COURTESY OF THE BILLINGS GAZETTE
Age: 36
Company and Title: Billings Chamber of Commerce, PR & Communications Manager
Hometown: Forsyth
Education and/or Background: Master's degree in Public Relations from MSU Billings, Bachelor's degree in Agriculture Education from MSU, Associates degree in Agriculture Communications from Northwest College
If you couldn’t do this, what would you do instead? I would be a paid spokesperson for agriculture and mental health, to combat the stigmas through education and conversations.
What other passions/callings are part of your life? Faith, family, agriculture, and wellness are my passions in life and fall in that order of importance.
What is the worst advice you’ve received and why? Someone close to me said “just suck it up and deal with it.” This wasn’t a viable solution nor practical as my mental health and overall wellbeing needed an intervention. Needless to say, we both learned an immense amount through my resulting mental health journey and pursuit of wellness.
What advice would you give a teenager about success? Success is measured by inward self-worth, not by worldly standards, as success comes from knowing in WHOM you belong.
What’s your guilty pleasure? Having a cocktail even when it’s not the best option for my health and wellbeing.
What is one professional accomplishment you still want to achieve? To continue relentlessly pursuing my passions and serve as Montana Cattle Women President, earn my IOM certification, and find daily satisfaction in each job I am fortunate to fulfill.
How do you measure your own success? Being a perfectionist, it’s a pretty high set of standards that I hold myself to. I seek to do and be the best that I can in all that I do — fully present whether I’m working, volunteering, or spending time with loved ones. It doesn’t hurt to have a complete checklist at the end of the day either!
What failure have you learned the most from? A failure I’ve learned the most from is expecting a job to fulfill all of my needs. With this failure, I learned the importance of pursuing passions outside of work and not to put all of my eggs in one basket — especially when that basket is one’s profession. Get up, dust yourself off, and keep moving forward.
What is the hardest part of your job? Leaving work at the office and unplugging.
What was the last show you binge-watched? "Grey’s Anatomy"
What is your favorite book? Anything by Brene Brown as she inspires me personally and professionally.
What is the most rewarding/important aspect of your occupation? Getting to combine my educational degrees, experience, and passions at a job I love pouring myself into.
Who is your greatest mentor/inspiration? I’ve been blessed with many mentors and guides in my life who have shaped me into the person I am today. The most influential I would have to say are my parents, small business owners and entrepreneurs, who instilled in me a strong belief and value system with a family first motto and plenty of love and inspiration!
Do you have a motto that you live by? “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.” –Edward Everett Hale
What advice would you give to anyone wanting to start a new business or excel in a business or field? Never give up. Rest as needed but keep pursuing what sets your heart on fire and don’t let anyone extinguish your flame.
How do you view failure and success? Failure is a first attempt in learning; a phrase that I didn’t learn until later in life but one that resonates strongly with me to this day. Success is knowing I have given my best, no matter what.
What do you do for fun/relax/hobby? I’m a workaholic who cherishes time with my nieces and nephew, outside of work and volunteerism.
What’s the greatest gift you ever received? Why? I am saved by God’s grace and healing power and a little help from ketamine. Through HIM I have a new lease on life, complete with a holistic approach and recipe for health and wellness. With help from an amazing medical team, I am over three years depression and anxiety free. Each day is a gift!