“ Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them become what they are capable of being.”
— JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE, German writer, scientist and statesman
A career passion can spring up out of nowhere. You must be open to change in order to grasp it.
At least that’ s how it began for Stevie White, 29-year-old spa director at Joya Spa at Omni Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Montelucia. When she got a job at Joya’ s front desk, she thought it was just a job, she didn’ t think about a career in the industry. However, the more she threw herself into her position and explored the world of spa, the more she knew it was the place for her.
She began training to move into the spa desk lead position within a year of her start. After gaining some experience, she transitioned to the spa operations supervisor role in 2010. Then, she set her sights for the big one: spa director.“ I worked alongside some great mentors who pushed me in my career path and helped me set accomplishable goals,” White remembers.“ After working hard and persevering through obstacles, I was promoted to the assistant director role, then eventually spa director.”
She credits the standout leaders who came before her for her quick rise through the ranks.“ Erin Stewart was the spa director who hired me, and she pushed me at every level to do more and learn more every day,” says White.“ She shaped the spa director I am today and I can say without a doubt that I am where I am today because of her standout leadership and ability to create a collaborative team atmosphere where everyone thrived.”
White has faced challenges in her career, most particularly her young age and having the confidence in herself to be able to lead such a great team.“ When I took the assistant director role, we had associates that had been in the field for longer than I had been alive,” says White.“ It was tough to give direction to senior staff members considered experts in their field. I did my best to make the best decisions for our teams and remain as fair as possible until it became second nature to me. After a few times of the outcome being what was best for our team, I had gained the respect of the team and my age no longer plays a factor in how they approach or see me.”
STEVIE WHITE, Spa Director Joya Spa at Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia, Paradise Valley, Arizona
White hopes that industry newbies in her generation aren’ t afraid to step up and work hard for their leadership roles. She understands the challenge of youth, but touts the spa industry as open to hard workers of any age.“ We constantly need to remind ourselves to stay humble and really work hard for what we want. It’ s easy to feel like we deserve the next step up after a certain point in time in a specific role but we have to remember that it’ s the work we do and the things we accomplish that will take us places, not the time spent.” n
The relaxation area at Joya Spa at Omni Scottsdale Resort and Spa is the perfect combination of tranquil and chic.
42 PULSE ■ March / April 2017