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As our utility member needs grow, our communications co-op has grown, too. Since we love building a community of utility communicators, we asked some of our staff to share their stories with you. Our next story comes from Assistant Traffic Manager Elaya Walker, one of the storytellers on our production team.
Imagine you’re driving down the road, rushing to make an appointment. The car stalls, leaving you stuck on the side of the road. Within moments a mechanic pulls up, pops the lid and gets your engine fixed so you can make it to your appointment on time.
Meet Elaya Walker, one of the “mechanics” who keeps projects for Utility Pioneers running smoothly. As an assistant traffic manager, Elaya and the rest of Pioneer’s behind-the-scenes production team keep communication projects moving to meet deadlines.
“I come in with the resources,” Elaya says. “I ask, ‘What can we do to MacGyver this to at least get you to the gas station? One of my superpowers is that I’m able to relate to people, talk to them and come to an understanding. I nudge them along, and everyone on our team knows I’m here to encourage them, not bother them. If a project stalls, it probably means there’s a problem. How can I help so we can get it back on track?”
With a focus on the production process, she works with Pioneer’s printers on specs for print work (flyers, brochures, annual meeting packets) and creative marketing items (tents, table templates, vehicle wraps).
“I get to see all the wonderful things our members want us to bring to life for them, and I help make it happen,” Elaya says. “I keep the projects flowing, making sure they get to our members on time. We have a whole team holding you. It’s not just the account manager you talk to daily; they have a full support team. At the end of the day, we’re supporting you, too.”
Journal Your Journey
When she’s not keeping projects running smoothly at Pioneer, Elaya supports personal storytelling as a life coach.
“I’m the supporter, the cheerleader and the strategist. That’s my role in my personal life and my career. I’m cheering people on, supporting them in what they do. I’m really good at that,” Elaya shares. “Because I’m supporting them, I have a different perspective into their life and their story. I can strategize and build on that.”
She began by focusing on business coaching, but realized people often need help to create a strong foundation and sense of purpose before becoming entrepreneurs.
“I decided to do more personal coaching,” she says. “Yes, we’re going to build an empire if that’s what you want, but we’re going to build the right empire for you: who you are, and what you want to accomplish in life.”
Thinking about a change? Elaya advises focusing on what you want for your personal and professional life, first.
“What do you enjoy? What do you like? People don’t really know how to answer that,” Elaya says. “We’re in such a fast-moving society; people often don’t take the time to reflect.
“My nanny — my grandmother and best friend — has a saying, ‘Sometimes the best way to find something is to get lost.’ Be open to explore new avenues and options. When you look at yourself from a different perspective, you see different things. I often tell folks, ‘Hey, look into this and see how you feel about it.’ It might hit, it might miss, but even with a miss the experience might lead you closer to where you want to be.”
Elaya helps Pioneer’s team map out project goals with editorial calendars and quarterly planning. She says Utility Pioneers can take a similar tact to reach personal goals.
“You are a good resource,” Elaya says. “I advocate for journaling, writing things down and figuring them out. Even if you don’t know how to journal, get the things in your head and put them on paper. You’ll learn so much.”
She keeps bullet journals with quick sketches and thoughts. Not a writer? Record your ideas on your phone. Either way, the key is to get your thoughts out and take time to review them, too.
“Everyone has a story. It’s important to understand who you are and what you want your story to be. And for me, it’s important to take that a step further. Put it down, write it somewhere. Tell your story.”
Travel with Purpose
Travel has always been part of Elaya’s story.
“Traveling is in my blood,” Elaya shares. “My great-grandfather, Ulysses Bryant, was the first African American bus driver for Greyhound in the Southeast region. He traveled. His daughter, my grandmother, traveled too — not professionally, but that’s how she expressed herself. She’d haul all the kids in the car and drive. My mother was in the military, so of course there was travel there, too. I’ve always been on the road.”
Elaya grew up in a military family, moving every three years to states including Virginia, Georgia, New York and Hawaii.
“Travel is something I didn’t realize was a privilege I had until Hawaii,” Elaya says. “It was a pain point growing up. I couldn’t keep friends; we moved all the time. Back then we didn’t have social media, we had letters. If you’re in the third grade and you move away, that’s it. Your friends aren’t your friends anymore. You’ve got to make new ones. After Hawaii, my grandmother said, ‘There are people who don’t leave their block. You’ve seen places in the world people don’t see in their entire lifetimes.’ That’s helped mold and shape my view.”
Before joining Pioneer in 2021, she worked as an airline attendant and a relationship manager for a nonprofit in Atlanta. With a background in project management, she built her own business as a life coach.
“My career has been a journey, but it’s always centered on storytelling,” she says. “One of the things that hooked me into working for Pioneer is that it’s remote and allows me to travel. That’s a core thing for me. Now I’m at a place in my life when I’m learning more about my history, my heritage. I want to do more international travel to explore my roots.”
