Sponsored by 40 Under Forty Director of Therapeutic and Restorative Services, LOTUS Serial Entrepreneur/CEO, Voiced Thoughts Talk Show and Podcast AND JamaiKorean Loan Officer, Independence Bank 10 SEPTEMBER 2024 | INTHEVUE.COM Danette Mahabeer- Turner Organizations: Paducah Diversity Advocacy Board Board Member, Family Service Society Board Member, Paducah Chamber’s Membership & Marketing Committee Member, Rosa Parks Power of One Award Honoree, Paducah Hospitality Association Member, Paducah Chamber of Commerce Member, Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention Board Member, The African American Suicide Prevention Awareness Committee Member, New Life Apostolic Tabernacle Church Member What is one of the biggest challenges that you’ve had to overcome in your professional career? I’ve been in the hospitality industry for a very long time, managed various departments, and worked internationally in resorts such as Sandals Resorts, Secrets Resorts, Marriott, etc, but I always knew my ultimate goal was to become a Hotel General Manager one day. With only an Associate of Arts in Hospitality, Entertainment, and Tourism Management, and having mastered all the various departments as Manager and Director, I decided to purse a second degree in Business Management and Leadership through Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, TN. Immediately after graduating the program with my new degree, I was offered a Hotel General Manager position, where I managed nine departments and over 30 employees in a hotel of 114 rooms. I strongly believe that if one sets a goal and list objectives to achieving that particular goal, that there is no limitation on that goal or dream! What is the best piece of business advice that you’ve ever received? As a serial entrepreneur, the best piece of business advice I’ve ever received was that my network is my net worth. Collaboration, networking, and positioning myself in front of others have made me into the successful entrepreneur and multi- income strategist I am today. Emily McGee Organizations: Association for Play Therapy Member, EMDR International Association Member What is one of the biggest challenges that you’ve had to overcome in your professional career? Two years after graduate school I was working as a therapist in a community mental health agency and a private practice. I was in Nashville working two jobs in human services with limited access to friends and family and a two-hour daily commute. Quickly, I became overwhelmed and the passion for the work I hold so closely began to fade, as did my outcomes. To overcome this challenge, I had to not only be open to, but accept the hard-to-hear feedback that came from mentors and supervisors that cared for my success. I utilized this feedback to reflect on my actions and develop alternative solutions that would enhance my resiliency through the challenges. It was my decision to implement action steps based on this feedback that informed my move back to Paducah which ultimately led to my current position as therapy director. What is the best piece of business advice that you’ve ever received? In my family, advice is observed in action and offered through wisdom and a little wit. I come from a strong mother and two grandmothers who sought and instilled within me fierce independence. In my current kitchen hangs a framed needle point that greeted me dearly each time I passed through those old farmhouse doors growing up. It quotes, “All things cometh to him who waiteth… if he worketh like he** while he waiteth.” While my mother and grandmothers would agree that consistent, dedicated hard work is the most impactful business advice that could be given, it was what I observed in their action that I continually call upon to find peace and certainty in the day-to-day of my career. Emmy West Organizations: CASA of Graves County and Southwest KY Finance and Executive Board Member, Mayfield Industrial Authority Board Member, Mayfield Graves County ASAP Board Member, The Moses Basket of Graves County Volunteer, Mayfield Middle and High School Mentor What is one of the biggest challenges that you’ve had to overcome in your professional career? One of the biggest challenges that I have faced in my career is the tornado that swept through the county I reside and work on December 10th, 2021. Helping my clients navigate insurance claims on their property and real estate became a huge part of our community’s rebuild. I assisted my clients through the process and rebuilt back lives through financial products that I walked my customers through and still are. So many unknowns and new obstacles emerged after the tornado and it seemed that no situation was the same. There were no cookie cutter resolutions. I feel I stayed strong for my customers and community as I tailored resolutions along the way. What career achievement makes you most proud? If I had to pick one achievement that I could look back on and smile it would be the grant that I applied for on behalf of The Moses Basket, for which we were selected out of the entire state to receive. The grant has provided many necessities and items to children in our county who are going into foster or relative care. What is the best piece of business advice that you’ve ever received? “You are not your resume, you are your work.” I firmly believe that your work ethic is what drives your career or future potentials. Actions speak louder than words. I have been blessed with positive results and I credit it to the hard work that I put in always, no matter the positions I have worked.
