What Oprah, Maya, and My MeMe Taught me about Sales

Maya Angelou once said:
“I come as one, but I stand with 10,000.”

I first heard this while listening to her in conversation with Oprah (and let’s be real—if Oprah’s talking, we’re all listening 👂✨). In that interview, Maya admitted that stepping into her fullness—whether it was speaking on stage, writing words that shook the world, or claiming her power—was scary. But she reminded herself that she never walked in alone. She was carrying the grit, sacrifice, and dreams of the 10,000 women who came before her.

And you know me—I had one of those drop everything and type it into the Notes app before I forget moments. (Pretty sure I still have half a grocery list in there that says “almonds, oat milk, 10,000 ancestors.”) But I didn’t want this one to slip away, because it hit me hard.

Because if we’re being honest, sales can feel like one of the loneliest paths we walk—cold calls that go unanswered, rejections that sting, those silent battles with doubt. But what if we saw those moments differently? Not as proof that we’re alone, but as an invitation to remember we’ve got an army standing with us.

This quote instantly made me think of my spunky grandma—who we called MeMe. As the story goes, she dreamed of working outside the home, but instead she spent her life managing farmhands and raising four daughters in the Midwest. Her reality was about crops and cattle, not quotas and clients.

And now, here I am. Free to chase dreams she couldn’t. When the resistance of being a woman in sales shows up—that eye roll when I’m decisive, the friction when I push forward—I pause and remember:

I’m not just doing this for me.
I’m doing it for MeMe.
For every woman who cracked the door open a little wider—or never even got the chance to walk through it.

Sales is hard. Especially for us ladies. But here’s the truth: you don’t stand alone.

Behind you are the women who came before.
Beside you is the Shatter community.
And above you? A few angels, no doubt, cheering you on.

So the next time you feel resistance pressing in, say it out loud:
“I come as one, but I stand with 10,000.”

Because that’s not just a quote. That’s your birthright. That’s your battle cry.

With you (and your 10,000),
Amy

P.S. Take a moment today to reflect: Who’s standing with you? Are there women in your life who never had the opportunities you do now? How can you use their memory, their grit, or even their unfulfilled dreams to keep pushing yourself forward?