Finding My Way Back to Leadership

After two years of consulting and working on my own businesses full-time, I’ve decided it’s time to step back into a management role. Specifically, into what has always been my strongest and most passionate space: Customer Success leadership.

But what led me here?

Losing What I Loved

When I was let go from my previous company, my confidence was shattered. I had been there for over nine years, and my first meeting with my “new boss” went sideways within three minutes. His opening line: “Let’s discuss your retirement.”

I remember feeling stunned, blindsided. I had expressed excitement about his role, about the changes coming, about moving forward with the company. None of that mattered. The decision had been made, and 30 days later my position was eliminated.

Even now, I believe the man who let me go was a coward—someone too afraid to learn my value. And while part of me still hopes karma finds him, this story isn’t about him. It’s about me.

Rebuilding My Confidence

After leaving, I didn’t sit still. I took on consulting roles in project management, implementation, warehouse design, process overhauls—everything that’s always been in my wheelhouse.

And one day, while reflecting on all I had done, I realized: OMG… I’ve accomplished so much. Slowly, my confidence began to return.

At SkuVault, I had walked into a startup in chaos—no processes, no direction. Everything ran on fear and demand instead of growth and product confidence. The system crashed often, but the core idea was solid. Over time, with grit, creativity, and a lot of teamwork, we built something strong.

I like to joke: I was Ginger Rogers—doing it all backwards and in heels.

Building Teams That Built the Company

Here’s the truth: I built teams. Not just one, but multiple. From the ground up. With little to no budget.

I created the Customer Success department from scratch.

Implementation started as the same people who handled support. Then came a support team (of one), and an implementation team (of three). And we kept building.

Eventually, we had QA, first and second-line tech support, implementation, account managers, and even a training team to onboard staff and keep everyone updated on new features.

I spearheaded every one of those builds. And I didn’t do it alone—because I’ve always believed in team focus. Everyone had a voice. We built processes together, we tested new programs together, and we supported each other while keeping the customer at the center of everything.

Leading Through Customers

For me, the customer was always the heart of the work.

If something went wrong, it was my fault. If something went right, it was the team’s victory. That’s leadership. Praise in public, course-correct in private. Always.

I loved speaking to customers, hearing their stories, walking their warehouses, learning their struggles, and celebrating their wins. What I didn’t realize at the time was that I was also functioning as a Product Manager—digging into how customers used the product, uncovering opportunities for improvement, and pushing those insights back to the teams who could build solutions.

Some of my favorite memories were the whiteboard sessions with client ideas where the developers, myself, and other members of leadership—brainstormed features that became real. Assembled kits, buffers, statuses… ideas that made it into the product and are still in use today. Those were the glory days.

Why I’m Stepping Forward Again

Those nine years ended abruptly, but they were years of real achievement. I helped build a system that’s still driving warehouse efficiency for businesses today.

And over the last two years, consulting and running my own ventures, I’ve rediscovered that my greatest strength—and joy—is building, guiding, taking care of customers, and leading with confidence.

I’m stepping forward again. Not to recreate the past, but to bring the lessons, scars, and pride of my journey into a new chapter of leadership.