“I’m so sorry. Unfortunately, we have to reschedule you. The machine is down,” said Brittany, a skilled radiology technician who usually had a never-ending smile, to a woman in the waiting room.

“This shouldn’t keep happening. This is the second time in two weeks” Brittany added. “I’ll call you if we can get it fixed today.”

As she stood there, her shoulders slumped, and her facial features showed her fatigue. Brittany concentrated on the two days the radiation machine broke instead of the 300 plus days the machine worked.

It was 7:20 a.m.

With sessions booked every 10 minutes, that’s more than 50 people to get treatment. The radiology department would be under intense pressure IF the machine got fixed.
Fortunately, a few hours later Brittany called the patient with a new time. On the drive back to the hospital, the woman stopped at a local bakery.

Checking in for her treatment, she asked to see Brittany.

When Brittany saw the cupcakes, her eyes watered. “We should be giving you cupcakes,” she said, hugging the patient (pre-pandemic). “But you know what, it’s party time.”
Brittany hurried into the private areas and came out with a fanny pack around her waist, a party hat on her head, and colorful beads around her neck. She handed out her fanny pack stash to staff and guests, aka patients. The waiting room atmosphere changed as people looped the beads around their necks, and to see a giant of a man who looked like a former professional football player trying to get yellow beaded necklaces over his head made others laugh and join in. The staff that looked downtrodden hours earlier joined Brittany’s impromptu party.

Brittany could’ve accepted the cupcakes, and that could’ve been the end of it. Brittney didn’t hesitate to take a leadership role. She didn’t hesitate to do something out of the ordinary at that moment. Brittany took action. She used creativity to change the atmosphere and everyone’s day. She embraced her “Brittany Factor” and became a changemaker. Brittany bounced-up!

“I can’t leave because I’m in a dead-end job and can’t support my kids,” a woman who suffered from domestic violence shared during a support group meeting. Everyone around the table had been affected by someone with an addiction.

“That could’ve been me,” I admitted.

I knew how fortunate I was to have a marketable skill that provided a livelihood for myself and my son. That marketable skill, sales, enabled me to leave a twenty-some-year marriage when my former spouse tried to run me over with his truck.

That night haunted me.

I knew I had to do something to help this woman and others who could face a similar situation. A few weeks later, I offered a free sales workshop for anyone who wanted to learn sales skills. I knew teaching others how to “sell” would always give them a way to provide a livelihood for their families.

The smiles brighten the women’s faces as they grasped the content and their expressions of gratitude for the opportunity became a pivotal moment.

That night inspired me to leave a lucrative multi-six-figure corporate sales position as a single mom.

And I learned from them. In one small workshop, we combined resilience, results, and sales in one package. With one idea, one purpose jumpstarted my company Mj Callaway Training + Development