Podcast: Navigating the Jump from Brokerage to Journalism with Grace Sharkey

There are many paths to a career in logistics, all equally important and impactful. But one important commonality across the industry is the desire to help the community succeed as a whole. Grace Sharkey, the host of FreightWaves Drive Time on SiriusXM, exemplifies this effort and has no plans of stopping.

In this episode, Grace joins us to share her journey and her foundation for success.

The Value of Resilience

Grace grew up in the Midwest and learned the power of hard work and accountability at a young age. To finance her education at Michigan State University, she worked in fundraising, calling alumni to help raise money for student scholarships. Some of the big players in the logistics industry learned about this scrappy group of students with resiliency on the phone and would often recruit them for their business. So after graduation, Grace found herself unexpectedly starting a career in logistics.

She joined Fifth Wheel Freight at the height of the start-up stage. It was quickly clear that being nimble and hard-working was the way to get things done, and she was up for the job. 

Grace quickly worked up the ranks, learning the ins and outs of the business and eventually being promoted to Chief Strategy Officer. Her incredible commitment paid off and opened up the opportunity to carve a unique path in logistics when she left. 

“If you want to get something done, the human will get it done. So, look at that positively. But also look at the people that might feel like they’re held back. What are you doing that could be potentially holding you back as well?”

Transitioning from Brokerage to Journalism

Since joining FreightWaves, Grace has embraced blazing her own trail. She quickly found that people appreciated and respected her perspective and her time and wanted to help enable her success. Her team is dedicated to delivering what the audience wants and expects, and she takes that responsibility seriously.

“Trust is, especially in this industry, like showing trust to your employees that you believe that they are putting you first is like very unseen…I’m a very loyal, clearly, employee. So if you tell me, “I trust you.” Like I’m not going anywhere anytime soon. And I will bend over backward to get whatever you need done. So at first that was a hurdle. And now I’ve realized that it’s turned into like such a blessing from the guy upstairs that I’ve truly needed in life.”

The Road Ahead

So what’s next? Grace is unveiling her newest project, Logistics Girlie. Her venture was born from a vision to empower women and minorities to thrive in the logistics space and give them a platform to elevate their talents and skills.

To learn more about how Grace is changing up the world of logisitcs, tune into this episode of Freight Nation: A Trucking Podcast on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform.