The Bold Journey: Meet Brittany Franklin
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We recently connected with Brittany Franklin and have shared our conversation below.
Brittany, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
Entering the doors of the Ronald McDonald house in Memphis, Tennessee, was a life changing experience, and I was only in high school. I was suddenly surrounded by children that were battling a life-threatening disease called cancer. I didn’t know much about cancer then, and I certainly didn’t anticipate that’s when God would show me my vocation in life. However, it was that moment I decided it wasn’t fair that children were fighting for their lives.
My plans in college were to obtain an undergraduate degree in English and History and then apply to law school. I always thought I was going to become some big shot lawyer, leave my small hometown of Abbeville, Louisiana, and head to the big city of New York. I even visited NYU Law School my junior year of college. But as it turns out, God had other plans for me. As I approached college graduation, Billie Menard, the local festival pageant director and the person who who had given me the opportunity to volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House in Memphis when I was representing the crown of “Miss Acadiana,” challenged me raise $10,000 for the children at St. Jude. I combined my customer service skills that I learned while working at Edie’s Biscuits with my faith and talent of shooting sporting clays to organize a fundraiser before graduation. Flying by the seat of my pants and with the help of my best friends, the Lafayette community wrapped its arms around what came to be Sky High for Kids.
As I prepared to graduate and take the LSAT, I met Bryce Norwood, a 5-year-old little boy battling Wilms Tumor at St. Jude. Standing by the St. Jude statue, as we handed over our $50,000 donation, I felt God’s call to do His work. Bryce earned his angel wings on his 6th birthday, which was Valentine’s Day in 2008. It was at that moment that I decided to launch Sky High formally as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, punt law school, and start my career in oil and gas while. Simultaneously, I was committed to building Sky High for Kids so that we could one day, end Childhood Cancer.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
For 13 years, I excelled in the oil and gas industry while building Sky High for Kids in my personal time. I utilized my contacts and resources within the industry to build and organize events throughout Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma – raising millions of dollars to fund research projects. Sky High for Kids was officially founded in 2007, and successfully operated as a volunteer-run organization until 2014. Our mission is to provide comfort, fund research, and save the lives of those fighting pediatric cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
In 2018, I became the foundation’s full-time CEO. Soon after, we ambitiously pledged to raise $40 million over the next nine years for Texas Children’s Research Hospital and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. My leadership and passion has led Sky High for Kids to donate more than $31 million to research institutions and causes, including $5.5 million in 2023 alone.
In 2020, I retired from the oil and gas industry to focus my time and energy on impacting more children and their families globally. Additionally, I serve on the Texas Children’s Cancer Center Advisory Board. I am also a professional auctioneer and consult other nonprofit organizations through my company, BMH Performance, LLC. Aside from running two companies, I reside in Houston with my husband, Bobby Franklin, and am a mother to a beautiful one-year-old baby girl, Stevie, and two pups, Daphne and Tank. I enjoy spending my time wade fishing on the Texas coast and waterfowl hunting with my family.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most? 
#1: Having Faith. No matter where I turn, my faith in God and His calling for me never leaves my side. As a leader, often times you feel like you are all alone and the weight of the world lies on your shoulders, but my faith carries me to the next step every time.
#2: The answer is always no unless you ask. Having the confidence to ask the question will take you farther than you ever dreamed, because if you don’t ask the question…the answer is always no.
#3: Be persistent. It’s always too early to quit.
Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?
I believe in honing in on your strengths and focusing on building upon those even more. Focusing on the skills that are not your God-given talents only wastes time and energy. Therefore, I have learned to surround myself with people whose strengths complement my own, filling in the gaps and ensuring that the work gets done efficiently and effectively.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://skyhighforkids.org
- Instagram: brittanyhfranklin & skyhighforkids
- Facebook: Sky High for Kids
- Linkedin: Brittany (Brittany Hebert) Franklin
