Mary Pat Hector started organizing at 12, advised President Obama at 18, and ran for office at 19 — losing by just 22 votes. That loss reshaped her entire path. Today she's CEO of Rise, a national organization fighting for free college and student basic needs across 10+ states, and the founder of Equity for All, a platform helping young people of color in the South gain political power.

Key Takeaways:

• She advised President Obama on criminal justice reform at 18 and has since helped mobilize over 4 million voters through Rise.
• When a Black woman takes over from a white male founder, the funding dynamics shift overnight.
• The most impactful skill a young leader can learn is fundraising — without it, you'll always work for someone else.
• Progressive organizations are facing a post-2024 crisis as foundations pull back out of fear of political retaliation.

In this conversation with Dreena Whitfield, Mary Pat opens up about the real cost of being the youngest, the first, and the only in the room. She shares what happened when she stepped into the CEO role after a white male founder — and how fundraising, dynamics, and expectations shifted overnight. She talks about building sisterhood as a leadership survival tool, balancing being a new mom and CEO, and what she's hearing from young people who are losing faith in democracy.

This episode covers: growing up in a service-driven household in Atlanta, what it was like in the Oval Office at 18, the emotional toll of running for office as a teenager, founding Equity for All after her election loss, leading a hunger strike at Spelman, her path to leading Rise, navigating progressive fundraising after 2024, the personal sacrifices young leaders make, and the legacy she hopes to leave behind.

If you're a young person figuring out how to lead, an organizer navigating burnout, or someone who wants to understand what it actually takes to build civic power — this episode is for you.

About Mary Pat Hector: CEO of Rise, Founder of Equity for All. Spelman College and Georgia State University graduate. Rise has mobilized over 4 million voters nationwide. She helped register over 500,000 Georgia voters through Black Youth Vote. Led hunger strikes that gained 75,000+ meals for HBCU students. Youngest board member of Headcount.org. Featured on MSNBC, CNN, NYT, Hulu's 1619 Project, Forbes, and more.

Subscribe to How I Got Here for more conversations on purpose, leadership, and reinvention.

Host: Dreena Whitfield / WhitPR
Executive Producer, Writer & Creative Director: Keena Williams / Struxa

• (00:00) - Meet Mary Pat Hector: The Activist Who Started Organizing at 12 Years
• (01:22) - How does growing up in a service-driven household shape your leadership?
• (02:36) - What makes Atlanta a unique city for Black leaders and organizers?
• (05:06) - What is it like advising the President of the United States at 18 years old?
• (08:09) - What happens when you run for office at 19 and lose by 22 votes?
• (13:10) - How losing an election inspired the founding of Equity for All
• (16:08) - What does Rise do and how did Mary Pat Hector become CEO?
• (19:28) - What really happens when a Black woman takes over from a male founder?
• (21:40) - How does a young CEO fundraise with no prior experience?
• (24:31) - How are progressive organizations adapting after the 2024 election?
• (26:59) - Why are young people disillusioned with democracy and what can be done about it?
• (29:01) - What does it cost to be the youngest, the first, and the only in the room?
• (32:13) - What do young civic leaders sacrifice in their twenties for the work?
• (34:23) - How do you balance being a CEO, a new mom, and a wife at the same time?
• (37:09) - How do you separate your identity from your work when service is all you know?
• (40:29) - What legacy does Mary Pat Hector want to leave for the next generation of leaders?
• (44:03) - How did Mary Pat Hector's mother shape her into the leader she is today?
• (45:27) - Rapid Fire: Organizing playlists, dream career paths, and the quotes that keep her going
• (48:30) - Why it matters to platform the work of Black women in leadership

Dreena sits down with Aniesia Williams, a brand strategist, venture architect, and ecosystem builder who understands how power actually moves.

In this conversation, Aniesia reflects on navigating leadership spaces where high-performing Black women are often brought in to fix broken systems without real authority or protection. She shares what it cost her to speak up, the psychological toll of being pushed out, and the lessons she learned building and exiting a service-based business.

Together, Dreena and Aniesia explore integrity, ownership, and what it looks like to build systems that truly protect the people inside them. This episode is a powerful reminder that success without alignment still comes at a price.

• (00:00) - Introduction: Meeting Aniesia Williams and her work
• (02:02) - Why titles stop mattering after a certain point
• (04:39) - Learning how power really works inside big institutions
• (06:13) - The unspoken rules Black women are expected to follow
• (08:43) - When speaking up makes you a “cultural problem”
• (11:11) - The psychological toll of being pushed out
• (15:35) - Building and exiting a service-based business
• (18:27) - What no one tells you about acquisitions
• (23:08) - Why integrity matters more than optics
• (31:18) - Creating Dream Wealth Camp for growth-stage founders
• (36:07) - What investors actually look for
• (41:35) - Being coachable without shrinking yourself
• (44:18) - Learning to be okay with being the villain
• (47:16) - Quickfire questions and where to find Aniesia

Laila Brock joins Dreena Whitfield for a powerful conversation about leadership, representation, and learning who you are beyond the job.

From her early days as a college track captain to shaping some of the biggest stages in sports, Laila reflects on what it means to lead in rooms that were never designed for you. She shares lessons from mentors who poured into her, the responsibility of opening doors for others, and the moment she realized success without rest is not sustainable.

This is Laila Brock. And this is how she got here.

This episode is a thoughtful reflection on identity, boundaries, burnout, and redefining purpose beyond titles.

Listen and follow How I Got Here with Dreena Whitfield for more stories of purpose, resilience, and the moments that shape who we become.

• (00:00) - From the Track to the Boardroom: Laila Brock on Leadership, Representation, and Purpose
• (01:36) - Introduction and Setting the Stage
• (01:45) - Early Leadership Lessons at Penn State
• (03:24) - Influential Figures and Personal Growth
• (05:10) - Challenges and Triumphs in Operations Roles
• (08:55) - Transition to Business Development
• (12:00) - Joining the Atlanta Dream
• (15:23) - Navigating Leadership as a Black Woman
• (17:50) - Representing the Ancestors and Future Generations
• (18:46) - The Rise of Women's Sports
• (20:15) - Reflecting on Career and Personal Identity
• (23:02) - Advice for Young Women in Sports
• (28:23) - Legacy and Impact in Sports
• (29:33) - Quick Fire Questions and Closing Remarks