Charity Laister Chosen for BBJ's Women to Watch
Cahaba Medical Care is honored to celebrate Charity Laister, Director of Behavioral Health, who has been recognized as one of Birmingham Business Journal’s 2023 Women to Watch.
These annual awards highlight women who have emerged as key leaders in their companies or organizations, have potential to shape the future of Birmingham's business world and are primed to make a significant impact in the Birmingham business community.
Check out the interview with Charity featured in the BBJ 2023 Women to Watch article:
What drives you to succeed? What drives me is my faith in God and my belief in the calling on my life to serve others.
What challenges have you overcome? In 2018 my daughter, who is now 8 years old, was diagnosed with high-risk Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. At the time, I was in law school on the fast track to finish my studies a few semesters ahead of my expected graduation date. My father had passed away two years prior from cancer, and I was working as a supervisor at the Jefferson County Public Defender’s Office. Being a working mom to a seriously ill toddler and a 6-year-old, while balancing my responsibilities as a wife, supervisor, law student and daughter to a recently widowed mother was a challenge. But, my faith and my family helped me through those challenging times. Today, my daughter has been in remission for five years, I finished law school in 2020 (a semester ahead of time), I am supervising ten times the amount of people that I was responsible for then, and my mom and family are well.
What are your goals for the next 10 years? Over the next 10 years, I would like to continue assisting in the expansion of integrated health care and interdisciplinary legal services across the state. For the past eight years, I have worked to integrate social work and therapeutic services into holistic legal defense and primary health care teams. Thus, my goal is to assist in developing a generation of professionals, that see public service through no other lens than a holistic viewpoint.
Do you have any advice for young professionals in the Magic City? My advice would be to always invest in yourself as a professional by being open to new professional experiences (whether they are paid or unpaid).Experience is experience! Despite the pay, your investment in your skill building and obtaining relevant professional experience will set you apart from your peers.
How do you balance your home life with your work? Prioritizing, planning, and focusing are key to balancing my home and work life. I have incorporated a lot of routine practices in my daily schedule, which help me remain organized and on pace for my daily and weekly goals at home and work. One rule of thumb is that if something is not on my calendar, it is not going to happen. This calendar rule is as true for home as it is for work. At home, I have a schedule for housework, family activities, and my son’s haircuts. Regarding focus, unlike many executives, I do not have my work email or social media apps on my personal phone. I have a set time on weekends to check my work email and plan for my week and I am intentional when I log-in to a social media account. Through deleting my work email and social media apps, I am able to focus more on my priorities and eliminate unnecessary distractions.
What would you do differently if you could do it all again? I wouldn’t do anything differently. All of my successes, failures, and mistakes have taught me valuable lessons that have lead me to where I am at this moment. I wouldn’t be who I am without my challenges, defeats and missteps.
What is the most promising thing happening in Birmingham right now? The most promising thing that is happening in Birmingham is innovative leadership. The increase in green space downtown, revitalization of historic buildings, and influx of new businesses excites me about the future of our city. I am so proud to be from Birmingham and I am constantly encouraging my colleagues from across the country to visit, if they haven’t been to Birmingham in the past five to ten years, because Birmingham is ever evolving.
What does Birmingham need to work on to move to the next level? Birmingham should continue and expand their development of young future leaders to sustain the immense growth.
What can Birmingham businesses do to make the economy more inclusive for women in the workplace? Birmingham businesses can offer child-care, elder- care, and offer more work from home opportunities for women. Child care, elder care, and home management are often additional stressors for women, as women are statistically more likely to be the primary caregivers for their families and can benefit from these supports in the workplace.