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Meet TeamWomenMN Member – Tami Hedrick

Tami Krause is the Director of Vikings Women and Strategic Development for the Minnesota Vikings, as well as the Head Coach and Director of the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders. Tami has coached professionally for over 20 years, in the NFL and for the NLL.  Before Tami took the leadership position as Head Coach, she proudly cheered as a Minnesota Vikings Cheerleader for the 1997-1998 season. Tami’s career path led her to roles as Vice President of Marketing, to a Director level role in Sales, and as the founder of several startup companies/groups in the Midwest. Tami has also appeared in multiple national pageants, was a television host for ShopNBC/EVINE, and has been a judge and choreographer for International, college and high school teams. Tami is proudest of her roles as a wife and mother to four children and three step children.

What drew you to TeamWomenMN?

Many elements drew me to join Team WomenMN, some of them being:

  • The Co-Founder, Pam Borton – anything she is involved in, I know is impactful.
  • The women – the line up of members, speakers, attendees, etc. is diverse and inspiring on many levels.
  • The power – the topics, talent and time given to this group is evident and I believe in the power of women working as a team.

What experiences have you had within the organization?

The company I work for, the Minnesota Vikings, has sponsored past TeamWomenMN events. I have personally attended luncheons, read articles created by TeamWomenMN and connected with amazing women as a member.

What can women do to support other women around them, professionally and personally?

  • Publicly praise and send kindness with thoughts and actions.
  • Promote and support women by recommending women-focused businesses or causes whenever possible.
  • Mentor others and empower them to be proud to be a woman.
  • Be an includer by inviting other women to events, giving them the opportunity to become employed and by empowering them to feel that they are worthy.

What does success mean to you?

Success means different things to different people – at different times. To me, today, success is always doing things bigger and better!

What are three things you attribute your success to?

  • Always taking on new responsibilities.
  • Hard work! Continued growth by challenging myself and others.
  • Amazing parents. My mom and dad were strong, firm, loving parents and were always there for me.

If you could change one thing in your professional career (past/present), what would you change?

A few times in my career I didn’t push hard enough for what I wanted. I’ve learned that lesson and now appreciate the journey regardless!

Any advice you would like to provide to the TeamWomenMN members?

My advice to TeamWomenMN members is to trust that everything happens for a reason and always do good. Be excellent every chance you get, and engage with other successful, strong and smart women as much as you can – they will rub off on you!

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Meet TeamWomenMN Member – Lisa Huey, in our first Member Spotlight!

Lisa Huey Financial Advisor, Merrill Lynch

We’re honored to highlight 2017 TeamWomenMN Member of the Year and long time sponsor, Lisa Huey, in our first Member Spotlight. Lisa shares three things that have attributed to her success throughout her career. Learn more about what she’d change, what she’d recommend, and how TeamWomenMN has helped her.

As a Senior Financial Advisor and Portfolio Advisor with OKH Wealth Management, Merrill Lynch, Lisa’s mission is to help her clients make the right decisions around their money and to help them build wealth, leading to a comfortable retirement. Her goal is to make financial issues understandable and to reduce anxiety about money issues.

Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn.

How long have you been a part of TeamWomenMN?

Since the beginning. I attended the very first conference and thought, wow, a networking group that is made up of women, supports women and mentors women – I needed to be a part of it. Additionally, I met Pam Borton, the Co-Founder of TeamWomenMN, at a golf event and was instantly drawn to her. I found Pam to be very open, friendly and approachable, and I knew with her leadership, this was the place to be.

To give you a little background, I come from the financial industry where I was the very first woman executive in a leadership position in a business made up of all men. This was back in the 80s – women did not get the same treatment back in those days. I knew that as I was climbing a tall ladder but it didn’t stop me from getting to the top.  So when I came across an organization all about women, it was so refreshing and extremely appealing because I really love to support women, watch them succeed and help them when I can.  We need each other and we need to stick together.

 

What are three things you attribute your success to?

  • Hard work. You’ve got to put in the time, roll up your sleeves and focus to get the job done. It takes focus and a lot of energy. You have to work smarter now, more than ever, but if you do that and work hard, your efforts will pay off.
  • Learn from mistakes. Forgive yourself and take a good long look at what went wrong. Mistakes are a great way to learn and should not be shamed. Bad luck is your good luck if you look at it that way. One door closes and another opens.
  • You have to have the gusto to keep going. Stay positive and optimistic and keep moving forward.

 

If you could change one thing in your professional career (past/present), what would you change?

Balance.  I am very goal-oriented and really need to focus on balance. It’s easy for me to reach business goals, but to manage my balance I have to actually schedule time with friends, family and other activities that allow me to be balanced in my life. Right now, I am focused on a triathlon (my second one) and to be successful, I need to schedule in workout time on my calendar to accomplish this goal.

Any advice you would like to provide to the TeamWomenMN members?

Don’t be afraid to ask for help and be available to help others. As women, we are still the minority and we need to support each other in our efforts and be available to help when we can.

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