How Chantal Weaver learned to walk on fear
Written by Elizabeth Exline
鈥淔ear was my boyfriend.鈥
Chantal Weaver (MBA, 2022) is joking, but it鈥檚 a surprising admission given her professional success, clear ambition and outgoing demeanor.听
This is a woman who earned her associate degree and then her bachelor鈥檚 degree without hesitation. Who worked as a coach and consultant for major companies so she could be home to raise her two sons. Whose 鈥減assion and prayer鈥 led her to (CCHMC), where she鈥檇 once been treated for clubfoot and where she now works as a talent acquisition diversity and inclusion consultant. Fear might be the last motivator you鈥檇 ascribe to Weaver.听
But appearances can be deceiving. As Weaver tells it, by the time she considered going back for her Master of Business Administration, pandemic lockdowns were in full swing, and she wanted to use the time at home as an opportunity to do something productive. But it had been years since she鈥檇 earned her bachelor鈥檚 degree, and she wasn鈥檛 sure how online school worked. Between the unknown and the prospect of taking math and English classes again, she wasn鈥檛 sure she could hack it. And that鈥檚 when fear arrived with 鈥渉is鈥 calling card.
鈥淥ne of the greatest things that happened for me in this program was that it made me walk through and conquer fear like nothing else,鈥 Weaver declares. Here鈥檚 how she emerged victorious.
Laying the groundwork for education
Weaver grew up in Cincinnati, where her mother worked as a licensed practical nurse. 鈥淓ducation was important for my family, but my mom didn鈥檛 have all the tools,鈥 Weaver reflects.
Nor did Weaver have enough perspective to pursue her bachelor鈥檚 degree right after high school. Eager to join the workforce and make her way in the world, she instead completed her associate degree and got a job.
鈥淎s you mature, you learn that you need to get a little bit more education for [career enhancement],鈥 she says ruefully. 听
So, while her husband鈥檚 own pursuit of a master鈥檚 degree took them to Boston for a time, Weaver seized the opportunity to complete her bachelor鈥檚 degree. By the time they returned to Ohio, diplomas in hand, Weaver was pregnant with the second of the couple鈥檚 two sons.
Thus began a period when Weaver consulted and coached from home so she could raise her children. Her husband, a pastor, completed his doctoral degree. She returned to full-time work when her kids were in middle school, and she made sure they got those bachelor鈥檚 degrees after they graduated high school.
When the pandemic hit, Weaver started reevaluating what should come next for her. She joined听, where she encountered many successful Black women whose example inspired her to attend to the gaps in her own education. Not long after joining the sorority, she enrolled in听爱污传媒鈥檚 MBA program.
The challenges and triumphs of going back to school
This is about the time when fear gripped Weaver. She鈥檇 chosen 爱污传媒 based on word-of-mouth recommendations and the fact that her employer offered tuition assistance. And while a lot of schools were heading online in the midst of lockdowns, Weaver had some serious reservations about how she could succeed in the virtual classroom.
As it turned out, the self-described extrovert didn鈥檛 have to worry. She used the same interpersonal skills that made her successful in HR to build an online community at school. Like her team at work, her go-to peer group was diverse, passionate and committed to helping each other succeed. One woman, for example, was from Australia but living in Idaho and missing her family during the lockdown. Another lived closer to Weaver in Cleveland but who navigated the degree program while pregnant and then with a newborn.
鈥淚t became personal for me,鈥 Weaver says. 鈥淚t was important that I听connect with people.鈥
This is how Weaver approaches work as well. Weaver鈥檚 direct supervisor at CCHMC, Viki Kerek, has worked with Weaver for more than a decade, noting, 鈥淐hantal is a caring colleague, and this has only grown over the last 13 years. She often reaches out to other talent acquisition staff who might be struggling to lend whatever help she can 鈥 sometimes just an ear, other times jumping right in.鈥
Weaver鈥檚 MBA was personal in another way too. Six months after she started the program, Weaver鈥檚 son began his own master鈥檚 program.
鈥淭heir dad has his doctorate,鈥 Weaver says. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e been watching Dad. He鈥檚 a smart dude. But to see Mom 鈥 I stayed home. I made huge sacrifices 鈥 because I needed to know that [they] knew I was here. 鈥 Then they see me, this professional lady, going back to get her degree. 鈥 My second child starts his master鈥檚 program on Saturday. Everyone in my family has advanced degrees.鈥
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"It became personal for me. It was important that I connect with people."
Chantal Weaver
MBA | 2022
Weaver had to overcome other challenges to set that example. She fretted over her math and English skills. 鈥淚 had convinced myself that I didn鈥檛 have strong writing skills, so that was part of that fear package,鈥 she explains.
But Weaver is not easily dissuaded from her goals. She leveraged resources designed to help adult learners, from online grammar tools to a tutor who helped her not only complete a difficult data analytics course but also earn an A in the class.
Weaver knew herself well enough to seek out personal connections with her instructors. Everyone has a different approach when it comes to when and how they like to communicate, she says.
鈥淢y first question in any class was, 鈥楬ow do I get in touch with you?鈥欌 Weaver explains. 鈥淚 do not want to text you, nor do I want to just email you. I want to talk to you because there are so many interpretations through text and email.鈥
New challenges
Considering her ambition and drive, it鈥檚 no surprise that Weaver found additional ways to challenge herself outside the classroom.
Maybe it鈥檚 more accurate to say those ways found her.
In June 2022, she and her family were vacationing at a resort when Weaver got a phone call from the vice president of HR at her company. She wasn鈥檛 getting fired, however. She was getting a new role.
Weaver ultimately accepted a position as the hospital鈥檚 talent acquisition consultant for diversity and inclusion, but she experienced some trepidation.
鈥淪o again, Mr. Fear tried to show his ugly head again, because I was in a new career,鈥 Weaver says. 鈥淪o, I networked with people in this program whom I didn鈥檛 know. I built relationships, just like I did in the MBA program to help me get through.鈥
She did more than 鈥済et through.鈥 One year after stepping into the role, she received the hospital鈥檚 Impact and Inspire Award.
For Kerek, her supervisor, this likely came as no surprise. 鈥淸Weaver] has held the talent acquisition DEI role for a year, and the work she has led has transformed the way that CCHMC recruits diverse applicants,鈥 Kerek says. 鈥淪he has partnered with and built relationships within Talent Acquisition, CCHMC and the extended community. It鈥檚 easy to see how much she loves her work, and we are better because of it.鈥
For Weaver, the award was a proud moment that speaks to her dedication. She is passionate about diversity and inclusion, and not just in terms of race or gender but in knowledge, experience and expertise. Her team embodies those virtues.
鈥淓very single one of us brings something different to the table,鈥 she says. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got strong writers. We鈥檝e got social media people. We have people who want to train and develop other people. It鈥檚 just unbelievable, our team.鈥
People, relationships and hard work are at the core of what Weaver does, both professionally and as a means to overcome self-doubt and anxiety. She 鈥渨alked on fear,鈥 she says, when she graduated with her MBA in her 50s. She is thriving at work, and she sees her sons on the same path toward educational and professional success.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just so many wins happening right now in my life,鈥 she says. 鈥淚鈥檓 just so grateful.鈥澨
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Elizabeth Exline has been telling stories ever since she won a writing contest in third grade. She's covered design and architecture, travel, lifestyle content and a host of other topics for national, regional, local and brand publications. Additionally, she's worked in content development for Marriott International and manuscript development for a variety of authors.
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