The Value of Peer Networks

Q&A with Lauren Feaster 
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​Lauren Feaster is the CEO of Professional Dimensions, a leading women’s professional association in the Milwaukee area. Feaster will moderate a panel discussion at our Thankful Connections event from 4:30-7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21 at The Ivy House. The panel, featuring prominent female entrepreneurs and industry leaders, will dive into a discussion surrounding the value of peer networks.

​In this Q&A, Feaster shares how fostering connections has positively impacted her professional journey. ​
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Q. What role have peer networks played in your career development, and what tips do you have for building a strong professional network?  
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A. Peer networks have been foundational to my development and growth as a leader. You have to believe in abundance – that we truly are better together and that your success and humanity is linked to that of your peers. You have to want to be better, you have to commit to continuous learning and you have to understand the power of collaboration. It’s impossible to achieve success without a network or village.  
 

Q. Is there a mentor who has helped shape you into the leader that you are today? What valuable advice have they shared with you?  

A. My peer group is full of mentors who have shaped me into who I am today. Some of my earliest mentors were my aunts, not always blood relatives but chosen family – folks who affirmed me throughout childhood and very formative years where self-confidence and integrity were born. I think about my high school Spanish teacher, Sra. Hopgood, the first teacher I had who was a Black woman. I think about my first formal peer network beyond team sports – Jack and Jill of America and then my sorority (Sigma Gamma Rho), the UW-Madison Drumline, etc.  
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Advice that came through those interactions: Actions speak louder than words. Treat everyone with dignity and respect – whether you feel they’ve earned it or not – and lead a life of service. 

 
Q. In what ways do you think being a woman has impacted your leadership style?  

A. I had to learn very early how to navigate a world of “double standards,” inequity and bias. And I didn’t learn it through a class, I learned it for survival. Very early I saw that women were not valued the way men were – and the inequities were commonly accepted and even embraced by women I looked up to. Because of that, I learned very quickly how to navigate sexism and hold many conflicting and complex truths about the state of women.  


Q. Can you share a pivotal moment in your career that has shaped your leadership journey?  

A.  After undergraduate I wanted to go to medical school, so I served as an EMT to gain practical experience and strengthen my application. Riding in the back of that ambulance and interacting with the systemic challenges that plague our city/state/country completely changed my leadership trajectory. It was the first time I thought more deeply about building a career that would fill a pivotal gap in my community and dedicate my life to system-change. It was my first time thinking about a career that was bigger than what I wanted to do personally, and I pushed myself to make sure I was also doing what was NEEDED. Both can be true.  


Q. What is one piece of advice you would give to young female professionals in the initial stages of their careers? 

A. Build relationships. Build relationships before you need them. Build relationships with people who think differently and experience the world differently than you. The easiest way to start is by joining organizational networks that focus on what better looks like. We all must be a part of something that is strategic, that is bigger than us and that is led by folks with personal experience and proximity to an issue you’re solving for.  ​