Meet Savannah Robinson.

Savannah is a strategic, passionate leader who believes in treating people well and providing them with growth opportunities. She cultivates high-performing teams by sparking curiosity, empowering people, and igniting the potential in everyone around her. She truly believes each of us has something unique to offer the world, and that we should all lean into that and celebrate our differences as strengths. She considers herself to be obsessed with personal growth and addicted to becoming the best version of herself.

Savannah serves as Director of Legal Personnel for Barnes & Thornburg LLP, an AMLaw 100 law firm with 19 offices coast to coast, owns her own health and wellness business, and is the founder of Fearless Fridays. She also serves as the President of Young Leaders of Northeast Indiana and sits on several other boards within the community.

Savannah shares, “My life philosophy is to do what makes you happy and leave people better than you found them. Life isn’t a rehearsal. It’s a gift, and we get one chance to do with it whatever we choose. I challenge every person I encounter to be bold and brave every day, and with every act choose courage and kindness.”

YWCA Asks:  What does an “empowering woman” mean to you?

Savannah:  Being an empowering woman means not only making space for other women to come alongside you, but rather helping them realize they have the power and authority within them to be empowering. Sometimes empowering other women means extending a hand and pulling them up or pushing them forward beyond where you stand. When women support women, magic happens.

YWCA Asks: In what ways do you feel that you empower other women?

Savannah: Years ago, I used to compete with everyone, even when they didn’t know it. I was doing this because I had a scarcity mindset, and it was years before I started my journey with personal growth and development. For the last several years and today, I can confidently say that I am my only competition and I hope with everything in me that women around me will be successful in all areas of their lives because when women support women, and when we have more women in leadership roles within homes, corporations, not for profits, etc., it’s magical. It’s magical because women are powerful. Empowered women empower women and studies have shown time and time again that more women in leadership equates to an enhanced bottom line.

I strive to empower the women around me in the office through mentorship and sponsorship, making sure they receive credit for their work and championing them every chance I get. I strive to empower women with my health and wellness business by helping them realize the potential I see in them and that they can create financial freedom while protecting and enhancing their health and the health of their families. I strive to empower women through Fearless Fridays, which I created over a year ago based on my love of the Brene Brown’s Brave Leaders Program. It made me realize that we needed to have a space for women in this community to come together, break down the barriers, and get vulnerable and real about what holds us back. The group has continued to expand (we took a short hiatus due to COVID-19) and I look forward to making it even bigger and better in 2021 by having more women share and inspire the group. I strive to empower women because I have an abundant mindset and I believe that we all have a unique gift to offer the world and the world deserves to experience that gift.

YWCA asks:  Please share an experience or tidbit of knowledge that would help other women.  This could be a lesson learned, or motivational story, or information that you would like to share to help educate others.

Savannah: My biggest piece of advice to all women is to let go of who you thought you had to be and lean into who you are. If you’re reading this, pause for a moment and think about who you were told to be as a kid, as a teenager and even today, as an adult. For years, I stayed in the box I was told I must fit in and then one day (after a lot of personal growth and development—which is a journey I still continue today), I decided to bust out of that box and my entire life changed for the better. I lost some “friends” in process. I gained the courage to end an abusive relationship. I started a new job – one that was made for me, and I felt empowered. When you go through this process and if you really do it and really lean in to who you are, it’s likely you will lose those who are upset that you no longer fit in the box. You will lose those who spent time holding you down. You will lose those who are afraid to lean into who they really are, AND I promise you will be liberated and empowered to show up and be the best you! Surround yourself with people who deserve your magic.