Sports came easily to me and I only wanted to get even better….tennis, basketball, golf, softball, football…you name it. I loved the teamwork. I loved to practice. I loved to win. There was even something special about losing…..it drove me to be better…..it inspired me to work harder.

I didn’t just love winning in sports. I wanted to make my parents, my teachers and myself proud when it came to school. It helped that I love to learn, to be involved and to challenge myself! My parents taught me how important it is to work hard in school, so I busted my butt studying…and ended up graduating near the top of my class!

Duke was my dream school: great school, great sports teams, great campus, great people and great weather. I worked so hard to get in…and then I didn’t get in. It hurt to admit defeat and it hurt even more when I realized, deep down, my mom was right. She wanted Emory for me since the beginning….even when she knew I wanted Duke. Aren’t mom’s always right?!

I was about to graduate Emory’s Business School (Goizueta), move back north and start my career. Knowing business was my destiny, I pursued Investment Banking roles. The interviews were back in NY, so I flew home many weekends. On my flights, I was head down reviewing my story, the banks I was applying to, and finance concepts. Then I thought of a question only a banker could answer. And I really wanted an answer.

I walked into first class and looked for a young business person, shockingly (or not!) I found someone quite easily! I not only got my question answered, but I found a mentor. First, he gave me tips that helped me nail the interview and get the job with UBS. And just a year later he changed my life.

You have to fight through some bad days to earn some of the best days of your life – Unknown

My first job out of school was in investment banking. As the forward thinker I am, I saw this as the perfect foundation for a career in business. I knew I’d eventually shift to the corporate side; it was just a matter of when.

Who knew the person that I randomly met on one of my flights from ATL to NYC (who happened to be an investment banker!) would be my path, or should we say BRIJ, to my dream role? (More about that after the next quote.) But, for now, let’s be clear: the dream role didn’t come without a struggle.

In banking, it was long days, short nights and intense training. By Year 2, I was on the brink of quitting. I didn’t know how to process that: I’m not a quitter, but I’m also not illogical. I found myself asking what was more important: life or money?

As I search for the next opportunity, I reconnect with the man I’d met on that ATL to NYC flight. He’d left banking and started working at ESPN…then six months later, asked if I wanted to join him there as an analyst. Sports, digital media, financial modeling, strategy, startups of Disney….it was too good to be true.

You can probably guess where this story is going…

In my first decade at ESPN, I repeatedly demonstrated my talent (and love!) for crunching numbers, seeing the big picture, and optimizing financial and strategic oversight. My passion for problem-solving and track record of producing measurable results didn’t go unnoticed. In my 5th promotion, I became the Director of ESPN’s Mobile and Digital Video division, a role in which I supported many impressive GMs and department leaders in a CFO-like capacity.

I LOVED what I did. I did it well. And I was rewarded by being asked to work on so many start-ups with uncharted waters – mobile licensing, on demand digital video, smart TVs, mobile TV, WatchESPN, iPhone applications….the list goes on! There was nothing like helping to set the precedent for how to define digital strategy, create new revenue streams, optimize forecasts that crossed multiple departments, and (re)negotiate unique cost structures.

Just when things were finally coming together from my perspective, Disney decided to restructure.  No longer would the ESPN Sales team operate separately.  Disney, the owner of ESPN, saw an opportunity to go to market as a portfolio of brands: ESPN, ABC, Disney, FX, Nation Geographic, etc.  It became a period of rapid and massive restructuring. 

The world I worked in, the role I had, the problems I was solving – it would all change.  Leaders I loved—many of whom were my champions—were getting promoted and some moved on to pursue other opportunities.  Suddenly, it wasn’t the same workplace I’d grown to know and love.  It wasn’t bad, but it was very different and so much bigger!

To add to the change, ESPN got a new CEO, Jimmy Pitaro. I’ll NEVER forget listening to him speak to a huge ESPN crowd. I was enamored. His charisma, his optimism, his philosophies stuck with me. He even agreed to meet me in person. It was one of the most influential 1×1 meetings I’ve ever had. My vote is for Jimmy as CEO of Disney!

One thing Jimmy said that’s stuck with me since was, “Discuss, Debate, Decide, Align”. I live by this philosophy, It’s foundational to creating successful and healthy teams. It’s what I kept reminding myself of when I became the Senior Director of Sales Operations for Disney’s Ad Sales Division after the major reorganization across all Disney sales teams.

I decided I was ready to leave ESPN. I explored new opportunities. I spoke to mentors. I took calls from recruiters. I set on my new mission, the mission to find a place for Jamie. Funny enough, a recruiter called me about a Vice President of Commercial Operations role at A Place For Mom.

The job had so much of what I was looking for. An amazing new boss. A heartfelt mission. The backing of 2 major PE Funds. Super aggressive growth targets. An impressive, proven leadership team. An edict to revamp systems and processes.
I was impressed by everyone I interviewed with. I took the job. I was pumped for my next chapter!

Adapting, adjusting, and assessing who I am amid a global pandemic

I was leading an amazing team, working with some of the smartest people I’ve ever known.

It was 2020, and you know what happened that March. As I entered a new era of my career, COVID wasn’t the only thing making me reevaluate where I was in life. Between new demands on my time, a shocking economic downturn and the reality that I now had two kids looking up to me, I realized something had to give.

I knew something needed to change. I wanted to coach my girls’ sports teams. I needed to sleep. I needed to be more present with family and friends. I wanted to keep working with inspiring, driven people. I wanted to share so many of the best practices I learned over the years. I wanted to help small business owners make their dreams a reality.

In 2021, BRIJ Consulting was born. I began advising start-ups and small companies looking to scale their business, operate more efficiently, grow revenue, and improve returns.

After a year of consulting, I realized I was constantly drawn to driving organizational health, more fulfilled leaders and overall alignment of the business. I realized that one of the core components to driving exponential business growth is driving its people’s growth. The happier the people are, the more productive and effective they can be.

No matter what role I’m in, I’m always coaching. That’s just who I am. And through working one-on-one with consulting clients, I realized coaching is where I shine the brightest.

While I continue to offer my consulting services, coaching is becoming a bigger and bigger part of my business. Even when I’m consulting, I’m coaching. When I work with a consulting client, the very first thing we do together is determine their vision and goals.

And once there is a vision, I go into Macgyver mode. I immediately start assessing the resources they have available and calculating ways to use those resources to BRIJ vision and reality. So if you’re looking for someone who’ll shift your perspective, help you leverage what you’ve got, and find realistic solutions to the challenges you’re facing right now, let’s talk.