By Megan Sayles
AFRO Business Writer
msayles@afro.com
Associated Black Charities (ABC) held its flagship event, Women on the Move, on Dec. 5 at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of African American History and Culture. The empowerment event brings together women entrepreneurs and business leaders to grow their personal and professional networks.
This year’s gathering included a panel conversation on the power of pivoting, featuring women who have all made multiple shifts in their careers. The term “pivot” became popularized during the COVID-19 pandemic, reflecting the need for businesses and professionals to adapt in the face of social distancing protocols and safety risks. But, pivoting is something that has long been standard for Black women.
(AFRO Photo/Megan Sayles)
“We all are supposed to be a statistic, but we have pivoted and navigated so much in our lives, and we are showing the world,” said Crystal Berger, panel moderator and founder of artificial intelligence-backed talent booking technology EBO. “There’s somebody in this world who wants to be you, and through your pivots, they will reach their purpose.”
The panelists included Chrissy Thornton, CEO of ABC; Bianca Wise, founder of the Mindset Snob and president of Home Helpers Home Care of Northwest Baltimore; and Chanelle Burt, founder of The W3 Network and WifeMomPreneur Academy.
Each of the women have worn an array of hats throughout their professional journeys. Before heading ABC, Thornton spent stints as a parole officer, real estate investor, franchise owner and event coordinator. Wise was the first Black woman emergency medical services lieutenant in the Baltimore County Fire Department prior to becoming an entrepreneur and author. Burt engineered missiles for the military before becoming a transformation coach and business owner.
During the panel, much of the advice they offered to their peers was grounded in the importance of self-confidence.
“The biggest thing to overcome is really betting on yourself. You need to believe that you can do something outside of what you’ve been doing for so long,” said Burt. “So many times people look at the length of time they’ve been doing one thing and feel so comfortable that they don’t want to get out of that comfort zone because they have to become a different person. If you want to get somewhere else, you have to become someone else.”
This belief in themselves becomes even more critical when they are faced by naysayers or even those with good intentions who want to protect you from failure. Thornton explained that much of the skepticism or doubt that can come from loved ones when a person decides to pivot is a projection of their own limitations on their aspirations.
“What I learned is that people can love you, but sometimes they can’t see for you what they can’t see for themselves. A lot of times in me wanting to pivot, try new things and take risks, I took in significant despair from other people,” said Thornton. “When I learned to block those people out is when I really learned to step into new and courageous opportunities for myself.”
When deciding whether or not to pursue a new career, Wise explained that the fear women believe they are experiencing is oftentimes anxiety. They ask themselves so many “what ifs” because they are uncertain about how their future will play out if they make the pivot.
Many of these questions surround the potential consequences and challenges of a career shift, but Wise encouraged women to consider the positive outcomes.
“I wake up every day excited about the expectation of, ‘what if it works?’” said Wise. “As soon as you’re thinking ‘what if,’ ‘I don’t know’ and ‘nobody’s going to help me,’ – shut up. Breathe. Reframe, and say, ‘Well, what if this does work out?’”
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