Brittny Ferguson - Assistant Vice President + Branch Manager, U.S. Bank
Brittny has taken what she’s learned in her 16+ career in baking and finance to empower others to live a life of intention. As the Assistant VP and Branch Manager at U.S. Bank, she serves her community’s financial needs while promoting teamwork amongst her employees, partners, and business lines. As the founder of Once Upon Her Life, she helps others look at their lives and potential in a new way. This interview shines a light not only on Brittny’s success, but also encourages us to change our perspectives, stay focused, and give ourselves some damn self love.
The Basics:
Hometown: Kansas City, MO
Current city: San Diego, CA
Alma mater: Tennessee State University; The University of Missouri-Kansas City; University of Arizona
Degree: B.A., Communication Studies; MBA with a Specialization in Organizational Leadership
Very first job: I was a receptionist at my Dad’s medical office until I was old enough to get a job on my own (which was in retail at Express)!
Hustle: Assistant Vice President & Branch Manager, U.S. Bank, CEO, Once Upon Her Life
The Interests:
Babe you admire and why?
100% Michelle Obama! She is the epitome of Black excellence, and she never ceases to inspire and motivate me through her selfless acts and empowering nature. What I love most about her is that despite her numerous accomplishments, impressive titles and extensive resume, she never hesitates to describe herself as a mother first—just as I do. She is a product of very humble beginnings and has worked hard to get where she is today, and I can wholeheartedly relate to that. One of my favorite quotes from her book, Becoming, explains this thought process: “For me, becoming isn’t about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as a forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self. The journey doesn’t end.”
What’s your power anthem?
Flawless - Beyonce (Homecoming live version). It gets me going every time!
What’s one book that has greatly influenced your life?
“Where Will You Be Five Years from Today?” by Dan Zadra Kristel Wills
How do you recharge after a long workday?
I like to take a hot shower or a warm bath, throw on some soft pj’s and relax in front of the tv or with a good book. #SelfCare
The Hustle:
Tell us about your hustle.
I’m an Assistant Vice President and Branch Manager at U.S. Bank by day, a child of God, Mother, soulmate and lover of family and friends by essence, and a community liaison and Founder of Once Upon Her Life by calling. My overall objective at U.S. Bank is to help our customers succeed financially, inspire and lead my team to reach their greatest professional potential, support a diverse and inclusive workforce, and cultivate meaningful relationships as a leader within my community. I’ve worked in the banking/finance industry for 16 years, and my primary goal is to serve my community's total financial service needs. This is accomplished by creating a vital service organization while promoting teamwork amongst employees, partners, networking groups and influential business lines. I am equally responsible for managing a multimillion dollar book of business, effective scorecard management and setting business objectives based on a YOY profit and loss strategy.
Tell us about your side hustle, Once Upon Her Life.
The mission of Once Upon Her Life is a direct extension of my personal vision at U.S. Bank: to help people see their world not as it is, but as it could be, through self-empowerment, self-love and personal accountability. The vision of Once Upon Her Life encompasses writing chapter one of a new story based on the pursuit of excellence and becoming your best self. True evolution requires a healthy balance between living intentionally, honoring who you are truly meant to be, and never leaving the world the same as when you entered into it. There is no greater blessing than helping others write a Love Story for their life that honors this balance and their true purpose. One of the main tools that I utilize to help others in their journey is my book, Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself: A 30 Day Accountability Journal for Living Intentionally. I encourage my clients to work directly with me for 30 days to complete essential activities tied to my journal such as goal setting/planning, adapting healthier life habits and holding themselves accountable to the pursuit of excellence by maximizing their top strengths.
What was your original goal when creating Once Upon Her Life? How have your goals or vision changed since you first started?
As the Founder, bringing my personal vision to life also helps me to honor my own legacy. All my life I have possessed this desire to lift and empower the people around me. I understood from a very young age that being comfortable with the uncomfortable was essential to growth in any capacity. While it may not always be easy to help a world resistant to change, it’s essential to do the work and honor the possibility of what CAN be. I want each of us to live a life of intention, awaken to our full potential and summon the courage to honor our true calling. Based on this, my vision when creating Once Upon Her Life encompassed inspiring others to courageously write chapter one of a new story based on the pursuit of excellence and becoming their best self—and these goals and vision still hold true today. I also wanted to leave a legacy for my daughter, and my ultimate hope is that she will always remain true to her authentic self, hold herself accountable to the pursuit of excellence vs. mediocrity, and remain inspired to go after goals and dreams unapologetically using my journey as her example.
Where would you like to see Once Upon Her Life in five years?
I am currently working on creating a co-working space that’s both diverse and inclusive to help my clients bring their new vision to life through community, connection, creativity, transformation and growth. I’m really excited about what the future will bring!
What inspired you to write Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself? What was that process like for you?
My journal is essentially a collection of value-added things that I’ve learned throughout my lifetime that have helped me in both my personal life and professional career. My ultimate goal was to create a resource for others that would help them reach their goals at a much faster pace based on having access to the advice, wisdom and life lessons that have personally helped me throughout my own journey. The process of putting these resources together was actually kind of fun because it allowed me to reflect upon the lessons and blessings that I’ve learned and endured at various points in my life. After I finished creating a rough draft, I actually tested it out on my fiancé first, and then on a pilot test group of 100 different individuals to help gauge the impact. After receiving extremely positive feedback, I decided to take a leap of faith, self-published my book and then delivered my labor of love to the world!
How did your career in the financial industry start? How has it evolved?
My career in the Banking and Finance Industry started over 15 years ago and largely stemmed from my college education and desire to have a career that could ensure both stability and longevity. It’s funny because growing up I always wanted to be a news anchor or broadcast Journalist and work on TV in front of a large audience. While that was my ultimate plan, life seemed to feel a bit different because I became a Mom shortly after graduating college and had a beautiful daughter named Mykel Michele (who is simply the love of my life). Thereafter, I decided to transition into a career that would allow me to have the work/life balance needed to be the hands-on parent that I truly desired to be. In addition, I always wanted my daughter to have a blueprint for success based on my experiences, so being the best example that I could be for her while upholding the values and work ethic instilled in me by my amazing parents has always been my biggest motivating force. I worked my way up from a Banker to a Branch Manager in my first few years and have continued to maximize my influence within various leadership roles ever since. My career has absolutely evolved because I’m the person that rarely says no (which can be a little overwhelming at times, lol), however the rewards that come along with doing the work that many aren’t willing to has afforded me a life that my family and I absolutely love. It’s truly an honor helping our customers succeed financially, inspiring and leading my team to reach their greatest professional potential, supporting a diverse and inclusive workforce and cultivating meaningful relationships as a leader and financial educator within my community. In addition, my Banking career helped me fund my bigger dream of creating my company and publishing my first book. Being able to make a lasting and meaningful impact in the lives of others through my work at U.S. Bank and through my company is definitely a win-win!
How have you seen yourself grow professionally during your career? What are some challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I definitely take pride in how much I’ve grown throughout my 17-year career, along with all that I have accomplished. My support system is amazing and has definitely helped me along the way with everything from mentorship to accountability. They have also helped me to stay grounded and to remember the beauty of my authentic self. There’s so much power in owning who you truly are and I think that’s helped me achieve success more than anything else. Ironically, I also think that being a proud African American woman working in Corporate America has proven to be challenging at times because it’s a rarity to see other minority women that look like me or who I can find commonality with (especially as I have continued to move up the corporate ladder). When you look to your left or to your right or even above and see no one that you can readily identify with then it makes it hard to have faith that you can break every glass ceiling that you may ultimately face. As more focus has been put on DEI efforts in recent years, the future looks brighter than ever before, but realistically there are still far too many “firsts” for minority women that exist in 2021. While this could be viewed as a barrier, it was one of the things that actually inspired me to create a new lane for myself by founding my own company. I absolutely love my career and I will never stop striving to maximize my full potential and personal development, however I also refuse to wait for a seat at a table when I have been blessed with the opportunity and resources to help create my own—authentically and unapologetically.
In what ways does your job allow you to support your community? Why is this important to you?
One of my ultimate passions and life priorities is serving within my community through volunteerism, giving back and paying it forward. I don’t view this as just an option to consider either—it’s absolutely a responsibility based on all that I’ve been blessed with. I can remember a time when my family and I were on the receiving end of the power of volunteerism and charity after losing everything in a house fire when I was just 12 years old, therefore I feel a deep responsibility to now do my part for those in need. I always live by the rule that if we aren’t here to serve others then what on Earth are we here for? None of us were put here to do life alone, therefore empowering and helping to uplift those around you must be a priority. In addition, working in a corporate environment gives me access to resources and individuals that allow me to make a wider reaching impact in a variety of different aspects that truly help in making community possible.
How has being a woman impacted your professional experiences? What can we collectively do to support and empower women in your industry today?
I’ve always loved being a woman and I fully embrace my professional experiences (both good and bad), but I do feel at times that we are often overlooked and undervalued in Corporate America. While I wholeheartedly acknowledge that I have been blessed with a pretty successful career thus far, climbing the corporate ladder has never been an easy feat for women as a whole and minority women have even more of a disadvantage. Of the 1800 CEO’s who have run Fortune 500 companies since 1955, only two have been Black women. This reality can be very discouraging at times as a minority business woman, but perspective is everything! Instead of seeing the past as a barrier, I made the decision long ago to view it as a source of inspiration to help create the change that I wish to see at work and beyond. The events of 2020 forced Corporate Leaders to confront an uncomfortable reality, which thankfully put increased focus on internal DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) efforts. As women, our competitive advantage right now is that OUR voices are both needed and wanted in this moment—especially by companies seeking intentional and sustainable change. I truly believe that a new movement has emerged based in large part on the courageous conversations held last year, but we have to be willing to speak up, stand up and support the women standing beside us in a united and empowering manner in the fight for equality and opportunity.
What’s one thing you’re proud to have accomplished in your career thus far?
Winning one of the Top 40 Business Leaders Under 40 Awards from the San Diego Business Journal in 2019 (for my accomplishments in the Banking Industry, my community work and for founding my company Once Upon Her Life) was truly an honor and an absolute career highlight!
Who are some women in your field that you look to for inspiration?
I absolutely LOVE Lisa Nichols, Thasunda Brown Duckett and Marie Forleo.
Career and/or life advice for other babes?
Always seek to GROW through what you GO through in every aspect of your life. There is always something that you can take away from every experience—either a lesson or a blessing and no matter what, you can always find the positive if you simply focus on it. In addition, it’s essential to be flexible about HOW you do things, and inflexible about WHY you do them—which means that your core values should always drive the car.
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