Most people have never been sent careening into a wall while traveling over 200 mph behind the wheel of a racecar. Even fewer have experienced this thrill (or sheer terror) intentionally at the hands of jealous colleagues looking to gain a professional advantage at our detriment.
For Molly Helmuth, this is just another day on the job in the hyper-competitive world of NASCAR, an unusual workplace environment for the 23 year-old woman. Virtually every day since she found her passion for driving at the age of 11 has been a battle against an entrenched male-dominated culture that has tried to slow her race to the top through intimidation, including aggressive maneuvers on the track that have led to wrecks. And that’s to say nothing of the physical and financial demands of competing in a sport that makes a mockery of every other industry’s claim to being “fast-paced.”
Molly Helmuth’s rise in NASCAR.
To survive, Molly has to maintain peak physical conditioning, she has to practice more, and she has to work diligently on her personal branding to stand out from the pack and attract sponsors.
Of these demands, the latter may be the most important: Without sponsors, she would not be able to finance her racing. That’s why she chose to earn her bachelor’s degree in marketing degree at WGU.
The demands of the racing lifestyle made traditional school impossible, so Molly had to find a way to earn her degree that would allow her to study on her own time and at her own pace. WGU offered just that, and she was able to immediately apply essential marketing principles to the creation of her brand, Molly Helmuth Racing.
Now, she’s making a name for herself as a rising star in NASCAR, silencing her doubters, and proving that no one can stop you when you have enough grit to stand up to any opposition.
Know someone who’s defying the odds to achieve their career dreams? Inspire them by sharing Molly’s story.
