard this once in a podcast, and I think it can apply to so many different aspects to your life. When you find your reason for doing something it helps to motivate and keep you accountable.” Image: Ashley HylbertPinJennifer Masley: “My first landlord, who quickly became a mentor, looked at me one day and said, ‘Jennifer, I’m about to give you a piece of advice that will help you grow into what I know you are capable of: Get out of your own way.’ It took me a while to really understand what he was saying, and when it finally clicked, it was life-changing.” Image: Ashley HylbertPinBecca Self: “Follow the things you are passionate about. Never lose the ability to laugh (particularly at yourself). Always learn from others.” Image: Stacey GudemanPinAbby Rubenfeld: “I learned from my parents to be willing to speak up if I think something is wrong or unjust. And I appreciate that I am more able to do that than some other people because I grew up white and with some privilege. I believe that those of us who were blessed with economic advantage and cultural deference have an obligation to use that privilege and advantage to do good, no matter how hokey that sounds. My parents taught me that you are never too big, too good, too far removed, too smart or too anything to help your fellow Americans and all other people.” Image: Ashley HylbertPinAnnie Downs’ advice for encouraging girls to accept who they are: “It’s all about the things you say about yourself and your daughter. The way you talk about your body in front of your daughter is teaching her how to talk about her body. The way you talk about your brain, your dreams, your heart … you are teaching her how to do it. The more you grow to love and accept yourself, the more your daughter will do the same.” Image: Ashley HylbertPinPhyllis Sutton: “My grandmother always told us to never judge a book by its cover and treat everyone the way you would like to be treated.” Image: Ashley Hylbert
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PinLauren H. Bugg: “I get advice almost every day from dealers, customers and friends. I think about most of it and blend in what helps and makes sense to me. But the best advice was from the way my parents and grandparents conducted their lives with fairness and honesty toward others.” Image: Ashley HylbertPinKristin Schell’s advice on making the first steps to connect with people around them: “Baby steps, of course. My mother always said, ‘All you need is one friend.’ So just mention it to somebody. Say, ‘I read this idea. What do you think? Should we try this? Would it be interesting in our neighborhood or our community?’ And if you don’t have a front yard, where do people naturally tend to gather? There are turquoise tables now in school patios and courtyards and libraries and other natural places where people gather. I think the conversation is the most important thing. You just have to start, and once we get over the fear of inviting someone into our lives, it just makes everyone feel so good. I mean, think about how you feel when you’re invited to something.” Image: Kasandra KeyesPinLibby Callaway: “I have been sober for 12 years. During that time, I’ve been involved off and on in 12-step programs. In the ‘rooms,’ you hear a lot of slogans and phrases designed to help those struggling with recovery describe and deal with challenges in life, both big and small. At different points, I’ve heard folks talk about ‘walking through the fire’ – meaning, staying the course and bearing the heat of a challenging situation or phase in your life, knowing that it’s not forever. I think of this when times are tough. It’s a comfort living with the knowledge that if I can just handle the hot seat for a bit longer, there will be better times ahead.” Image: Ashley HylbertPinMekayle Houghton: “My wise co-worker Wendy Smith told me last week, it’s okay to buy a birthday cake when I was feeling guilty about not making one from scratch.” Image: Ashley HylbertPinPamela Sessions: “Focus on two or three of your priorities at a time as your ‘to do’ list will always be long.” Image: Ashley HylbertPinMegan Melgaard’s advice on stepping outside your comfort zone: “You really never know until you try, and if you can use your internal compass to help guide you, I think a lot of us have the answers inside, but we have the tendency to bury them. So I would encourage people to uncover their internal compass and listen to their intuition, and rely on divine intervention because it will point you the right way. I have the tendency to get in my own way at times, so I’d also say, take a step back and use the support system, or build a support system, that you can use as a sounding board. Say, ‘This is really where I think I should go, what do you think? What are the pros and cons?’ And at the end of the day, exercise caution. If you’re looking at a trail that has three different paths that you could take, it’s okay to go down one of them. But listen to yourself and know the way back, in case you decide, ‘OK, I don’t really feel good about this path that I have taken; I can go back and take another route.’ More or less, just be aware and leave a trail of breadcrumbs.” Image: Catrina MaxwellPinGuenievre Milliner: “’Never berate yourself, there will always be enough people doing it for you.’ My favorite boss always said that and he was right. He was Director of Marketing at Warner Home Video France, where I worked for 15 years. He is still a good friend, and I learned a lot from him professionally.” Image: Ashley HylbertPinKrystal Clark: “It’s pretty basic, but my mother raised me to smile and say ‘hello’ to everyone. The same goes for saying ‘thank you’ or sending a thank you note. It’s the simple but powerful act of recognizing people’s existence and effort. We all want to belong and matter. ‘Hello’ and ‘thank you’ are easy ways to offer this to other people.” Image: Ashley HylbertPinJami Oakley: “One of my favorite pieces of advice is: ‘Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.’ Sometimes we become paralyzed and do nothing if we can’t do the best thing. Just do something and figure it out as you go — that’s what we’re doing with UniCycle. Look at all of the kids we’ve served and things we’ve learned and progress we’ve made in the last two years, and we still don’t have the plan perfectly laid out!” Image: Ashley HylbertPinJanet Ivey: “I was a sophomore at Belmont. I was feeling a little down — I wasn’t sure where life was taking me. Sarah Cannon came every year [to speak at Belmont], and it was the most packed chapel that we ever had. I remember she said three things: Love God, never take yourself too seriously and always be kind.” Image: Leila GrossmanPinDr. Dalila Duarte: “‘Blessed are the flexible for they are less likely to get bent out of shape.’ My professor, Dr. Milton, gave me this advice. It’s not worth getting all worked up, because we are going to get through this one thing at a time.” Image: Ashley HylbertPinAlyse Sprintz: “When you go into business, surround yourself with the best professionals you can find — i.e. a lawyer and accountant. I have a funny story about the early days of the business. I ran into Joe Kraft (one of the best-known accountants in Nashville) and said to him, ‘Joe, we don’t have any money so I can’t afford you, but I know you’re the best.’ I will never forget his response. He said, ‘Alyse, I will work for you for free, but when you can pay, I get it all back.’ He worked for us for years.” Image: Ashley HylbertPinKobie Jarmon’s advice for juggling multiple responsibilities: “I would definitely say that it comes down to organization, but also, just don’t be afraid to go out on a limb and try something new. You never want to go through your life saying, ‘What if?’ So if you have the time, or if you can make the time, always try to do what you love and what you want to do. There was a month where I wasn’t able to do something simply because I didn’t think I had the time, and I did. And the whole next month, I was like, ‘I wish I could have done this.’ So afterward, I just decided to make the time, and I prioritized and rearranged my schedule to make it happen.” Image: Leila GrossmanPinJanet Ayers: “The best advice came from my grandmother when I first began my career as a nursing home administrator. She said, ‘Whatever you do, Janet, do not put a party hat on your patients.’ In essence, treat everyone with respect! The other piece of advice was what my parents taught me — that we have a responsibility to give back to our communities.” Image: Ashley HylbertPinCheri Leavy: “Hire people smarter than you are. We succeeded there with the hire of Dominique Paye, our digital media director. Whitney and I wouldn’t want to be on this journey without her. Same with Leapfrog PR Co. They have been with us from the start of the Summits and bring so much strategy to the Coterie. Nicely Built, our new website developers, are an integral part of our future.” Whitney Wise Long: “‘There but for the grace of God, go I … ‘ My mom always said this growing up, and it has stuck with me since then. It floats through my consciousness many times a day, and it truly helps in being reminded to have an ‘attitude of gratitude’ and also realize how fortunate I am in both my personal and professional life.” Image: The Southern CoteriePinJaime Vernon: “Early on, Ginger Jones told us to take advantage of all waking hours. Lexi went from a silent world to hearing everything from whispers to a bird chirping. This means that, just like exercise or eating right, you have to be dedicated to retraining your brain. Sign language is a beautiful second language, and for Lexi it is a second language. Thanks to the implants, she can use spoken language like the majority of the world around her. We had to catch her up on everything she missed so she wouldn’t fall behind. A good way to do this is to be a narrator. I would say, ‘Okay, I am putting the clothes in the dyer. I am taking the clothes out of the dryer. I am putting the clothes on top of the dryer.’ Even with adults, stimulation and language are so important. It is important to equip them with language. Read and talk to your children, expand on language, and teach them to be critical thinkers.” Image: Ashley HylbertPinLaura Creekmore: “I’m pretty bad at following advice. I’m very independent, to the point where when someone tells me to do something, my gut instinct is to do the opposite, even if I can rationally see their advice is right. I’m better, I think, at following an example, and so I think a lot about the examples set for me in particular by my parents: work hard and always do your best; and my grandmothers: making people feel welcome; and by many, many women in the Junior League. They have shown me how important it is to believe in what we can accomplish together and that you have to make yourself better if you want to make the world better.” Image: Ashley HylbertPinMelissa Ann Barton: “My momma always told me to be kind, be yourself, like yourself enough to like others because being those things makes it easy to follow your dreams!” Emmylou Harris: “Follow your bliss.” Image: SubmittedPinRandi Lesnick‘s advice for other women who have gotten a bad diagnosis? “The first thing they have to do is take care of their family and themselves. When I got sick, I knew I was not going to give up, and I was not going to leave my husband and my kids. So first and foremost, it was about me and my family. The second thing to remember is that your business is just your business. It’s such a miniscule part of life, so you just have to learn to trust the people around you. And if it falls apart, it falls apart, because the most important thing is you. A business is never built on one person. There might be one name on the door, but it’s never built on one person.” Image: Grannis PhotographyPinNora Kern: “Probably the best piece of advice someone gave me was to apply for the Executive Director position here at Walk Bike. I wasn’t sure if I was old enough, or qualified enough, or brave enough, but I had a friend tell me to just go for it. It’s so easy to think someone else will do that: apply for that job, show up at that community meeting, volunteer for that leadership role. But I’ve really learned that in a city the size of Nashville, the people who make a difference and who are most involved are the ones who put their hand up and say, why not me?” Image: Ashley HylbertPinErin Daunic: “When my daughter was in kindergarten, she wanted me to cut her hair. So we went from long hair to a bob. She looked at herself in the mirror and said, with complete amazement in her eyes, ‘Mommy, do you think Mrs. Martin will REALIZE me?’ And that’s it. My goodness. Yes, everyone wants to be realized, and that is what STARS does. No one is anonymous. Kids who cross the path of our services no longer feel invisible. Now my daughter is 15, and she is still teaching me.” Image: Ashley Hylbert
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PinMara Papatheodorou: My parents each said, ‘Follow your passion through and through. If you love what you do, learn all that you can as it makes the commitment, the effort and the resilience to do it worth it.’ And Anne Willan from La Vareene first put the idea in my head that the whole food story isn’t always just in the kitchen. And she was right.” Image: Ashley HylbertPinFawn Weaver: “If you look for good, you will find it. Focus on the now, and all you need will be found in that present moment.” Image: Keith MilesPinYoli Mara: “When I first left my teaching job and entered the music industry, it was very intimidating. I knew very little about recording or the technical side of things (this is still pretty true). I had a hard time getting comfortable around other industry professionals. The recording engineers and other industry professionals were primarily men (still are), so that was another level that made it hard to relate. For a while, I didn’t think I’d ever find my place here, and I often longed to just fade into the background, but seven years later, I can tell you that I definitely have found my people and my niche within our organization (many of whom I’ll see at our Ninth Annual Recording Summit this weekend). All that to say, I’ve chosen a book quote, from one of my favorite fictional characters, that sums up the experience I’ve had as I’ve found my way in the world of recording: ‘Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It’s splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world.’ ― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables.” Image: Ashley HylbertPinSamar Ali: “The best piece of advice I received is from my family. Never be standing where you are today simply because that is where you were standing yesterday. Be standing there today because that is where you should and want to be standing TODAY. It’s that simple. And, from Keith Simmons at Bass Berry: ‘Don’t let your passion get ahead of your better judgment.’” Image: Ashley HylbertPinBrittany Spence: “To be kind and uplifting in your words and your actions and the way you treat other people.” Image: Micki MartinPinMagda Sayeg: “Actually, here’s the thing. I decided a long time ago I would not have filtered interviews. For advice for women … I’m not sure how deep you want me to go … Not everyone gets to have the conventional life with supportive parents. Most of the time it’s really hard to grow into an adult. Then, you finally feel empowered and stop taking this shit anymore. I’m going to tell the truth even if that makes people feel uncomfortable. Life can be so oppressive that people don’t come back. But, that doesn’t have to happen. You can come from dark places and you can come out shining. I could live the rest of my life complaining. Now, I’m a globally recognized artist. My mother still comes from the belief that women are here for men. She doesn’t care that my TED Talk has had over a million views … she cares that I’m not married. My want is to let women know that nothing is insurmountable. You can get to the other side alive and well and be proud of yourself.” Image: Ben SayegPinVirginia Lodge: “You can’t control someone else’s response. You can only say or do what is true for you and be ready to deal with whatever response you get. That was a freeing thought that was given to me from a valued counselor.” Image: Ashley HylbertPinCrystal De Luna-Bogan: “I don’t want to misquote Margot McCormack, but she always tells me something I know I need to let soak in. She always does what feels right to her. She has always been authentic, and I am so fortunate to know that she cares. I advocate for local food, and she ensures I feel good about it and reminds me that it will pay off.” Image: Ashley Hylbert
May this advice inspire and guide you as you embark on 2018!
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Dr. John Boskind’s father was a general surgeon, and the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Today, Dr. Boskind is also a general surgeon, practicing at TriStar Summit Medical Center, and he’s helping take surgery into a whole new direction. Meet our newest FACE of TriStar!Pin
Alex is a Southern writer known for hunting down delicious stories and traveling the world with hunger. Her passions and interests lie in food, travel, interior design and inspiring people, and her dream is to eat a dozen oysters a day.
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