Sales Representative, Capital Vacations
Therese Brooke Piazza learned the value of hard work very early on. She got her first taste of customer service in kindergarten, when she waited on customers and learned to make change at her parents’ business, Piazza’s Shoes. At 11 years old, she had a paper route, and on Saturdays, she made extra money mowing lawns. From a young age, Piazza said, she was taught responsibility, accountability and the timeless principle that, “If you work hard, you get rewarded.”
“My parents also instilled in me to tithe 10 percent of what I earned and give offerings,” she said. “I learned God would honor your giving and bless you for your obedience. Throughout my entire life, I found this to be true not only financially but also in many other ways.”
Originally from North Little Rock, Piazza now resides in Branson, Missouri, where she continues to rely on her work ethic and grit to earn her success in the timeshare industry. Piazza has worked in timeshare for more than 25 years, and at Capital Vacations, she is part of a team “reimaging the travel experience” while supporting the long-term financial health of travel associations, she said.
“We service more than 1 million travelers a year with hyperfocus on the owner, member and guest experience, as well as on the creation of long-term relationships,” Piazza said. “We are helping families travel, gather, smile and repeat, generation after generation.”
Piazza, a self-described natural problem solver, said she tends to see challenges as opportunities rather than reasons to quit. That resilience was also, in some ways, born of lessons Piazza learned in childhood, both positive and negative. Bullied in school, Piazza said that at first, she did not understand how people could be so cruel, but the difficult experience also changed her in ways she could not appreciate until later. Finding a new strength in the ensuing years, Piazza said she began to write her goals down and imagined a new future for herself.
“I remember thinking that I wanted to be successful, and that thought gave me hope,” she said. “I became determined to rise above what had happened to me and not allow other people’s cruelty to determine who I would become.”
Though hard-earned, the ability to persevere has served Piazza well in other chapters of her life. As a single new mother after the birth of her daughter, for example, she felt alone, scared and overwhelmed, and there were moments when she did not know how she was going to get through. She learned to take life one day at a time, she said, and the experience made her stronger, more compassionate and more appreciative of the blessings in her life.
“Looking back, what felt like one of the hardest seasons of my life became one of the greatest gifts I could have ever received,” Piazza said.
Having faced challenges, learned from mistakes and pushed forward at every turn, Piazza said she is most proud that she has never allowed setbacks to define her. She continues to grow, take responsibility and work to become a better version of herself with the opportunity each new day brings. Perhaps thanks to her chosen profession, Piazza is keenly aware that “at the end of your life, all you have is relationships and memories” — an understanding that drives her to enjoy the journey and build a life on more than mere possessions.
“I want to love people well, stay true to my faith and values, and make a difference,” she said. “When I look back on my life, I want to know that I didn’t just exist or accumulate things; I loved deeply, lived courageously, served others and used my life for something bigger than myself.”
