Nashauna Drummond, Staff Reporter
Donna Hicks-Mitchell, speaker, author and life coach, who was a presenter at the recently-concluded 'Mind, Body and Soul' retreat held in Ocho Rios, St. Ann, and organised by Karen Clarke of An Elegant Affair. - photo by Nashauna Drummond
Donna Hicks-Mitchell knows what it takes to be a diva and she is sharing it with women of the world. Professional speaker and success coach, Hicks-Mitchell is author of The Secrets of a Corporate Diva. Hicks-Mitchell empowers professionals, especially women, with affirmations to help them get to the top of the corporate ladder and stay there. Her dedication in her book reads, "To all my sisters, we are all dynamic inspirational, victorious achievers. Take my hand, I will show you the way."
Experience
Hicks-Mitchell has spent over 20 years in the corporate world. At the recently-concluded 'Mind, Body and Soul' retreat for women held in Ocho Rios, St. Ann, she noted that though she had succeeded in climbing the corporate ladder and very fast, there were numerous pitfalls that no one had told her about. She told Flair that as she ascended the success ladder in the corporate world she felt very alone. "Many times I went home and cried. No one was on my side and that made me work harder. At times I felt like giving up."
She noted that three principles got her through. Tenacity (her belief in herself, not letting anyone define her limits), a good strong work ethic and discipline.
Now CEO of her own company 'Lift Those Hands,' she now travels all over the United States empowering professionals to be dynamic, inspirational, victorious and achievers (DIVA).
She recently brought her message to women in Jamaica at the sixth annual women's retreat in Ocho Rios organised by An Elegant Affair. She said that women by their very nature are nurturing, always wanting to fix everyone's problem and please everyone. This quality sometimes impedes them in the corporate world. She further noted that many business decisions are made on the golf course and in men's clubs, arenas in which women are usually absent.
Hicks-Mitchell joined Ford Motor Company in Florida in 1998 on a two-year accelerated training/management programme. By 2000 she was centre operations manager and in 2003, a certified Six Sigma Black Belt.
