The Success Lie Women Are Told About Having It All

The fastest way to stall your career is trying to be everything to everyone. Chantell Preston reveals why the real advantage comes from knowing what you want, what you don’t, and building the right support around you.

From a chance meeting at Cannes to a candid conversation about entrepreneurship, private equity, and reinvention after a major exit, Chantell shares the hard-won lessons behind her success - and the myths she’s calling out in her new book, The Success Lie.

You’ll discover:

• Why starting at an established company can be the best launchpad for entrepreneurship
• How Chantell built and exited Mentis to private equity in 2015
• The mindset shift that happens when success is no longer defined by title and money
• Why “no” can be a gift that creates opportunity for someone else
• The difference between balance and integration, and why she says balance is the wrong goal
• How empathy, authenticity, and a strong culture make leaders more effective
• Why it’s never too late to start over, change paths, or become your own advocate

Jeanniey Walden also shares her own lessons on mentorship, working motherhood, and the pressure women feel to do it all, creating a conversation that feels both deeply practical and powerfully personal.

Chantell is a business leader, investor, advisor, mentor, and the author of The Success Lie, a book focused on exposing the stories women are told about leadership, ambition, and achievement. She’s built her career around helping women step into opportunity with more confidence, more intention, and far less guilt.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re too late, too busy, or too far off track to build the life and career you really want, this episode will change the way you think about success. Perfect for emerging leaders, ambitious women, career switchers, and anyone ready to stop chasing other people’s definitions and start building their own.

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:00

I'm Jeanniey Walden, and this is another episode of Liftoff. Chantel, I'm so excited from the streets of Cannes all the way here to this podcast to have you on the show. This is gonna be so amazing. Chantel Preston, one of the most amazing women you will ever meet, is gracing our podcast to share her journey with us. And I cannot wait because I have so, so, so many questions for you. So thank you. First of all, thank you for being on Liftoff.

Speaker 0:36

Well, thank you so much for having me. I am as just as excited as you are today to have this conversation. So thank you for having me.

Speaker 1 0:42

So, Chantel, let me start out by just telling everyone who's listening that you and I met randomly at Cannes while I was speaking on a panel and you were in the audience sitting next to Vince, who everybody that listens to the podcast knows is my husband. And we spoke for about 20 minutes, but we could have talked for hours that day and decided to move that conversation on to this podcast because we've got so much in common and so many exciting things to talk about.

Speaker 1:10

Yeah. And I just have to point out that Vince is your number one fan because he couldn't stop talking about you in the crowd and how proud he was. So I just want to give him a little shout out that I hope at some point I find someone that is enamored and as proud as your husband was of you that day. So just wanted to give that a little insight.

Speaker 1 1:27

Thank you, thank you. Yes, yes, yes. He is my biggest fan and I'm his, and it works out very, very adorably. But let's not talk about him because he does enough of that on his own. Let's talk about you and how amazing you are. So we met briefly at Cannes and then I started stalking you on the internet because what else do we do but stalk people on the internet? And you are one of the most amazing people that I have ever read about, which is why I'm so excited to have you on this podcast. Because with Liftoff Journeys, the podcast completely unscripted, just talking to incredible people about their journey, where they are today, and how they got there. And you literally have done everything. You're one of the most empowered, successful, amazing women with, depending on when you're listening to this podcast, a new book coming out or a book that's out already that is scattering all the myths about being successful and being a woman. So I don't know where you want to start in telling us all about your journey and your life.

Speaker 2:28

I think, you know, it's kind of interesting. Where we think we're gonna end up in life and where we end up are two totally, completely different things. And sometimes when we get so enamored about that outcome we're trying to achieve, we miss so much opportunities around us. And, you know, I've been very fortunate. I've never worked a day in my life because I've absolutely loved everything I've done. But, you know, I got to a certain point after I sold my business of, you know, what's next, the next phase of life, and how can I share some of my experiences with other women? And that's where the book came from. And that's where the last 10 years have just really been around how can I help empower and elevate other women, as well as, you know, continuing in my business side of things. But it's just been a great journey. And I think so many women, we we take for granted what our opportunities are and how valuable we are and what we can bring to the table. And I want to be every woman's champion.

Speaker 1 3:12

And I'd love that because I totally agree with you. And your book talks about trust and belief in yourself. And I my book talks about trust from both a personal side, but also a professional side when you're building a company's brand and how critical it is. But let's go back to the very early days. When you were little, what did you want to be when you were gonna when you grew up?

Speaker 3:34

You know, I actually wanted to be a teacher. I wanted to help people, but then I started seeing things about entrepreneurship. Like I was the one that had the newsletter in the neighborhood. I was the one that was raising my hand to take care of pets. And I realized maybe there's an entrepreneur bone in me that that's something I really want to do. But where do you start? You never know until you just look around and their opportunities present itself. So coming out of college, not knowing what I wanted to be when I grow up, I started at a smaller company halfway to the top versus a big company at the bottom and really got an opportunity to either sit behind a desk and bark orders or get out and learn as much as I possibly could about the business. And I chose to do that. I was I entered into the healthcare market. I didn't know anything about it, but just chose to learn to how to do syndications, how to build, how to operate. And from 27 years old on, I never had to look for a job because I was just so niched in what I did that I had the opportunities come to me. And so it was, it was a great journey.

Speaker 1 4:30

And the healthcare industry is one of those industries where you need to become an expert if you're gonna be successful in that industry. And having worked at ad agencies and supporting healthcare clients and seeing just all of the intricacies of that business, it must have given you an opportunity to learn so much and become an expert in the field. A lot of the people that listen to the podcast are emerging rock stars and emerging leaders. And some of the questions that I get asked are when you graduate from college, should you go into a startup or should you go into an established business? Is there a right answer? What do you think?

Speaker 5:08

I don't know if there's a right answer for everyone. I will say there's something to be said about getting in a business that's already established and learning so much that you're able to take to a startup. I think if I would have started just in my company, straight out of the gates, there's a lot of things I just wouldn't have known what I didn't know. And so by learning things kind of in the first few years, it enables you to figure out what do I want, what do I not want, which sometimes is easier, but also how do things play together? And so I guess if it was me, I'm glad I went the route I did because I got so much experience within a company that helped me start my entrepreneurial journey. And then when we started our company Mentus, which was neurorehabilitation rehab, it was an amazing opportunity because we knew what we didn't want to be, but we also knew what we did want to be. And that enabled us to really go about it the right way. Um, and again, at the end of the day, it paid off very well. We helped a lot of people, but also financially, we exited to private equity in 2015. So I think there's something to be said about learning the ropes before you jump out and just start doing something on your own. Totally agree with you.

Speaker 1 6:15

And uh somebody many, many years ago said to me, if you understand how organizations that you're going to sell into work, you can understand how to sell into them. And that always stuck with me to learn the operational structure, the organizations. And and back before the bubble burst in 2008, when all the when all of the startups just started, you know, coming out like crazy, a lot of people just went into that startup route and they didn't know how to be successful. But you said something about your company that I think is so key, not just for businesses, but also for personal brands. And you said you knew from a company perspective exactly what you wanted to be and what you didn't want to be. And that's so critical for companies to be successful with. But it's also critical for individuals to be able to figure that out as well as they're building their careers. But it is so hard. So at least for me, it's really hard to wake up in the morning and say, I absolutely want to be this and I do not want to be this because I love like you, I love learning everything and I want to do everything. So, what kind of advice or mentorship do you have for young professionals or even people that are looking to shift careers, which we're gonna get into because you did that brilliantly, when they're trying to decide for their personal brand what they want to be and don't want to be?

Speaker 7:39

You know, that's we're all a work in progress on that one, right? I mean, again, one of the greatest things I ever learned is you can't do it alone. And, you know, again, we get burnout in the US because we have think, especially women, we have to do everything perfectly. And not only are we battling or juggling, I should say, our professional, but also our personal. And so it's like, how do you build people around you that allows you to be your best self and vice versa? And I think that was a really important aspect that we knew we couldn't do it alone. We had to get the right folks around us, not just technology, you know, not just the technical aspect, but also personality-wise, to be able to build a company that was sustainable, but allowing us to have the right culture. And I think that was probably the most instrumental thing I learned because, you know, when you're young, you think you can do it all and you don't need anyone and you're invincible. And then when you start realizing you want to build something bigger, it's more than just you. And that's why I tell people be very careful who you surround yourself with. You want the best of the best, but not just on the technical skill wide, but also personality-wise. And so I think it was really instrumental of me seeing the people I wanted to be around and the people I didn't want. And I wanted people that had the same vision that I did that enabled us to really build something special. And it wasn't about the economics, it was about the outcomes. And nobody was really focused on the economics. We were focused on how can we build the best business we can and help as many people as we could. And that's what at the end of the day made us very successful.

Speaker 1 9:04

That outcome outcome-based businesses and how critical they are to actually creating instrumental change, not just for your company, but for the entire world. So you so you sell the company to private equity in 2015, and then what happens with you?

Speaker 9:20

Well, that was an interesting story. You know, we also think that, you know, you have it all moment, you know, in my life growing up, success was all based around money and title. And so I thought that if I got to that point, that everything in my life would fall into place. Everything would be perfect, right? The white picket fence, the perfect family, perfect career, I'd have it all. And unfortunately, when I got there, it was nothing like I anticipated. I had devoted so much of my life to that outcome that I kind of forgot about the journey along the way. And so that was a really hard time. I know everybody says, sell your business, it's the greatest thing. And it is. However, it's also an emotional roller coaster because here's something that you've been so involved with for so long, and now it's gone. We were still there, but we weren't in control. Now it's gone. It's just, it's an emotional roller coaster. My whole identity was wrapped up in who I was as a business person. And it was hard for me to realize after that point, who am I now? And it took me, full disclosure, it took me a few years to kind of get through that. I mean, I had a five-year-old. I didn't even know what she ate for lunch because I was so engrossed in my business. And so it gave me the opportunity to take a step back and say, what do I want? Because here I was living in this world of success, meaning title and money, but was that really what I wanted as success? And so it took me a while to step back and say, hey, what does success mean to me right now? And that's where I started that journey of personal development, but also what's next? What am I passionate about? What gives me that great energy? And I realized when we sold our business, I'm like, where are all the women? I thought all the women would be at the table with me. Well, they weren't. And it was a really a-haw moment because I was the only female, and of course I was the youngest. And so it was like, wait, why aren't other women taking control of their situations and why aren't they at the table with me? And that's when I really got on this rampage of I want to bring more women to the table and make sure they're living their best lives. Now, again, that doesn't mean it's all rainbows and unicorns. That means how can we help each other network, support, all these things to help us all get to that next level? And that's where I've been the last 10 years. I did take over my hospital company in 2018 because one of my partners got sick, but I did a three or four year stint on that, which was incredible because that was right during COVID. And that's a whole nother, whole nother story of PTSD of going through COVID owning hospitals. But now it's really around how can I help elevate? How can I invest? How can I advise? How can I mentor other women to see that they can do it? It just, again, takes a lot of resilience, a lot of grit, but there are support systems around them that can help them get where they want to be.

Speaker 1 11:54

And it's really great to have that aha moment. I have this job where I had a male CEO and I was on this, you know, fast acceleration path. And he sat me down one day and he said, My career, I've raised many executive women and I've followed their stories. And I'm gonna stop you in your story right now and talk to you about what you need to do so that five, 10 years from now, you maintain a balanced lifestyle. And it was a very interesting conversation because first it was a man that was having this conversation with me. So I thought, how does he understand women? And secondly, I thought, why is he taking his time to not ask about the business results and talk to me about what a successful journey looks like as you age and as you move into, you know, other facets of your life. And the conversations that he had with me really, from a mentoring standpoint, stuck with me and changed the trajectory of some of the decisions that I've made. And I've seen over the years that women tend to shy away from living their best life as their career continues and they get older. They get sucked into what all of us get sucked into, taking care of kids, taking care of parents, dealing with all the traumas that happen around your world as you start to age and get older. Uh, and they don't dive into it, they kind of shy away from it. But your approach is so different. And what you're doing now is motivating and inspiring so many women that you're just like a compelling light that everyone is getting drawn to. So talk a little bit about what your mission is today.

Speaker 13:40

Well, you hit on some great points with the success lie, my new book, because it talks about the lies we've been told as women is how we have to be in business. You know, the first one is you can have it all. I already mentioned that you can have it all, just not at the same time. And you can't be 100% all the time to everything. So be intentional with your time. Some other things that we were told, or at least my generation was, is you know, you have to say yes to everything. And so we and we just say yes. You know, my big one was PTA parent, you know, oh, we want to need a room mom. And I'm like, yes. And then I'm like, why am I doing this? This provides me no benefit. My kids could care less, but it made me feel like a better parent because that's what society told me. And so I had to reframe in my own mind that me saying no to something gives someone else an opportunity to say yes. And so now when someone asks me to help them with something, it's not a no, it's let me think about that. Because number one, I get shiny penny and I'm like, yes. And then I get home and I go, oh my gosh, why am I doing this? You know, and so it gives me the opportunity to take a step back and evaluate does this help me achieve my own goals? And if not, who could it help? And then maybe have a referral to them. But, you know, there's so many things that we were told you talked about balance. I don't believe in balance. I want everyone to remove that from their vocabula. I talk about integration. How do you integrate your personal life and your professional life? I used to think it could be either or. And then when I had a child, I was like, oh no, it's all in one. But it's also like, I'm a better leader because I'm a parent. I'm a better parent because I'm a leader. And a lot of the things of how I run my businesses, I run my house. You know, we have a Sunday evening get together where we talk about logistics of the week. You know, how can your crisis not become my crisis for those of you that have a 15-year-old in high school? You know, how do we talk through those things? How do you contribute to the family, just like my employees? How do we talk through and be collaborative? So there's a lot of things within the book that I talk about of things that how we thought we had to be versus who we are. And my favorite is women are too emotional to be leaders. Look, we all have this innate quality of empathy, compassion. And I used to think that was a negative. I was a little dictator in my office, do as I say, not as I do. And as I grew as a leader, I realized that wasn't the most productive for me for my staff. They wanted me to be relatable. They wanted me to be a human being. And so as I transitioned throughout my career to being that individual, you just realize how much more your people respect you. They want to be there. You're building a culture that gives them agency. And a great story I have, I had to unfortunately let go my HR director uh about four or five years ago. And it was a hard thing for me because I loved her and respected her as a person, but she just wasn't the right person for the job. And, you know, going in, I'm like, oh, don't cry, don't cry, keep it together. You're the CEO. I need you to, you know. And I got in there and I just couldn't help myself because I knew how important this job was for this individual, but I was kind, I was compassionate. We sat there and we talked about it. And it's interesting. Six months later, she called me and she said, Thank you so much. And I'm thinking, oh my gosh, what'd I do? She said, I found the job of my dreams. And I never would have done that if you hadn't have been the leader you were that day. You were empathetic, you sat with me, and she's just like, I have so much respect. So I sometimes think as leaders, we don't realize how our actions come across. And so we have to be relatable, genuine, and authentic. And that's who I've become. Again, it's not a work, it doesn't happen overnight, but that's who I've become. And I realize how much more fortunate I am for myself, but also the people around me. You said so many things. We could talk for hours on excited, talking about these things. Yes, I get excited.

Speaker 1 17:28

Sorry. Okay, go ahead. You're you're good. You're good. I think the favorite one from that from that conversation was you saying no is an opportunity for someone else to say yes. And that is mind-blowing. And I have to stop and think about that. And I really want to write it down, but it's recorded. So now I can go back and listen to it. And I know it's going to be one of the little shorts that we play because I never thought about it that way. You're right. Everybody wants to say yes. I want to say yes because I just love everything. I love an opportunity to learn. But when you say no, there's someone else who can really benefit from saying yes. And that is very, very cool. You know, you also talked about your PTA mom story. I have to tell you, you know, I've been a working mom since my kids were born. I've I've always worked. I had this one period of time in between roles where my younger daughter's school needed a cafeteria mom to organize a cafeteria. And they asked me to because they said, oh, you know, you're good at organization and you work and blah, blah, blah. So I thought, this won't be a problem. I'll get to go to school. I'll get to see her. I've got to say, you know, full props to all the stay-at-home moms out there because that is a job and organization and political alignment like I haven't never seen before. So I'm making the schedules and I'm going to school and I am learning the ins and outs of stay-at-home mom life and who you need to talk to and how you get ahead. And the politics were so much more difficult than sitting in a boardroom. And I kept thinking to myself, I just want to go back to work and sit in a boardroom. It's where where I can be with a bunch of, you know, people that you have to argue with and do MA deals and be cutthroat is easier than having to manage the cafeteria schedule. But it was such an experience for me that had nothing to do, like you said, with my daughter. She was like, oh, hey, mom, don't talk to me because I want to be with the cool kids and you're you're in my way. And this was all for me, but wow, what an amazing learning experience. And I said ever since then, you know, if any stay-at-home mom looking to get back in the workforce applies for a role, if I have one, I'm hiring them because they know management and organization better better than anybody that I've seen. So it's it's fascinating the things that you learn when you open yourself up to it, but it's also so critical to be focused on, you know, exactly what is going to benefit you and how you can help other people. And I think, you know, you're bringing such a perspective to light. My air method is authenticity, inspiration, and relatability. And you talked about all of those pieces together. And I love hearing when when people can pull that all together. And it is a continued work in progress. So for people that are younger and just emerging talent, what advice do you have for them in creating their journey?

Speaker 20:27

You know, I would just say be very intentional with your time. Time is the one thing you'll never get back. So when I say intentional, they say, oh, should I only focus on what I'm doing right now? No, that's not what I'm saying. I'm just saying make sure that what you're doing, you're not saying yes to things that don't help you reach those goals. But also don't be so focused on the outcome that you forget about the journey. I think there's so many times that we think networking is, I don't have time for it. I don't have time to go have it. That's where you're going to meet people that you don't even realize could help you in certain ways. So I tell young people, talk to everyone because you just never know where that next opportunity is going to come from or how that individual can help you. And maybe it's right now or maybe it's later. But be intentional with when you do that, be intentional. Come with ideas, come with specific asks. Because that's the one thing too. You know, I had a lot of opportunities when I was younger to just be mentored. But I was the first one to raise my hand and say, I need a mentor and I would love for you to help me, but these are the things I need help with. And I think that that's sometimes where the disconnect is when kids come to me and they say, I need a mentor. I'm like, Great, what do you need? They're like, Well, I don't really know. Well, then come back to me when you know what you need, because then we can both be efficient with each other's time and our time will be productive together. So it's be prepared, talk to everyone, be intentional with your time, but also just have some fun with it. I mean, I think sometimes we get so serious with everything in life. You know, life is life moves quick, guys, whether you think that or not. And when I was 20, I thought 50 I'd be different. Well, I'm 52 and I'm just getting started. So it's never too late. I mean, just enjoy the journey as you go along.

Speaker 1 22:07

Absolutely. And do you think that same advice holds true for women who are, I don't want to say later in life, meaning older, but who are switching careers, who are coming back from being stay-at-home moms, who have been in a career or a job for 15, 20 years.

Speaker 22:24

Is do you think it's the same? Absolutely. And that's what I love talking to women my own age, being over 50. And they're like, I'm too old. No, you're not. Think about where you are in your life. And your see, I call it a season and reason. You know, what was important to me five years ago is very different than what's important to me now. And that's what I'm looking at, like my goals. People say, where do you want to be in five years, 10 years? Look, I'm down to where do I want to be in six months, three months, because you just never know what's going to happen in life. But I tell everybody, you know, I, you know, I look at who I was when I was 35 versus who I am now, completely different. And that's okay because now I have the wisdom to help bring other people along with me. And I may have different ideas. And so I never think it's too late. I mean, you look at statistics, there's a lot of women starting entrepreneurs in the US, you know, later in life. And that's because A, it's the season and reason and it's the time for us to really prosper. So do I think it's too late? No. And I think everyone is start before you're ready and go and be confident in yourself. Know what you're able to do. And I think that that's sometimes women were hesitant because, you know, we're always looking for that external validation, or that's how I was raised. Well, I realize that I'm the only person that's going to be the best advocate for me. So if I'm going to go out and want to do something, be your own advocate because no one's going to advocate for you like you will for yourself. And so don't sit around and wait, just go make it happen.

Speaker 1 23:48

This was such great advice and such a phenomenal conversation. Where can people get in touch with you if they want to hear more, learn more, read more, get involved with what you're doing?

Speaker 23:59

Well, I have my website, chantelpreston.com. As you mentioned, the success slide is coming out, and depending on when this airs, August 18th. You can purchase it at any of the book, Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, any of the local bookstores. So again, I also have a podcast called Get Real, Get Results, very similar to yours. It's just a quick little, you know, synopsis of women, kind of a motivation. You never know what's going to come out of my mouth on those days, but they're very raw and vulnerable conversations that women, you know, I want women to realize they're not alone. You know, we're all going through things. It's not all rainbows and unicorns. So it's an opportunity to just listen in and hear other people and some of their challenges. So those are the best ways. Obviously, social media, we're all on LinkedIn, Instagram, all of those places. But I would love for your followers. If something resonated, feel free to join me. I would love for them to uh be a part of my community as well.

Speaker 1 24:48

Yes. And I am a listener to your podcast. I've subscribed and I love everything, the stories that that come to light in there because, like you said, everybody thinks that somebody else's life is perfect. My mom and my grandma always said, grass is always greener. My grandma used to say, if we all took our dirty laundry out into the street, we'd all look around and pick up our own and take it back inside. And when I was eight, that didn't make really much sense to me. Makes a ton of sense for many years, and it is so true. We should all be very grateful for what we have, challenges and all, because we are connected to an incredible group of people and women and communities. And so many people want to help make our lives better if we just let them know what we need. So thank you, Chantel, for being on Liptop. This is fantastic.

Speaker 25:35

Thank you so much. And thank you for everything you're doing for everyone in the community. So thank you so much for having me. All right, everybody. We'll see you next time.