Some people show up in a room and you immediately know they’re going to make things better. Beth Pickles is one of those people. She’s a longtime sales and leadership professional who, after Leadership Sumner, became the kind of community connector we all want on our team — the one asking how to serve, then rolling up her sleeves and doing it.
We talked about where that work comes from, and the answer was simple and lovely: faith. Beth’s church motto — love God, love people, make Jesus known — guides everything she does. She prays, asks God to open doors, and then walks right through them. That kind of purposeful obedience isn’t flashy, but it quietly changes things.
Leadership Sumner changed the trajectory
Beth told me Leadership Sumner was a turning point. Before the program she was busy. After it she became intentional. The training didn’t just give her new contacts — it helped her understand how to show up where she’d have impact. She started serving in places that mattered, and doors opened. That’s the beauty of leadership development done well: it helps you take the pieces of your experience and redirect them toward real contribution.
Here’s the thing she said that stuck with me: learning about yourself isn’t just so you can feel better about yourself. It’s so you can be better for others. That line — “I could meet their needs and understand their strengths” — was one of those in-the-room moments where you feel the shape of someone’s calling.
Personality work — not to change you, but to make you more useful
Beth has been through every personality tool out there. The one that shifted things for her was a social styles assessment that measures not only your style but your versatility — how well you adapt to others. She scored high on versatility, but the test gave her vocabulary and intention.
Beth’s natural style is direct and driver-like. Before, that driver part of her would bulldoze through meetings, trying to get results. After the work, she learned to ask: who am I speaking to, and how will they best receive this? Instead of being louder, she learned to adjust. Instead of just clearing the path, she learned when to clear it and when to walk alongside someone as they find it.
I could relate — I learned something similar from the Enneagram years ago. There’s a line I love: “I can either run people over or clear a path.” The difference is awareness and intention. Personality frameworks don’t make you fake; they help you channel what’s already strong in you so it serves others better.
The nonprofit network that actually works
One of the places Beth’s leadership has gone is United Way. She told a story that stopped me: she realized a lot of people who struggle in our community aren’t the ones showing up for public assistance — they’re the ones just above the cutoff, the ALICE families (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed). They’re working hard and still one emergency away from crisis.
United Way and the countywide nonprofit network surprised her — not because they had heart, but because they were coordinated. When the tornado hit, she spent two weeks working alongside the Hendersonville Chamber and United Way. Watching them map needs, avoid duplicated efforts, and place resources where they would do the most good changed her view of what organized charity can be.
This is a lesson for all of us: big organizations with staff and systems aren’t inherently bad. When they collaborate, they can make tiny gifts — a box of diapers, a scholarship to camp, a backpack — turn into life-extending help. Beth’s practical advice: give where donors coordinate, and volunteer where your few hours will be amplified.
Obedience as a leadership habit
We talk a lot about strategy on this podcast, but Beth brought us back to something quieter: obedience. Not marching orders, but the small, faith-led decisions that move you toward someone in need. She told the story of pulling into Publix on a whim to buy diapers — the baby-sized, next-step action that led to more opportunities to serve. Obedience, she said, opens doors. It’s how small actions grow into a life of good work.
We also talked about the temptation to wait. “When I have more time…” sounds noble, but it’s a dangerous stall. Beth’s counsel: do the next thing you see. Start small. There’s a place in the network for your time, your dollars, your skills — right now.
What Beth now helps people do
Her consulting work is rooted in 30 years of sales and team leadership. Beth helps teams put personality and skill into action: how to lead differently depending on who’s in the room, how to let your people shine, and how to convert training into sustained behavioral change. She doesn’t sell platitudes. She gives leaders practical ways to use what they already are — strengths and blind spots — to bring out the best in others.
If you’ve ever left a conference with pages of notes and then gone back to the same old patterns, Beth is the person who can help you cross that bridge.
A small call to action
If you want to do something that matters, Beth’s message is both disarmingly simple and profound: be observant, be obedient, and start small. Plug into the nonprofit network in your town. Learn your style so you can meet people where they are. And don’t wait until “someday” to use what you have.
I left my conversation with Beth feeling energized and humbled. Her life is a model of how faith, self-awareness, and community can multiply good work. She’s everywhere because she chose to be, step by step, obedient and intentional.
If you’re curious about personality frameworks for your team, or want to find the best place to give or volunteer in Sumner County, drop a note — I’d love to connect you. And if you ever see Beth at a chamber event, say hi. She’ll ask how she can help. Then she’ll do it.