We recently connected with Loretta Turner and have shared our conversation below.

Loretta, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?

I got my career started within nonprofit organizations and wellness and health companies. Working in these spaces required that I was deeply involved in my community on a programmatic level–from teaching regular yoga classes to working in historically disadvantaged communities.

Now don’t get me wrong: doing that work was incredibly fulfilling. Most days of the week I would come home with my heart full knowing that in some small way I made an impact in someone’s life.

And at the same time, I would come home feeling like my energetic gas tank was completely empty. I was burnt out from doing such good work.

It wasn’t until several years and several jobs later that I realized I had fallen victim to Workplace Martyrdom: sacrificing my own needs for the needs of the organization. Or in my case, sacrificing my own needs for the needs of my community.

It didn’t matter how exhausted I was from teaching a dozen yoga classes each week, or how emotionally drained I was from working inside rehabs and prisons. If I needed to go, then I went. I believed an unrealistic narrative that the communities would suffer if I didn’t show up, and that my job was at risk if I didn’t show up. I had become so attached to doing good work for others that I couldn’t fathom taking a step back to make sure I was taken care of.

Changing that narrative was critical in helping me find more sustainability in my career, and it was a huge part of the inspiration in launching my leadership development company. This is a key lesson that I share with my clients!

Loretta, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Just like much of the world, I went through my own reckoning in 2020. I constantly questioned what “work” meant for me… especially as a black woman who had big goals. My leadership philosophy is that “leadership isn’t what you do, it’s who you are.” And as I was rediscovering who I was as a professional, I felt called to help others do the same. The outcome of all of my questioning resulted in the launch of my leadership development company.

Through leadership coaching, training, and retreats I help employees figure out how to first survive at work, and then we co-create a career for them in which they can thrive at work. I give employers the tools and strategies to put their people first, so that people at all levels of a company can become more engaged and invested in the work they do.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

While I’m an advocate for continued learning and always staying well-educated in your craft, I can’t stress enough the importance of knowing yourself above anything else.

So much of my success as a business owner is knowing when I need a break, or when I need to take a leap of faith, or when I need to let go of something. And my ability to tune into that sense of knowing is through a regular mindfulness practice which includes meditating, journaling, and spending quiet time in nature.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

The short answer is networking, but networking is much more than just showing up to events and hoping to make fruitful connections!

Building a strong and positive reputation in my market and in my community is based on my ability to first and foremost, intentionally choose the spaces I want to work in, and secondly making sure I show up authentically to those spaces.

My good reputation is also contingent on my ability to produce high quality work, which means that if I am saying yes to an opportunity, I am going to give it 100%. It also means knowing when to say no or bow out of a project if I can’t give it my full attention. Accountability, vulnerability, and humility are key to my brand and my reputation.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lorettaturner.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/loretta.leads
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/loretta.leads
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/lorettaleads
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/lorettaleads
• Other: TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@loretta.leads

Image Credits
Megan Ward (www.instagram.com/mysunandstars.co) HarperB (www.instagram.com/harper_b3)