Entrepreneur Sheila Johnson has always had a strong, innate sense of self that has helped propel her to the corporate boardroom and beyond.
Johnson is founder and CEO of Salamander Hotels & Resorts, which operates a collection of luxury properties that includes her resort Salamander Resort & Spa in Middleburg, a gorgeous resort that sits not too very far away from her farm.
A woman of many interests and varied talents, Johnson, the mother two, is an accomplished violinist and a passionate supporter of education and the arts. As Vice Chairman of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, she is the only African American woman to have ownership in three professional sports teams: the NBA’s Washington Wizards, the NHL’s Washington Capitals (2018 Stanley Cup Champions), and the WNBA’s 2019 World Champions Washington Mystics.
Johnson is a strong believer in the value of athletics as a vehicle for women’s empowerment and helped found Street Soccer USA’s Lady Salamanders program, which helps low-income and homeless young women find their inner strength through sport.
She was a founding partner of Black Entertainment Television and is the founder and chair of the Middleburg Film Festival, an annual celebration of independent films that opened to sell-out crowds inOctober 2013 and continues to attract top films for its roster.
This month she co-hosts The Family Reunion with chef and author Kwame Onwuachi at Salamander Resort & Spa, August 19 through 22. The festival will celebrate diversity in the hospitality community through a variety of events, from cooking classes and demonstrations to panel discussions with world-class chefs, sommeliers and industry leaders.
“We want to celebrate the African diaspora and our culture,” says Johnson. “We brought so much of our culture [and food] from Africa, and it’s the foundation, I believe, for all chefs.”
Helping Young Girls Realize Their Potential in Life
Throughout Johnson’s career, she has remained steadfast in her convictions and self-confident in her abilities. These are traits she believes young girls can adopt if they first find out who they really are.
“What gets you out of the bed in the morning? What are your passions? Figure out what you want to do. Don’t let other people define your life,” she says. “Carve out a place where you are going to fit in. So many young people have listened to everyone else except their own voice. They have to listen to who they are.”
You can listen to people, she adds, but “then you can filter out what does and doesn’t work for you,” Johnson says.
Her life has been and still is fulfilling in so many ways. She’s made many choices and turned many corners, but she doesn’t regret any of her choices. Sometimes, however, she will look back and wonder why she didn’t do even more.
“I am in my third act now doing exactly what I want and have always wanted to do,” she says. “Yes, I was a musician and I still play the violin. During COVID, I took up cello and it’s given me great peace and comfort. But, I wish I could have done more with the arts. I love photography. My photography hangs in my own resort. I wish I could have expanded on that.”
Girls who want to become leaders have to learn to be real leaders and lead by example, she says.
“They have to really build their character … study how to be a true leader. If you lose your character, you lose everything. It’s hard to get that back,” she says.
Leading is not about wanting your opinion to be the ruling opinion when you are working with a team. It’s important to “sit back and listen to opinions and not always be the voice in a room of people, just listen to them and put yourself in their shoes. Figure out how you can specifically learn from them on how to lead,” she says.
According to Johnson, to be a successful entrepreneur, you have to be able to understand whatever business you are going into and be patient. “Put together a good business plan and be able to build a network of people that you can surround yourself with who are not coming in with their own agenda, who really believe in your vision and not their own,” Johnson says.
It’s important to always stay determined, which can be difficult. Johnson learned valuable lessons about perseverance when she started playing the violin.
“The violin taught me to focus, organize and listen. It taught me discipline. I mean real discipline. If you are going to be good, you have to be able to stay the course,” she says.
The main thing for girls to remember is to be yourself.
“Set boundaries,” Johnson says. “Carve out that space in your life where you can see where you will flourish.”
Read more about Salamander Resort here.
