Chenault was tapped to lead the studio business of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ media company, and she’s paved the way for content that resonates in Black communities. Under her leadership, the studio premiered the female-driven talk show “Black Girl Stuff,” but it’s her background in investigative journalism that helps power programs that talk about key social justice issues.
“If TikTok had existed when I was young, I would have been an observer with a phantom TikTok account, as I am today! I am a behind-the-scenes person completely! But I’ve always been extremely curious about what real people think and how trends get started. I’ve known that I wanted to be a journalist since I was in fifth grade.”
What fork in your career had the most impact? Unfortunately, at a high point in my career I encountered an egregiously sexist and racist boss which led to the most abusive professional experience I’d ever had. This preceded the “#MeToo Movement” so I received very little support from the company and even from colleagues who witnessed the daily abuses and aggressions. However, as painful and traumatic as this experience was, it also produced a tried-and-true formidability and resilience in me that would serve me well. After surviving this episode, I developed my newfound superpower—the absence of fear. I learned that nothing and no one could stop me from living my purpose.
What should companies do to ensure more women are in senior leadership roles? They should commit to recruiting and hiring smart and capable women at every entry point and promoting them when they’ve proved themselves. Surely, the companies will find that these women will introduce different perspectives and make their organizations undeniably stronger.
Name a woman who has inspired you. My all-time heroine Ida B. Wells, the OG investigative journalist who led an anti-lynching crusade with her pen.
Mental health aha moment: I have always been a woman of great faith but a few years ago I had an epiphany about casting all my cares on God, who’s abundantly capable and cannot be overwhelmed. Doing that eliminated stress from my life. I truly have never felt stressed-out since that day.
My family just taught me how to…. My family just taught me how to find time to connect and tap in even if you’re working eight days a week!