It’s a real struggle for transitioning veterans, along with the veteran suicide rate climbing. It was clear if we could do something to help other veterans, that would be a win.” — JANET BLACKALL
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN HUVER
JANET BLACKALL:
Helping Other Veterans Transition from Warriors to Elite Leaders
PHOTOGRA
PHY COUR
TESY BRYAN
J NELSON
BY SHANIKA P. CARTER
C
hief Motivational Officer (CMO) is how Janet Blackall, owner and president of Blackall Racing, describes herself. The titles Team Manager, Military Veteran, Wife, and Mom also apply to the Sand Lake resident who came to West Michigan around 2008 when it was the only place that she could find work after her time in the Marine Corps. Blackall’s transition back into the civilian world was one that was tough for both her and her husband, Tony, a rider for Blackall Racing and full-time applications engineer. “The lack of brotherhood and sisterhood, comradery and having real faith and trust in your peers was just something not easy to find on the civilian side,” Blackall said. “It’s a real struggle for transitioning veterans, along with the veteran suicide rate climbing. It was clear if we could do something to help other veterans, that would be a win.” In July 2019, in an effort to make a difference by helping other veterans, the Blackalls combined their passions to form a professional motorcycling team, Blackall Racing. Today, they have already competed in three professional races. Blackall explained that riding motorcycles was an outlet for her husband that got him out of a dark place. As a result, she wants to connect with sponsors and other organizations that are run by or support veterans who will help make Blackall Racing a long-term, open facility and resource for veterans. Blackall has been successful “running the show,” usually taking on the most challenging roles. Her ability to excel has been beneficial for her being a first-time business owner in a male-dominated world, one where she has learned how to keep pushing forward when being told
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“no” and being vocal and not afraid to share her thoughts and ideas. After attending the V-WISE conference for veteran women six years ago, which was aimed at igniting the spirit of entrepreneurship, Blackall was on her way to opening her own manufacturing facility when her last civilian job recruited her. After being faulted for being too honest with her team, a trait that had preiously given her a significant amount of success in team building, an idea came to Blackall: Take military veterans with leadership expertise and help them to transition into the civilian world through all of their struggles while teaching them the needed soft skills to succeed. Having surpassed her 2019 goal of competing in one race, Blackall is now focusing on her 2020 goals for Blackall Racing: competing in the full professional MotoAmerica circuit, which promotes the AMA Superbike Series, and gaining national attention. Another 2020 goal while securing sponsorship and growing the brand of Blackall Racing is gaining more support from spectators at the MotoAmerica races for #patrioticpackages, a project that entails packing 200 small care packages with handwritten notes to send off to deployed military personnel at the end of the season. When Blackall isn’t putting in time running Blackall Racing, she is working part-time from home in an administrative/customer service role for a previous employer based in Denver, Colorado. Additionally, she is the mother to two girls and a boy, all under the age of 10. “I missed out on the first three years of my oldest child’s life by working too long and hard,” Blackall confessed, but she has learned how to focus on being present in the
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY BRYAN J NELSON
moment. “Whenever I start crossing over into putting too much time into work, it’s easy to reflect back to that experience and know I can never change that, but I can change the now and tomorrow.” Please visit blackallracing.com to learn more about the organization and find ways that you can offer your support. Shanika P. Carter, Principal Consultant of The Write Flow & Vibe, LLC, is an adjunct instructor and author of To Lead or Not to Lead. Learn more atwriteflowandvibe.com.
Women’s LifeStyle Magazine • March 2020
