Every move was a
stretch
While working as a Wells Fargo teller, I was also earning my Bachelor's in Business Administration with an emphasis in Information Systems. That led to a move into their Technology Connection division, where I helped branch bankers solve technology problems in the field. That's where I discovered I was good at translating between people and systems.
"Everyone told me I was wasting my time applying for that Unix job. I applied anyway."
I had zero Unix experience. My manager, my peers, practically everyone told me not to bother. The hiring manager saw something I couldn't yet prove, brought me in, and trained me. I spent the next 12 years as a Unix administrator -- and those years built the technical backbone that underlies everything I've done since.
Then came the Chief of Staff chapter -- and I didn't see that one coming. A layoff, a hiring manager who saw potential, and a job offer I said yes to before I fully understood what it meant. The first six months I genuinely thought: what the hell did I get myself into? But my manager and I were yin and yang. She taught me executive leadership, organizational design, and strategic operations in a way no classroom ever could. That's how I became a Chief of Staff. Not by planning it -- by trusting the moment and doing the work.