What lights you up about the work you do? For me, it's this. Fresh off Conga Connect in Orlando and straight into Enterprise Connect in Vegas, I hosted "Hot Takes & Cold Drinks" with two women who are redefining what leadership looks like in communications and technology. ⭐️ Millicent McIntyre, MSOB — 2026 Spotlight Award Winner, Senior Director, Buyer Services IAA ⭐️ Lori Wodrich — 2025 Winner & this year's judge, Senior Systems Engineer Amerisure Insurance What resonated with me most was HOW they got there. 🔥Millie started in a contact center after cosmetology school. No title. No roadmap. She became the person everyone came to through curiosity, consistency, and caring deeply about people. "Culture is the foundation of everything we do." She meant every word. 🔥Lori's defining moment was A hackathon. Surrounded by engineers far more technical than her, she almost changed her answer to fit in. She didn't. She held her ground. Shared her reasoning. And the entire panel shifted to her choice. That's confidence backed by data. Lori's Three S's I'm taking with me: ✅ Speak Up ✅ Say Yes — to growth, not every task ✅ Share Results And here is Millie's closing wisdom: Don't try to be like every other leader. Be authentically, unapologetically YOU. These are two women who didn't wait for a title to lead. They showed up. Over-delivered. Built trust. And the title eventually followed. My biggest takeaway: Leadership is earned, not assigned. Here is my personal hot take: Sometimes you need to put down your to-do list and focus on your to-be list. Who do you want to BE? Let that guide everything else. Thank you, Millie and Lori, for being so open, so real, and so generous with your stories. You reminded all of us of what's possible. 🙌 And a heartfelt thank you to Erica Marois and Cheryl Kahan-Radhuber at Informa and Enterprise Connect for creating this space for women in communications. This is exactly the kind of platform our community needs. 💜 ▶️ Watch the full 15-minute conversation below! #EnterpriseConnect #WomenInTech #Leadership #EC2026 #Communications To stay current with the latest trends in #Technology and #Innovation, Subscribe to 👉 #CXOSpiceNewsletter here https://lnkd.in/gy2RJ9xg or 👉 #CXOSpiceYouTube here https://lnkd.in/gnMc-Vpj
