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Women of Distinction

career growth”. It is one thing to Pam loved her new role
move within, what in Alaska we and the team she was leading,
would refer to as the “lower 48,” but her life was being lived in
and another to move to a state airplanes, hotels, and stores and
where you can’t simply jump there was little time for anything
in a car and go home to visit else. “My region was large, from
family or friends when you need Seattle all the way to Kansas City
to. Pam said she knew many in- and all that fell in-between, I was
cluding her parents thought she living life through a suitcase.”
was crazy and wrong in taking Pam wasn’t seeing her family
her son so far away, but she just as often as she wanted, the
knew that if they did this adven- leadership within her company
ture together that it could be a was making changes that had
Photos by Dawn Nicoli / Nicoli Productions her son was not only did it prove her best self as a leader. “Don’t
put the financial viability of
real step in moving her career to
the company at risk, and Pam
a place where she would finally
feel she could support her son in
admits she was finding moments
where she wasn’t showing up
the way she felt he deserved.
The great news for Pam and
get me wrong, I felt very blessed
to be a great career decision
with my role, I had an amazing
they truly loved the three years
team that drove great results,
and a large supportive personal
being there. Pam shares that
network, but I just knew during
during her three years her son
this time something was out
experienced things he never
Pam
Pam
Pam would in the lower 48, and it of alignment for me and all the
was within just a short period of
tools I had pulled out were no
longer working.”
time she was able to move into a
District Manager position.
That’s when Pam started
hearing and reading more
After being moved back to
Marcheski the lower 48 and landing in San about mindfulness. She started
Marcheski
practicing some mindfulness
Diego, Pam was quickly moved
again to Sacramento, California.
techniques during these last
This was the final stop for mov-
years of her retail journey and
stumbled upon the book “Ten
ing for Pam and her son so that
Percent Happier” by Dan Harris.
she could allow her son to stay
in one place throughout his high
relate to the realness of Dan and
school years. “I don’t regret the “I loved the book because I could
moves we made and the oppor- how he used mindfulness to
t is not often that a weekend most vital decisions must center tunities myself and my son had not fix everything, but to start
retreat can change the trajec- on how to support and raise her to experience but I also knew to see how his mind worked, sit
Itory of our life, but for Pam son. “The blessing was that I had that my continuing to move for with his discomfort, and move
Marcheski this was the impetus a foundation in a career that I my career would not be in the forward with a response rather
for her new direction. really loved and that I had many best interest for my son”. than a painful reaction”. Pam
Working in retail for most that supported and encouraged While in Sacramento Pam shared that studying and putting
of her professional career, Pam me from the very beginning”. was offered an opportunity to to practice mindfulness in her
had the opportunity to work as Quickly Pam’s retail career transition to a new company everyday life worked. It gave her
a senior leader with some of the grew, but it took real agility and moving from Sears to Kohls and a new tool to pull out for herself
largest retailers in the country. openness to lots of different eventually JC Penney’s. These to work through the stress and
Her retail career started back in opportunities in many different transitions allowed Pam to grow demands of the job, communi-
college while she was studying places. Pam started in Northern her skills and understanding of cate and empower her team at
political science and law. “Retail Idaho but like most growing a the retail business while staying a much higher level, and slow
was something fun I was doing retail career where you start is in one place as she had prom- down and see she had more
to support myself while going rarely where you finish. “I had to ised her son they would while he control for what decisions she
to school, but wasn’t what I had be willing to move it was that attended high school. was making than she was giving
planned to take on as a career.” simple” Pam says. The opportu- As soon as Pam’s son gradu- herself credit.
Often our lives take new trajec- nities being offered were many, ated her moves began again tak- Deciding to move in a
tories than originally planned. “I but each one came with the ing her to Salt Lake City, Seattle, different direction and start a
fell in love with retail, and all the decision to move herself and Chicago, and eventually back to new career didn’t come from just
aspects of the business, mer- her son. Each new place and Seattle to begin what would be suddenly studying mindfulness,
chandising, leading teams, the role brought new learnings and her last role in corporate retail as there were several factors that
operational elements, and how challenges, but the most import- a Vice President. “I loved being built over time but mindfulness
many different opportunities it ant and biggest challenge was back in Seattle” she shares, “I was Pam says “absolutely gave me
offered every day to be chal- making sure that her son would living close to my best friend greater clarity on how to be in-
lenged” and Pam shares “my per- be in a good place through the and her family, my son was do- tentional about my next step. As
sonal life took on a new journey”. process. ing well in San Diego where he I was transitioning out of retail,
Pam became a single parent “Moving to Alaska was prob- had been for several years, and I I had been taking some per-
when her son was young and in ably the most difficult but best had the role I had been working sonal time for myself while also
that moment she knew that her decision I made in my early retail toward for years.” looking at what my next career
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