Angela McCourt 0:00
Let's get ready for some serious shift. This is a podcast shifting Inside Out hosted by your quantum shifter Angela McCourt, we are diving into ways to empower and enable a quantum shift. Inspiring topics hacks and guest speakers take us on a journey around authenticity, challenging status quo, personal power and living a purpose filled life.

So today, we have a fantastic episode with Brittany Wallace. And what we're going to talk about is how her gift of influence through passionate belief, including stepping outside of the traditional way of looking at business and solutions, has really helped her make some phenomenal monumental changes in the world. And it's really interesting because she has been a CEO for two years she was a semifinalist on Shark Tank. She has a master's degree, and just recently made a significant career change into the world of project management. So I cannot wait to hear your thoughts on this episode. As you listen. You can find me on LinkedIn at Angie belts McCourt on Instagram at Angie underscore McCourt or on Twitter at McCourt, Angie. So without further ado, let's hear from Brittany.

Brittany, welcome to shifting inside out. I'm so grateful to have you on this episode. To get started. Why don't you introduce yourself?

Brittany Wallace 1:44
I Angie, thank you so much for having me. To everyone who's listening. I am Brittany Wallace. I am also Angie's former minty from our our Tech Data days. I am a wife, a mother of two for babies who I love dearly I have two dioxins. I'm also pregnant with baby number one. So there will be a baby on the way in 2022. I am a project manager at Microsoft. I am a proud alumni of Florida State University. If we have any NFL fans out here I went to school with Jameis Winston and Dalvin Cook and Devonta Freeman I think they're all on the Vikings, the Falcons and the Saints don't quote me on that. I'm also a proud alumni of the University of South Florida where I earned my Master's degree. And I was also a women and leadership and philanthropy scholar. Some of my hobbies include biking and dancing. I've done ballet jazz tap, and my favorite was swing dance. And I'm very passionate about health. So eating healthy working out. So that's me in that show. Angie again. I'm very excited to be here. And thank you for having me.

Angela McCourt 3:02
Oh, that's so awesome. And congratulations on Baby number one. Thank

Brittany Wallace 3:06
you.

Angela McCourt 3:08
So let's do a quick round of questions. That was a lot of really good information. But I want the audience just to get to know you. And a little bit of a different way as well. So what is your morning ritual or routine?

Brittany Wallace 3:21
Okay, so this is going to be very loaded. my morning ritual is very long. So first and foremost, I wake up I think God for another day of life. Life is very important to me. So I'm always very grateful. And I always give things. After that I do a deep 10 minute stretch. Andy, I have to go in my closet because my dogs will follow me and attack me with kisses. So I have to lock them out. But I can stretch peacefully. When I feel like it, I'll go work out. And as I've been working now, of course I'll take the pups out for a walk. And then I'll give my required belly rubs because I can't do anything. Without the belly rubs. I'll cook breakfast to the dogs then I'll get to work. So that's me every morning. But on Saturday and Sunday I sleep in. I don't work out on Saturday and Sunday. But everything else is the same. So yeah, very

Angela McCourt 4:19
good. Yes. Belly rubs my. My female kitty cat loves belly rubs and I sing a song and she literally walk over it. She will plop down and roll around her back so that I can rub her belly. It's hard. Yes. Yeah. It's important.

Brittany Wallace 4:35
Yeah, it's not just the morning. They make me do it at night. And it's like, yeah, that's my job.

Angela McCourt 4:40
That's awesome. How do you renew your energy?

Brittany Wallace 4:45
Ah, I see. I renew my energy by following the sun. I love being outdoors. The sun is my friend and energizes me gives me my vitamins. I'll go sunbathing in the backyard with my dogs. I'll go for bye I cry with my husband. And if I've been like, hey, I really want to renew my energy. I'll make a cocktail. I have some fun recipes on Pinterest make a cocktail. I will sit by the pool and relax. As long as I'm outdoors I am fine. I am happy.

Angela McCourt 5:18
Very good. Yes. I love that. What is your guilty pleasure?

Brittany Wallace 5:25
Okay, so I told you that I'm very passionate about health. I eat healthy of course being pregnant, you have to eat your vitamins, your fruits, your proteins, but sometimes I crave pizza Angie, I love pizza. And not just any pizza. It has to be New York style pizza. And if there's anyone listening in the Tampa Bay area, there's a place called New York New York pizza. You can find it in Ebor Riverview Wesley Chapel all over Tampa. They have a pizza called grandma's pizza. Very simple is marinara, mozzarella and basil, but it will change your life. It is everything. Andy, I've been to New York many times had their pizza. But this pizza is amazing. So yeah, that's my guilty pleasure. A slice of Grandma's pizza from New York, New York.

Angela McCourt 6:14
Love it and a recommendation for folks to Yes. When we when we find these little secrets, it's so nice to be able to share them. Yes, yes. Awesome. Well, thank you for joining. I'm really, really excited about this episode. And you know, one of the things that has always impressed me about you is, you have quite a few gifts, I will say, and a couple of the gifts I actually modeled in my book. So off of you. So you as a messenger, you have this ability to kind of see big picture, listen, take in the others, you know, kind of why is this this way? Why can't we do things a different way and really seeing opportunity to share a new voice a new way at something new from a solution perspective. And, and I'd love for us to get into that the other part that any other gift, an archetype that I find you hold so truly is as an influencer. And so what I would love for you to share as we go through this podcast is, you know, how do you influenced through your passionate belief, but then, you know, also influencing by stepping out of some of the traditional ways of looking at solutions of looking at business of looking at life, and then challenging status quo, not in a bull in a china shop way, but you're really good at in a very subtle, yet effective way. And I feel like you have so much to share that others can really learn from so I'm excited about this conversation. And I would love for you to maybe start with your journey. You know, what is your journey been like and, and give us some of the real stuff.

Brittany Wallace 8:06
Oh, Angie, I will get very real with you. Um, my journey has been a roller coaster. You have your downs, you have your ups. But yeah, so to start, once I graduated from graduate school, I became an entrepreneur. So I started a company. I was the CEO for two years, I worked with manufacturers in China, I had interns here at the University of South Florida, I was doing my thing. I was even they say my friend was on Shark Tank with my business idea. But as we know, 50% of businesses fail. And with that, one, I wasn't making all the money that I wanted to make. Also while being entrepreneur, because there was in the cash flow. I worked a part time job. Actually, I worked three part time jobs. It was very humbling having a master's degree in a business and making minimum wage. But yeah, can you imagine but if you're passionate about something, you would do whatever it takes, but of course, there was a certain lifestyle that I wanted. And at the time living minimum wage, I couldn't afford a living in Tampa. So I said you know what, I have to put entrepreneurship on hold for now. Not forever, just you know, just for now and get back into the into the workforce. So I did a little a little management on the side at a company that I will not name because at this company, Angie to be frank. I was see I was emotionally and verbally abuse at this company. It was very hard for me, but I dealt with it because I was earning a paycheck so that I can support myself and my fiancee at the time. But there comes a point in life where you realize I say enough is enough, I won't take this, I'm going to find another opportunity. So I went to a career fair. And the very last company that I saw was Tech Data. And I had my resume and I said, Well, technology, I don't have a degree in tech, I can't go into it. I have a Marketing and Entrepreneurship, you know, background, this wouldn't work. So I spoke with a representative. And he was like, No, it's not just it here, this everything I'm sure you fit in. Here's my card, give me a call. So I took his word, I gave him a call, I gave him my resume. Long story short, after a few interviews, I got into tech data. This was my dream company, I was so excited to be there. It was everything that I wanted, I was happy, I love the culture. It was a 180 from where I started. So yeah, that's my journey. Up to that point. I was a product manager for about a year and a half. Then I decided, You know what I love being a product manager. But who I really am, is I'm really a project manager. So I'm going to do whatever it takes to become a project manager. The market shifted at Tech Data. And so I began to look elsewhere, which is how I ended up at Microsoft. So I am here to stay, I was telling my husband the other day, hey, I'm going to retire here. I'll be here for 30 years. But I also say the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. So we never know what the future holds. But as of as of today, Andy, I'm very happy where I am, this is my journey. I've been at the very bottom, I've worked three part time jobs to survive. And now I'm full time and I'm working remote, and I'm very happy. So just whatever you go through in life, just stick it out. I promise. There's light at the end of the tunnel.

Angela McCourt 11:56
Oh, that's so awesome. And you know, I think you might say you'll be there 30 years, but it sounds like the entrepreneurial spirit and you to do something down the road.

Brittany Wallace 12:09
But I'm not arguing against it.

Angela McCourt 12:10
No. And honestly, you know, the hands on experience in corporate environments is really amazing, because the energy that is there. And I think David Pon Raj put this good in one of the podcast interviews we had done on entrepreneurship, is that it's a great learning ground. And it's also a very good environment to, you know, figure out how to influence right, because, you know, a lot of times, there's so many things that are already in play, there's so many things that have already been created and put into into the process, the program, the offering the service or whatnot. And so then it's hard to kind of say, Hey, I have a really great idea, how do I bring that in. And one of the things I saw you do at Tech Data as a product manager, and I was so impressed with this. And this is when we started working together and as a mentor mentee relationship was you would share how many business plans you were working on or had already implemented. With some smaller vendors engaging and partnering with larger vendors, you were breaking the mold, you were breaking the status quo of everybody has to do their own thing. And the small vendors don't add value to the larger vendors. And I was so impressed with how you did this. So I would love for you to share a little bit about that with the audience because I just find it. It's such a it's such a breath of fresh air. And it's so needed. And it is the beginning of more of that to come. And you were breaking the code you were breaking through the cookie cutter approaches that have been in place for a long time. So share about that a little bit.

Brittany Wallace 13:46
Yeah, of course. So yeah, it's challenging the status quo. I always look for better ways of doing things for my clients, my organization's my peers, anything that's just the way that I was, I was brought up. Um, so yeah, when I was working with my smaller vendors, I knew that my manager manage larger vendors. So you know, you have a network of opportunity, you make friends, and I knew that, okay, I can bridge my vendor with yours, and we can expand and grow together. So that's what I did. I focused on on the ultimate win. So there's a win win, make everyone happy. That's who I am. That's what I'm about. Another example, with one of my smaller vendors, um, again, I won't say any names one of my clients, they requested a PPO or purchase order for a million dollars for laptops. This was in 2020 Around the month of March or April as soon as COVID hit. Historically, they had only done about 30,000 average per month with laptops and I think over the course of two years, their largest Pio was $200,000 they came to me they said Brittany Hey, we want to do a $1 million. Pl I say what are you crazy? Why do you Want to do a peel this large? We've never done this before. They said, I think there's an opportunity because our competitors are backordered, three to six months is education buying season. Everyone needs laptops, we have the supply. demand is high. Let's do it. So I believed in them. And it was up to me as a product manager to convince my peers, my No my leaders, my influencers. So when I came to them, they was like, No way, Brittany, we're not doing it. So of course, I believe that I never take no for an answer. I believe that no, it's a slow. Yes. So you can tell me no, but I'm going to find a way to convince you to say yes. So I thought about it. I said, Okay, why are they telling me now? They're telling me no, because of the historical reasons why. So I take the right now, not history, but right now, there is a big need for this. And if we do this to it could change the game for my vendor, they can get new clients, etc, etc. So I created a proposal or business case, we got the financials, everything that I needed, including an RMA, that was very important. The saying is cya. But I say CIB cover your behind with the purchase order bit high is very risky. But we want to, you know, mitigate our risks. So with that being said, I had our vendors sign an RMA that states that if we don't sell these laptops in the given period, by in the fiscal year, we will return them with full rights. So once I got that signed, and I include that into my proposal, I had to present this to the purchasing team. And again, I was faced with diversity. However, I had buy in from my manager, my director, and the VP. So with the higher ups at the time agreeing with me, I won the case. So with that being said, with the power of influence and the passion that I had, and the belief that I had in my vendors, I think it worked for us all. Now, to be frank, all the laptops didn't sell in the first month or the first week, it did take six months, however it's sold. And had I not had done that, Angie, my vendor would have been out a million dollars. So because of of changing the status quo and going with what I believe in and believing in the in the vendor and the opportunity. It was a win win for everyone. So yeah, I just say I'm very passionate and fearless when it comes to things like that. And if I believe in something, I will give it my all. And that's, that's what happened.

Angela McCourt 17:42
That's awesome. And then as far as the influence you had on trying to get like a bigger vendor to partner with a smaller vendor. I know without saying names, like, how did you go about doing that? That is really breaking a lot of old ways of doing things.

Brittany Wallace 18:02
Yes, well, I will say it's still the art of influence you have to so another background, I have a degree in psychology. My No, I know how to persuade others is the art of influence, you have to make it a win win. So what's in it for me, which is something I also learned in change management? Um, I think it's called The Wisdom. Yeah, was it for me? So you have to make everyone see the win? How can they win? And once you put everyone on board and say, Hey, you can win this way you can win that way. Everyone agrees? Why wouldn't you agree to it, so the larger company had nothing to lose, and the smaller company had everything to win. So that's how I made that magic happen.

Angela McCourt 18:46
Ah, that's awesome. And, and without forcing it and without, you know, accepting no like you, you you found the way to get the conversation going then to get them to listen then to get you know, the partnership going and but I really feel like you were a component of that you were a key piece to that back to you know, you're credible. You passion behind it showed that you would make sure it was successful, you would make sure it was executed in the way that you had committed to. And I really feel like that's so important. And also a big reason why you found so much success of not just one of these situations, but I know you had multiple of these going on it was like once you broke the code you were like going out Yeah, and impacting the business big big time.

Brittany Wallace 19:41
I will say it was a part of my reputation is really who I am. Once I believe in something, I will give it my all. I become truly vested and emotionally, you know, tied to things. So yeah, I want to see everyone win if you're my vendor. Now I'm loyal. To you, I'm going to make sure that you win. So whatever it takes.

Angela McCourt 20:04
That's awesome. All right, so let's talk about another very big. I wouldn't call it project, I would say it is culturally socially game changing approach that you took, if you want to share the story about your journey around Martin Luther King Day, that's awesome.

Brittany Wallace 20:33
There's a story that leads into that, can I share with ASHA first? Okay. Okay, because before MLK, I had to start somewhere. So as you know, I was in they a big business resource group for the African diaspora. And like I said, I'm passionate about things. So passion to me is like having an internal flame. But my flame, I'm on fire, I want to I want to let everyone know, hey, I'm on fire, I'm on fire. But instead of letting me out or letting my fire go, I want to light the flame and others. So it's the power of influence and inspiration. Um, so when I was at Tech Data, I started in June, in June, as we know, is Pride Month. When I was walking through the campus, I saw the price, like I said, Wow, this is incredible. Tech Data supporting, you know, the LGBTQ community. I had never seen anything like that before. Because of course, I didn't come from any, you know, large companies. So I wonder if they raised the Pan African flag during a black history month. So I posed the question, and everyone was like, no, they don't do that. So okay, well, why not? No one had an answer. So I said, Okay, well, how about we, you know, initiated, um, surprisingly, I was met with opposition, I thought I would get support from the people within the BRG. But, um, they were saying, No, it's too risky. And like, there's nothing risky about it, you know, now, but that was the response. Um, so I said, Okay, well, I'm going to speak to a representative from spectrum, which was the big for the private community at Tech Data. So I got in touch with them. We had a, an interview, and I asked a lot of questions. And I was like, Well, I was he was very supportive. And I really appreciated that. So I took that energy, that fire that passion. And I went and spoke to the CTO of the company, which is, you know, the Chief Human Resource Officer. I'm the leader. Yes, right to the top, because I didn't have their support. And what I was asking for, I was asking for support, not permission. And they were, of course upset. But once you say, Yeah, bring us a great idea. Then everyone was all on board. So you know, sometimes it works that way. But yes, the power of influence. And again, had I not seen that, and in the month of pride, I would not have been influenced. So it was very inspirational for me, and I'm glad that it was done before us. And I'm glad that I was able to get it done. So long story short. CHRO agree. We raised the flag in 2020, at the headquarters in Clearwater, and then in 2021, we raised it all over the Americas and Canada. So it went from one location to 14 locations. So yeah, I was really happy about that. Um, it was the greatest moment in my career up till that point. Um, and then after that, the, the situation with George Floyd, it changed to change the entire country, I was at the, the world. Um, and I will say, there was a lot of emotion behind that. And our big say, you know, but we do something for our community. Let's figure out a way that we can support the African diaspora and create like a holiday for all. So initially, it was going to be Juneteenth. But we decided as a team, it will be more effective is MLK because he supports you know, peace and love all those great values. So interestingly, I was appointed as the leader of that proposal because of my of my my everything that I had done with the flag

Angela McCourt 24:39
Yeah, with no fear. Yeah, it was.

Brittany Wallace 24:44
Yes, like I said, I don't take no for an answer. So no, it's a slow Yes. They told me no. Okay, well, I'll go to the chief. And if she tells me no then okay, I try to convince her but she didn't I didn't need to do any any convincing. She said yes. So they With MLK, Angie, everyone thought it would be a great idea if we implemented MLK Day as a paid holiday. At the time, we were one of the only few IT companies who did not have MLK Day as a paid holiday. As we know, it is a federal holiday and everyone is pretty much close. So where are we operating? My main issue was that we had, I think, one vacation day a year, I mean, one volunteer day a year. And I always use my volunteer day frame, okay, day. I want to support other, you know, nonprofits. But I felt restricted because I also wanted to participate in MLK, which the beginning of the year. So I said, Let's do something about it. So myself, Gavin, Whitfield and Curtis Kelly, we created a plan a proposal, we did the financials, we work with the a lot of business leaders within tech data all over the all of the nation. And it took us about three months to complete our proposal, but we presented to the C suite team in September, and then November, they said, Hey, we're going to grant you this proposal starting fiscal year 21, every colleague at Tech Data across the Americas, we received MLK Day as a paid holiday. And that was the most exciting news that I had heard. I was I was surprised. I won't lie. I was very surprised. But I was very happy. We celebrate it. It was a wonderful achievement in my career. And I've only been in my career, maybe five years. I'm very young, in my career, but it was very exciting. And something that we did. We believed in ourselves. We had the facts, we met with all the right people, we had the support the buy in. So yeah, that's that was that. And I was Yeah. Still excited.

Angela McCourt 26:55
Yeah, exactly. And, you know, I think too, you know, just in the process of building the proposal, you reached out, you included you network with people who were stakeholders, influencers as well. Right. And, and got the, you know, the onboard, see, here's the thing, these types of and this was a big deal, right, this was a really big deal. So it's a big deal for you for the people, but it was a big shift and change for a corporate environment of, you know, decades. And that is just the beginning, in my opinion, like, I feel like this, all you have to do, like you said, just ask, you know, sometimes it's just ask if you're not sure why, you know, the company's doing a certain thing, or why a manager is nice. And just ask, just ask if you can do something different. And I think that now is the time where we're going to really start to see more and more asking, and or challenging in a in a not in a bad way. But in a good way, challenging status quo, and challenging the way things have always been in the norms. And things are going to be different, because now things are starting to shift and change and the leadership minds in the C suite minds. They're realizing they've got to get in with the times and that the people that they not only serve as customers, but also that they employ them they have on their teams are really important. They're important to the brand, they're important to the values of the company, and to keep them engaged and happy and driving to the vision and the strategy of the company. They need to start listening to them. But the people need to start asking, which is what you ran into, I think in the first ask of why, you know, can somebody would somebody be interested in joining me and going to get the Pan African flag raise, you know, and nobody wanted to do it? It was because there's a fear of making the ask. And they were they were not wanting to step out of the boundaries that had been previously set in their minds, honestly, like, I honestly feel like we're all up against this inner glass ceiling. And the more we can, can crack through that break through that by just asking, I think the more change we're going to see so I applaud you so much. I think you know, you're you're a brave old soul. And the work you're doing already in your life early in your career is incredible. And a lot of people don't get there until they're in their 40s or 50s. I encourage all early and careers like you are you do have a power you do have influence and that's your power. And all you have to do is just ask yes take no for the answer. No is the slow Yes. I love that. Yes. Yes, you have it. Yes. So Brittany, like in your mind, you know as you are, you know now In a new career, you have a baby on the way like, what are some of your thoughts around? What's important to you? Because obviously, as you have these, you know, I would say, life event shifts happen life phases. And life is everything. It's all inclusive. It's our home life. It's our work life, it's everything, right? What are what are some of the things you anticipate that you're going to shift in, you know, shifting from maybe how you used to do things to how you're going to do things in the future, because of energy management, because of, you know, just really trying to evolve and learn because you're in that you're totally in a growth container. Like, you are, you're following life lessons, for sure. But what are some of your thoughts around maybe shifts that you've already seen? You're taking what you expect coming into this new phase in your life? Like, what are what are what are you thinking, Where are you at with that?

Brittany Wallace 30:57
So do you mean, personally or professionally? Oh, okay. So then, okay, this is gonna be pretty loaded. So, um, I will say, I am definitely expecting to ship I feel that I'm a part, I'm a part of the ship right now. Earlier, so five years ago, I was bright, wide eyed, I wanted to do everything, I want to conquer the world. But as I got into my career, I started to focus more, so to listen as hard to engage more. Now, I find that in my professional career, I'm going with the flow. So I remember I spoke with you earlier that I was very controlling of my career. I wanted this by age 25, just by age 35, etc, etc. But again, the best laid plans often go awry. So you, I don't believe in planning 20 years out, 40 years out, I mean, you could plan it, but let's be real, is it really going to happen? Maybe not. So, I mean, because who I was 10 years ago, I said I was gonna be in a certain area of my life, and I'm not there. And that's okay. I'm happy with where I am. You know, I'm happy with where life takes you. But yeah, so as far as you know, my professional career, I find that I'm going to take things easy, of course, I want to get into Portfolio Management, which is like another segment of project management and program management. But yeah, I'm right now I'm in a space where I'm managing, manufacturing, and retail and Microsoft. I'm working on a very big project right now. And our projects here, like a year too long. So I'm just going to take my time, enjoy everything learn and grow. Personally, now that I am a wife, and a mom to be, I feel that I'm going to be more dedicated to my family. Five years ago, it was just about me, my fiance, and my dogs. Five years from now, it could be me and my five year old child, and my husband. So yeah, it's going to change. And then of course, 20 years from now, our children would be out of the house, I'll be an empty nester, and I'll get to travel more. So I'm just looking for it, you know, to everyday of life and just, you know, going with the flow.

Angela McCourt 33:26
I love that. And, you know, I love the shift that you've made. I'm going to, I'm going to flashback to 12 months ago, this month last year. Actually, I think you just celebrated your one year anniversary, right?

Brittany Wallace 33:40
Yes, yeah.

Angela McCourt 33:42
So you were, you're like, Angie, I'm next month is really busy for me. I'm getting married. We're closing on our house. Yes, we are moving. Yes. And I'm finishing my PMP certification, which by the way, for folks who don't know what that is in project management, where if you're not in the project management world, it's a very difficult certification to gain. And she's like, has all of these, you know, life events really happening in the same few weeks, like within a few weeks of each other? So, you know, even a year ago, when I think about, you know, your, you were very like just boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, you know, which in a lot of ways it's goal attainment. It's, you know, it's taking action to get to the things that you desire in life and all of those really awesome things. But there is a bit of control on that. Right. And I love the fact that you just said, Look, I'm I'm shifting to go with the flow. Yeah, I'm shifting to away from the control so much and going with the flow. And I love that because I think we spend so much energy, basically in a lot of cases up against resistance, because we think it was supposed to happen a certain way and we're trying to make sure we control the outcome and that it happens that specific way. In reality, shifting to that flow state really helps with one like really being in tune and present, and to not using so much wasted energy on trying to force something to happen. And three, you get out of resistance, because the resistance is what's going to continue you down a path that you probably don't even want to anywhere, right. So I love the fact that, you know, early in your career, you have are in in life, you've already, like recognized that this is a beautiful way to live. And I think what you've done is you've broken free from these expectations, that a lot of people took me a very long time to get to get to that point, I think I was in my 40s when I but I want people to hear this, especially if you're earlier in career, because when you when you are, you know, when you grow up, you're influenced by a lot of different things intentionally, unintentionally, you're kind of set with these expectations of self think they in some assumed expectations that you think others have a view. And I think we you know, just like you said, you know, five years out 10 years out, you know, building these these plans and goals. The interesting thing is, the world is changing so fast right now. And we as humans are evolving so fast right now, that any kind of goal that you put into place, even for a year now is going to shift and change so much. And so evolving goals are really where we're at. And your flow state fits really nicely with evolving goals. And I think it just, it really comes down to stay with aligned with your values, stay aligned with your priorities, stay aligned with your desires, and your wants. At any given point, as we go through this massive change as a human race that we're going through. And I love that you figured that out already. You're a very wise soul. I get that message. Yes, you are. Um, so as far as like, any tips, any advice, anything that you can share on either influencing being the messenger, you know, getting shifting from a control state to a flow state, because that is a very difficult one to make. It is a choice. But a lot of times we resist ourselves. And either it's ego, or it's just, you know, old limiting beliefs about the way we're supposed to be in expectations. But do you have any advice for folks that are listening? In any of these areas, or anything else?

Brittany Wallace 37:39
Yeah, I would say as far as the power of influence and being a messenger, just stay true to yourself. We each have our own gifts. I know as a messenger, you tend to be very, you know, open to new things reflective of your feelings intuitive and an extrovert. Me personally, I really enjoy, it makes me so happy when I can help others. Again, I'm not a No at all. I'm not an expert. But what I do bring to the table, I want to help others. So if I can just lift you up in any way. It makes me happy. I have so many people who reached out to me on LinkedIn, asking for advice about being early in a career and going into project management. I've had so many one on ones, I complete a letter of recommendation, I have to find new jobs. I'm just I don't know what it is. That's just me, that's what I enjoy. So find what makes you happy. And go with it. Speaking of being a product manager and influencing others when I was at Tech Data, I just had passed my PMP. And I had a few people email me about it. I said, You know what, I'm getting the same questions. How about I start a study group. So I did it, it started with one person and then 357 and grew from there. And every other week, I would meet with everyone and we will go over the questions on the exam, what to expect how to test for the exam, how to study. And I did it because again, it made me happy to help others. So just finding what makes you you finding what makes you happy. I would say that's the best advice that I can give. Don't try to be like anyone else. Find your true talents and take a personality test. You know, I've taken so many and they all say that, you know, I like being around people. I like helping others. I'm in so many words. I can be a messenger. Once I did I was a protagonist. So, um, you know, just figure out who you are. And once you figure out who you are, find what you're passionate about and go from there.

Angela McCourt 39:51
Oh, that's beautiful. I love it. I love us. So good. So do you have any callouts that you'd like to share? You already had a couple in there. You definitely had the New York pizza at the beginning, right? So that's awesome. I love that. Um, do you have any call outs, you know, companies, nonprofits, organizations, products, books, anything like that, that you would like to offer. commendations for? So yes, I recommend

Brittany Wallace 40:20
it. New York, New York pizza, I spoke about women leadership and philanthropy at the University of South Florida. One more color I want to do is a nonprofit is called Feeding America. You're able to support families year round, just the holidays, but support families you're around. Provide them with food, especially for those affected by the tornado in the Midwest, if you can help out in any way. Whereas donating to a food bank, or volunteering at a food bank, anything would be very helpful. So yeah, again, Feeding America for anyone who's interested.

Angela McCourt 40:56
Oh, that's awesome. I love it. That is the second recommendation and call out that we've had for Feeding America. Oh,

Brittany Wallace 41:04
really? Okay, great. Yes. Yes.

Angela McCourt 41:05
I love it. And I love I support feeding Tampa Bay because it's chapter so I've been supporting them for probably about a year and a half or two now. And, and you're right. It's it's a great organization, the monies go to the people who need it. And it is for food, you know, which is like a dire need for people to survive. So it is definitely a very great cause. So thank you so much for calling that out. Thank you, Angie. And I really, really am so happy that you joined us today. It's awesome. I know that you're busy. And I want to say thank you. It was definitely very great to hear your story. And I think you had some great wisdom shares for everyone. Cereal was so

Brittany Wallace 41:50
thank you. This was so much fun. I am so happy that you had me on the show. Yeah, I really appreciate it. And once again, you were such a great mentor. Let's keep in touch throughout. Yes,

Angela McCourt 42:01
absolutely. Definitely. I want baby picture. Yeah. Go on with your new role because I'm so excited that you decided to go down your path as project management. You were so adamant. I remember a conflict. Yes. Is this really what you want to do? You're like Yes. You're so good at the end of that you're like but I can include it into this adamant. I'm so proud of you for you, what you believed in what you wanted to do. You went out you got the skills in the in you tied in all of your skills, abilities and capacities into this role and into going after the job that you wanted. And I just love it. I think it's fantastic. I still do see you starting your own business again.

Brittany Wallace 42:46
Yes, I will. One day, Angie. Yep. Totally.

Angela McCourt 42:51
Thank you, Brittany.

Brittany Wallace 42:53
Do you have a good one? You too