She Did What?! British Robinson, President & CEO of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy
This is a platform to share the radical pivots, risks, self-evaluations and reflections of people I admire. We dig into the moments that led the people in their lives to go, “She Did What?!” and ultimately, to their personal or professional metamorphosis.
British A. Robinson has dedicated her life to serving others. As the President and Chief Executive Officer at the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, she oversees the strategic direction and all operations of the public charity, which was established by former First Lady Barbara Bush in 1989. But British has not always worked in the nonprofit sector. In fact, early in her career, British made a pivotal decision that set her on a different path. In this article of She Did What?! British shares with us how she made that critical decision and why she’s never looked back.
In my early 20s, I made a pivotal decision that completely reshaped the trajectory of my life and career. I went into retail banking right out of college, and quickly moved up the ladder. I was on the verge of being named a vice president at Citibank in Washington, D.C., when I realized that something was missing. I didn’t feel like I was on the right path and I needed to take stock and figure things out.
I took a sabbatical from the company and lived on the beach in Delaware for about six months, where I did some serious soul searching. At the end of the sabbatical, I was offered the opportunity to continue working in banking, but I had chosen a different path. I joined the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, which gave me the life-changing opportunity to serve as a social worker in Mobile, Alabama, working with families in abject poverty. That experience crystallized my desire—my mission and calling—to dedicate my life and career to serving others.
I realized that I could do even more for communities like the one I served in by working in policy and advocacy at the national level. That led me to get my master’s in government from Johns Hopkins, and then to truly start my career working to solve some of our most pressing problems at the national and global levels. Everything I have done since then, from tackling the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa to fighting for a more literate America, has been aligned with that mission.
What I appreciate about British’s story is that her decision to make a radical pivot was not an overnight or hasty decision. Instead, she started with a gut feeling “something is not right here.” From there she stepped away for 6 months to reset and refocus on what she truly wanted to do. Next she took a step in that direction by pursuing an opportunity that allowed her to experience what this new path could be. This step solidified her passion, but she didn’t stop there! She went on to pursue a higher education degree that would help her better understand the issues facing the new field she was entering. It’s also inspiring to me that while she was making these radical changes, opportunities from her old path kept popping up. Instead of letting them distract her, British stuck with her new path and never looked back.
I asked British if this thoughtful approach to change was a process that British leveraged every year or few years to take stock of where she is and what she wants to accomplish.
My growth process is fairly organic because I listen carefully to my inner voice and let things unfold as they are meant to. In fact, my whole career path is the result of being called from one thing to another rather than careful planning on my part. I don’t feel the need to make my own plan because I know with certainty that my life — personal, professional, and everything in between — has already been planned, and that frees me to be laser-focused on the work I’m called to do at any given time.
For the past 27 years, I have been doing silent, Jesuit-directed, spiritual retreats (the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius). This is anywhere from 10 days to two weeks (once I did a 30-day retreat) of complete silence—no phone, no email, no TV, etc. It resets and recharges my mind, body, and spirit for the year.
Additionally, I am a big believer in executive coaching to help with self-assessment.
Wellness retreats, executive coaching, and social media purges are all tools that we see high achieving women leverage throughout this series. We can’t underestimate the power of unplugging from the daily hustle to take time in quiet to focus and reset. I find that when I have 30 minutes of quiet time that’s when I do my best creative thinking. Some of my best ideas, like launching this series and deciding to go back to graduate school, came to me during periods of quiet and reflection.
Mission oriented in her professional and personal life, it is no surprise that British applies her mission minded approach to her growth process as well. Below she reveals her “north star” for making sure she stays true to her personal and professional growth as well as shares her 4 time tested tips for our readers for their own radical self-evaluation.
I am mission-driven. My personal calling to serve our most marginalized people and communities is my north star. One of my favorite quotes from John Wesley sums it up best: “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”
As long as I stay focused on that ultimate goal, I know I am on the right path.
Additionally, I have 4 time tested tips for radical self-evaluation that I apply again and again.
Silence: As mentioned earlier, my annual silent retreat is critical. I also try to spend time each day in silence and meditation to check in with myself.
Mentors: I rely on a wonderful group of mentors for honest, objective advice and guidance.
Executive Coaching: A good executive coach can help you assess your strengths and weaknesses from a unique perspective, helping identify opportunities for growth that you might not see yourself.
Be open to new opportunities: Even though they may take you on an unexpected path, new opportunities often lead us to where we are actually supposed to be. Also, stay tuned in to your inner voice. If you really listen, it will never steer you wrong.
We are so inspired by the mindful and intentional approach British brings to her own self reflection and personal growth. There are some tangible and actionable tips for each of us to consider integrating into our own personal journeys. How do you make sure to practice mindfulness when approaching a big change or pivot? Tell us in the comments below!
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