Today we’d like to introduce you to Terri Long.
Hi Terri, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I started my journey in high school in a work-study program, where I worked at NASA as an office administrator for 2 years. After graduating from high school, I was accepted into the Computer Science program at the University of Maryland but opted to work full-time instead. I really wanted a job at Pepco (Washington DC Utility Company) because they paid so much more than the government. When Pepco did not call me for an interview, I showed up at their employment office one day unannounced with a made-up story that one of their recruiters left me a message to come down there for a potential job opening. The recruiting manager (Blanch Moose–a lady I will never forget) said, “I did not call you, and I’m the only person who does the outreach calls for potential jobs, and there are no current job openings for which you qualify. But since you came all the way down here with determination and dressed for success, I will see what I can do.” She found an opening for me in the budget department! I started my career at Pepco at 19 years old and worked my way up to being a financial analyst. Pepco paid for me to attend college, so I worked there during the day and went to school at night. I got married at 23 and started a family, which forced me to drop out of college. I continued working at Pepco raising my 2 daughters. After working at Pepco for nearly 10 years, I realized that I wanted to do something different.
I wanted to work more closely with people instead of crunching numbers. I took a job at Freddie Mac as a budget analyst but within their HR Department. I knew that I needed to work my way into a role in the HR department. I eventually got into benefits administration, and my career took off from there. I left Freddie Mac after about 5 years and took a Benefits Manager’s position at a law firm in DC. I eventually became Director of Benefits for one of the largest law firms in the world, without the benefit of having a degree, which is unheard of. My personal life went through a few twists and turns. Two divorces later, I met my current husband, Stan Long, on Facebook in 2014. We married in 2017, and together, we intend to display perfectly imperfect black love for the rest of our lives! I am now the mom of 3 amazing kids Tierra (daughter 28 yrs), Tyler (daughter 26 years), and David (son 15 yrs). Stan has one son Seth who is 17 now, and I still have not met him. Stan remains strong in a custody battle he’s been fighting for many years now. He has not been able to see his one and only biological son in 10 years now but we remain hopeful that Seth will be a part of our lives one day. I have amazing parents who have been married for 57 years now. My dad is 94 and spry, and my mom is 83 with some health issues, but she’s still the most amazing lady I’ve ever known. Back in 2018, I became the cohost for my husband’s podcast, Spotlight Over The City. Since then, the show has turned into a fully produced tv/talk show that airs life every Thursday at 7 pm ET. It is by far the best job I’ve ever had. I used to always tell people that my dream job would be sitting in Wendy William’s chair on tv doing what she does, and Spotlight Over The City fell in my lap along with an amazing husband! It is the #1 talk show in the DMV area. My career as a leader of Benefits spanned over 25 years, In 2022, I decided to step out on faith and left the law firm to start my own company, T2T Media, LLC, which is a media company currently developing a docuseries called the Trauma 2 Triumph featuring people who have gone through real life trauma telling a story of transitioning from trauma to triumph!!! My days now are balanced between trying to build Trauma 2 Triumph producing some amazing content and being the Cohost of Spotlight Over The City. I also do a lot of hosting for large and small red-carpet events, as well as emceeing for conferences, business symposiums, and more. I enjoy traveling and trying out new or remodeled hotels. My new ideal job is to fly around the world reviewing hotels and restaurants! I would love to do that one day and get paid to do it.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Nooooo…not a smooth road at all. I dropped out of college at the age of 23 to start a family. I had to work 2 jobs during those years to make ends meet. I got divorced after 6 years of marriage and was left to raise 2 amazing little girls by myself. My car was repossessed. I had to file for bankruptcy and there was no furniture in our home for a long time. But my daughters and I still had love, food, comfortable beds, and a roof over our heads. Most of all, we had the support of my family throughout it all. I actually got somewhat fired from Freddie Mac for sending/receiving inappropriate emails on the company’s system during a courtship I was having with a man as I managed to heal from a painful divorce.
Freddie Mac liked me enough to give me 3 months’ notice and allowed me to get a few HR certifications at their expense so that I would be able to get a great job. I learned a valuable lesson at Freddie Mac and maintained an excellent work ethic and professionalism from that point on. I never sent or allowed myself to receive another inappropriate email ever again. It is extremely important for everyone to remember that when you work for an organization, it is the equipment you are using and everything must be company/business related. I soared in my career after learning this big costly lesson!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My career as a leader of Benefits spanned over 25 years, In 2022, I decided to step out on faith and left the law firm to start my own company, T2T Media, LLC, which is a media company currently developing a docuseries called the Trauma 2 Triumph featuring people who have gone through real life trauma telling a story of transitioning from trauma to triumph!!! My days now are balanced between trying to build Trauma 2 Triumph producing some amazing content and being the Cohost of Spotlight Over The City. I also do a lot of hosting for large and small red-carpet events, as well as emceeing for conferences, business symposiums, and more.
I am most proud of the benefits staff that I have groomed and mentored along my journey. I have a gift of getting along with any type of personality and helping to mend relationships with others. My leadership skills are unmatched when it comes to effectively getting people to work well together and resolving conflict.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.trauma2triumphdoc.com
- Instagram: @territbomblong
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tns1970/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terri-n-long-234a2b12/
- Youtube: https://www.facebook.com/tns1970/
