Michele Thornton, CNN’s director of multicultural ad sales, really opened a lot of eyes at the Female Success Factor event held recently at the Atlanta History Center.
Thornton shared her journey to independence that began when her then NBA-player boyfriend refused to buy her an $18 CD for her 25th birthday.
That incident changed everything.
“No one would ever tell me no again, no one,” Thornton shared. “How many times have you been put in that position and didn’t allow that to fuel you to be who you are supposed to be? Take that power and harness it to move you where you want to be.”
Here are eight pearls of wisdom that Thornton shared during the event.
- Open your mouth and be assertive. “Eighty percent of us don’t ask for what we want. We have to start asking for what we want.”
- Be your own woman. “It’s so important that I know who I am. I articulate that I’m a brand, I’m not an accessory I’m not going to be on your shoulder to make you look good.”
- Make big plans. “When I read, Live Your Dream, [I realized] our dreams are not big enough.”
- Don’t block your blessings. “When CNN came, I had just had my baby, and I was on a path for promotion; I was going to say no, that the opportunity will come again, and I was getting ready to interfere in the destiny… if I said no, I wouldn’t be introduced to the person He had for me.”
- Anything is possible – when Thornton initially discussed creating a business to monetize multicultural content- the industry thought it was impossible. CNN knew it wasn’t. Thornton did her research and made her case. “I wanted to create a multicultural business in the hallways of CNN. I knew 40 percent of our audience is African American. We represent 21 million in United States, African American women have $500 billion worth of spending power and I know you want me to be at your table.” After the success of the Soledad O’Brien groundbreaking series, “Black In America, “no one is laughing now” the industry realizes all things are possible.
- It’s never too late to redesign your life. “I’m 45 years old and I had my second child at 40,” Thornton divulged.” I graduated from college at 31 years old, so if you decided to do something today, don’t put it off. You have to be real quiet, and do it.”
- Network strategically, and create a “board of directors” for yourself. “I have an adviser, I have an advocate, and I have that one person in that group that no one else knows.”
- Master the rule of three. Thornton says family, career and community are of the utmost importance to her and she divvies up her time accordingly. In other words, she does what she can in those three areas, and realizes that she can’t do everything all the time. When it comes to community service, she follows the advice of her grandmother: “When you do good, get good from it.”
Thornton added it’s never too late to start your brand’s transformation. “Customize your tips for your walk and your experience,” she told the packed audience. “I’m qualified to stand here, because I sat there; someone put me on the path that God created for me.”
