Attention SheEO's of the world! The time is NOW to join us for an exclusive Q&A episode featuring Walmart Executives. They're here to pump up your entrepreneurial spirits and set you on the path to success. Dive in and be inspired!
Category
✨
PeopleTranscript
00:00Welcome, everyone. I'm Maya Bowie. I'm Vice President of Retail Marketing for Walmart.
00:08I've spent over 20 years in retail and merchandising and marketing roles, and I've had the chance
00:13to work with dozens of founders and entrepreneurs to achieve their goals and their dreams.
00:18And I'm Jalon Stewart. I'm the Vice President and Global Ethics Officer and Special Counsel
00:23for Walmart. I essentially lead the ethics program for the company. And prior to joining
00:29Walmart, I worked at the Department of Justice for over 19 years. I have more than two decades
00:34of experience leading with integrity. Earlier this year, we at Walmart, along with Ebony Media,
00:39had the fortunate experience to create a new series called SheEO, hosted by actress and
00:45producer Marce Martin. Such a great idea to bring in so many talented female entrepreneurs of color
00:51to profile, uplift, and listen to their stories. Looking back at some of the things that I went
00:57through, it was definitely not easy. And we actually started with Darlene & Co., which is
01:02our kids brand, and that really came from having a child. They see this face, they need to know
01:08this face is their face, and it's just an indication of what they can achieve. Making it happen.
01:13If you haven't seen the episodes yet, please go check them out. They're fantastic. And to continue
01:19on the trend of listening, we at Walmart also wanted to listen to you and answer some of your
01:24questions. So we have a list today, and Jelan and I will do our best to answer. You ready to
01:30get to it? Let's do it. Imani asks, can you detail your career journey? My career journey is
01:37really interesting. My undergraduate degree was actually in public policy and African-American
01:41studies. I was pre-law. But out of college, I went into management consulting. I really enjoyed
01:47business, and I didn't come from a corporate family, but that really exposed me to business.
01:51And so I ended up heading to retail. I've been at several different retailers, large and small,
01:58in several different roles. I then shifted to marketing at one point in my career at another
02:03large retailer. And along the way, I got my MBA. And at Walmart, I've been here almost three years.
02:08My first role was actually leading our OTC merchandising health business. And then about
02:13a year ago, I joined Walmart U.S.'s marketing team as the vice president of retail marketing,
02:18overseeing grocery, consumables, and health and wellness marketing. And so I have been really
02:25honored to have such an interesting retail career. Jelan, I'm going to ask you this next one. Katrina
02:30from Houston asks, what is one unforgettable lesson learned in your professional career?
02:35You know, be careful how you handle disappointment. I would say handling disappointment has been a
02:42real lesson for me for a couple reasons. One, other people are watching how you handle
02:48disappointment. If you didn't get a role that you wanted and you don't handle that
02:54disappointment appropriately, it might prevent you from getting other opportunities. But the
02:58other lesson that I've learned is what is for you will be for you. And if something doesn't work out
03:04the way you planned it to work out, don't worry, because something even better is right around the
03:09corner. Handling disappointment and the way you handle it, I would say, is probably one of the
03:14biggest lessons I've learned. Thank you, Jelan. Another question. Janelle from Michigan asks,
03:20do you consider yourself a business disruptor? You know, when I think about disruptors,
03:25they're innovators. They change the game. They take what once was and they do something different
03:30with it. In a lot of ways, I like to say that I'm an intrapreneur. So I admire and love the
03:36entrepreneurs out there. I try to do that within my company. I follow the rules, but I push the
03:41envelope on where we need to go because we have to stay relevant. We have to stay current.
03:45Serena from Tampa Bay asks, having such high-profile positions within Walmart,
03:50how do you handle work-life balance? Early in my career, I'll be honest, I love to work
03:55and I love what I did and I was very driven. And so I spent a lot of time on the job. And so I don't
04:01regret that period. I learned a lot. I grew. I leaned into my career. Where I'm at now is I still love
04:06what I do. And that's critical. But I work to live. I don't live to work. And I believe that
04:12actually living makes me better at what I do. It ensures that I'm balanced. It ensures that when
04:16I'm at work, I show up fully and refreshed because I have other things in my life that
04:20fuel what I do. So it's just a critical part of who I am. And for me, it's a matter of travel.
04:26It's self-care. It's time with my family. They're what fuel when I come back a refreshed kind of
04:31focused outlook because I've got things to look forward to in and outside of work. That's fantastic.
04:36Jalon, this CEO campaign from Ebony and Walmart shows that Walmart is dedicated to supporting
04:43Black female entrepreneurs. Knowing that, how does it feel to be working for a company
04:47that prioritizes that? I can tell you, Maya, I am so proud to be working for a company that is
04:54prioritizing Black female entrepreneurs. It just it really goes to the core of Walmart. Walmart is
05:00a part of the community and it is doing all it can to really help the people in the community.
05:07We're not just there for people to shop with us. We're part of the community. And this just
05:12emphasizes that point. As a Black woman myself, I am incredibly proud of this company. What advice
05:19would you give Black female entrepreneurs and business leaders who are watching right now?
05:23We are glad you are here. We need you. Our industry needs you. Our customers need you.
05:28We need your ideas, your talent, your innovation and what you want to bring to market. So first
05:32and foremost, I'd say thank you for your courage. Thank you for your innovation and your desire to
05:37be in the space. That's number one. Number two, as you know, it's not easy to create something
05:42new and to try to bring it to bear. But because you know that you're needed, constantly focus on
05:47your customer. Where are you serving and why are you serving them? And that gets me to my third
05:51point. Listen to feedback and change. Be bold enough to ask for help, ask for their engagement.
05:58And then lastly, would be when you get a no, don't let that be the end.
06:02So another question. How do you think the SheEO campaign will both impact and influence the rise
06:07of entrepreneurship and women in business? Fantastic question, Jalon. I am so excited
06:13about the SheEO program. I'm so honored and we're so fortunate that both Ebony and Walmart,
06:19two amazing brands, came together to put this campaign. We're in a day and age where, I don't
06:24know about you, Jalon, but I am constantly looking for Black-owned product, Black-created
06:30product, diverse product. And so I'm hoping that this influence will inspire, will provide
06:36direction, information, and real, like, you know, a push to believe that they can continue to do it
06:42and to have kind of the information and the inspiration to do more. We subscribed to Ebony
06:48growing up and it was awesome to have a magazine where you could see people who looked like me.
06:53And of course I love Walmart, so I'm just super excited about the partnership and the opportunities
06:57that are going to come out of this. That wraps up our Q&A. Thank you so much to everyone who took
07:03the time to write us a question. We hope our answers provided you a little bit of clarity,
07:08a little bit of insight, and hopefully a lot of inspiration. And please stay up to date on the
07:12SheEO landing page and across all Walmart and Ebony social media channels. And please be sure
07:18to watch all six episodes featuring host Marce Martin, because they're awesome. Thank you for
07:24tuning in. See ya!