Forté Gave Tricia Felice a New Perspective on Her Non-Traditional Background

Through Forté, Tricia Felice gained the network to finally pursue exactly what she wanted to do — get an MBA and launch a brand consultancy for startups and growth-stage companies.

Drawing on her Hollywood background, she uses storytelling and narrative frameworks derived from movie marketing to help scaling companies connect to their customers. Now she’s giving back to shine light on the possible pathways other Forté women can take to change their careers and empower their lives.

Believing she could do it

When Tricia managed accounts for a Hollywood marketing company, she still hoped to pursue an MBA but didn’t know what it was going to take. In her search to connect with people with her same interests, she found Forté.

“When I decided to apply for an MBA, it was out of the ordinary for my industry,” Tricia said. “I asked for letters of recommendation, and no one had written one before. Forté was my entry into the community I was seeking. Having that community was huge. It provided a pathway highlighted to show me the steps to an MBA and expand my business career.”

Through a Forté conference and online networking, she met peers and career coaches who demystified life as an MBA candidate.

“Forté gave me the confidence to pursue an MBA,” Tricia said. “I found that my non-traditional background could actually be a good thing and give insight not only to myself but to my peers.”

Having that community was huge. It provided a pathway to show me the steps to an MBA and expand my business career.

 

Seizing her power

A person’s power, Tricia says, comes from what you believe you bring to the table, not what someone else expects of you.

“I thought to get an MBA, you had to be a banker or a consultant or know everything in Excel,” Tricia said. “But my power came from working in a different field before I got an MBA.”

Her time in the entertainment industry taught her how to tell stories with mass-market appeal. Now she uses the same storytelling tactics and narrative frameworks that she used to map out movie scripts for her clients now.

At the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Tricia found her niche consulting for startup companies. She powered up her career when she leveraged her background to create her own firm, RedMark Group. Her first step was to build upon the client and community relationships she’d developed while at Booth.

“I was helping several startups as a student, and proposed future work to each one.” Tricia said. “A third of them said, ‘No, you’re crazy.’ A third of them said, ‘Maybe.’ And a third of them said, ‘Yes!’ That’s how I started a company.”

Forté gave me the confidence to pursue an MBA. I found that my non-traditional background could actually be a good thing and give insight not only to myself but to my peers.

 

Giving back

Because Forté opens doors for women to reimagine what they can achieve, Tricia made Forté a funding priority.

“Being a Forté Fellow made me feel like I could make it in business,” Tricia said. “That feeling emboldened me to take the next step and do what I really wanted to do.”

“I felt a tangible difference in my career journey from Forté,” she continued. “If finances can allow other women that same experience, I think giving is very worthwhile.”