Have You Met – Maya Yette

So, start at the very beginning – Who Are You?

Personal Purpose: be the best sister, (grand)daughter, niece, friend, partner and soon to be auntie that I can be. Make my small corner of the world a little bit better than I found it.

Professional Purpose: Still figuring that out, but right now it’s to find small ways to expose women & Black people to the opportunity for wealth building through hotel investment. Longer term, looking for ways to encourage more people to get out and explore the world.

Official job title: Director, Extended Stay Brand Management at Choice Hotels.

Brief Bio: Recovering lawyer turned hospitality professional. DMV native. Lover of all things travels, great food & drinks, cheesy rom coms in any form and white sand beaches.

What makes you dope?

Everything 😉 lol, but seriously, I think the travel experiences that I’ve had, especially after quitting a “safe,” well-paying law firm job and betting on myself to figure out what else I wanted to do, would bring me more fulfillment and joy. Creating and writing the weekly Folding Chair newsletter for a few years with my besties. Being a happy Black woman. And my hair!

Who was your first inspiration and how did you first learn about them?

My mom. She was the first person in her family to graduate from college, then went on to Harvard Law School and had a successful career as a lawyer while always continuing to mentor young Black people around her. In many ways, I followed in her footsteps, pledging the same sorority in college (Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.), going on to Harvard Law School and then working at the same firm where she started her career.

What’s your happy place? Your favorite thing to do to bring yourself joy?

Anywhere by the water, but preferably a beach in the Caribbean – I have been dreaming of getting back to Anguilla. Day to day to bring myself joy, I take a quick walk outside and enjoy the fresh air.

Where do you get your energy and motivation?

Daily prayer and devotional. My family.

What does balance mean to you and how do find it?

Week to week, that I’m able to carve out time from my 9-5ish job to spend time with family and friends, take walks and spend quiet time by myself, am not too exhausted to enjoy reading before bed and regularly travel to see friends and family outside the DMV. When I look back at my year, if I took at least one big international trip where I was able to unplug from work, rest and connect with the local culture.

What sacrifices did you have to make, or struggles did you face to get here?

I gave up a big law firm paycheck in exchange for a much more enjoyable and fulfilling career. I struggled with self-doubt during months of unemployment when no traditional “business” jobs would hire me because I only had legal experience on my resume and that continued even once I got a job, because I saw friends and former colleagues advancing in their careers while I essentially started over in a new field and career.

What is the early advice you didn’t listen to that you wish you had? Or what advice would you give your earlier self?

I’d tell my earlier self that I don’t have to have it all figured out, and what I’m still telling myself today is that I don’t have to be perfect.

What was your greatest failure and what did you learn from it?

Losing love and friendship. Open and honest communication is better than trying to avoid conflict.

What was your proudest moment to date?

Launching Folding Chair. For years, my two best friends and I talked about creating a business together and trying to figure out what it would be. In 2018, we launched a weekly email newsletter, inspired by the Shirley Chisholm quote “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, pull up a folding chair.” Every week, we wrote about the news and current events that most impacted the Black community. We took a hiatus in 2022 and are currently figuring out what’s next in 2023, but the feeling of getting that first newsletter out there and consistently creating it week after week was incredible.

ACTION: How Can We Help You Today?!?!

Check out the Folding Chair archives (www.foldingchair.co) and let us know if we bring the newsletter back, what you’d like to see from us. As I continue my career in the hospitality industry, I’m looking to learn more about hotel development and eventually own my own hotel. So, any developers that are hiring or open to mentoring I’d love to connect with. Also, looking to get more involved in the community and would love to serve on the Board of a non-profit.

Bonus Brag – What are you currently conquering? Is there something exciting in the works? Next steps?

Personally, I’m about to become an aunt so will be diving headfirst into “rich Auntie mode” and spoiling my nephew. Professionally, I recently got a promotion at work and expanded my team, so am focused on building my leadership skills.