When Beth left her city school teaching job in 2002, she had no idea what lay ahead. Before long, her husband had convinced her to come on as the Marketing Director of The Fitness Center -- his personal training facility in Mountain Brook. "I just started from scratch," she remembers. Armed with classroom leadership experience, Beth embarked on what she calls her "second life." She was soon after directed to Network Birmingham Incorporated (NBI), an organization for which she now serves as President. "It was one of the very few organizations back then that really catered to professional business women," she says. "Everything was a boys’ club. This really started to support women in business-- sisters in arms-- supporting each other to help us get ahead." As Beth became more involved in NBI, she began to see benefits to her professional life. "I wasn't afraid to ask for help," she says. "Learning is an ongoing process."

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Beth on...

Women’s Groups: “I think as a women’s group,” she says, “you open yourself up more. You’re able to be more vulnerable when you’re with a group of women with whom you’re comfortable. You don’t need to isolate yourself and network with just women, but at the same time, I think there is a niche for those organizations that focus on just women -- help us empower each other.”

Good Leadership: “I think you have to have confidence inyour ability because that projects to those around you. Definitely not arrogance. I think you also have to recognize everyone has a role in the organization and it’s your job as a leader to pull those people together to work to better the organization.”

Good Advice: Some of the best advice Beth was ever given was to not doubt herself and to be confident. “You’re going to make mistakes,” she says. “We all do, but you keep moving forward with confidence that in the end, it’s going to be alright.”

Networking: “It’s building relationships. Networking for networking’s sake is nothing if you don’t build relationships. That’s where you start. It’s a process. You don’t just automatically meet someone and say, ‘I want your business.’ To be successful, it’s relationship building.”