Peggy Lee Wright

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Join us for another episode of SheBoss, as we chat with former U.S. Army Black Hawk Pilot, mother of 4, business owner, and overall total bada*s, PeggyLee Wright. Her journey is amazing and we hope you pour yourself a cocktail and join us as we learn about how she ‘Embraces the Suck,’ lives life to its fullest and savors each and every moment. Just before turning 50, PeggyLee started THE COMPANY YOU KEEP, a Woman-Owned, Veteran-Owned Small Business located in Huntsville, Alabama. THE COMPANY YOU KEEP brings expertise in Organizational Leadership, Business Development, and Program Management to enhance Operations & Logistics, Training, and Engineering capability for customers across the Government, Military, Academic, Non-Profit and Industrial Enterprise. She is active in several non-profits within the Huntsville community and is a small group mentor for the Flagship program at Leadership Greater Huntsville, a Program Chair for LGH’s Management Academy, and a mentor for the individual professional mentor/mentee program. PeggyLee is also the President of the Executive Board for Fantasy Playhouse Children’s Theatre & Academy, having co-chaired the organization’s inaugural fundraiser, Rocket City’s Got Talent.

She Boss with Peggy Lee Wright

Megan: Hey guys, thank you so much for joining us for another episode of She Boss, I am Megan with Flourish. And before we get started, She Boss is a video series that we do. We drop it every Wednesday at 3:30 Central, where we have the absolute honor of talking to some of the most amazing women that we get a chance to come in contact with on a daily basis. We are based in Huntsville, Alabama. And there’s absolutely no shortage of rock stars here, left and right. And my guest today definitely mirrors that. So I’m so excited for you guys to get to know her and hear about her journey. So thank you so much for joining us. We have Peggy Lee Right, and she is the founder of The Company You Keep. And some interesting fun facts about Peggy that really makes her a total badass is that she used to fly Blackhawk helicopters, which is pretty awesome. And I’ve heard just such amazing things about her and had a chance to chat with her. So I just think it’s just going to be such an amazing story that we get to hear. So Peggy, thank you so much for chatting with us today. And just kind of give us a little bit of overview of you and talk about your journey and what drove you to go into the army and all that good stuff. And we’ll just learn all the things about you.

Peggy: I’m so excited to be here. And in just our few moments of discussion prior, finding all of the maybe two degrees of separation that happens here in Huntsville, between us so that was very exciting. But yes, my family and I, we’ve been in Huntsville now since 2011. I did go into military, I come from a military family. My father was a Korean. My father was Korean War vet as well as a Vietnam War vet. I grew up at Fort Bragg, North Carolina with the 82nd airborne. And both of my older brothers ended up going into the military. 

So I was pretty adamant that I was not going to go into the military, and actually went to college in New York, and was living the life as a college student, and then even graduated and moved into the city and was working for a publishing company and trying to do everything other than what the rest of my family had done. And it was right when the first desert storm had broken out. And I went home to visit my family and a family and we lived right off of Fort Bragg at the time. My mother even worked on Fort Bragg as a civilian. And a family friend said, “What are you doing? You know that we’re calling you” in terms of like that feeling that’s pulling at your heart, we need you. And I went back to New York with a ‘ah, still not going to do it’. And that really kind of hit home and it was true, I had kind of been trying to change my fate a little bit on just trying to be different. And I found that it was quite okay for me to just kind of give in to that and say, “You know what, this really is my calling and what I should be doing”. So I signed up and the next thing I knew I was in an ROTC program and got commissioned as a second lieutenant and was on my way to Fort Rucker to learn how to fly. And it was definitely one of the most amazing experiences of my life. 

Megan: Initially, what surprised you that maybe you weren’t expecting?

Peggy: At first, we’re talking about I went to flight school in 1996. And I think in my flight school class, you’re talking about, a little over 50 to 60 commissioned officers warrants and commissions. And I think I was one of maybe three females that were in class at the time. And when I showed up to my first unit, at the 82nd airborne, I think within our entire brigade, there was less than a handful of female pilots. And so that was a little surprising to me, at first, but I think that for me growing up in a household filled with men, I can handle it. I knew what to expect. But it also for the first time, it really gave me an opportunity to have camaraderie with other women that were experiencing exactly what I was experiencing, that we’re doing something a little different, a little against the norm at the time. And that’s okay. And we were thriving and our counterparts, my colleagues, men and women alike have always been absolutely amazing. I had a phenomenal experience in the military. And I can never say that I was treated any differently. I absolutely loved it. I actually get emotional talking about it, because I still very close with a lot of people that I served with.

Megan: Yeah, that is awesome. I think that’s a big misconception about the military that women are sort of on their own and left to fend for themselves. But you found it was quite the opposite. It sounds like you really had a team there.

Peggy: I really did. I look back on that time. And I only have wonderful things to say about my superiors that I worked for about the people that work with me, my colleagues, about the soldiers that were in my charge that I worked with, it was definitely a mutual respect. And it was something that I will cherish for a very long time. And going back now those 20 years and 25 years and seeing people that I used to serve with and now, we’re all in our 50s. And we have kids, and we’re all in our next chapter of our life doing something and thinking about the things that we did in the military. But just it’s amazing. And I think it really helped shape me not just my upbringing in that environment, but definitely the people, the men and women that I had the opportunity to serve with really changed me and really shaped me to be a better person.

Megan: Yeah, that’s awesome. So talking about the next chapter in your life, I would imagine that there are a lot of traits of that you need to be able to be a Blackhawk pilot, independence, many times where you maybe you’re flying solo, which means you’re 100% responsible for a lot of the aspects of what you’re doing. Having to be adaptable, you have no idea what can come your way and just needing to be prepared for that aspect, but also teamwork. I’ve always heard that with the military, the number one thing they teach you about is how to be a leader above most of other things that way, you are just equipped to handle any situation and rely on those around you identify what their strengths are and their skill sets, that way it can better you for the team. How did you take some of that knowledge into the next phase of your life and the next chapter of your life because now you have the company, You Keep which you started, tell us all about that, and how that kind of brought you into that phase of your life.

Peggy: So, I had a very close friend, who was my mentor, and he was actually went into the Air Force became a two star general in the Air Force as a pilot, went on to fly commercial airlines. And he said to me, when I was kind of going into aviation and starting my military career, he said, “Always remember to embrace the suck”. And I thought, ‘What the heck does that mean?’ And it was really just wrap your arms around, the things that aren’t going to be so pleasant, because if you can wrap your arms around the unpleasant things and embrace them, then you’re controlling the outcome, rather than them controlling you. And so my saying throughout my life in him sharing that with me, and that actually became something that he put on. 

I know you’ve seen the military when we get into command, we get coins, and we put insignia and sayings, and on his coin, he actually had, “embrace the suck” because that was what he was known for. And when he shared that with me, I started using it because it feeds into so many aspects of life, not just military. And so when I left the military, I became a mom. My first job outside of the military was being a full time mom, we have four children, and they’re all in their teens now. But I really threw myself into being a mom and any mom out there, whether she’s a stay at home mom, like I was or trying to be a mom and have a career. It’s not always pretty. It sometimes, blows chunks to be quite frank; it’s not always the most pleasant experience. And I had to learn how to embrace the suck with that, that there were going to be things about parenting that I could not control. Being a control freak, as a pilot, you can imagine. And I had to embrace that. And so that kind of led into or that mindset has always kind of been the little voice in the back of my head going, this is going to be hard and it’d be rough, but you’re going to evolve. And as you’re evolving, roll with it, embrace it, so that you can control it. So what led me into starting my own company is as my children got older, and became a little bit more self-sufficient. I got back into the world of education, I was teaching, doing a lot of consulting work, but also doing teaching at Randolph, phenomenal school, and then moved up into an administration position helping them with their advancement. And at the same time that I was doing that my husband was starting his own company. And it just kind of put another little voice in my head that said I could do this. So right before I turned 50, I made the jump to throw caution to the wind and do what I’ve always wanted to do. And that was starting a BD firm. And so that’s what I did. And I think, had I known at the time, how insane of an idea that was, I wouldn’t have done it. So I’m glad that I have no idea. Because it’s been by far one of the best things I’ve ever done.

Megan: Would you say it’s also one of the hardest?

Peggy: I would definitely say it’s one of the hardest. And I feel very thankful that I decided to make that jump in a town like Consul. I think I shared with you a little bit when we were first getting to know each other that with both my husband and I, being in the military, my husband was in for over 23 years, I was in for a little over 10, we never really felt like we were part of a community. And you don’t really invest too much in the community that you’re stationed at will many times you’re stationed overseas anyway. But you don’t really invest in the community because you know you’re leaving soon. 

And so when we came to Huntsville, and decided to make Huntsville our home, I really threw myself into being part of this community. And whether that was through leadership programs, going to events getting involved in the nonprofits that we have here, we have some amazing nonprofits really trying to do more for veterans and for education, and that made it so that I started to get to know people. And when people saw that I was stepping out on my own, it was such an easy transition for me, because of the genuine relationships that I had made with the people who do wonderful things here in Huntsville. And so it was an easy transition. It was easy to have people that can automatically vouch for me. “Uh, hey, you know, you might want to talk to Peggy Lee, she’s got some she’s got some ideas that that you might enjoy”. Hardest 1,000% hardest thing I’ve ever done because I now can’t complain about anybody. If it’s a great day, hey, it’s a great day. And if I’m mad at the boss, that means I’m mad at me. Take it up with the boss. And arguing with yourself is never easy. 

Megan: It doesn’t really go anywhere, either. 

Peggy: Yes, it doesn’t. You just find yourself going around a circle. I tell TJ and I’ve talked about this several times, for both of us. He was in much longer than I was. But both of us in terms of finding something that gave us that same passion, as when we serve in the military, I’m having are having he having his own business, me having my own business. It’s that same type of passion, because I’m able to serve now. It’s kind of come full circle. Whereas before, I wasn’t a service member or serving our nation, I now am serving DOD contractors and helping them provide for the warfighter. And I just feel like wow, it’s come full circle. So it gives me that same passionate that’s same five that, that I’ve been missing for a bit. 

Megan: I love that. I love that so much. So before we dive into your company a little bit and understand what it is that you guys do exactly. You had TJ next to you so you can kind of watch what he went through starting a business and some of the challenges that he had. But what are some tips? Because we have a lot of people who are either thinking about starting a business have that idea in their head, but they don’t really know what steps to take, how do they pull it together? Do they have to have everything kind of pulled together and tons of capital, a full business plan, all that kind of stuff? And that’s not really the case necessarily. So what are some tips that you would have to an audience who might be in that type of boat?

Peggy: Well, I am a big advocate of I’m not going to try and reinvent the wheel when there are hundreds of thousands of people who have done this before me, maybe with a different idea, but they’re going to have some things that I can definitely build off of, or take into consideration. So one of the first things I did was I went straight over to the Catalyst Center and said, “I don’t know what I’m doing, but I have this idea”. And I kind of think it might sort of maybe sort of kind of work. And they immediately put me with a mentor, who by the name of Kevin, who I had known from my previous life, had been able to work with him on a couple of things. And immediately, it just seemed that my ideas and his guidance on how to kind of set this up worked. And I went in with no capital, I was a one woman operation, and I’ve got a great idea and I’m going to put it out there and see if folks will buy into it and want the service that I’m providing. I’m watching TJ, TJ went through his industry, a few years of industry, kind of learning some tricks of the trade. And that helped him feel secure. I did not want to spend time going through industry and learning tricks of the trade, I just kind of wanted to jump out there, I felt like I had enough background and experience doing business development type work that I can do it. But I will say and I’ve said this to anyone who will ask I don’t think that I could have made the leap into saying I want to do and run my own company, if not for Leadership Greater Huntsville, I give them credit all day long. Because when I went to that course, I was put into a class with 52 other professionals, leaders in their industry, which you know, why the heck was I in that class, I’m still trying to figure that out? But leaders within industry here in Huntsville, that I made really genuine relationships with and in that time, that one year of working with them, when I made the announcement that I was jumping out on my own, the consensus was, well, ‘we’ve seen what you do for free. We’ve seen what you’ve worked on, at nonprofits, and then just your volunteer, what does this look like when you’re actually making money? We need to see this; we want to take a chance’. And so actually, three of my first clients were folks from my leadership class that reached out to me and said, “Hey, I’ve heard you’re doing this, would you be interested in maybe talking about it?” That set into motion, the snowball effect, you do good work for one person, and someone else is going to hear about it. And so now the firm at in June, we will hit one year, of being a being a company birthday party. And in that one year, I now have ten clients. I have small service disabled veteran owned businesses, I have hub zone businesses, I have two large clients that are out of the DC area that are large companies. It runs the gamut. And so it’s exciting. I feel like I’m building something that is a little different, but not so radical that people can understand it.

Megan: Yeah, I love that. And I completely agree with you. And I love the fact that you talked about putting yourself out there volunteering your time. So like different opportunities where, it may not be something that you’re going to get an immediate return on. But it’s a passion project that you can kind of pour yourself into, and other people get to see what you’re made of. I mean, it’s a great way to kind of showcase your skill sets, collaborate with other people, and will also doing a really great thing. So I think that’s a great piece of advice that if you have any sort of opportunity to volunteer or be on a committee or be part of your children’s school board in some way where you can be able to interact and collaborate with other people will be a great way for people to get to know you. 

Peggy: It really is and I think you know, rising tide lifts all ships, I’ve always believed that. I think first and foremost when you go in with a genuine heart that you want to help and that you give it 100%. When you make a commitment, you stick to the commitment even when the walls are crashing down behind you. If you’ve made a commitment to someone or to an organization you stick to it. When people see that type of genuine want or passion to do good for others, doesn’t matter what you do, it comes back to fold. And it’s been a blessing I feel like I have, for the first time in many years have truly become a part of a phenomenal community and I love it.

Megan: That’s awesome. That’s such a great piece of advice, lead with your heart, go in it for the right reason and it all works out and then just embrace the suck. 

Peggy: Embrace the suck; because it’s going to suck at some point during your day, you’re going to feel that way. So wrap around it wherever you’re at, make it your friend, and you will be okay.

Megan: So that perspective, I think is so important for everybody to think about. And me personally, it took a very life changing moment for me personally to have that slap in the face, eye opened, ‘aha moment’ where it was like, Okay, you have to just keep an open mind and maintain a positive perspective and get out of the muck of the day to day bs, frankly, and just focus on what’s important. And when you do that, and you open your mind to things around you people around you, opportunities around you and lead with your heart versus a ‘what’s in it for me’ mentality. It’s amazing what can happen. 

Peggy: Megan, you bring up a great point, because I think the one aspect have always kind of been, no matter man, woman, no matter what career you go into, we’re all in this together. But I think the one thing that sometimes I have found with other women is that we have to evolve. Women are constantly changing. First we’re that college girl, then we’re that career woman and then if we decide to get married, we are a spouse and then okay, what does that now mean in terms of my career? Okay, now I’m kind of yearning to be a mom. Okay, what does that mean for my career for me, and then I stepped away, then I’m ready to get back in there. Well how the heck do I do that when I’ve been out of the game for so long? So it’s this constant kind of evolution for women that we are constantly changing the way others see us because we’re constantly changing ourselves, really, in terms of who we are. And, we’re mommy to somebody, but we’re also wifey to somewhere else. And we might be a colleague to someone here and a boss to someone over here. And we wear so many different hats that it can be difficult. And I think that a lot of times for women I know at least I’ll speak for myself, you feel guilty. I have felt guilty about, okay, I do feel that I want to do this particular thing, this particular job, or I want to work with this particular nonprofit because it makes me happy. And that can be difficult when you’re being pulled in so many directions. Again, I’ll speak for myself; I’ll be the first one to put myself in a guilt trip. Oh, I can guilt trip myself, the babies need me the husband needs me the parents need me, and someone needs me. And I know that you know that it sounds a little cliché, but putting the putting the mask on yourself first, in the aircraft, take care of yourself first. It’s true. And so, I have found that doing something that I really love has made me a better parent. It’s made me a better wife. It’s made me a better friend, made me better daughter, all those things and so I shouldn’t have guilt tripped myself so bad because this is great. 

Megan: But you recognize it and that’s the important thing and you have to consciously recognize those types of things and not get caught up in another world I guess so to speak where you just lose sight of that and what’s important and we’ve talked a lot about that on this series where making yourself a priority that way you can give 100%. You got to focus on yourself that way you can be a better mom and a better wife and a better colleague and all of that because if you don’t take care of that, you know things can crumble.

Peggy: It’s such a hard thing to do, though. 

Megan: It is really hard. I agree. I completely agree. So, on that out of curiosity, having all of the wearing all the hats that you wear and having four kids, I have three I’m like, “Good Lord” because it’s hard. It is hard. There is no doubt about that. But again, to your point, though, I think keeping that perspective and just embracing and knowing that things are going to suck, and that’s okay. And it’s all about perspective, completely great.

Peggy: And people will ask me, “How do you find balance?” And I say, “Oh, there is no balance”. The kids are going to get 100% of me, and other days, my job is going to get 100% of me. Other days, we’re able to do a 50 50 split sometimes there, but there’s never a balance. Someone is always going to get a little less of what they want. I can find a way on the weekends to squeeze that in for my kids. I can find a way to work late night for my clients. I can find a way to sneak in a lunch date for my husband and I’d actually be able to see each other and have adult conversation. But it’s always an ebb and flow, there’s never a balance. And I think that is the other thing, that we as women are always looking for a balance, and I think it’s okay to simply say, there’s no balance, but that’s okay. Because I’m going to ride this wave, I’m just fine with all the bumps that come with it. 

Megan: There was a comment that was made at a recent event, I went to the mom preneur event, also part of The Catalyst. But as women, you always think, and social media does not help with this in any way, but you think that you want to have it all. You want to be the best this and the best that and just all the things. And the comment that came back, which I love, and I remind myself on this often is, you can absolutely have it all, you just have to redefine what all means to you, right because you can’t take something that’s all to somebody else and compare yourself to that, because everybody’s life is totally different. And if you have a special needs child at home, or you’re homeschooling your kids trying to run a business or whatever the case might be like, you have to redefine what that all looks like. And that is a- okay to do. But I think that’s something that we just get caught up in and thinking that we have to just unnecessarily compare ourselves to other people. But there’s like this persona and box that you think you need to be in as opposed to figuring out what works best for you.

Peggy: You know, we do have it all. We just don’t have it all at one time.

Megan: Yes, right. It just operates on its own schedule that works well for you. So tell us about- I’ve had a couple additional questions for you. But I want to know about your business. And what it is that you guys do exactly. And I love the fact that about how you were talking about you guys have sort of come full circle and how you’ve taken all of this experience that you’ve had throughout your life of being a pilot and being a mom and getting involved with nonprofits and leadership and Randolph and all of that. How is that now packaged up into the passion project that you call business every day? 

Peggy: Absolutely, so I think Huntsville is a really unique town. And when I was really sitting back and trying to figure out how to do business development a little differently, or what made me excited about business development and the potential for Consul, there are five entities in Huntsville that work together. And that so easily work together. But sometimes we ignore that circle, and I call them for me, they’re like pillars, like five pillars. So we’ve got the military, we’ve got industry, we’ve got nonprofit, we’ve got academic, and we’ve got government. And those five, if you can take those five entities and find a way for them to work together, then everyone wins. And so being able to take a business and say, “Hey, you guys are doing some phenomenal things, why don’t we partner this business with this academic institution, in order for a win-win?” “Oh, by the way, this academic institution has a relationship with one of the agencies on the arsenal”. Now it’s a three way win. “Oh, by the way, there is a nonprofit, that is a need, that your company and this school have a specialty to be able to help them”. Now it’s a four way win.

Megan: And the ship will rise.

Peggy: So that for me has been the pillars that I stand behind when I approach business development. It’s not just about what type of contract can we go after to win. It’s not just about ensuring that there’s a lot of social media coverage about a particular company or ‘Hey, I want to introduce this particular company to as many fancy names as possible’. It’s about what can be done within this company, or this organization or this school; to ensure that they’re playing with all of the key enterprises here those enterprises being those five pillars, because without those enterprises, we’re just like every other city. And we’re not like every other city, we’re really special. And those five enterprises or those five entities really play well together here in Huntsville; your academic, your government, your military, industry, and nonprofit, it’s amazing. And to be able to pull those five together and be able to show companies and organizations and schools that, “Hey, there’s a lot we can do here, if you’re willing, and you’re open to these ideas and thinking outside the box a little bit”.

Megan: That’s awesome. So every day is totally different, every conference totally different. I would imagine with that approach, that’s a huge value offering because I would imagine that you really bring this unique perspective of holistically seeing how you can bring these different parts and pieces together. And when you do that, with a great intent and a passionate intent and collaborate with people who make each other better in whatever capacity that is for the greater good. There’s nothing but success that I would imagine that comes out the other end. And so having someone you can kind of pull all those pieces together is invaluable.

Peggy: And I love that you say that, because it’s a slow process, sometimes, BD, you cannot fast track relationships. And I think that’s the other piece of this, that The Company You Keep has been so fortunate of is that this wasn’t a, “Hey, I’m going to sell you something, hey, I need to be your friend, because we’re going to do great things together”. This was a- I know someone who knows someone and the two of you can help each other in very good ways. And I think that so many of us in Huntsville, we do that already. We’re constantly looking out for our friend, and hey, have you met this person, and have you met this person, and so much of that, that people do naturally can be so beneficial for everyone involved. And for my company, the way that really starts to kind of build upon itself is when the organizations that I represent, realize that there are going to be some great people that are going to meet and some genuine relationships. And I think that’s my favorite part; I get to work with people that I genuinely like, and generally want to work with. And so introducing these entities to each other and seeing what kind of magic we can make is super fun.

Megan: Yeah, when it’s very long term, too, it doesn’t sound like it’s anything that’s just this quick fix or jump on this. Yeah, it’s a long term beneficial relationship. That’s a win-win, and you get to see beautiful things come out of it. 

Peggy: Yeah, it’s tons of fun. I’m having a blast.

Megan: Yeah, as you should be you’ve earned it. So what’s next for The Company You Keep what gets you excited about what’s coming? What’s happening over the next one, three, five years for you guys? 

Peggy: Yeah, it’s funny, you should ask that, because we’re coming up on our one year anniversary, and I need to start thinking of what the next the next strategic push is going to be for the company. And so right now, I’m looking at having another extension of the company meaning right now I have it as a BD firm, I’m looking to open another division that is actually doing DOD contracting ourselves. And because it’s interesting, as all get out, I’m enjoying it. I am finding that I’m enjoying the chase and the hunt of some of those things within DOD contracting. And I want to learn more. When I think one of the things I mentioned earlier about women always evolving, that we go through these evolutions is I also think that women are hungry to constantly learn. We’re constantly trying to know more, and I don’t think I’ll ever know everything I need to know about BD, but I’m getting pretty comfortable with it. And so now I’m looking to do something within DOD contracting and possibly start another division within the company. So that’s where I’m at, so more to come.

Megan: Yeah, well, and being here, and I mean, we’ve had a lot of conversations around that too with our company of there’s such a plethora of opportunity for business development here in that realm. And we’re sort of finding that too. It’s like, “oh, well, we could we could be doing this and servicing these types of clients, because they don’t think the way that, that we think that we think”, and so, yeah, about strategic marketing and public relations, and it’s very exciting. And going back to your point where women kind of want to wear all these hats, if you’re curious about something, and you don’t know enough about it to have a really good confidence streak about it. It’s like, “Yeah, I’m gonna go learn more. That’s just what I’m gonna do, because I want to read about it and be involved in that conversation”. 

Peggy: I love that. I love that you said that because when I first had the inkling of the company, it was, maybe this could evolve into something that turned into more of a DOD contracting, but I didn’t know enough yet. And I needed to be able to be in those circles; I needed to be able to learn a little bit more to see if that would even be an avenue of approach for the company. And so now I’m considering it. And I think it’s exciting for companies like mine, for companies like yours with Flourish, that when you really start to get out there and see everything and really start to learn the Huntsville market, what’s going on here and the exciting things that are going on here, you start to kind of dream bigger. 

Megan: Oh, for sure. 

Peggy: It’s fun.

Megan: I don’t think there’s a way to go backwards in that aspect if you’re based in this community. I realize that’s not the common thread among a lot of cities. But to your point, Huntsville is very unique, it’s very special. It stands apart from the rest of the region, and my personal opinion. It just consistently fuels opportunity, everywhere that you look, as long as you keep an open mind and ask a lot of questions and be curious about things. There’s no doubt that the business will be exploding. I’ve heard of many positive things about you and the company that you have and where you guys are going. But one of the things that stood out to me was that you just make stuff happen. Things just happen when you’re involved with it, so there’s no doubt that there’s going to be a lot of other amazing things to come. So I’m so excited for you, and so appreciate you sharing your story with me. And I do have one last question before we go if you don’t mind. So a shared colleague and friend of ours told me a little secret about you that I’m curious if you can share, I understand that you are a mad karaoke singer specifically as it relates to the 90s Hip hop is what I understand. So I just I want to hear a little bit about what are your go to jams.

Peggy: Okay, alright. I’m karaoke queen, let’s just okay. I don’t karaoke much but when I do I leave it on the floor. And I have two go to- I’m so embarrassed right now. This is like so great. I have two go to. The first one is Charlie Daniels, ‘The Devil Went down to Georgia’. Good. I have known that backwards, forwards left and right, since I was like six, that probably does not say a whole lot from my upbringing, but I love it. And then my second go to, completely different genre is the very first rap song ever made by the Sugar Hill Kane, hip hop, ‘Rappers Delight’. Love every day. And my brother and I, so again, I was quite young. And my brother had received the album. Remember, the actual album, on a record player for Christmas. And we literally sat in his room for an entire weekend, playing it and pausing it and then singing it wrapping it back to each other. Oh, how funny you made sure that we understood the words. And when it came to some of it, he would tell me, “Okay, you’re not allowed to say that”. And so those are my two and I already know who shared this story with you and I will be having a meeting later at the bar, at the karaoke.

Megan: Now it’s a great time since he’s recently retired.

Peggy: That’s hilarious.

Megan: Well, hopefully we will get a chance to go do that once we get out of this quarantine and can go out and mingle and all of that.

Peggy: Next time you need to fill a segment, or if you want to start doing commercials, I’ll be the karaoke person in between segments. 

Megan: Perfect. I love it. We’ll come up with a jingle. I love it. Look Peggy, thank you so much. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your time and just learning about you and you were just you’re absolutely wonderful and beautiful and I actually heard were you former beauty queen, or is that just a rumor that I heard? 

Peggy: So TJ must have told you that because he’s the only person.

Megan: I heard it from somebody else. Maybe I’m not sure 

Peggy: No, no, no only TJ dare speak that because he knows there’s nothing I can do because married for 25 years. Where am I going? So, yeah, that was many moons ago when I was 18, I think 17 or 18 in North Carolina, many moons ago. So but it helped pay for college.

Megan: There you go, if there’s intent that it going to better you then why not, as long as it’s legal and it doesn’t make it to the internet. 

Peggy: So remember, we talked about evolving the enterprise of women. 

Megan: I love it. Well, it’s that kind of confidence to do whatever it takes, to progress and get yourself to where you know that you should be. 

Peggy: I’m proud of those times. I’m telling you, one of the biggest things that came out of doing that was being comfortable publicly speaking. It was like the biggest boost to confidence in terms of being able to talk and off-the-cuff and those kind of things. 

Megan: And ironically that’s helping you now right throughout your entire career. 

Peggy: Exactly wow, what evolution. 

Megan: It’ll be great to see what happens in the next 50 years, for sure.  

Peggy: Absolutely, maybe I’ll get back to flying.

Megan: Yeah, exactly. Peggy Lee, thank you so much. I am so excited to hear about your story and learn more about you and I know will continue chatting for sure, but really appreciate your time and chatting with us today. 

Peggy: I appreciate you immensely, Megan. Thank you so much, and I can’t wait for us to be able to get face-to-face.

Megan: Yes, for sure. Alright, you take care. Have a good one. 

Peggy: Thank you. 

Megan: Alright take care.