The Ulitmate balance

Feature
every
girl loves
The
Ulitmate balance
BY MILAN ZOE
everythinggirlslove.com
“
“
In today’s world, young girls often glorify and look up to women
who are married to athletes, rappers and other prominent and
wealthy men who are primarily dependent on their husbands.
But, we would like to introduce you to a boss chick whose marriage affiliation is only one of her many accomplishments. All
before the age of 40, she was the former Vice President for
Russell Simmons’ company, Rush Communications and worked
for President Barack Obama. She’s also the founder of the organization WEEN, the Women in Entertainment Empowerment
Network, that is committed to supporting, defending and promoting the balanced portrayal of women in entertainment
and society. So without further adieu, please meet the phenomenal Valeisha Butterfield-Jones…
Valeisha: I was a political science major. I
chose political science because no one
EGL: You attended Clark Atlanta University.
What was your major and how did your education prepare you for what laid ahead of
you after graduation?
Valeisha: I was a political science major. I
chose political science because no one
would’ve believed in my dream in high school
to work in the music business. Because it was
such a foreign concept I figured that I’d be
an entertainment lawyer. I did my research
and found that most lawyers majored in political science.
EGL: Did you always plan to go into the field
you’re in today?
Valeisha: Absolutely not. It’s funny because
both of my parents are politicians. You’d
think that with both of my parents as politicians, and me majoring in political science, it
would kind of be the next logical step, but no.
I thought it was boring, stuffy, and lame. I just
wanted to go to New York and do what I saw
on TV. I would’ve never predicted that there
would actually be a Black President and that
I would eventually work for him. It’s just funny
how even when following your dreams, you
still have to be flexible.
internship, but it’s a foot in the door. After a
couple weeks in, I said let me figure out the
holes. Everybody was creative and had a
bright idea but no one knew how to execute.
I was like I’m going to be the executer in
this building. They came up with ideas and I
came up with a plan to make things happen,
and that’s what I did. So I became an asset to
the building. Finally I started bringing in money
and once I started bringing in money, I kind of
wrote my own salary.
EGL: How did working for Russell in that capacity for seven years prepare you to work for
the leader of the free world?
Valeisha: Oh man, I call my work with Russell
my MBA. Russell was a tough love kind of boss.
He was very tough and very direct. If he didn’t
like it he let you know. It gave you tough skin.
EGL: That goes back to what you were saying
earlier about how you might not know why
you’re doing something but it prepares you
for the next thing. So what are you working on
now?
EGL: When you began working for Russell Simmons you went from an intern to a vice president in just 3 years. Please explain how you
managed to do that!
Valeisha: A part of me wants to go back to
DC but I think it’s time for me to focus on
consulting and building my own business and
firm around politics. So I’ll always continue to
work in Washington and in politics, but now
it’s time for me to kind of do it in my own
way. So what’s next for me is making sure we
don’t forget about other candidates. We got
Barack back in office and that’s a great thing,
but now we’ve got to focus on Congress and
the Senate. We have to make sure we’re getting the right people elected in those seats
because that’s where you feel the real impact in our own communities.
Valeisha: I left my paid job at HBO for an
unpaid internship. At that point I was soon to
be 24 years old. I told myself I had to walk into
this building with a plan. Yeah, it’s an unpaid
EGL: What does it feel like to wake up every
morning knowing you’re an African-American
female and a part of such a small percentage of people who get to work for the Presi-
everythinggirlslove.com
The ultimate balance
Yes I’m an African American
woman, whos under 40, whos
worked for the President of
the United States and worked
for her dreams to get there, but
whats most exciting about my
journey is that I wasn’t perfect.
“
EGL: I know you went to Clark Atlanta University. What was your major, and how did your
education prepare you for what laid ahead of
you after graduation?
dent?
Valeisha: It feels good. Yes I’m an AfricanAmerican woman, who’s under 40, who’s
worked for the President of the United
States and worked her dreams to get
there, but what’s most exciting about my
journey is that I wasn’t perfect. I had to
make some mistakes. So whenever I talk
to girls I’m always like, ‘yeah, it looks shiny
but you’ve got to know the hurdles and
the struggles, and the falls and the get
back ups that I had to take and make to
get to this point.’ That’s what the journey
is all about. I think if it were easy and if it
was just handed to me and I didn’t have
to struggle I wouldn’t even appreciate
the moment I’m in right now.
EGL: Did you run into any roadblocks because of your gender, age or ethnicity?
Valeisha: Oh yeah! Just think about the
music industry. Working for Russell was a
safety net because Russell protected us
from a lot of that in his building. The music business is male-dominated and it’s
the same in Washington, DC. So being
a woman can be twice as challenging
because you have to work twice as hard
to show your value, worth and ability.
Then being somewhat attractive can be
a challenge as well. Not only do guys not
take you seriously, but women don’t take
you seriously. Sometimes they assume
the worst about you, like “what are you
here for?” When I was a lot younger and
the new kid on the block they figured
I didn’t know much. I had to prove my
intelligence. Even though I’m in my thirties
now, I’m looked at as young in Washington because it’s an older group of people there. So I constantly have to prove
and reinvent myself.
EGL: What keeps you going?
everythinggirlslove.com
The ultimate balance
Valeisha: I’m motivated by other women.
My grandmother didn’t graduate from
college, she’s 91 years old and the kindest woman you’ll ever meet. She put her
family first. She was just an all around
great woman. She was honest with me
when I needed it most. She was my number one inspiration. I’m obsessed with
my peers and young women who are
on their grind and trying to figure it out
as well. I really like Michelle Obama and
Shonda Rhimes.
EGL: It’s obvious that powerful women
motivate you. What was your initial vision
for WEEN? Did you anticipate it taking off
like it did?
Valeisha: Man! No I didn’t. I told Russell I had this idea for this program and I
wanted to start focusing on young women and giving them other options other
than wanting to be a video model or a
dancer. There’s nothing wrong with that
but I just want to create a program that
shows young women what people like
me do in this business. He was like, “yeah,
yeah, do it,” like it was another idea. So
I went back to the drawing board and
had a meeting at my apartment about
bringing together all the top executives
in the music business. At the time, I was
respected but I wasn’t quite there yet, so
I didn’t know if people would respond.
Sure enough, a few top executives came
to the meeting just from my little email request. In that meeting there were 120 of
us and the meeting lasted about 3 hours.
So we walked out of it with a plan and
the plan was we were going to create an
organization to focus on creating balance in the music business.
EGL: What’s your goal for WEEN in the
next 5 years?
Valeisha: It’s time for us to reach a wider audience so I want us to get involved in
television and film. That’s one way we want to be able to touch girls in a meaningful
and larger way. Also, if we talk it, we got to live it. We talk about the positive portrayal of women in television but we’ve got to be on television to create that balance. It’s time for us to start creating content and creating programs that focus on
the lifestyles of women like you and me. There’s an entire audience out there full of
women in college who want to do what we do but they don’t have that example
portrayed on television.
EGL: How important is giving back to you?
Valeisha: It’s the most important thing. I always listen to something Oprah said a long
time ago. She said, “Follow your passion and the money will follow.” I’ve always
adopted that motto. My passion is giving back. I think it’s something we’ve all got to
commit to. If we don’t then we’re doing all this work and not leaving anything behind or creating a new generation to take the reigns.
The ultimate balance
EGL: What advice would you give to women trying to make it in a
man’s world as an executive?
Valeisha: Let the word “no” be your best friend. I think that “no” is a
powerful word and it requires no attitude or explanation. I didn’t use it
at first. As women, when we’re young and trying to follow our dreams
in a male-dominated world, we just want to say yes. We’re nurturers
and we just want to accommodate. I think sometimes people take
advantage of that and the word “no” can be powerful in a lot of settings.
EGL: So what do you have planned in 2013? You mentioned starting
your own firm. Can you talk to us more about what your plans are?
Valeisha: Yes, it’s the firm and its television. The firm first will connect
Hollywood to Washington DC and is all about creating that Cinergy
between the the world of politics and the world of entertainment.
It’s launching now and we already have clients and people who are
involved. Television is also really important in regards to sharing the stories of women working behind the scenes and watching those women
chase their dreams. The television programming would be an extension of what we do with WEEN to empower young girls.
EGL: That’s exciting! So, now that you are a mother, how has motherhood changed your life?
Valeisha: Ha! Oh boy, I wish I knew. Motherhood will shut everything
down in a great way. I have a six-month-old son, and my entire adulthood, before he came around, was about jet-setting. I didn’t plan
ahead. I worked hard, but I played hard too! I would enjoy my girl
time on the weekends and hanging out. My son is definitely the boss.
He runs this house and so mommy-hood definitely changes your priorieverythinggirlslove.com
ties. Now, I don’t care about the hot party. I care about really creating a legacy for my son and being an example for him of what I hope
his wife will be one day. It’s definitely changed my perspective.
EGL: How did you know your husband was the one?
Valeisha: Timing was everything. I’ll never forget… I was at a point in
life with relationships where I just gave up. I felt like love was going to
have to find me at that point. Sure enough, a mutual friend of ours
introduced us over lunch and the moment he walked into the restaurant my heart dropped. For a girl that’s been over it, he was fine, but it
was something else about him and till this day I can’t put my finger on
it.
EGL: How do you deal with being a “basketball wife”?
Valeisha: It’s really hard and I didn’t understand how hard it would
really be, especially when you have a career of your own. Now, if you
completely give your life to your marriage and your husband and you
don’t have a job or goals outside of that, it’s probably not as hard.
You can pick up and go when he gets traded or moves to another
team. But for me, it’s really hard because in the beginning of our
marriage we were a long distance couple. We didn’t even live in the
same house until our son came. We’ve only lived together for 7 or 8
months.
EGL: How do you balance being a wife, mother, philanthropist and
executive?
Valeisha: I have goals and I plan ahead. That’s one way to have
balance. It helps me cut out a lot of BS or things that don’t matter or
won’t contribute to my goals. My goal is to have a healthy household,
The ultimate balance
The ultimate balance
a healthy marriage, a healthy growing
son that grows up to be a great man one
day and a career that matters.
EGL: What’s one piece of advice you’d
give to women dealing with the balancing act?
Valeisha: Spend a day to just shut down.
All the way down. I take time to go to the
beach, even if it’s to Miami for a two-day
trip by myself. I only take my husband’s
calls and that’s it. As a woman, you need
your time to just unwind and release.
“
EGL: How important is it for you to maintain a sisterhood and to make time for a
girls’ night out?
Valeisha: I’m a girl’s girl! My husband was
out of town for the last two days so Rocsi
came to Dallas. We ordered pizza, we
played taboo and we didn’t go to any
parties. We just had girl time. I think it’s so
easy to get caught up in your family that
you forget about your girlfriends.
EGL: Describe yourself in one word.
Valeisha: Humble. There’s always someone better than me and better than us.
There’s always someone smarter, better
looking, and more successful. So I always
have humility and remind myself that
there’s a world full of outstanding successful women. I’m not the only one.
everythinggirlslove.com