Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley T Brundage. She shares her story with us below:
Ashley T Brundage is the Founder and President of Empowering Differences, an award-winning leadership firm. While seeking employment at PNC Bank, she identified during the interview process as a transgender woman and subsequently was hired after facing years of harassment, discrimination, and homelessness. These factors led her to start her second career as a means of survival. She took a role in the bank as a part-time teller and then rose to national Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion in less than five years. She captured this 4-Step process of using empowerment to cultivate change in her new book and online leadership course also called Empowering Differences. Ashley credits her success to those closest to her for providing actionable allyship including her two teenage sons, Bryce and Blake. She served in numerous boards and committee in the local area of Tampa, including the LGBT Chamber of Commerce. Then began to be involved on statewide organizations including the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts which is located in Tampa. Now she focuses her volunteer efforts internationally and serves as the vice chair of the board for GLAAD, which works to help accelerate acceptance for the LGBTQ+ community globally.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Losing my job in 2008 because I was not living authentically was very difficult bump in the road, but this challenge actually opened my eyes for the need to only live one life and come out of the closet as a person of transgender experience. This coming out process also did not help the US housing economic crisis that left me homeless as well. These challenges really prepped me for the hardest one which was trying to find employment as an out transgender woman living in Tampa, FL in 2010. I was told everything from potential employers including we would never hire someone like you, please leave, you have the wrong address, and that they filled that position already. Worse moments ensued when I had a door slammed in my face and had the police called on me, and even was trespassed from a job interview. Even after gaining employment, I faced challenges from being seen as just a member of the LGBTQ+ community, even though I was working to empower all differences.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Empowering Differences is a leadership and empowerment organization founded in helping people connect and grow through empowerment. This includes navigating through our 4-Step Empowerment Process which can drive impacts for all of our differences. Our team created assessments for empowerment and differences after conducting an eight years research projects with our empowerment panel of people across all of our ten most common differences that we have as humans. The outcomes from this research were the 4-Step process, the 10 Differences, and the 10 Empowering Actions. These ten actions drive most of what our company does as they help leaders gain the skills necessary to drive measured impacts. We engage with organizations of all sizes and types through Speaking/Training Workshops, Leadership Development Programming/Cohorts, Consulting/Assessments, and Recognition Programming to reward employees commitment to empowering others.
What matters most to you?
My two teenagers matter the most to me as they were my literal suicide prevention when I was in my darkest hours. I am so lucky to have them in my life to constantly remind me and center me as to why I am so lucky to be still alive on this earth. They are everything that matters to me and their support is exactly what drives me to fight for more empowerment of all people. Some others in our world are not a lucky as I am to have these two young men in my corner. They are why I show up every day and give back to my community.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://empoweringdifferences.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleytbrundage/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashleytbrundage/
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/ashleytbrundage/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ashleytbrundage/
