Spotlight of the Month- Terah

• What is your creative talent? 
  "Music has a huge influence in my life and has played a key role in moments of celebration to times of mourning. I come from an incredibly large family of musicians ranging from singers to instrumentalists. I identify as an instrumentalist, as I cannot hold a tune! I was very bitter about that for a long time. I was always given “speeches” at Church during Easter and Christmas and was never given a solo singing performance. If you know, you know LOL!  It’s not until I grew older that I realized that my talents as a musician were greater than I realized. I excelled in Orchestra and Band early on and was selected for Regional Band throughout Junior high and high school. I have a keen ear, and my friends often tease me because I can identify which song is coming next in a DJ mix based on the first 5 seconds of a song. Although I no longer play as often as I would like, anytime I pick up a flute and freestyle I feel an immediate sense of peace. I am forever grateful for the talent that God has given me."  

• What are some of your best/favorite accomplishments?  
  "I pride myself on my resilience and my ability to pivot. I went to school for journalism with the intention of working in the “hard news” space. I love political science and world events, and I just knew I was going to end up reporting on investigative pieces on foreign matters. That dream quickly died post internship and graduation, when I realized that as a woman of color, I was being offered spots in the realms of sports and entertainment. One producer I spoke with told me that “no one wanted to hear a 22-year-old black girls’ opinion on politics”. Unfortunately, I allowed that to drive me from my passion onto another career path. I moved into a Risk Management space in an entry level role and very quickly worked myself up the ladder. I realized that leadership was my calling and I had to pivot to another company to quickly gain the experience/opportunity I desired. I now am in a senior leadership role in a space that is largely dominated by males. Looking back, I understand that I didn’t give up on my dream, as what I truly loved about journalism was the investigative piece. My current role allows me to lead others, and essentially “investigate” data, while creating process improvements to reduce waste. Is it what I dreamed of, no, however, I’m proud that I was able to create another path that has brought me much success." 
  

• What advice would you give the younger generation about life and or about going after the career or hobby you currently have? 
  "Give yourself grace when you get off-track for your goals. Life is fluid!  Learn how to pivot when necessary and ride the waves." 

     

      I commend Terah for sharing and being so vulnerable throughout her whole interview, I know it is not easy to do that. When she shared about her keen musical ear and said that her friends joke about how she knows what song is going to play within the first 5 seconds, I laughed because that is so true- she really knows her music!  She forgot to mention in her interview how she can literally rap about anything on command, she is a freestyling queen and it is one of my favorite things to witness! One last thing Terah shared is that along with her full-time career she manages short term rentals. If you are traveling or looking for a stay-cation in Arizona she will be your girl and she has a website coming soon! Her story and experiences are so inspiring and I know they will resonate with many other women. Terah is an inspiration from how she shows up as friend, mother, wife & boss. Her musical talent is super unique, there is not many people I know that can play the flute! She has so many roles in her life and excels in each one. There is something so powerful about seeing a fellow mama succeed in corporate America while being an exceptional mother at the same time. She is a boss babe for sure! Terah has always been a part of the Creatively Linked crew as she has helped with photoshoots and just a sounding board for me throughout the years; but most of all, I am so happy to finally give her the spotlight and share her story. "Terah you are Creatively Linked!"