Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittny H. Ferguson.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
It’s truly a pleasure to meet you! I’d best describe myself as a Vice President & Branch Manager in a global financial services firm by day, a child of God, mother, soul mate, lover of family and friends by essence and a self-empowerment visionary, success & finance coach, author, motivational speaker and Founder of Once Upon Her Life by calling.
I was raised in Kansas City, Missouri by two of the most loving people that I’veever been blessed to know – my mother, who was a teacher and is now a retired County Legislative employee, and my father, who is currently a surgeon and the first African American President of The American Association of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons. My parents have always loved me, pushed me, guided me and supported me. I’m incredibly lucky and extremely thankful as there are many people who don’t have the blessing of real, parental support.
Growing up, I led a pretty good life based on my parents keeping me on the right track; I attended college and obtained my undergraduate degree at Tennessee State University and shortly thereafter had my beautiful daughter, Mykel Michele. I also endured a failed relationship with her Father (my high school/college sweetheart) which ended up being the push I needed to move completely across the county to San Diego, CA with my infant daughter. Just the two of us… and so began the next chapter.
The one in which I reinvented my path. The one in which I summoned the courage to write a new story. I made a plan for my life that allowed me to awake to my full potential, and start living my best life. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. I knew that I had to create an accountability plan for my life if I wanted to succeed in living a beautifully fulfilled and balanced life. Now, while my plan has been ever evolving, it’s a plan nonetheless. At the age of 23, I packed up my daughter and my entire life as I knew it and moved to California. Now, was I scared? Yes. Was I nervous? Extremely. But did I ever doubt my ability to succeed as a single parent? Not once. You might ask yourself how that’s possible… and I can sum it up for you in two words. A plan.
You see, one thing that my parents always instilled in me was the mindset that you don’t have to take life the way that it comes to you. We each have the opportunity to design our own lives and to create the existence that we want as long as you have a plan. All I did was decide what was going to come next in my life, and then I strategized exactly on how I was going to get it. I created an ever-evolving accountability plan of action. Now, that’s not to say that there haven’t been any bumps along the way, or that things haven’t been uncomfortable at times or that factors outside of my control haven’t influenced my outcome somewhat – but none of those things drive the car. Those things are in the backseat. My vision drives the car.
This vision led me to obtain my MBA and establish a career in Banking and Finance which has lasted for the past 15 years, and that has ultimately allowed me to provide a quality life for my daughter while giving back to my community. I am currently a Vice President and Branch Manager at U.S. Bank and ironically, discovered love again through my career. I entered into a relationship with a man 14 years agowho I consider to be the absolute love of my life, and who I share a beautiful, blended family with.
Now, if I’m being honest, I always knew based on the God-given strengths that I had this crazy ability to connect with almost anyone and inspire them (if afforded the opportunity), to be their best self. Managing people allows me to do this on almost a daily basis from a professional standpoint, however, I’m also the one that most of my family and friends come to for trusted advice or guidance on a personal level. Additionally, I have always had a passion for giving back to my community and church through financial literacy education, motivational speaking, and self-empowerment, which has served me in a spiritual capacity.
After attending a 4-week class at my church (The Rock Church), I decided to step out on faith and listen to the whisper… that voice that’s always told me that I have a responsibility to do more of what comes naturally to me. I created a new plan which ultimately combined the things that I’ve been doing for years (i.e. leading others, providing motivating support, giving trusted advice and sharing inspirational messages of self-accountability). This plan has allowed me to become a “Parallel-prenuer” in a sense because I utilized my current career to help me fund a bigger dream of establishing my company, Once Upon Her Life.
Founding my company (which is based here in San Diego) has provided me with the ability to help a larger audience realize that every day is a new opportunity to write chapter one of a new life story. The result of this experience has been both personal and universal, as every chapter of my own story has provided me with a profound outline to help others make the most out of the life that God has blessed them with. I am able to now directly impact others through motivational speaking, and personal, professional and financial planning utilizing my 30 Day Accountability Journal and debut body of work, “Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself.” My company and a subsequent book is the culmination of my life, learnings and overall evolution thus far.
Overall, I am now wholeheartedly living a life of purpose and intention by helping others awaken to their full potential, find their true calling and summon the courage to live it!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Well, I’d say the biggest struggles in my life came about whenever I would compromise my own vision based on a sense of fear, or by engaging in things that weren’t conducive to the life that I claimed that I wanted.
In the past, I would often find myself hesitating to make certain decisions or to take a leap of faith out of fear: false evidence appearing real. I actually wrote a section about this in my new book because I know that I’m not alone when it comes to this topic. Fear can be overwhelmingly paralyzing at times – believe me, I’ve been there. What I came to realize (over time and through missed opportunities) is that we are not our fear – we simply possess an awareness that experiences it.
Not too long after graduating from college, I started to be intentional about mentally visualizing my state whenever I started to entertain my fear… almost as if I was taking on the role of observing myself from the outside. This allowed me to really visualize the power that I was allowing it to hold over my life. I still challenge myself to remain courageous by remembering that my fear is simply a product of the thoughts I create. Bravery does not mean the complete absence of fear for me, but it does mean that I am now more committed to my purpose than my discomfort.
I’d also advise being intentional about engaging in things that don’t help you to grow, or that don’t ultimately contribute to your legacy. Your current life should resemble the same life that you ultimately want for your future self. I remember that I used to engage in things or with people that I probably wouldn’t at this point in my life. If I had realized this sooner, I could have prevented a lot of wasted time and energy that I will never get back, along with a few toxic relationships. If your life would look different if you had everything you wanted, and had achieved all of your dreams, then you need to make a shift that aligns you with that same vision NOW.
As an example, if the people you have relationships/friendships with would be different, cut those losses now. If the social media accounts you look at for hours on end would be different, click unfollow now. If how you present yourself to the world would appear different on a physical, mental or emotional level, make the necessary changes for yourself now. For you to truly obtain the life and legacy that you desire, you need to act as you’ve already achieved those levels and align your choices accordingly.
I committed to living a life of purpose and intention and replaced mediocrity with complete mastery in every area of my life. I intentionally stopped self-sabotaging my own life and committed to living in a never-ending cycle of growth and self-empowerment. I never forget that while the pain of discipline is temporary, the pain of compromise is forever. You have to be willing to sacrifice who you are for who you can become.
Please tell us about Once Upon Her Life.
The mission of Once Upon Her Life is to help people see their world not as it is, but as it could be through self-empowerment, self-love, and personal accountability. The vision of Once Upon Her Life encompasses writing chapter one of a new story.
True evolution requires a healthy balance between living intentionally, honoring who you are truly meant to be and never leaving the world the same as when you entered into it. There is no greater blessing than helping others honor this balance and their true purpose.
As the Company Founder, bringing my personal vision to life also helped me to honor my own legacy. All my life I have possessed this desire to lift and empower the people around me. I understood from a very young age that being comfortable with the uncomfortable was essential to growth in any capacity. While it may not always be easy to help a world resistant to change, it’s essential to do the work and honor the possibility of what CAN be. I want each of us to live a life of intention, awaken to our full potential and summon the courage to honor our true calling. I feel as though I have a unique perspective because this is more than a job for me – it’s ultimately my calling and therefore my responsibility. While I am certainly able to accomplish this through my company, I am also extremely passionate about doing the same in my local community. I actively volunteer with over 25 non-profit organizations here in San Diego, and was recently named the Director of the Show Me Shoes Foundation’s San Diego Chapter, which seeks to help young ladies build confidence from the “sole.”
I am most proud of the book that I just released under my company on Valentine’s Day! Part of my life’s story includes holding others accountable to the pursuit of excellence utilizing a self-accountability tool. My 30 Day Accountability Journal for Living Intentionally: “Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself” is now available on my website and through Amazon – I couldn’t be more excited to share my labor of love with the world!
This journal is the perfect solution for anyone at a major crossroads in life, those currently struggling to find the right path or who just need to get their crap together (sorry, not sorry). Hope is not a strategy, so I strive to help others decide if they’re willing to sacrifice who they are for who they can become. #TheirHappilyEverAfter
There’s a wealth of academic research that suggests that lack of mentors and networking opportunities for women has materially affected the number of women in leadership roles. Smart organizations and industry leaders are working to change this, but in the meantime, do you have any advice for finding a mentor and building a network?
This is so true…it’s even been difficult for me as an African American woman in Corporate America because leaders in the Banking and Finance industries have historically been dominated by men. It didn’t take long for me to figure out that I had to position myself as someone who could compete with the best of the best and who’s hard to replace. I also learned early on that who you know can be just as important as what you know. This awareness motivated me to build key relationships and influential networks, which simultaneously enabled me to position myself as an industry leader. It’s important to have help, and this can come in the form of a coach, mentor or accountability partner – in essence, your Dream Team!
I always strive to surround myself with like-minded individuals when networking that can help to motivate my growth game and fill in my knowledge gaps. Ever hear the quote, “Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future?” Well, it’s more than true, so it’s essential to create a solid, support system that can assist you with making your goals and dreams a reality. One of my mentors is actually younger than me – and I’m not ashamed to say it! Don’t limit your own growth by closing off your mind to unfamiliar or non-traditional things that can ultimately benefit you. Seek mentorship relationships that will help you to evolve, and ensure that you are willing to put whatever work in that it takes!
Another thing that I learned is that it’s always okay to have more than one mentor because different individuals and/or coaches can serve different needs and capacities within your life. As an example, I work with the Nick Cannon Foundation each year and consider one of the Founding Directors a professional mentor. He has helped me to understand the power of networking on a national level, which led me to achieve the honor of being named the 2018 Business Executive of the Year for the Nick Cannon Foundation. I also have a mentor that I seek counsel from who retired from Wells Fargo Bank after over 40 years of service. She always pushed me to go after my dreams, especially as a young, African American woman working in the corporate sector. I decided to do just that and was humbled to be chosen as the only African American finalist in the San Diego Business Journal’s 2018 Business Women of the Year Awards.
Pricing:
- The fillable paper version of my book, “Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself” is priced at $19.98 on my website, www.onceuponherlife.com
- The e-book copy of my book, “Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself” is priced at $9.99 on Amazon.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.onceuponherlife.com
- Email: onceuponherlife@gmail.com
- Instagram: onceuponherlife
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onceuponherlife/
- Other: linkedin.com/in/brittny-ferguson-a9121835
Image Credit:
Typeface Branding (book images and logo only)
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