Donna A. James was a successful professional with one objective in mind: to become CEO of one of the nation’s largest corporations. At the time she was executive vice president and chief administrative officer of human resources, corporate communications, and corporate administration for Columbus, Ohio-based Nationwide Insurance and Financial Services, a division of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co., one of the country’s largest insurers and financial services organization. James made a lateral move to a struggling division that offered a better title but no additional money. It was a move she felt would provide her with the necessary skills to pursue her goal.
In 2003, James was named president of Nationwide Strategic Investments, a division with $650 million in annual revenues. At the same time, she managed a portfolio of investments through Nationwide Mutual Capital, a $150 million venture capital fund. She also held board positions with Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. and the Limited Brands Inc., and she chaired the internal boards of several Nationwide subsidiaries.
In February 2005, James was a cover subject for BLACK ENTERPRISE’s 75 Most Powerful Blacks in Corporate America–a high point in her career, she says. James had just returned from an exhaustive travel schedule the same week the magazine hit the stands. That Friday morning, as she was getting ready for work, her body shut down–literally. James, at 47, had suffered a transient ischemic attack–a mini stroke, which put her at risk for a major one. Although she recovered fully, the stroke was her turning point: a catalyst, she explains, for redirecting her goals.
Today, James spends a great deal of time with her husband, two sons, and five grandchildren. She heads her own firm, Lardon & Associates L.L.C., and still maintains her board positions. A teenage mother who battled against the statistical odds, James also mentors young professionals and spends time speaking with young, disadvantaged women. Here, she recounts how her illness changed her perspective on her life goals and what it took for her to make the change.
It was a Friday morning and I felt really tired and I was bumping into things. I felt like, “Why can’t I just wake up?” Finally, I get to my bathroom and I just slide down the wall to the floor because I can’t stand.
My husband walks in and I’m lying on the floor. I’m conscious, but I can’t figure out what’s wrong with me. He asks me what’s wrong and I tried to say, “I don’t know.” The words are in my head, but my mouth is not moving. And I could hear a greater intensity of concern in his voice and there I am trying to smile to comfort him like, “I’m OK,” but I’m not OK.
He called 911 and right as the squad is putting me in the ambulance, my motions start to come back. I spent the weekend in the hospital and required no therapy. There were no warning signs. I had no high blood pressure. I have no weight problem. I have no cholesterol problem. They did everything with my heart and my circulatory system. They just couldn’t find anything. The doctor said, “Donna, it’s just a fluke and certain things happen.”
I got over the initial impact of that. But I tell you what, it made me think about life. And I had to ask myself: Is this what you really want to do for the rest of your life?
I wasn’t in a bad place: president of my own division, making a couple million dollars per year. I wasn’t complaining, but is it what I really wanted to do if this was my last day on Earth? It wasn’t. And so the next step was to comfortably step away.
Dealing with Ego
And at first you think there is no way. I sat down with my financial planner and we looked at “Can I step away from the money?” And you find out, you can. Then you go, “OK I got over that hurdle. Can my ego let me walk away?”
That was the biggest hurdle. It was much larger than the financial–much larger than I ever imagined it would be. I never really believed I was a person hung up on my position, but I was. It mattered to me what people thought. It mattered to me that I would no longer be looked up to as a result of the position I have. You are more than the job you do. You really are. Then I got really turned on by the idea of the possibility of stepping away.
What’s interesting is I had just come back from Atlanta, where an organization said they wanted me to join the board. I had to call them that Monday and say, “I
need to step back. I reprioritized, and this is not a good idea for me right now.” They called me back later that week and said, “We appreciate what you said. Take your time and when you’re ready, let us know.” That resonated with me very strongly because it reminded me that my talents go beyond the position. It’s about the person.Leaving is something people think about but don’t do or can’t do. And I don’t think it’s the money. The hardest part wasn’t the money. It’s the satisfaction you get out of what you do–the accolades, the applause, people looking up to you. That does something for your psyche and your soul that sometimes you underestimate and then you think, “Gee, if I walk away from this, it goes away.” But it really doesn’t, not if you’ve been a decent person.
A More Flexible Schedule
I spend as much time as I can down in Florida. We have our home there right on the Gulf. I read, I write, and I relax by walking on the beach, getting a massage, riding a bike, sitting on the balcony watching the sunset, drinking champagne. I just love it. I have actually discovered fun business fiction, like the work of Stephen Frey. He’s sort of what I call brain candy business fiction, because he’s got money, high finance, sex, and murder.
And then the writing. There is a book in me. So every time I go down there, I spend as much time as I can pulling out of me what is there.
I’ve also been
doing a lot of speaking engagements. I like helping other folks who believe they can do what I’ve done, and helping them understand the realities of doing it, especially African American women–how to move on from dumb, stupid, racist, sexist environments. I think I have a lot to offer there.Living with No Regrets
If the stroke had not happened, I would have just kept cruising right along. I’m glad I stopped because I love it out here. It would be very hard to go back. And that’s easy to say because I have some financial independence. You have to plan financially. You never know. It’s not just planning for the major disaster. It’s learning to live within your means and invest smartly.
People ask me what I would change if I could do it over–not one thing. I visited a high school in Toledo, Ohio, for parenting and pregnant teens. And I spent the morning with them. It was most compelling. Tears came to my eyes. We talked about everything. They wanted to know how much money I have, what kind of car I drove. But it was worth it because at the end of the day, one of those girls stood up and said, “You are my new idol.” And I said, “If I can get your head out of the stuff you hear on TV and the streets, then I want to be your idol.” Before I don’t think I would have had the opportunity to have that conversation with those girls. I would have been too busy.