Meet Monica Poulard Hawkins, the Founder and CEO of a boutique management consulting firm- PPDG, serving the Corporate Industry, Global Leaders, and The Academy.
Monica’s establishment helps organizations re-imagine themselves and build capacity for impact for the future. She leverages their strongest assets, which are often hidden in the margins and around corners, and uses them as catalytic agents to transform the companies and accelerate their growth, thus giving them a digital life experience.
While her organization, Professional Pipeline Development Group( PPDG), helps other organizations re-imagine themselves, it was her pastor who convinced her about her entrepreneurial skills. Looking back, she says, “I was an awkward employee in a large enterprise who would work outside the lines. I had a vision, and I worked hard. As a result, I got promoted when leaders saw things in me that I could not see myself”. When she was convinced that she could build and master a business that would create on multiple levels at the same time, her life changed for good. She admits that it is challenging to manage a business on such a level, but her life is vibrant now and she loves it.
Monica comes from a family of activists. She is the daughter and niece of leaders who worked with Dr. Martin Luther King, so she grew up in and around the call of justice in America. She elaborates, “I am a servant leader. As far as I can remember, I have always been excited about problem-solving through creating. I am passionate about mentoring and working with women, and serving in my community with my husband”.
Monica believes that relationships are deep-rooted in purpose and an individual’s calling. She wants to change the world through her work, but it has never been easy for her. In her initial years serving up smart solutions, highly accomplished CEOs and executives used to be puzzled by her efficiency and her capacity to ‘keep up’ in their presence. Now, it is more about keeping up with the ‘during-pandemic’ world and convincing the clients to take her organization’s help to increase their reach in the global market.
Despite all the professional hurdles her way, Monica has been successful. She speaks proudly of her most memorable experience – “We established a Tour idea for a client, and it worked out so well that it brought us to Oprah Winfrey, and established a Digital experience for her 7-City Tour. It showed us we had more that we could do in Digital Transformation with traditional brands/organizations”. In addition to this, Monica’s organization has also been recognized by huge clients like NFL and Mars Chocolate.
Monica attributes her success to faith. She says, “My life has changed by believing every day; having faith, every day. That is what keeps me grounded and makes me believe that all things are possible. No matter how challenging it looks or feels. Ideas come and go. Believing is steadfast.”
She thinks that it is important for women to be sure about themselves and not get distracted by the narrative or definition that society imposes on them. She believes that continuous learning and being aspirational is more important than a ‘fixed’ form of learning – one might not know it all, but one should never stop. She adds, “understand power – how it moves, how it feels – and be comfortable with it. That way, you can flow with power, be powerful, and adjust and engage with it. Women have power, and they should not fear exploring themselves!”