Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice’s journey to leadership started in a modest pink house tucked off a dirt road in the small town of Wrens, Georgia.
It was a place that didn’t see indoor plumbing until 1968, but what it lacked in amenities, it more than made up for in life lessons.
In that space, surrounded by her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, she absorbed the values of grit, responsibility, and the kind of courage that endures quietly, even when no one is watching.
Where the Lessons Began
As a child, Dr. Rice spent her summers at that pink house making mud pies and gathering eggs from the coop. What might have seemed like simple chores were the early seeds of leadership.
It was there that she learned the power of “I can,” “I should,” and “I will.”
Her mother became her first model of strength. She vividly remembers the night her mother left an abusive marriage, gathering her four young daughters in the middle of the night to start over. It was a painful moment, but it left a lasting message. Losing something does not mean you have been defeated.
Accepting Loss Without Losing Yourself
Years later, Dr. Rice had to return to that early lesson. She had become a rising figure in academic medicine. She was leading a department, had founded a women’s health research center, and was serving as the youngest dean of a medical school in the country.
Then everything shifted.
A new university president asked her to step down. The decision was painfully public. It felt personal. She felt disoriented and questioned whether her accomplishments would be overshadowed by this unexpected shift.
But she did not remain in that space for long. Just as her mother had done years before, she stepped back and looked clearly at her circumstances. She asked herself what part she had played and what she could take from the experience.
Through it all, she came to understand that loss does not always signal failure.
Sometimes it is simply the test that prepares you for what comes next. And when you are willing to learn from it, that test becomes part of your growth.
Rethinking Fearlessness
Too often, we treat fear as a signal to stop. Dr. Rice sees it differently.
Being fearless isn’t the absence of fear. It’s the decision to move forward anyway. It’s putting yourself out there, interview after interview, decision after decision, even when you’re unsure. Over time that repetition builds confidence.
Her mother demonstrated this quiet superpower as well. She managed work, family, and community responsibilities with strength and without complaint. Success did not always come with joy, but it came with consistency. This steady determination became the model of fearlessness that Dr. Rice carried forward.
Leading by Lifting Others
Now, as President and CEO of Morehouse School of Medicine, Dr. Rice sits at the intersection of healthcare, education, and equity.
She believes deeply in paying it forward and values the power of storytelling as a way to connect and inspire.
“We must be heard, but we must also listen.”
By sharing the harder parts of her journey, she creates space for others to find strength in theirs.
The Wrap
Dr. Rice often returns to the image of that pink house. The place where her understanding of leadership first began to take shape. It was there that she learned to embrace risk with confidence, hold herself accountable for her actions, pursue her goals with boldness, and lead with integrity even when no formal title was attached to her name.
She reminds us that leadership is defined by the distance a person has traveled, the lives they have touched, and the positive change they have helped create.
Her story offers a powerful call to action for anyone facing uncertainty, setbacks, or fear. She encouraged them to keep moving forward with purpose, guided by courage and honesty, even when the path ahead is unclear.
Because in the end, each of us already possesses what we need.
