This Monday, we are featuring Junior League of Charlotte member Charlitta Hatch as part of our Member Monday series. Charlitta is the Chair of the Nominating Committee and is currently a Senior Manager at Accenture. Read more about the Charlotte native below.
1) Thanks for taking time to share some personal insights with us today. Can you give us some background information about you?
Chatty Charlitta from Charlotte is a unicorn as I am a native Charlottean. And no, I was NOT named after the city of Charlotte, but it has a nice ring to it. I am a proud graduate of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools by way of Vance High School. Go Cougars! Adopted by my aunt and uncle at a young age, I was raised with two siblings in which I give them credit for two things. Number one: they were the first people to teach me how to fight and still love the person. Number two: they were the first people I got to manage. I have always been bossy – I mean a leader – and I am fortunate to have had great parents that let me lead, express my opinions, and celebrated any differences that I had. I left Charlotte to complete my undergraduate degree at Hampton University, an Historically Black College and University where I became confident in my blackness and learned very quickly to be the best no matter your race or gender. I left Hampton and returned back home where I have remained with the exception of the two years I lived in Memphis, TN.
2) What is the best and worst decision you’ve ever made?
Hands down the worst decision I ever made was getting purple tinted Dwayne Wayne flip glasses with roses on the side in middle school. Talk about having a tough childhood.
The best decision was marrying my husband who is not perfect, but perfect for me. I love you boo! If you were on my fantasy team, I wouldn’t trade you.
3) What woman inspires you and why?
My mom. She has always been the heartbeat of our family, but now after having my son I feel like I should just bow every time I see her (which is every day since she comes to my house to take care of my baby). She is such a blessing to my little family and she sacrifices so much of herself for all of us to be able to live our best life. I don’t even think I could ever measure up to her, but that’s another post!
4) From start to finish, what would your ideal day be like?
To be clear, this day has NEVER happened, so pray that this happens for me soon.
6:30 AM – I would wake up before MEH3 (my son), pray, pump (8 months in and still nursing!), shower, and get dressed. I wouldn’t be rushing, because you know my baby sleeps until I go in and wake him.
7:15 AM –walk into MEH3s room and open the blinds, sing the wake up song, and pick out his clothes. He would just sit up and smile and reach for me to pick him up. I would get him dressed and he would lie still (even when I cleaned his nose).
7:45 AM – We are both dressed and waiting on Mimi (that’s my mom) to arrive. So while we wait, we will read our book and sing our morning song (yes we sing a lot! In a past life I would have been Beyoncé).
8:00 AM – Hand off MEH3 to his Mimi and head to work.
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM – Listen to podcasts and/or talk to girlfriends on my commute to work.
9:00 AM – 3:00 PM – While I am at work, I am having meetings with my clients and teams and everyone is just agreeing with what I am saying and there are no action items for me because everyone else just takes them. I pump twice and no emails or phone calls come in while I am away doing that. I go to lunch with anyone from my project team, but we do NOT talk about the project, instead we talk about life (mainly MEH3). There are no afternoon meetings, but just time to spend time with either my client and/or team members to truly check-in without having to worry about time. I leave exactly at 3 with no spilled milk or leaks through my shirts that I have to cover with sweaters or scarves.
3:00-4:00 – Listen to podcasts and/or talk to girlfriends on my commute back to home (car time is priceless when you have a little one!)
4:00-6:30 – Greet MEH3 when I walk through the door, nurse him so I don’t have to pump and catch up on his day and new milestones. We play and wait for Daddy to come home and then we have dinner and start the bedtime routine.
6:30-TBD – MEH3 is still sleeping and Mark and I are able to hang out and catch up on our day and watch TV until one of us falls asleep. We all sleep peacefully through the night with no middle of the night feedings, bathroom breaks, etc.
5) What keeps you up at night?
Besides my son? Let me alter this question to what I pray for. I pray that I will be able to love my son just enough. Enough that he knows that I am his mom, that I instill the core values that even if he strays he will come back to, and that my husband will always feel loved and safe with me as his wife.
6) If you could tell your 23-year-old self one thing what would it be?
“Don’t say yes to others if it means saying no to yourself.” I haven’t mastered this, but I am working every day to use the word no to family, friends, colleagues, etc. It’s not easy, but I know what it’s like to feel insecure, manipulated, burnt out, or even in an unhappy marriage. Saying no would have prevented a lot of heartache and probably hours of therapy. So just say no to anything that doesn’t feel right. Anyone that can’t respect your boundaries doesn’t belong in your circle anyway so just say “Bye Felicia!”
7) One thing people would be surprised to learn about you?
I am currently in the process of redefining myself now that I have a new role as a mom. I am struggling with the changes that have happened inside of me emotionally, mentally, and physically as I didn’t anticipate them. My priorities have shifted, my view on family and friends have changed, and my marriage is different. Different doesn’t mean bad and I know that, but the logical side of my Gemini brain is still trying to come to grips with everything.
8) How has the Junior League helped you develop your potential, taught you something unique, and/or given you an opportunity that you never would have had otherwise?
There have been many lessons that I have learned, but I think one surprising thing I have learned is that we all need grace. Nearly all of us are wearing multiple hats and sometimes we need help. The JLC has taught me that it’s okay to be vulnerable and ask for help. I have received more help than I even knew that I needed at various stages of my life. No one turned me away and to my knowledge no one has gossiped or looked down upon me for doing that. Receiving the help that I needed also has made me be more intentional about reaching out and extending a hand to many of our members because I want to pay it forward.
Written by Marielle Harris
