I’ve served as Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Business Officer—roles that require not just functional expertise, but strong business acumen, high EQ, and a real ability to connect with people and lead through complexity.

Over the years, I’ve come to understand that leadership isn’t just about strategy, operations, or metrics. Those are table stakes. The real differentiator is how you show up as a human being.

For me, that’s captured in an acronym: DRIVEN.

D – Determined: I will find a way. From shopping carts to boardrooms, determination has been the throughline.
R – Resilient: The path has never been linear. Doors close. Plans fall apart. I keep going.
I – Impactful: If I’m in a role, a room, or a relationship, I’m there to move something meaningful forward—for the business and for people.
V – Vulnerable: I say “I don’t know” when I don’t. I ask for directions from those who’ve been where I want to go.
E – Empathetic: I’ve lived what it means to start from “less.” That shapes how I hire, how I coach, and how I design opportunity.
N – Nimble: I’m willing to reinvent myself, to pivot, to learn in public when the world or the business demands it.

The “V” and the “E” have been the hardest-won and most transformative for me. Vulnerability and empathy aren’t soft skills; they’re force multipliers. They’re how trust gets built. They’re how cultures of continuous learning actually take root.

This combination for me is about having an achievement mindset and a bias for growth and action while also being profoundly self-reflective and tuned-in to others around me.

‘DRIVEN’ – Determined. Resilient. Impactful. Vulnerable. Empathetic. Nimble.

I can’t “arrive” somewhere I don’t know how to get to. So I routinely seek out people who have the map, whether it’s a CFO walking me through a new financial construct, a seasoned operator helping me see around corners, or a speaker helping me refine a keynote.

And every time I find my way to that new place, I turn around and offer the directions to others.

That’s what leadership is to me: not a title, but a practice of turning your hard-won maps into pathways for other people.