BEING AMONG A GROUP OF JUDGES AT THE PINNACLE OF THEIR CAREERS CHALLENGED ME TO STEP INTO MY POWER. I LEARNED THAT OWNING WHO I AM AND WHAT I HAVE TO OFFER IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN MY LEVEL OR TITLE. IT IS ALL IN THE WAY YOU SHOW UP AND PRESENT YOURSELF.

PHILADELPHIA, PA April 19, 2023—Today, XAVIER CREATIVE HOUSE (XCH) participated in the YEA! Young Entrepreneur’s Academy annual business pitch competition. XCH Employee Experience Coordinator, Leah Kohler, served as one of a dozen judges on the Investor Panel that heard fifteen student CEOs present their business idea and request start-up funding.

This is the fifth year XCH has donated to YEA! to help fund student entrepreneurs. For the first three years, CEO Sunny White sat on the panel. Last year, Sunny filled her seat with an employee, making for a stimulating developmental experience. This year, Sunny realized she had found an invaluable opportunity for career development. Leah, who was honored to be part of the YEA! event, was the perfect choice to take the judges’ seat because of her new role as XCH Employee Experience Coordinator. Leah interacts with the XCH staff throughout their career trajectory, from guiding new hires through onboarding to helping employees learn, grow, and celebrate how far they have come. She is responsible for ensuring the XCH culture reflects what people experience and that the environment continues to engage employees as the agency scales and the team grows.

Seeing herself among the panel of highly distinguished judges, Leah had to fight the temptation to think, “Who am I?” and focus on, “How am I significant to this judging process.” And so, she contributed through the lens of her experience traveling the world with a non-profit working with young students from twenty countries helping to develop them in their performance and communication skills. Leah had a great appreciation for what it took for the fifteen YEA! students, who started with an idea in November, to get up on that stage and pitch their business just six months later. One sure way to determine if personal or professional growth is happening is that it gets uncomfortable, and Leah and the YEA! Youth CEOs experienced that moment of truth, where they overcame any doubts and stepped into power to prove their significance.