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Jacqueline Pruitt, the successful owner of a rebar company, shares her story about how being one of the only females in the field has helped her build grit and resilience. She shares the importance of building alliances with those around her when feeling out of place.
Mentioned Resources:
https://www.marvellasteelplacers.com/
About the Guest:
Jacqueline Pruitt, founder, and owner of Marvella Steel Placers (MSP) starts her day at 6 a.m., sitting at a desk in front of the computer in her spacious, yet sparsely decorated office in Signal Hill.
Behind her sits a fish tank where her turtle “Shelley” lives. Behind the tank is a poster visible through the water with Martin Luther King Jr.’s image and the words: “I Have A Dream.” But Pruitt has more than a dream. As one of only a handful of female-owned and Black-owned rebar installation companies, the Long Beach native is a trailblazer as well as a no-nonsense boss.
Hers is a track record to make any company owner proud, but Pruitt has bested unusually long odds.
When she was younger, she took several wrong turns. She wrestled with drug use and homelessness and was in and out of jail. That life ended on May 19, 2003.
“I got arrested at one of the places I used to hang out,” Pruitt said. “The idea to shoot up drugs was in my mind when the police came. A week prior I had broken down and asked God to help me. Thankfully, my parole officer sent me to treatment instead of jail. It worked.”
Since then, Pruitt has been sober. If not for the courage she mustered to turn her life around, MSP would have never been a dream. With her commitment, came a business model that has stood her in good stead.
“We perform safely and do high-quality work in the field and in the office,” she said. “We are professional; we remain in compliance, have reasonable prices, and we work with our customers and provide certification if their project needs to meet certifications.”
About the host:
Melinda Lee is a Presentation Skills Expert, Speaking Coach and nationally renowned Motivational Speaker. She holds an M.A. in Organizational Psychology, is an Insights Practitioner, and is a Certified Professional in Talent Development as well as Certified in Conflict Resolution. For over a decade, Melinda has researched and studied the state of “flow” and used it as a proven technique to help corporate leaders and business owners amplify their voices, access flow, and present their mission in a more powerful way to achieve results.
She has been the TEDx Berkeley Speaker Coach and worked with hundreds of executives and teams from Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Caltrans, Bay Area Rapid Transit System, and more. Currently, she lives in San Francisco, California, and is breaking the ancestral lineage of silence.
Website: https://speakinflow.com/
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/speakinflow
Instagram: https://instagram.com/speakinflow
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mpowerall
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#leadership #leadershippodcast #womenssuccessstories #MarbellaSteel #speakinflow #entrepreneur #advisityandresilience
Hello everyone, so glad you're here for the
Melinda Lee:Speaking In Flow podcast. I have an amazing, amazing viewer
Melinda Lee:today, Jacqueline Pruitt's, she is special, she has risen from
Melinda Lee:the top from some very difficult situations environment. She is
Melinda Lee:the founder of Marbella Steel Placers, which has started in
Melinda Lee:2016. And Marbella Steel Placers is is rebar placement. So she
Melinda Lee:has worked in an environment where it's met. And that's the
Melinda Lee:reason why I'm I have her here on the podcast today, because
Melinda Lee:she's got some interesting journeys. It was not easy
Melinda Lee:working in all men male dominated environment,
Melinda Lee:installing iron as an iron worker, so she had to prove
Melinda Lee:herself but I want to have her share her story. And before we
Melinda Lee:go into that Mabella Steel Placers that name? Where did you
Melinda Lee:get that?
jacqueline Pruitt:That is my mother's name, Marbella. She
jacqueline Pruitt:passed away in 2009. When I was just, I think it was about a
jacqueline Pruitt:second period apprentice had just been in less than a year.
jacqueline Pruitt:And I, after starting the company, I was, you know,
jacqueline Pruitt:thinking of names and you know, I went to sleep one night woke
jacqueline Pruitt:up Marbella. Still plaisirs. She's my my angel, she was my
jacqueline Pruitt:number one fan and she cheered me on you know, the the work.
jacqueline Pruitt:The work in the industry is hard. So yeah, somebody to feed
jacqueline Pruitt:me and wash my clothes. And she was there for me for those first
jacqueline Pruitt:couple of months. Me getting there.
Melinda Lee:Does she ever get concerned? She was like, Are you
Melinda Lee:sure you want to do that with all the men out there? Does she
Melinda Lee:ever say anything like that?
jacqueline Pruitt:No, she raised me she knew I was I was
jacqueline Pruitt:always out playing with the boys come on all boys basketball team
jacqueline Pruitt:and got it. You know, my bail all my best friends were boys. I
jacqueline Pruitt:escaped. So she Yeah, she knew I was in my, my, in my natural
jacqueline Pruitt:environment.
Melinda Lee:And so what made you decide to go into this to
Melinda Lee:iron work?
jacqueline Pruitt:Well, I had a friend that was a carpenter and
jacqueline Pruitt:I was supposed to be a carpenter. But this friend sent
jacqueline Pruitt:me over to a pre apprenticeship school, and I had learned
jacqueline Pruitt:different trades and a guy there. He was like my uncle's
jacqueline Pruitt:ironworker, I want to do that. I was like iron worker, they
jacqueline Pruitt:showed us how to tie on a piece of bar and I just fell in love.
jacqueline Pruitt:So that pre apprenticeship show me and told me how to get into
jacqueline Pruitt:the Union. But I had to call call a list of contractors now
jacqueline Pruitt:call for like three months, some people hung up on me. Some
jacqueline Pruitt:people even told me that women don't belong in this trade. And
jacqueline Pruitt:there was a guy fortunate enough ran across a guy that wanted to
jacqueline Pruitt:pitch everybody in the in the industry off and got me in.
jacqueline Pruitt:Okay. Oh, really? Because he because he said, I'm gonna show
jacqueline Pruitt:that she can do this. Yeah. Yeah. So he got you in? Yeah, he
jacqueline Pruitt:got me. And he actually told me that he's going to help me. He
jacqueline Pruitt:said, Are you would you be interested in starting your own
jacqueline Pruitt:company? I was like, yes. You know, I've always had the
jacqueline Pruitt:entrepreneurial spirit. So he said, he'll help me out once
jacqueline Pruitt:that journey out to start my own company. And then when it came
jacqueline Pruitt:that time, and I told him, I'm ready to start my own company,
jacqueline Pruitt:he was like, why would I help you? You'd be my competition.
jacqueline Pruitt:And when he I mean, he's always provided me with opportunities.
jacqueline Pruitt:He made me a general foreman, he, he wanted me he told me, I
jacqueline Pruitt:want you to be the vice, my vice CEO. I have a company and he
jacqueline Pruitt:he's wanting to start a start up another company in Las Vegas.
jacqueline Pruitt:And he's like, I want you to go out there and run that company.
jacqueline Pruitt:For me. I'm like, guy, I'm starting my own company. What do
jacqueline Pruitt:you what are you talking about your power?
Melinda Lee:He knew your strength. He did. But be on your
Melinda Lee:side.
jacqueline Pruitt:Yeah. And, I mean, we're, we're good for the
jacqueline Pruitt:fact that he gave he provided me with many opportunities. You
jacqueline Pruitt:know, I don't think he may have thought that I could do it. You
jacqueline Pruitt:know, once he saw I was doing it. He knew, you know, I was
jacqueline Pruitt:coming, you know, not that, you know, I'm gonna be like super
jacqueline Pruitt:competition competitive against him. But you know, the industry
jacqueline Pruitt:is what it is. But bless his heart. He's passed away since.
Melinda Lee:Oh, I see.
jacqueline Pruitt:Yeah, he's a he's a real good, real good man.
Melinda Lee:Yeah, I want to share with the audience really,
Melinda Lee:this is just a snapshot of where and how far you've come. So
Melinda Lee:Jacqueline in 2016, she she bid for our first contract and the
Melinda Lee:value of that was $3,700. So this is our first contract. And
Melinda Lee:then so she bid on it and she won it, her very first contract
Melinda Lee:$3,700 She's just out there. She did it and now over the years
Melinda Lee:between 2016 to 2019 2023 2019 2023. Her the contract sizes
Melinda Lee:that she's bidding on now $11 million $11 million. And she
Melinda Lee:brings in her company brings in a revenue of 9 million. I said a
Melinda Lee:million year, 7 million. Yeah, 7 million a year. So just within
Melinda Lee:that short timeframe, you have grown tremendously and proven
Melinda Lee:yourself. So I want to know, any of these years, what are some
Melinda Lee:like your, like, 1 specific challenge? Being in the field?
Melinda Lee:What was that like as a woman? Do you? Do you have a specific
Melinda Lee:story? Or is it a lot? Yeah. What do you what is one that is
Melinda Lee:just like me, I remember that. And that was not fun.
jacqueline Pruitt:Um, well, they tried to make me Molly
jacqueline Pruitt:made, you know, they the guys didn't know what to do with me.
jacqueline Pruitt:So I was cleaning up stuff handing stuff by hand and waters
jacqueline Pruitt:out and, ya know, I told I told him, I'm not here for this, I
jacqueline Pruitt:would have been a labourer.
Melinda Lee:Right. And I came. Did that. Did you stop it right
Melinda Lee:away? Or you're doing it? You didn't do it at all?
jacqueline Pruitt:No. And I and you know, now being being a
jacqueline Pruitt:contractor, I see the importance of having women on the jobs, I
jacqueline Pruitt:was what they would call checkerboarding. So I would go
jacqueline Pruitt:to they would send me to a job just to fulfil the women, the
jacqueline Pruitt:women number one way minority and disadvantaged. Right, right.
jacqueline Pruitt:Right worker. So, you know, I found myself going around to
jacqueline Pruitt:many different jobs. And a lot of the jobs that I went to, they
jacqueline Pruitt:had crews, they had regular crews, I was never a part of a
jacqueline Pruitt:regular crew. You know, I'd be the, probably the last one that
jacqueline Pruitt:come in the first one to go.
Melinda Lee:Yeah.
Melinda Lee:But what was that? What did that feel like? For you?
jacqueline Pruitt:It was very irritating. It was very
jacqueline Pruitt:irritating. And then, you know, once I came across the guys that
jacqueline Pruitt:actually wanted to teach me something and keep me on their
jacqueline Pruitt:crew, it was a good deal. Because, you know, after two
jacqueline Pruitt:years of you haven't me clean up, and I'm still around, and
jacqueline Pruitt:I'm, I'm jumping in jumping on the bars, carrying the bars with
jacqueline Pruitt:the guys every chance that I can get and running, you know, you
jacqueline Pruitt:know, somebody, some guy saw that spirit that I was capable
jacqueline Pruitt:of performing the duties that every other person there would
jacqueline Pruitt:do you know, and then well,
Melinda Lee:you had to actually like, do more like you're doing
Melinda Lee:the cleaning and all that. And then you had to actually do what
Melinda Lee:they were doing.
jacqueline Pruitt:And oh, yeah. And I had to be smart. You know,
jacqueline Pruitt:I stood out like a sore thumb, you know, a green hat and a red
jacqueline Pruitt:crowd.
Melinda Lee:So they make fun of you. Did they say things?
jacqueline Pruitt:No, it actually turned around for for
jacqueline Pruitt:me when I was out doing the guys and they will use me to tell the
jacqueline Pruitt:guys look, if she beats you, you're going home, you know, and
jacqueline Pruitt:there's been a couple of there's a couple of others actually a
jacqueline Pruitt:guy that's actually working for me now. He was we were same
jacqueline Pruitt:period apprentices. We did the same amount of work. He didn't
jacqueline Pruitt:come back the next day. So the day that he did come back after
jacqueline Pruitt:he was you know, he did his cow gone or whatnot. He came back
jacqueline Pruitt:they were talking crap. So it the tables turn. Yeah, once once
jacqueline Pruitt:I was provided the opportunity to perform, and I performed
jacqueline Pruitt:well, it was like, Oh, she's really? She's really serious
jacqueline Pruitt:about this.
Melinda Lee:Yeah. Was there a moment where you weren't sure.
Melinda Lee:Can I do this or?
jacqueline Pruitt:No, I, I? Well, physically, I was like,
jacqueline Pruitt:you know, maybe I shouldn't be doing this. Yeah. But like I
jacqueline Pruitt:said, I'm always up for a challenge. And I just, I just
jacqueline Pruitt:put one foot in front of the other, you know, every day is a
jacqueline Pruitt:new day. And I'm not going to quit, especially after I got
jacqueline Pruitt:halfway through the apprenticeship. It's like, okay,
jacqueline Pruitt:I'm making pretty good money, you know? And the days go by
jacqueline Pruitt:quick, you know, and as as people got to know me, it
jacqueline Pruitt:started getting easier and started getting better, you
jacqueline Pruitt:know, right, right.
Melinda Lee:Right. So what would you give? What would you
Melinda Lee:let people know, in the time where they're not certain right?
Melinda Lee:Hey, should I be doing this? What advice would you give,
Melinda Lee:especially if they're primarily in a male dominated role, like
Melinda Lee:there's a male everywhere and there are female. any advice you
jacqueline Pruitt:Well, there's every every industry they have
jacqueline Pruitt:can give?
jacqueline Pruitt:their their grunt work, you know, and I just had to make it
Melinda Lee:Mm hmm, right, right. Right, right.
Melinda Lee:through the grunt work part. So I kept I kept my, my eyes on the
Melinda Lee:prize. I picked up and paid attention as much as I can,
Melinda Lee:because what you want to do is work smarter, not harder. And
Melinda Lee:you also want to work from the neck up, but you have to work
Melinda Lee:from the neck down until you can prove yourself. Um, so keep your
Melinda Lee:eyes on the prize. Never give up, you know, I believe that
Melinda Lee:everybody is is capable of reaching their goals. If you
Melinda Lee:know, it just takes consistency and persistence, the, you know,
Melinda Lee:dreams demand hustle. So you have to, you have to put the
Melinda Lee:footwork in. And just you know, so the more the more that you
Melinda Lee:put yourself in the position to get to your goals that you will
jacqueline Pruitt:I've acquired a lot of mail. Right? You know,
jacqueline Pruitt:these are guys who have daughters. Right? Right. You
jacqueline Pruitt:meet people along the way that will help you.
jacqueline Pruitt:know, and, you know, once you once you get enough people on
jacqueline Pruitt:your side, you know, you're you're, you have a bunch of
jacqueline Pruitt:other people that are helping helping you grow that boat to
jacqueline Pruitt:get you to reach your goals. You know, the thing, the physical
jacqueline Pruitt:thing about it, I got in when I was at 20, I was 29 years old.
jacqueline Pruitt:And so physically, you know, for women, and we are built
jacqueline Pruitt:differently, physically for women, you know, I had said,
jacqueline Pruitt:Okay, I can't be doing this for 10 years. So I have to come up
jacqueline Pruitt:with a plan. Because I noticed that the foreman, the
jacqueline Pruitt:superintendent, they're not doing the physical work. So let
jacqueline Pruitt:me let me do whatever I need to do to get here as quick as
jacqueline Pruitt:possible. So by the time before I even journeyed out, I was I
jacqueline Pruitt:was running work. So it was, it was less physically demanding on
jacqueline Pruitt:my body. So I made it past that stretch, you know, so, you know,
jacqueline Pruitt:just keep your eyes on the prize. And, and keep staring
jacqueline Pruitt:forward.
Melinda Lee:Hmm. So you had a plan? I mean, you knew you had
Melinda Lee:to do something until because the physical part of it was
Melinda Lee:real. Yeah, it's real. So So you knew. So that actually propelled
Melinda Lee:you to to work smarter, and have a plan? And then, and then keep
Melinda Lee:the eye on the prize? In your mind? What were you thinking it
Melinda Lee:was a prize,
jacqueline Pruitt:the prize is half my own company. And I
jacqueline Pruitt:thought that I would get my own company, I would go into a job,
jacqueline Pruitt:and I would get paid five times as much as what I make on, you
jacqueline Pruitt:know, working for someone else. Uh huh. Um, and I did the
jacqueline Pruitt:contractor's licence test, I did a little research on how to be
jacqueline Pruitt:and I put together a little proposal, I bet on that job, I
jacqueline Pruitt:got the $3700. I went to Bill, and they told me that I won't
jacqueline Pruitt:get paid for 45 days. So I had payroll to make the next week.
jacqueline Pruitt:And so, yeah, it was not it was not what I thought it would be.
jacqueline Pruitt:But, I mean, that ultimately, was was the goal to do that. But
jacqueline Pruitt:things have changed, because that's not how contracting goes.
jacqueline Pruitt:So you know, going from the $3,700, and having to cover the
jacqueline Pruitt:payroll for that to where I'm at now. I, I'm beyond my goal.
jacqueline Pruitt:Like, it's completely, you know, I was headed this way. And they
jacqueline Pruitt:were like, Okay, you can go this way. But look, you have to do
jacqueline Pruitt:this, you have to do this, you have to do this. And I had no, I
jacqueline Pruitt:had no clue. I had no clue that the company would grow the way
jacqueline Pruitt:that it has. And, and, and I would be where I'm at today.
Melinda Lee:So yeah. And how have you used? And how have you
Melinda Lee:been able to use your voice to say what it is that you want? Or
Melinda Lee:don't want, in that environment as you're growing? Scaling?
jacqueline Pruitt:Um, how was I able to use my, my voice, I'm, I
jacqueline Pruitt:come from pretty much the financial part of growing my
jacqueline Pruitt:company is, is work that I've done with my tool belt, money
jacqueline Pruitt:that I've saved, and just negotiating, you know, going to
jacqueline Pruitt:the contractor and saying, hey, I'll be I can do this for you.
jacqueline Pruitt:But I'm going to need this. And I'm going to need it quick. You
jacqueline Pruitt:know, it's 45 days, that's a very long time. You know, but I
jacqueline Pruitt:have the certifications. I'm capable, I have the manpower,
jacqueline Pruitt:you know, so it's just a matter of finding those people once
jacqueline Pruitt:again, who are going to assist or help you with, with
jacqueline Pruitt:opportunities. Which
Melinda Lee:are there times where you weren't sure, like,
Melinda Lee:the person that you're, you're saying what you want and you
Melinda Lee:weren't sure if I was going to work every time
jacqueline Pruitt:every time I've been on the job, ya know?
jacqueline Pruitt:Every time I've been on a job, okay, especially with a new
jacqueline Pruitt:contractor, new contractors, this is a new relationship. It's
jacqueline Pruitt:like going to the going to a new job. As an apprentice. You don't
jacqueline Pruitt:know who your boss is going to be, you know, know the guys
jacqueline Pruitt:you're going to be working with and how they operate. So you
jacqueline Pruitt:know, A lot of that plays plays a major part in how easy or
jacqueline Pruitt:difficult it's going to be, you know, there's difficult general
jacqueline Pruitt:contractors to work with, you know, they're not willing to
jacqueline Pruitt:assist. They feel Yeah, hey, you're in this arena, you got to
jacqueline Pruitt:you got to play ball with the with the, with the best of them,
jacqueline Pruitt:which is fine, we're capable of doing that, you know. But at the
jacqueline Pruitt:same time, you know, I think there's a reason why there's not
jacqueline Pruitt:as many small women owned successful businesses. Because,
jacqueline Pruitt:you know, there's so many, there's so many laws and ways of
jacqueline Pruitt:doing contracting that, you know, you can't learn this stuff
jacqueline Pruitt:in school. You know, you have to, you have to have mentors and
jacqueline Pruitt:allies and whatnot. So. So yes,
Melinda Lee:so you give it up to your allies and mentors to
Melinda Lee:support you on this when you feel like people are coming at
Melinda Lee:you. And they're saying, Hey, you got to play ball?
jacqueline Pruitt:Yes. And putting this almost like a
jacqueline Pruitt:judgement? Oh, yes. Oh, yeah. There's, I still experienced
jacqueline Pruitt:that there's, I was at a project, went to a project, to
jacqueline Pruitt:visit the job and see how my guys we're doing? And you know,
jacqueline Pruitt:I have people coming up to me, like, what are you doing here?
Melinda Lee:Right.
jacqueline Pruitt:And then my operations manager will come
jacqueline Pruitt:that she's the owner of the company, and then you know,
jacqueline Pruitt:their whole attitude? turns completely around. Oh, can I get
jacqueline Pruitt:you some was like, yeah, still barbarians? In the sense. Yeah.
jacqueline Pruitt:You know,
Melinda Lee:you're around. So how do you what do you do to do
Melinda Lee:like, what do you are there things that you do when you
Melinda Lee:know, you're about to go into negotiations or something? And
Melinda Lee:you might be dealing with a caveman? Like, or cave woman or
Melinda Lee:cave person? Are there things that how do you support
Melinda Lee:yourself? Or what are some tips, or tips or techniques so that
Melinda Lee:you can navigate it? Effectively?
jacqueline Pruitt:I do a little research on who it is I'm
jacqueline Pruitt:meeting with. And yeah, if it's a man, I will see my operations
jacqueline Pruitt:manager playing this. You know, it's, it's, you know, if I'm
jacqueline Pruitt:dealing with a company that I know, is woman friendly, small
jacqueline Pruitt:business friendly, then, you know, I'll go go to bat myself.
Melinda Lee:But like you said, it's about the allies, you're
Melinda Lee:you're finding your allies, and you have you don't know who they
Melinda Lee:are, you don't know if you're gonna be your ally or not.
jacqueline Pruitt:Yeah, you don't, you never know until
jacqueline Pruitt:actually, you know, and I'm gaining more, you know, they
jacqueline Pruitt:come with, with the, pre what preconceived notions are, what
jacqueline Pruitt:not, we're black woman. I don't know anything about rebar. And
jacqueline Pruitt:then after we perform, you know, now they're now they're throwing
jacqueline Pruitt:us shops. So yeah, it's, he's just have to get over that
jacqueline Pruitt:barrier, that, you know, everybody has their, their What
jacqueline Pruitt:do you got prejudices and thoughts of just by looking at
jacqueline Pruitt:someone, you know, people, oh, that person's that way. But once
jacqueline Pruitt:you know, you, you surpass that, once you get past that, then,
jacqueline Pruitt:you know, it's a different story. And that's been the story
jacqueline Pruitt:thus far, you know, I'm gonna get annoyed, you must get so
jacqueline Pruitt:frustrated, or how does that impact you? Yeah, well, not
jacqueline Pruitt:really, um, I think that if one door is closed, there's others
jacqueline Pruitt:that are open. And I just, you know, I don't spend too much
jacqueline Pruitt:time trying to change anybody's mind or thoughts about me, you
jacqueline Pruitt:know, I rather spend time finding those who, who are
jacqueline Pruitt:willing to work with me, you know, I don't want to waste any
jacqueline Pruitt:time on on trying to change anybody's perceptions or
jacqueline Pruitt:whatnot. I rather allow my work to do the, to do the talking,
jacqueline Pruitt:you know, so when I get in with with these major contractors,
jacqueline Pruitt:and, you know, I get on an on a,
jacqueline Pruitt:on a podium, and you know, I have a major contractor saying
jacqueline Pruitt:that I'm a good to work with other contractors hear about
jacqueline Pruitt:that, then, you know, that kind of softens, you know, softens
jacqueline Pruitt:the, the need to have to do anything or say anything, just
jacqueline Pruitt:allow, allow the work to do and talking, you know, right.
Melinda Lee:Right. Right. And so, like, you're so solid and
Melinda Lee:that this is our we got this, like you so then even if they
Melinda Lee:have those thoughts, you're not gonna fight it like yeah, you
Melinda Lee:know, your work speaks for itself, right?
jacqueline Pruitt:Yes. Right. And you know, it once again,
jacqueline Pruitt:going back to my apprenticeship, which is I got a lot of
Melinda Lee:Mm hmm. And let the work speak for itself.
Melinda Lee:experience. And, you know, first of all, it was a culture shock
Melinda Lee:because prior to I was a drug and alcohol counsellor at a
Melinda Lee:woman and children's facility. So I went from women and
Melinda Lee:children to not women and children were children. Yeah, so
Melinda Lee:um, you I learned that you know, there's different personalities
Melinda Lee:and just different judgments, different things, and it's just
Melinda Lee:really on me what I choose to deal with what I choose to
Melinda Lee:harbour what I choose to fight what I choose to flow with, you
Melinda Lee:know, and that's pretty much what how I, how I live my life
Melinda Lee:as well. You know, I don't I don't deal with people who don't
Melinda Lee:want to deal with me or they, you know, don't like me for
Melinda Lee:certain reasons, there's no reason, you know, I'm not gonna
Melinda Lee:waste my time and energy putting into that, so I pretty much
Melinda Lee:am.... I'm pretty much like, I don't know, I just don't want to
Melinda Lee:just don't want to, you know, fight the feeling or anything.
Melinda Lee:So I stick I stick to those who, you know, want to stick with me?
jacqueline Pruitt:Let the work speak for itself. So
Melinda Lee:what what one piece of advice would you give to
Melinda Lee:someone that's feeling out of place, it may not, it could be a
Melinda Lee:woman that's in a male dominated industry, or it could be a gay
Melinda Lee:person and primarily heterosexual in place that you
Melinda Lee:just feel out of place. And, and may feel judged? What one piece
Melinda Lee:of advice would you give
jacqueline Pruitt:you are who you are, and you can't really
jacqueline Pruitt:change that.
jacqueline Pruitt:Only thing that you can do is be a better you always strive to be
jacqueline Pruitt:a better me. I'm also constantly in environments where I am the
jacqueline Pruitt:only have one of those. I'm the either the only female, I'm the
jacqueline Pruitt:only African American, I'm the only gay person, it's like, the
jacqueline Pruitt:almost, especially in construction, specifically in
jacqueline Pruitt:construction.
jacqueline Pruitt:But it's like,
jacqueline Pruitt:you know, this guy, God, and has put me in these environments for
jacqueline Pruitt:a reason.
Melinda Lee:Right? Right.
jacqueline Pruitt:You know, and you know, times are changing,
jacqueline Pruitt:things are changing, the faces of companies are changing. We're
jacqueline Pruitt:turning, we're turning a new corner, you know, you watch TV,
jacqueline Pruitt:and there's, there's more more black sitcoms, there's more gay
jacqueline Pruitt:sitcoms, you know, the the world is changing out of the caveman,
jacqueline Pruitt:barbarian, mine mindsets. So, you know, just stick with your
jacqueline Pruitt:guns, there's a reason why you're there. And then it either
jacqueline Pruitt:is to open the door for others? Or is to show the people that
jacqueline Pruitt:you're there that you know, whoever you are, is not who they
jacqueline Pruitt:think you are.
Melinda Lee:yeah, I love that. You might be that person, you
Melinda Lee:might be that light to show them something different to show them
Melinda Lee:something you're humbly are like you said, you got it puts you in
Melinda Lee:these really difficult different situations, different
Melinda Lee:environments. And look at that you show them you are different.
jacqueline Pruitt:Right, right.
Melinda Lee:And so what about their voice? What is the what is
Melinda Lee:their feeling? Like? I can't say anything, I don't know if I
Melinda Lee:should say anything? What would you what advice would you give
Melinda Lee:to help unleash their leadership voice a leader within
jacqueline Pruitt:I, I'm very quiet myself. I don't really, I
jacqueline Pruitt:don't really, I'm not like a hammer, go and just start a
jacqueline Pruitt:whole conversation with somebody, I'm getting better at
jacqueline Pruitt:that, you know, be it that I have to, I'm the face of the
jacqueline Pruitt:company. But use your your your, you have a thing called a gut, I
jacqueline Pruitt:have a gut, you have a spirit, you have a heart, and you know,
jacqueline Pruitt:you should have some, maybe some sort of connection with a
jacqueline Pruitt:different type of power that will guide you as to what to say
jacqueline Pruitt:when to say it. You know, there's a lot of times that,
jacqueline Pruitt:that I after something is done. I'm like, dang, I wish I have
jacqueline Pruitt:would have said that. But at the end of the day, what was said me
jacqueline Pruitt:is what needed to be said, you know, there's there's no
jacqueline Pruitt:changing the past. So, you everybody has a voice, you know,
jacqueline Pruitt:and it's it's kind of like your voice will be will be heard when
jacqueline Pruitt:it's meant to be heard. You know, and, you know, come to
jacqueline Pruitt:you, whatever comes to you will come to you. You know?
Melinda Lee:Yeah, yeah. Drop into your gut, drop into that
Melinda Lee:higher self that higher power and trust that it was enough or
Melinda Lee:it is enough.
jacqueline Pruitt:Right. You drop the mic.
jacqueline Pruitt:Drop the mic drop.
Melinda Lee:Awesome. Oh, that was wonderful. Thank you so
Melinda Lee:much, Jacqueline for sharing some of these vulnerable
Melinda Lee:experiences that were difficult and allowing us to see how you
Melinda Lee:rose from the top and rose to success and continue to rise. I
Melinda Lee:wish you much blessing and continued success. It's an
Melinda Lee:honour getting to know you. Thank you so much and you shared
Melinda Lee:it.
jacqueline Pruitt:Thank you.
Melinda Lee:Awesome Take care.
