Find Your Strength. Stay on the Trail.

With over 25 years of executive leadership experience, Monica Pate has built a career on the belief that the strongest teams are forged through empathy, inclusion, and a positive leadership style. As a high-performance executive, she specializes in driving sustainable results by fostering deeply engaged, empowered cultures that center around connection.

In 2020, Monica’s personal trail took an unexpected turn when she lost her father to suicide. In the wake of that “whirlwind,” she transformed her grief into a global mission for mental wellness and suicide awareness. Today, she is the author of the upcoming book, Mark’s Trail, where she distills her father’s secret journals into a “survival map” for others navigating the dark woods of mental illness.

Monica is the Founder of Trails of Encouragement, a mental wellness movement that has transcended the digital space to become a physical sanctuary: The Brenda Gruenewald Trail of Encouragement in her hometown of Georgiana, Alabama.

Beyond the boardroom and the book, Monica’s heart is at home. She has been married to her biggest encourager, Jimmy, for over 25 years. She is a proud mother to Maddy and Jimmy III, bonus mom to Mariah, and she cherishes her newest role as “YaYa” to her first grandchild, Penelope Mae. When she isn’t leading teams or advocating for wellness, you can find her hiking, traveling the globe, and, you guessed it, finding every possible way to encourage the people around her.