CVS Health Heart At Work Feature & Honor

I have been honored to be featured by CVS Health in its monthly Heart At Work story for June 2022. Honestly, this is one of the highest honors of my life. Likewise, it is one of the gutsiest risks I’ve taken as well. The CVS Health Heart At Work series highlights heart-driven heroes from the Company in articles describing how they live out values that align to the CVS Health culture. These are the heartbeat and cultural role models that help build positive culture and others’ lives.

I had a lot of time to reflect as the feature was being developed. After you vulnerably bear your soul to others, you cannot rewind time to erase your words. Such a public feature for me was a mixture of many personal attributes; courage, compassion, selflessness / other-centeredness, self-sacrifice, vulnerability, and authenticity all are concepts that come to mind. But it was important. People need heroes of all kinds. I described this in a personal LinkedIn post while my feature’s social visibility was growing wider than anything I’ve previously done:

Less than 1 in 3 American adults personally know a transgender person. It is a stat that’s echoed in my mind over the past few weeks. I know a lot of people, but a lot of people don’t know that I’m transgender.

I’ve often shied away from that spotlight. But as I have grown in leadership, I’ve learned about the absolute importance of authentic, vulnerable, visible leadership. Each and every facet of my identity makes me the best leader and servant that I can be. Being transgender has built my compassion, empathy, and servanthood in ways no other part of my identity could ever do. It influences how I serve and how I charitably give to a world in need.

And that should not be shrouded in shadows. People are in such need of visible leaders in every walk of life. This visibility provides exposure to new perspectives, ideas, and solutions. And it supplies individualized evidence that we’re not alone in our journeys and the hope that the lives we desire are tomorrow’s possibilities.

You have one life to give. Own your full uniqueness, vibrantly and vocally. And I said it in the article so I’ll say it again—serve and give from your special mix of talents, experiences, and resources. You’ll enrich and bless others as well as yourself in ways that you may not yet even imagine.

Thank you to my friends and colleagues at CVS Health for the opportunity to encourage others through a part of my life, career, and giving journeys.

#TeamCVS #leadership #PrideMonth

Citation: LinkedIn / Melissa Price

I’ve had a lot of honors in my life–valedictorian in high school, 4.0 in undergrad and MBA degree programs, and CVS Health Diversity Champion last year. This feature is the highest of the high because I know I did the right thing: I pursued helping others. Desperately needed in society right now, helping others in compassion through principles like self-sacrifice is the only way to heal our nation and world.

The public outpouring of support, kind words, and thankfulness has been nearly overwhelming. It affirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I did the right thing. People need inspirational heroes from all walks of life. As a Christian and a transgender woman, I know this article will help many. And it already has. I did the right thing. I hope, whatever your story is, that you can come to a point where you can do the right thing too.

Thank you for listening.

Note: The opinions expressed in this post and in any corresponding comments are the personal opinions of the original authors, not those of CVS Health.