Jeannine’s Talk, The Weight of First: The Unspoken Burden of Breaking Barriers and Belonging explores the unique challenges and choices faced by "first and onlys" who break barriers, such as being the first in your family to graduate, the first in your workplace to take on a groundbreaking role, or the only one in your community to achieve significant success in exclusive or traditionally unfamiliar spaces. It delves into how these accomplishments can alter personal relationships (even by those who knew you intimately before success) and challenge one's sense of identity and belonging. "Jeannine K Brown was named among the 25 Most Powerful Women in the Accounting profession in 2024 and 2023 by the Association of International Certified Public Accountants, Inc. (AICPA & CIMA). As the CEO of Everyday Lead, Jeannine K. Brown advocates for creating psychologically safe spaces for high-performance teams. Her people-centered work delivers solutions that assist corporations, increase retention, develop leaders, advance talent, and create competitive advantage with the implementation of the firm’s signature high-performance team strategy. Before 2010, Jeannine held leadership roles at Deloitte, the Alabama Department of Revenue, and in industry, where she led national teams in state and local tax planning and economic development. Jeannine earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Alabama State University, Percy J. Vaughn, Jr., College of Business Administration, and an MBA from Robinson College, Georgia State University. She is the author of the bestselling book, Unstuck and Unstoppable, host of the UnToxic Boss Podcast. Jeannine serves on several civic and organizational boards. She enjoys live music performances, the arts, and to explore destinations far away from home." This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx