Find Your Superpower and Fully Embrace It.
I had the privilege of photographing Talisha Padgett, MBA. She told me her story.
Her advice to her younger self, and those she coaches: “Find your superpower and fully embrace it. Be your authentic self, even if it means you stand alone for a bit because you will find a community that accepts you.
I was born in Japan to two parents serving in the Air Force. They both joined the military to create a better life for themselves and eventually, my sister and me. As early as I can remember, my parents set the expectation that I could and would do better than them. That meant I had to get good grades, do a variety of extracurricular activities, and help around the house. I believed I could achieve anything that I worked for and set my mind to. And I did.
Unfortunately, I didn’t make a plan to pay for college in California. I didn’t want to join the military and had not applied for any scholarships, so I decided to pay my way through junior college tutoring students and working a fast-food job. Once I earned my associate's degree, I had to move where I could afford to get my bachelor's degree, which was Tennessee, living with my mother. I was majoring in Marketing and Sales and working a full-time job selling wedding dresses. In two years, I had my bachelor's degree and a great corporate job offer from one of my happy brides. Life was perfect until it wasn’t.
My father passed away and a couple of years later, I got into an unhealthy relationship. It looked great on paper, but I was very unhappy. For over 10 years, I focused on pleasing my ex and shrinking myself. It wasn’t until our third couple's therapist said to me, “You know, you don’t have to accept this behavior.” I knew she was right, so I began advocating for myself once again.
At work, I have been “working hard”, but I wasn’t asking nor demanding what others were being given for doing far less. I always believed my hard work would be rewarded, but that wasn’t always true. As my confidence was growing through therapy, I left my wife and the company I loved for almost 10 years. I took a new job, in a different industry. The role was in IT, leading Marketing Technology, reporting to the CTO. Martech was a new function for the company and for me. I had been doing digital and product marketing but hadn’t worked in IT and needed to garner support among my male peers and manager for this new program. For the first time, I felt comfortable asking for what was needed, and I excelled once I got comfortable. I stopped trying to be like others, namely, my white colleagues and mentors. As a black woman, some things others recommend won’t work for me and vice versa.
I was thriving at work and in a healthy and happy new relationship with a person who challenged us to grow and excel in many ways. I was offered a VP role in Pennsylvania and jumped at the chance to build up my success. The team I inherited had been through a lot of changes and lacked visibility and growth opportunities. I related personally and poured myself into them. I realized leadership was more than just accomplishing business goals. It’s about building the next generation of leaders with diverse outlooks and abilities, all of which add unique perspectives to the corporate culture.
I’m now the leading Marketing Technology and AI at Microsoft. My wife, Kelechi and I launched our new coaching business, Empathy Coaching LLC to help others see their own unique value. Our business is born from leading employee research groups (ERGs), hearing the perspectives and challenges of people who don’t feel supported or accepted, and our own unique challenges, being authentic in corporate America.
I heard about Alissa through Chief. I’ve had professional headshots done before, but I never felt as ready to put energy into my photographs. I wanted headshots that proudly displayed my natural hair and authentic personality. I also wanted branding/ lifestyle photos for our new business. The photos for Empathy Coaching had to exude confidence, relatability, and trustworthiness. I think Alissa captured that flawlessly.
Both she and Lisa, the makeup artist, were focused on my happiness the entire shoot. I brought several outfits to choose from, most nontraditional. Some outfits worked, while others didn’t. Alissa put amazing energy into making the photos come out incredibly well - including getting the right lighting for my skin tone.
I absolutely love them.”