"The Second Mouse Gets The Cheese"

Last month I attended the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance Women’s Leadership Speaker Series and hosted in partnership with Carolina Ascent FC.

It was a strong panel of trailblazers shaping the future of women’s sports and leadership. The conversation was chocked full of wisdom, but one line has stayed with me long after: “The second mouse gets the cheese”, shared by Melinda Morris Zanoni, Esq. I had never heard that one before. If you think about it, the first mouse springs the trap. The second one benefits from patience.

I have a sign on my desk that says: “Everything Is Figureoutable” and I am someone who was taught “fake it till you make it” at an early age, so this this struck me in an unexpected way.

To be clear, I 100% still believe in stepping into rooms before you feel entirely ready. I still believe in stretching yourself into growth, but this was different. This was about timing, values, and restraint as a strategy. Melinda’s point wasn’t about hesitation. It was about conviction. She reminded us that sticking to your core values is not naïve. It is strategic. It’s strength through patience.

Former Winthrop University Foundation Board Member, Jan Ivey opened the program with clarity and energy. Stage presence matters. The way you enter a room shapes what is possible inside it. I left reflecting on my own leadership posture.

There are seasons to go first. There are seasons to build the plane while flying it. There are seasons to charge ahead. And there are seasons to observe, anchor in your values, and move deliberately.

“The second mouse gets the cheese.”

Patience is not weakness. Conviction is not rigidity. Values are not decorative, they are directional.

Charlotte’s momentum around women’s leadership is deeply energizing and inspiring, and I am grateful to be building and learning alongside it