Story & Lesson Highlights with Tangela Q. Parker

Tangela Q. Parker shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Good morning Tangela Q., it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
Integrity

Intelligence can take you far, and energy can keep you in motion, but integrity determines whether people will follow you once you get there. In leadership, especially in public affairs and healthcare, your credibility is your most valuable asset. You can recover from a mistake in judgment, but not from a pattern of dishonesty or inconsistency.

I believe integrity is what gives intelligence purpose and energy direction. It’s the quiet strength behind every hard decision and every promise kept. Ultimately, people may admire your talent, but they will remember your character.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Tangela Q. Parker, Senior Vice President of External Affairs for Planned Parenthood Southeast, where I oversee marketing, communications, development, and community engagement across Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. My work sits at the intersection of advocacy, access, and storytelling, ensuring that people not only receive care but also feel seen, respected, and empowered throughout the process.

What makes our work special is that it’s deeply human. We’re serving communities that have been overlooked, and we’re doing it with honesty and compassion. My background in corporate marketing and public affairs, at places like CVS Health, Centene, and UnitedHealthcare, taught me how to build trust through clarity and purpose. I’ve carried that forward into nonprofit leadership, where the stakes are real and the stories truly matter.

Currently, I’m focused on expanding partnerships that center on reproductive equity, elevating new voices in the South, and ensuring that Planned Parenthood Southeast remains not just a healthcare provider, but a movement leader. My story is about combining strategy and empathy to turn awareness into action and challenges into opportunities.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
The part of me that needed validation. That version of me served her purpose—she got me here—but she can’t take me where I’m going.

For years, I poured energy into proving I belonged in certain rooms, earning every ounce of respect, every seat at the table. And it worked. But that mindset came from survival, not power. Now, I’m in a different season; one rooted in confidence, not permission.

I no longer chase validation; I attract alignment. I’m focused on legacy, impact, and peace. When you stop performing for approval and start walking in your purpose, everything shifts: your energy, your opportunities, even the way you show up. That’s the version of me you’re seeing now: grounded, intentional, and unapologetic about what’s next.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering taught me what success never could: how to stand still and listen to myself.

When everything is going well, you move fast, you check the boxes, you perform. But when life breaks you open, you meet the truth about who you really are. Pain forced me to slow down, to rebuild my confidence from the inside out, not from titles or applause.

Suffering taught me resilience without ego. It showed me that grace is power, and that peace is the real definition of winning. Success may look good on the outside, but pain shapes your character, discernment, and voice. It stripped away everything I thought I needed and left me with what actually matters: purpose, alignment, and authenticity.

That’s the kind of power you can’t buy or fake. It’s earned through every lesson that tried to break you and didn’t.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I’m committed to building spaces where women, especially Black women in the South, can access care, confidence, and community without apology. That’s a lifelong project for me.

I’ve seen what happens when women feel invisible or silenced. My work at Planned Parenthood Southeast is about changing that narrative, one story, one policy, one partnership at a time. It’s not quick work, and it’s not always easy, but it’s necessary.

Beyond the organization, it’s personal. I want the next generation of women leaders to inherit a culture that values their voices and their well-being equally. Whether it takes five years or fifty, I’m committed to building that legacy. Because real change doesn’t happen on schedule, it happens when you refuse to give up.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people say I led with conviction and grace, that I built things that mattered, and I made people feel seen.

Titles fade, but impact doesn’t. I want the story to be that I used every platform I had, corporate, nonprofit, and personal, to open doors for others, to tell the truth even when it was uncomfortable, and to lead with both intellect and heart.

I hope they say I never folded under pressure, that I stayed authentic in rooms that expected performance, and that I left every space better than I found it. In the end, I want my story to read like this: she turned purpose into power, and she made it count.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @Tangela.Parker
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/ tangela-parker
• Twitter: @Tangie.Parker