August 6, 2024 • 46 mins
What if investing in underrepresented communities wasn’t just a charitable act but a crucial driver of economic and social progress? This episode features Joelle, CEO and President of the Latino Leadership Institute, who shares her journey of elevating Latino leadership and empowering Latino businesses. From her early career managing multiple offices at a young age to leading a national organization, Joelle’s story is one of resilience, ambition, and unwavering family support. She illuminates the mission of the Institute and the significant contributions of the Latino community to the U.S. economy and workforce.
Curiosity and vulnerability are often overlooked but essential traits in effective leadership. Joelle discusses how asking questions and being open to support and mentorship can transform one's career. She offers personal anecdotes about the joys of witnessing Latino potential and the ongoing challenges faced by diversity, equity, and inclusion advocates. By emphasizing the importance of investing in underrepresented communities, Joelle makes a compelling case for why such investments are vital for everyone’s future, especially as the nation grows more diverse.
Balancing a high-powered career and motherhood is no small feat, and Joelle’s strategic shift from political consulting to leading a prominent organization while managing family life offers valuable insights. From her rise in politics to pausing her career to start a family, Joelle’s journey underscores the importance of support systems, mentors, and prioritization. We explore her reflections on leveraging social capital for success and the financial realities of leading a nonprofit. This episode is packed with career hacks, motivational stories, and practical advice for aspiring leaders, especially women and Latinas, aiming to achieve career success while maintaining a fulfilling personal life.
Disclaimer:
The thoughts, views, and opinions expressed on Career Cheat Code are those of the individual guests and do not necessarily reflect those of the host, affiliated organizations & employers. This podcast is intended for informational and inspirational purposes, highlighting the guests and their unique career journeys. We hope these stories inspire you to chase your purpose, define success on your own terms & take the next step in your career.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
I think that's led me to take on, you know, at 26, I
mentioned that too.
I mean, I was running officesin multiple states and traveling
all over and having staff allover that were probably twice my
age at the time didn't know anybetter and I think I just have
a knack for taking on, you know,challenges, and I think a lot
(00:22):
of that comes from the fact thatI was surrounded by really
extraordinary folks who taughtme hard work, some fearlessness,
because if I fail, if I don'tdo the job well, I always know I
have a home of love and supportto surround me and I think
that's my, you know, that's my,that's my lifeline.
(00:43):
And so I think that's why I'venavigated my career the way I
have, because I always know thatI have a place to go and these
people are going to support meno matter what I do.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Welcome to Career Cheat Code.
In this podcast, you'll hearhow everyday people impact the
world through their careers.
Learn about their journey,career hacks and obstacles along
the way, whether you're alreadyhaving the impact you want or
are searching for it.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
this is the podcast for you.
All right, Joelle, welcome tothe show.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
Happy to be here.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
Thanks for joining us on Career Cheat Code.
Let's dive right in.
Let's tell the world what it isyou do for a living.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
That's such a hard question to answer.
I know that may surprise you.
My kids say that I talk a lotabout the potential and
possibility of Latinos, but myday job is that of being CEO and
president of the LatinoLeadership Institute, which is a
national organization reallyworking to build wealth and
(01:38):
opportunity for our growingLatino community, both by
helping Latinos advance in theircareers and also grow and scale
businesses.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
That's awesome.
How long have you been doingthis?
Speaker 1 (01:50):
I helped launch the Institute 10 years ago.
In fact, we'll be celebrating adecade of impact in September,
which is almost hard to believe,and yet I believe it all at the
same time.
So this has been a decade'sworth of work.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Tell me more about what the organization does Like.
What is ultimately the kind ofthe North Star, and is that the
same as it was when you firstlaunched it?
Speaker 1 (02:13):
A great story.
So I'm going to flip thataround a little bit and tell a
little bit about the launch intotoday and the evolution.
So when we launched this 10years ago, it really was a group
of Latino leaders.
They were business leaders,political leaders and
individuals who were sittingdown at the table and looking at
the demographic destiny of ourcountry, knowing that we were
(02:35):
going to be where the, you know,second largest and fastest
growing population in the UnitedStates and, as we fast forward
to the years of 2040 and 2050,that Latinos were going to be an
even larger percentage of thepopulation, of the workforce and
, quite frankly, the fuel of oureconomy.
But at the same time, 10 yearsago, we also recognized that
(02:59):
demography was not destiny, thatwe were actually statistically
worse off at that moment than wewere in 1990, as far as our
representation percentages andleadership positions across
every sector and industry.
And so what really was acatalyst 10 years ago remains
our North Star today, and thatis Latinos continue to
(03:20):
contribute in all aspects oflife in the United States today.
Yet we also just saw thelargest wealth gap in 2022.
We are less than 5% ofexecutive leadership positions
across every sector and industry, and we're only about 10% of
even management positions.
So if we are going to unlockour full potential here and more
(03:42):
broadly across the UnitedStates, then we have to help
Latinos step into their power,step into their potential, and
so for 10 years we've beenaccomplishing that mission by
creating Latino leadershipdevelopment programs rooted in
our culture and identity, butalso based on developing Latinos
(04:03):
for the 21st century, ready toserve in elevated leadership.
And we take growth stagebusinesses that have been around
at least three years and havedemonstrated annual reoccurring
revenue, and we help them growto be over a million dollars in
annual revenue, something thatless than 3% of Latino
businesses achieve today.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
Wow, that's a lot, man.
I appreciate when folks justtake that leadership to say you
know there's a gap here, let'stry to address it and let's come
together and build anorganization from scratch.
Can you tell me more about whatyour day or week would look
like as the leader of thisorganization?
Speaker 1 (04:38):
You know it's interesting being a leader of an
organization, especially onelike ours today, that is really
in the fight, I think in acritical moment.
So my day-to-day is a lot ofconvincing and I convince
organizations, I convincefunders, I really try to compel
(04:58):
them with why investing in theLatino community is not just
good, a social good.
This is an economic essentialfor all of us.
When I talk to individualsabout the rapidly changing
workforce, even CEOs of companyare surprised to find out that
Latinos represent, you know,nearly 80% of the workforce
(05:19):
replacement in the next fiveyears alone.
They're surprised to find outthat we contribute, you know,
$3.4 trillion to the economy butthat if we were to close some
of these economic gaps, thatwould be even greater.
They're surprised to find outthat, you know futures of social
security and everything that wereally pride ourselves in
(05:39):
really rely on Latinoscontinuing to be contributors.
And so half my day is spentreally just educating and
building awareness about thegrowing Latino community.
The other part of my day isworking with Latinos and leaders
and entrepreneurs and, you know, helping them understand that
our identity, our culture, thevalues that we bring to the
(06:02):
workplace, to our businesses, asleaders in the community are
actual assets and that we shouldamplify them, not hide them.
Working to build confidence,working to build collaboration
and connection, unlocking Latinopower really requires me to
educate those that are in powerand Latinos, who should be about
(06:25):
the value that we bring.
And so I spend a lot of timeexternally talking about that.
But I'm a leader of anorganization, I'm a CEO, so I
spend time in financials.
I spend time making strategicdecisions with my executive
leadership team and my board ofdirectors.
I spend a lot of time makingsure that we have a vision for
(06:46):
the next 10 years and beyond,and that's really, you know,
CEOs often are the brandambassadors.
We are the ones who aremotivating and inspiring others
to be a part of the organizationwhile maintaining its financial
stability for the long haul,and so I balance all of those
roles every single day.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
Wow.
So tell me about how your rolehas evolved.
Right, if you were starting outthis organization, presumably
was it just you or did you haveother employees from the
beginning.
And how big are you all now?
And how has you know?
I think when I think ofentrepreneurship, you're
probably someone that is good atsomething and wants to provide
or, like, spend their time doingthat, versus then when you
(07:28):
become CEO, as you said, yourjob is to then convince people
that the thing makes sense.
So tell me more.
Tell me a little bit about thegrowth and kind of the shift in
your, in your scope.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
Yeah.
So this organization wasfounded by a group of
individuals a former mayor ofDenver and two-time secretary
under the Clinton administration, Federico Pena, businessman Tim
Marquez, businessman MarcoBarca, fabulous fabulous Latina
mentors and friends of mine,Patricia Perola-Ribera, which
(07:58):
was in the head of the SBAduring the Clinton
administration, so reallyfabulous Latinos across the
board helped to organize thisand we all brought our
backgrounds.
I had a background beforestarting this in politics and so
had a lot of social capitalaround that, but being able to
also bring people from thebusiness community on as
(08:20):
founders was really criticallyimportant for our mission and
work.
Over the years I have broadenedthat group of founders to
include top-level CEOs,top-level chief people officers
that sit on my board today.
Karen joined my board last year.
She's the chief people officerfor Mattel Inc.
And so I constantly strive tosurround myself with thought
(08:44):
leaders Inc.
And so you know I constantlystrive to surround myself with
thought leaders, subject matterexperts and folks that will
share in the vision that weoriginally had 10 years ago.
We originally started justserving Latinos here in Colorado
and for the first eight yearsof our journey as an
organization, that's where wefocused our time and attention,
but part of the role of a CEO isstrategic planning and
(09:05):
envisioning what the futurewould hold for the organization
and what growth and scale andimpact would look like.
And so in 2018, alongside myboard of directors, I started a
very comprehensive strategicplanning process, and that
planning process led to what ourgrowth strategy has been since
then, and that included takingour leadership development
(09:25):
program national.
So in two years, we've grownfrom just serving Latinos here
in Colorado to serving Latinosin 37 states and several
countries, even as far asAustralia, and we expanded into
entrepreneurship.
Entrepreneurship was always asubject we would tackle in our
leadership developmentprogramming.
(09:45):
Latinos have an entrepreneurialspirit, but also, what is
entrepreneurship?
That innovation and puttingproduct market fit I mean that
works inside of companies or ifyou're starting your own company
.
So we expanded naturally intoentrepreneurship, not just
because it was rooted in thework that we were doing, but
(10:05):
because we see it as a path tobuilding wealth, and you can't
have power without wealth, andso we really wanted to make sure
we leaned into that.
So we've grown exponentiallyGeographically, we've grown our
programming.
We've also grown ourpartnerships with companies and
corporations and organizations,and I think that's an important
part of this as well is that youdon't accomplish a mission and
(10:29):
vision as big as ours withouthaving a lot of partners and
supporters along the way.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
How do you continue to stay sharp as a CEO and
leader right Like how do youcontinue to grow professionally
within your own field?
Because, you're doing it foreveryone else, so how do you do
it for you?
Speaker 1 (10:44):
Well, first of all, I'm curious by nature and I
think curiosity is a great toolif you are a leader.
I'm never done learning and Idefinitely don't think I have
all the answers.
I read about a book a day, andthis is true.
Some things I read for fun,some things I read for my work.
I have a rule in my house Somepeople it's a rule with shoes
(11:05):
and purses that when you bring anew one, you got to let one go.
I have that rule with myhusband around books because
there's not enough space in ourhouse to take all the books.
I think leaders really effectiveleaders ask more questions than
they give out answers.
I'm constantly encouragingthose questions because I think
(11:25):
it gives you more insight andmore opportunity.
I know I have a lot ofpersonality assessments that
have been done on me and thatI've done on myself, and I know
that I need information to makereally good decisions, and so I
seek out information.
I also believe in partnershipand collaboration, and so I
(11:46):
learn a lot from the peoplearound me mentors, sponsors,
friends, allies.
I've recognized very early onin my career that you don't
accomplish these big thingsalone, and I'm just a work in
progress and I'm verytransparent about that.
When I go and I give keynotesacross the country about my own
leadership journey, I talk a lotabout vulnerability as being a
(12:08):
part of if I'm curious and I'mvulnerable and I'm open, then
I'm constantly learning, I'mconstantly improving and
constantly taking feedback andapplying the feedback to be a
better, stronger individualfirst, and leader second.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
What's your favorite part of your job?
Speaker 1 (12:28):
I get to see Latino potential in full display every
day.
I think the best part is beingin rooms with top Latinos and
having conversations and seeingthe moment that they see their
full potential.
The way that I see it, you knowwhen I get a Latina to say, man
, I am ready for this job, I amready for that.
(12:48):
Next, you know level ofleadership.
Or a Latino business owner who,who you know, got the big
investment and you know, comesback to me and says never would
have gotten that investment hadit not been for your work and
your support.
And so, while I love talkingabout Latino excellence, I love
(13:09):
being in the room with it.
It inspires me, it gives mehope.
This work is really hard,especially now with some
pushback around diversity,equity and inclusion and
belonging investments, fearlessfund court cases.
I mean, we're in a battle, butI am fueled by being around
other fabulous Latinos.
Speaker 3 (13:27):
What's one of the biggest challenges in being a
CEO of this type of company?
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Yeah, there's not enough time on a podcast to
cover the challenges with allthe opportunities.
The challenges are real,especially in the moment that
we're living in.
You know, 10 years ago, if youwould have told me that, I would
have been on a phone call withsomeone which I was last week
and you know told that you knowthe work that I do around
(13:52):
advocating for Latino excellenceand you know its connection to
diversity, equity and inclusionbelonging was.
You know its connection todiversity, equity and inclusion.
Belonging was.
You know the horrible policyand that if they thought the way
I did, they wouldn't wake up inthe morning and that you know
they just want good talent.
It doesn't mean to be diversetalent and you know some of the
rhetoric that's out there thatit's dangerous.
(14:13):
It is a dangerous space to bein when the demographics are
shifting, but you know fear andsometimes even hatred is really
fueling folks to not believe inthat.
But I think more you knowtangibly is the court cases that
are challenging this very work.
I mean we are purpose of ourwork and I am constantly
(14:54):
battling that.
I'm battling individuals whowant to when people are
concerned and trying to mitigaterisk about funding
organizations like ours at atime where our work is more
important than ever, and so Idid not think this moment would
come.
But here it is, and I feelcompelled to be a very vocal and
dedicated leader, and I'm notgoing to relent, given the fact
(15:18):
that I think there's a lot ofheadwinds facing this type of
work right now.
Speaker 3 (15:22):
Absolutely.
You know, I think we've seenthat throughout the field, right
From funders to organizationsseeking funding.
You know just that hesitancybecause of where we are in the
climate now and you know it isunfortunate, right Because you
have organizations likeyourselves that are promoting
Latino excellence or workingwith communities of underserved
populations throughout, whateverbackgrounds they come from,
(15:43):
right, like there are justdifferent organizations that are
doing this work and upliftingcommunities that we would want
to uplift and to support and toelevate and, to, you know, make
(16:04):
sure that people can takeadvantage of the programming.
So you know, I certainly hearyou and gets put into a.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
You know we're just trying to feel good about our
work.
It's a social movement of sorts, and I'm not taking that.
There are elements of that, butthis is an economic, social
(16:33):
imperative.
The Latino demographic shiftand, quite frankly, if we look
more broadly, when we combineLatinos in the Black community
and Asian community and others,the nation's destiny is one of
great diversity, and we have toadvance our communities now
because it has a ripple effectfor generations to come.
(16:56):
The work that we do is notcharity work.
You invest in the future.
You invest in the future of theindividual who's going to
benefit from the program, butyou invest as we make the
economy stronger, because whenLatinos do well, so does the
economy, and so I think that'spart of it as well is that we
are at a pivotal moment.
This is an inflection point.
(17:17):
As we become more diverse, wehave to make sure that our
diverse communities areexcelling, and so I think that
also is a challenge that we faceis really explaining that this
is an imperative for all of usto make sure that we unlock this
full potential of the Latinocommunity and other
underrepresented other investedin communities.
Speaker 3 (17:39):
Let's backtrack a little bit.
Let's talk about what happenedor what were you doing before
this role, right?
So, like 11 years ago, what wasyour career path that led you
to this point where you feltempowered, comfortable, tooled
and resourced enough to helplaunch this organization and
become its leader?
Speaker 1 (17:55):
Wonderful question.
I love this question,especially now as we reflect on
10 years of this and what got mehere in the first place.
So I started my career inpolitics, ran congressional
campaigns, ran senatorialcampaigns, you know, really put
in the grind as someone who wasdedicated to public policy,
(18:17):
changing outcomes forindividuals and communities.
That has always motivated meand I had the benefit of getting
to work with some of the mostextraordinary leaders.
Back in the early days of mycareer, I climbed up the ranks
in the political consultingworld quite quickly ranks in the
(18:39):
political consulting worldquite quickly.
By the time I was 26, I wasrunning six offices across the
country in a major congressionaleffort to take on some
congressional seats.
I ran a C4, which is anorganization that really does
move community and politics andbring those things together, and
I just had a fabulous career.
I was pulled into conversationson public policy at the highest
(19:04):
levels of government and reallydid have a say at the table.
I built a brand for myself ofbeing an expert, particularly in
the Latino vote, something thathas always motivated me.
And so I was just talking acouple months ago with my good
friend, maria Teresa Kumar,because it's hard to imagine
Voto Latino, an organizationthat she's been leading, is
(19:27):
celebrating 20 years and I had abig role in expanding Voto
Latino and working alongside her, and so I just I was passionate
about people, politics, policy,and I just had an amazing
career doing that work.
However, doing that work meant Iwas on planes a lot, meant I
was away from home, aprofessional to say I want to
(19:49):
start a family.
So, after the 2008 presidentialelection which was extraordinary
many stories, out of that one,you know I went to my husband
and I said I'm ready, you know,and I'll take a pause in my
(20:10):
career, and we had twins and Iactually stayed home for three
years and doing some consultingwork and building a more of a
portfolio with companies andcorporations instead of
candidates, which expanded myportfolio during that time.
But I made a choice as aprofessional, as a mom, to take
that time with my twins,something I will never regret,
(20:33):
and so that really led to mefiguring out that I loved
working with the private sectoras well, and my knowledge of the
Latinos in general really didtranscend politics and go into
the private sector, and I thinkthat was the root of me going
into this work and bringing theintersectionality of lack of
(20:56):
representation both in politicsin corporate America, and so I
think it was a perfect fit forme to be a member of the
original founders launching thisorganization.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
That makes a lot of sense.
I appreciate a lot of thatcontext, right, and I appreciate
you sharing your story aboutputting your career on pause to
go be a mom, and that can be avery scary decision for a lot of
folks, right, and that can besomething that I'm sure many
women struggle with and eitherpostpone or delay or choose not
to do.
So it's always great to hearfrom someone that has done it
(21:30):
and that is now continues to bein leadership positions, right,
despite having a pause and beingable to also use that time, as
you said, to build morerelationships, right, like you
were already known in the field.
Now you were just buildingrelationships with other
corporations that you may nothave had relationships with,
beginning to do some consultingwork and kind of build from
(21:50):
there.
But you know, I just appreciatewhen folks are able to, like
tell the story in a not solinear way where it's like, oh,
I just kept ascending and doingthe things and it's like,
actually it's not always thatway.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
No, and in fact I would say it's rarely that way.
I think you know, just to callout this important conversation
because I talk a lot about, youknow, especially to other
Latinas and even just youngwomen in general or folks who
are thinking about their career.
You know I I'm so often,especially after I get off the
stage after giving a keynote,without a doubt I will have a
(22:25):
line of Latinas sitting there totalk to me and everyone will
ask me you know, how do you haveit all?
How did you?
You know, how did you make allof this happen?
And you know some reallyimportant lessons right there.
First of all, I don't believeyou can have it all at the same
time.
I think you know everything isa matter of choices and
prioritization, and things comeinto focus and out of focus
throughout your career.
I think we will make a mistakeif we think we can just do it
(22:46):
all at the same time.
And so throughout my career,and even to this day, I make
really intentional decisionsabout how I spend my time and
what that priority looks like.
If I travel to give a keynote,then the next day I'm making
sure that I'm spending a littleextra time during breakfast with
my kids before they go toschool.
I do not miss soccer games, Iam there.
(23:08):
I will fly home on a red eye ona Friday night so that I am
there at my kids' game on aSaturday, if that's what it
takes, and I don't apologizewhen I have to skip a meeting or
leave early so that I could bethere for a parent-teacher
meeting, and I don't let my teamapologize if they need to be
(23:28):
somewhere that is related totheir family or other
obligations.
I think it is really importantfor other Latinas and other
women and other, even fathers Imean this extends beyond just
women and moms but also torecognize that I have succeeded
in my career because I had agreat support system at home A
(23:49):
husband who, you know, didn'tbat an eye when I told him I was
, you know, leaving every Mondaymorning to get to DC and coming
home every Friday evening tospend time with him.
Before we had kids, parents whohelp take care of my kids and
drive them around when I can,and you know it just.
It takes a community to make ithappen.
And yet, despite all of thatsupport, I still have burned
(24:13):
myself out throughout my careerbecause I've overextended myself
.
So the biggest lesson is you tobe successful and to be both a
great CEO and a great mom.
You have to know when to say noto things, and so you won't see
me out at a lot of events andhappy hours and all the things
that people may expect me toattend, because that's my family
(24:36):
time and I don't apologize formaking that a priority.
So, again, it is a balancingact of prioritization and
decision-making, surrounded by asupport network and ultimately
feeling unapologetic about.
You know, when I'm at work, I'munapologetic that I'm at work
and focused, and when I'm athome, I'm unapologetic that
(24:58):
that's my mom time.
Speaker 3 (24:59):
I love it.
I love it.
Is leading this type oforganization what you always
wanted to do for a living.
It sounded like you kind ofevolved into all of this, but
would love to hear, like whenyou were younger, what did you
think you were going to be?
Speaker 1 (25:12):
So it's funny when I was little this tells you
everything about my personalityI think when I was little and I
was asked what I wanted fromSanta for that Christmas, I set
a desk so that I could open upmy own law firm.
And I think I was six, maybeseven years old and I asked for
a desk so that I could open alaw firm and a cash register.
(25:33):
True story a desk and a cashregister so I could get my money
from my clients, which were allmy stuffed animals at the time,
or my neighbors, I'm sure.
And so I, first of all, tobacktrack just a little bit, I
grew up in a family of justextraordinary Latinos.
I I did not know just howblessed and how unique my
(25:54):
circumstances were.
My parents were high schoolsweethearts without a college
degree.
My grandparents were were highschool sweethearts without a
college degree.
My grandparents were all highschool sweethearts, all without
a college degree.
And all of them my grandparents, my great-grandparents, my
great-great-grandparents.
They were servant leaders, theywere business owners, they were
(26:14):
sheepherders and potato farmers, turned entrepreneurs, turned
the first Latina president ofthe Denver City Council, which
my grandmother was.
And so I grew up in a familywhere hard work and commitment
were a given, but so too wasgiving back to community.
So I thought it was totallynormal and I thought every
(26:34):
family in the United States hadSunday dinners that were
centered around voterregistration or boycotts or
walkouts.
You know, again, this was adifferent time, when you know
we're still really fighting forbasic rights and civil liberties
.
Speaker 2 (26:49):
And entrepreneurs.
Speaker 1 (26:51):
My dad, you know, started a business, a successful
business, in a field where notmany Latinos were, and so I just
was always surrounded by that.
So I think it is probablyexpected that at six or seven I
saw myself as an attorney andthought that that's what I was
going to do with my life.
But then, instead of going tolaw school, I got on the
(27:13):
campaign trails and startedworking on campaigns and I loved
it.
I love the strategy, I love thenumbers how do we get to that
50 plus one equation?
I love the people, I love thepsychology of it and I was
hooked and I never looked back,didn't go to law school and
built just a fabulous career.
(27:35):
But I mentioned this earlier.
I'm curious.
I don't think I'm eversatisfied.
I always want to do somethingthat's going to challenge me,
and I think that's why I'vetaken risks and I've jumped into
things that maybe I wasn't anexpert.
I was not an expert in buildinga leadership program, had never
really even done leadershipprograms myself when I started
(27:56):
this work, but I'm kind offearless when it comes to trying
something new and bringing allmy skill sets to the table, and
I think that's led me to take on, you know, at 26,.
I mentioned that too.
I mean, I was running officesin multiple states and traveling
all over and having staff allover that were probably twice my
(28:18):
age at the time.
Didn't know any better, and Ithink I just have a knack for
taking on challenges, and Ithink a lot of that comes from
the fact that I was surroundedby really extraordinary folks
who taught me hard work, somefearlessness, because if I fail,
if I don't do the job well, Ialways know I have a home of
(28:42):
love and support to surround meand I think that's my, you know
that's my, that's my lifeline.
And so I think that's why I'venavigated my career the way I
have, because I always know thatI have a place to go and these
people are going to support me,no matter what I do.
Speaker 3 (28:56):
You're a couple of generations of Colorado
residents, right, like yourfamily has like deep roots in
Colorado, right?
Speaker 1 (29:03):
Yeah, no, I mean, I'm at least ninth generation.
It probably goes back evenfurther once we track my great
grandmother's indigenous roots.
But when my twins were born wehad five living generations and
the borders are somewhat, youknow, they're fuzzy, because it
was really northern New Mexicoand southern Colorado where all
(29:24):
sets of my family were residingand, again, sheep herders,
potato farmers, really rooted inland, but they were business
owners and entrepreneurs.
My great-great-grandfather wasprobably one of the first, if
not the first, latinos electedand did some work around the
school board, you know, beforewe even had territories really.
(29:44):
And so, yeah, I come from along history of that.
That history is really, youknow, important to who I am as a
person and and the way I seethe importance of our culture
and stories and history.
Speaker 3 (29:57):
Did you go to college right out of high school, or
was there a break in between,and what did you study?
Speaker 1 (30:04):
So I went to Loyola Marymount and I started pre-med
because I'm also even though Iknew I wanted to be a lawyer as
a kid and I wanted to go intopublic office, I also wanted to
rebel a little bit and I thoughtI was going to be the first
doctor in the family and I lovedscience and I loved math as a
kid and so I started down thatroad at Loyola Marymount.
(30:26):
But a couple of OCHEM classesinto my studies I was like, yeah
, this is not for me.
So shout out to all the doctorsand those in the STEM field
While I probably could havesurvived through it and studied
really hard, I just missed thepeople part of it, the politics,
the policy.
And so when I was in aphilosophy class freshman year
(30:49):
and thinking about the greatphilosophers over time and how
we pont great philosophers overtime and you know how we
pontificate over things and howthe world really takes shape, I
just I couldn't let that passiongo.
And so then I, you know, wentinto political science.
It was a natural fit for me.
Speaker 3 (31:04):
That makes a lot of sense Political science, as I
can see.
But I also appreciate that.
You know, I think when we'reyounger we just don't even know
where these careers could takeus.
So lawyer at seven makes sense,then high school pre-med makes
sense.
Then you start opening yourmind and experiencing different
things.
You're like, actually let metry this other thing.
So you know, I also appreciatethe journey that we go through
(31:27):
to get to where we are, becauseit's not always as clear.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
Yeah, and I think, if you were to ask me today, like
what I want to do when I grow up, I love sports and it's
actually probably you knowsomething, and I'm excited now
because the LLI actuallypartners with a lot of
professional sports teams andleagues to do some of the work.
But I mean, I'm not done andyou know, as I did the political
thing, I'm obviously doing theLLI now, you know, but I would
love I think there's still a lotof barriers to break in sports
(31:59):
and so I'm not giving up thatdream.
I would love to sit on, youknow, one day, an ownership pool
of a team.
You know that's you always gotto put big goals out, but right
now, you know LLI is building anAI driven platform, and so I
also am, you know, delving intotechnology, and you know whoever
knew that I would, you know, bebuilding a technology platform
(32:22):
as part of our work and missionhere at the LLI.
So I always say be open to it,be curious about it, don't be
afraid of it, and you know Iwant big and better things, even
for myself, in the future.
So, whether that is, you know,to be a CEO, tech and have a
platform that changes outcomesfor future generations, or, you
(32:44):
know, bring my passion forsports to the table.
You know, who knows?
I just love being open to thatand to your point.
I think as kids, we may notknow what we're going to be.
I think as adults, sometimesyou know we're.
We're still on this journey andwe don't know where the final
destination may be.
Speaker 3 (33:00):
I love that it is an ongoing evolution.
Can you, can you share anyother of those types of career
cheat codes or things thatyounger professionals or
professionals thinking aboutmaking a change just should hear
and should know that can helpthem in their careers?
Speaker 1 (33:16):
Yeah.
So you mentioned that we'restarting, and have already
started, the development of aplatform, and it's based on
probably one of the mostimportant lessons and probably
one of the truest thesis Ibelieve in in this work, and
that is the role of socialcapital in one's success and
journey.
You know, did I work hard?
Yes, did I produce?
Absolutely.
(33:36):
But if I'm being really honestwith everyone, I made it where I
made it, how quickly I made it,because I had social capital,
and that is something that iscritical for, I think, success
and I think what a lot ofunderrepresented communities
don't necessarily have access to.
What I mean by social capitalis I'm talking not just about
(33:59):
mentors or individuals who aregoing to give me advice.
I'm talking about sponsors.
I'm talking about people wholiterally opened the door for me
, pushed me in, held the doorand then made sure that I was
going to be successful when Icrossed that doorway.
Individuals like my grandmotherabsolutely opened up so many
doors, but individuals and I'mabout to go meet him for lunch
(34:22):
people like Mike Stratton in mylife who took me as a young
political consultant under hiswing and put me in the room with
presidential candidates at avery young age and said listen
to her, listen to what she hasto say, she knows what she's
talking about, and that I lookback in my career about all of
(34:42):
those, and Federico Pena, youknow, one of the co-founders of
the Latino Leadership Institute,who brought me to the meeting
that day to talk about theInstitute.
I pinch myself sometimes tothink about the people in my
lives that made all of thispossible, and so social capital
is absolutely critical, I thinkparticularly for Latinos we
(35:06):
don't necessarily know that,we're not taught that.
We don't grow up in countryclubs and we don't really
understand that the people thatsurround us, the people that can
help us, are so missioncritical for our own career,
success and trajectory.
So partly why we want to builda platform that really connects
(35:27):
people and really cashes in onthe power of social capital is
because I think it's a gamechanger.
It was for me.
I would not be where I am today, I wouldn't be talking to you,
if a former employee andgraduate of our program didn't
say you know who you need toknow, you know who you should
talk to.
And so I think about that.
And then I imagine what wecould do if we could scale that
(35:49):
and build that even bigger.
And what if people just hadaccess to the type of social
capital I did?
I think it would be game overfor a lot of people trying to
hold us down.
So that is a big lesson, inaddition to everything I've
talked about, I think, theimportance and role of social
capital.
Speaker 3 (36:07):
I know you mentioned earlier that you read about a
book a day.
Can you share, you know?
And the answer could be books,it could be resources, it could
be podcasts, just things thatyou have read or consumed that
have changed you personally orprofessionally.
Speaker 1 (36:20):
Yeah, I mean there's so many.
I mean literally there are abookshelf of books on Latino
history.
You know, things I didn't knowthat I think are really
important.
They weren't taught right.
We get like a paragraph, Ithink, in most textbooks which
is really really sad, and soI've really made an intentional
(36:40):
effort and not just SouthwestLatinos, which is what I know,
being in Colorado and being inthe Southwest but really
learning about the immigrantjourney, and so I have a book of
all of these firsthand storiesfrom immigrants from all over
the world and what is theirexperience, both as they travel
here but then once they get here.
(37:01):
I love reading books from otherCEOs.
I just did a fireside chat withOscar Munoz after his book and
Turnaround Time, which is afabulous book of not only just
his life but what he had to doat United as the first Latino
CEO at the time, and you know.
So, reading other books fromother CEOs, I think one of the
(37:23):
books that really helped meunderstand that there's more to
learn about myself but alsoLatinos recently was the book
Finding Latinx.
You know, I had some youngerstaff on my team and we got into
a really, you know, importantconversation a few years back
about the term Latinx.
I'm a Gen Xer and and you knowwhen that was first brought to
(37:46):
me, I really did not like it andI did not appreciate it,
because I didn't understandwhere it came from and I was
hearing from the younger.
You't understand where it camefrom and I was hearing from the
younger.
You know members of my teamsaying this is, you know,
important for inclusion, and youknow so.
I read that book and I did.
I gained a better perspective.
I understood the roots.
I still don't use it myselfit's not how I identify, but
(38:09):
again, I think reading at thevolume that I do allows me to
gain perspective.
It allows me to grow empathy.
It also allows me to understandmy blind spots a little bit
better, which I have many of.
And then I think there's booksyou just read for fun.
So John Leguizamos' book, youknow there's just, yes, there's
(38:30):
some history in there and that'sfun.
But I just think it's also goodto find those books that bring
it down a notch.
Speaker 3 (38:36):
I could be a little over serious, and so I seek
those books out as well peoplecan make as a leader of an
organization like this, right,you all do national work.
I just you know if you haveheard any other episodes I'm
(38:58):
very big on you.
Don't have to sacrifice beinghappy with your career and
having an impact and thenfundamentally being broke or
doing the opposite, so share.
Speaker 1 (39:07):
I love this question, I think it's so important and
I'm going to be very honest andtransparent about it as well.
So leading a nonprofitorganization of this size, I
mean one can expect I thinkdepending on where you live,
it's going to change that number, but you can expect to make
(39:28):
anywhere between probably$100,000 and $200,000 if you are
a CEO of a nonprofitorganization.
And don't get me wrong, that isa good wage, it's a good living
and you can make a really goodlife for yourself.
But having come from abackground where I was making a
lot more as a consultant and theopportunities to make a lot
(39:48):
more, sometimes from the privatesector, are very real.
So much so that, as a CEO ofthe organization, we've done
comprehensive salary studies formyself and my team and the
reality is is that you couldmake a really good living in the
nonprofit space, but sometimesthe salaries are not as high as
those in other sectors andindustries, and that's just fact
(40:12):
.
And some of that is because, asa nonprofit organization, a lot
of your funding comes fromphilanthropic investments, and a
lot of philanthropicinvestments don't actually cover
personnel.
They have to go toprogram-related costs and so to
make the money and to bring ingeneral operating dollars to
cover things like personnel andsalary makes it difficult at
(40:35):
times for us to have reallycompetitive salaries.
But on the other side of it, Ialso know that being in the
nonprofit space, you knowthere's things that don't
necessarily go onto yourhousehold balance sheet, like
having more time away from work,with family and in community,
and you know being able to dowork that really matters.
(40:57):
I've made an intentionaldecision to be in this work
because this is my life calling,but that does mean that maybe
I'm not making as much as Iwould if I were in the private
sector or taking on some ofthose other roles.
So when you are thinking aboutcareer, when you are thinking
(41:21):
about your family's economicstatus, you have to take all of
these factors into account,because I wouldn't give up my
job for anything, but I dorecognize that I probably could
make more money somewhere else.
Speaker 3 (41:28):
I know you're involved in a lot of things
outside of your current role.
Can you speak to some of yourengagements with other
organizations, whether on boardsor as an advisory role?
Speaker 1 (41:37):
I think stepping into other leadership positions
outside your work is important.
One continues to build yoursocial capital and social
networks.
Two, you have an important roleto influence decisions and I
think that's a really importantthing beyond your companies and
it helps your organization to bebetter known, because you're
talking about what you do.
(41:58):
So I do spend time both servingon boards of directors and I've
done that for nonprofits likeMile High, united Way, something
I was really passionate aboutand sitting in the room with
other executives helping leadorganizations of that size and
of that mission.
And I've also served on thingslike the Hispanic Advisory
(42:19):
Council for the Coca-ColaCompany, sitting alongside other
extraordinary Latino leadersacross the country, alongside
the CEO of the Coca-Cola companyand sitting with other
executives of the organizationtalking about the Latino market,
talking about brand, talkingabout products and new products
(42:40):
and new strategies, and so I'vedone both.
I think that both arecritically important.
I have done paid and volunteerboard positions and I think paid
, whether you're doing it forcompanies or organizations,
that's an opportunity againbuilding wealth, doing good and
making money while you do it.
(43:01):
There's not enough.
Especially Latinas are lessthan 1% of those paid corporate
board positions, so we have along way to go, but I think
they're important, and so whenI'm given the opportunity, I do.
I also serve on advisory boardsfor things outside of my work
as an individual In the media.
I used to have a career as acommunications director
(43:22):
something we didn't talk about,but that was another thing I did
and so I now serve as theadvisory board of a Scripps
affiliate here in Denver forDenver 7.
And you know I'm passionateabout voting and electing good.
So as an individual not in thiscapacity as a CEO I helped, you
know, kind of found anorganization called PoderPAC
(43:44):
back in 2008 that's focused onelecting Latinas to Congress and
to the Senate, and so I'm proudto say, you know, since
launching that, polarpac hasgone on to support a lot of
Latinas into that elected office.
So I find things that I'mpassionate about that are
purposeful and aligned with myvalues.
(44:04):
Some pay and some don't, but Ido find time for them.
Speaker 3 (44:07):
If folks wanted to either get involved with or
learn more about the LatinoLeadership Institute, how can
they do that?
Speaker 1 (44:13):
The best way is number one, going to our website
, latinosleadorg.
There's a wealth of informationabout our programs, but
research my keynotes.
You'll find just a lot there.
But also follow us on LinkedInand social media.
We have over 50,000 engagedfolks on our social media
platforms and we share a lot ofinformation and resources.
(44:36):
Follow us because we'll havesome exciting announcements, not
only about the future of ourwork, but the platform I
mentioned a little bit, and oncethat platform's launched,
definitely get on that platformbecause that's where you'll find
other extraordinary Latinos andallies really driven to closing
the wealth gap by advancingcareers and building businesses.
Speaker 3 (44:58):
Amazing.
Is there anything else wehaven't discussed today that the
world should know about?
Joelle?
Speaker 1 (45:02):
You know.
The only other thing I will sayis we've talked a lot about
success, self-care, and I am notthe best model of that, and
there have been times in my lifeand my career where I've pushed
myself to exhaustion or burnoutor even physical and mental
unwellness, and the reminderthat I have is you know, we're
(45:23):
only as strong as the fuel wegive ourselves, and you know,
we'll run out of gas if we'renot constantly protecting
ourselves, investing inourselves, nurturing ourselves
and caring for ourselves.
So leaders have a tendency tojust give, give, give, give, go,
go, go, go, and sometimes thebest thing we can do is stop,
rest, rejuvenate, refocus.
(45:43):
And it's just something wedidn't discuss today, but
something I always like to leavewith people is you're only as
good as you're good to yourself,and you know that's something
that I continue to strive to bebetter at.
Speaker 3 (45:55):
Awesome, thank you.
Well, thank you for joining ustoday.
Really appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (45:59):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (46:00):
I hope you enjoyed this episode.
If you did and believe on themission we're on, please like,
rate and subscribe to thispodcast on whatever platform
you're using, and share thispodcast with your friends and
your networks.
Make sure you follow us onInstagram and LinkedIn at Career
Cheat Code and tell us peopleor careers you would like to see
highlighted.
See you next week with somemore cheat codes.
Peace.
I think that's led me to take on, you know, at 26, I
mentioned that too.
I mean, I was running officesin multiple states and traveling
all over and having staff allover that were probably twice my
age at the time didn't know anybetter and I think I just have
a knack for taking on, you know,challenges, and I think a lot
(00:22):
of that comes from the fact thatI was surrounded by really
extraordinary folks who taughtme hard work, some fearlessness,
because if I fail, if I don'tdo the job well, I always know I
have a home of love and supportto surround me and I think
that's my, you know, that's my,that's my lifeline.
(00:43):
And so I think that's why I'venavigated my career the way I
have, because I always know thatI have a place to go and these
people are going to support meno matter what I do.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Welcome to Career Cheat Code.
In this podcast, you'll hearhow everyday people impact the
world through their careers.
Learn about their journey,career hacks and obstacles along
the way, whether you're alreadyhaving the impact you want or
are searching for it.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
this is the podcast for you.
All right, Joelle, welcome tothe show.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
Happy to be here.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
Thanks for joining us on Career Cheat Code.
Let's dive right in.
Let's tell the world what it isyou do for a living.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
That's such a hard question to answer.
I know that may surprise you.
My kids say that I talk a lotabout the potential and
possibility of Latinos, but myday job is that of being CEO and
president of the LatinoLeadership Institute, which is a
national organization reallyworking to build wealth and
(01:38):
opportunity for our growingLatino community, both by
helping Latinos advance in theircareers and also grow and scale
businesses.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
That's awesome.
How long have you been doingthis?
Speaker 1 (01:50):
I helped launch the Institute 10 years ago.
In fact, we'll be celebrating adecade of impact in September,
which is almost hard to believe,and yet I believe it all at the
same time.
So this has been a decade'sworth of work.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Tell me more about what the organization does Like.
What is ultimately the kind ofthe North Star, and is that the
same as it was when you firstlaunched it?
Speaker 1 (02:13):
A great story.
So I'm going to flip thataround a little bit and tell a
little bit about the launch intotoday and the evolution.
So when we launched this 10years ago, it really was a group
of Latino leaders.
They were business leaders,political leaders and
individuals who were sittingdown at the table and looking at
the demographic destiny of ourcountry, knowing that we were
(02:35):
going to be where the, you know,second largest and fastest
growing population in the UnitedStates and, as we fast forward
to the years of 2040 and 2050,that Latinos were going to be an
even larger percentage of thepopulation, of the workforce and
, quite frankly, the fuel of oureconomy.
But at the same time, 10 yearsago, we also recognized that
(02:59):
demography was not destiny, thatwe were actually statistically
worse off at that moment than wewere in 1990, as far as our
representation percentages andleadership positions across
every sector and industry.
And so what really was acatalyst 10 years ago remains
our North Star today, and thatis Latinos continue to
(03:20):
contribute in all aspects oflife in the United States today.
Yet we also just saw thelargest wealth gap in 2022.
We are less than 5% ofexecutive leadership positions
across every sector and industry, and we're only about 10% of
even management positions.
So if we are going to unlockour full potential here and more
(03:42):
broadly across the UnitedStates, then we have to help
Latinos step into their power,step into their potential, and
so for 10 years we've beenaccomplishing that mission by
creating Latino leadershipdevelopment programs rooted in
our culture and identity, butalso based on developing Latinos
(04:03):
for the 21st century, ready toserve in elevated leadership.
And we take growth stagebusinesses that have been around
at least three years and havedemonstrated annual reoccurring
revenue, and we help them growto be over a million dollars in
annual revenue, something thatless than 3% of Latino
businesses achieve today.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
Wow, that's a lot, man.
I appreciate when folks justtake that leadership to say you
know there's a gap here, let'stry to address it and let's come
together and build anorganization from scratch.
Can you tell me more about whatyour day or week would look
like as the leader of thisorganization?
Speaker 1 (04:38):
You know it's interesting being a leader of an
organization, especially onelike ours today, that is really
in the fight, I think in acritical moment.
So my day-to-day is a lot ofconvincing and I convince
organizations, I convincefunders, I really try to compel
(04:58):
them with why investing in theLatino community is not just
good, a social good.
This is an economic essentialfor all of us.
When I talk to individualsabout the rapidly changing
workforce, even CEOs of companyare surprised to find out that
Latinos represent, you know,nearly 80% of the workforce
(05:19):
replacement in the next fiveyears alone.
They're surprised to find outthat we contribute, you know,
$3.4 trillion to the economy butthat if we were to close some
of these economic gaps, thatwould be even greater.
They're surprised to find outthat, you know futures of social
security and everything that wereally pride ourselves in
(05:39):
really rely on Latinoscontinuing to be contributors.
And so half my day is spentreally just educating and
building awareness about thegrowing Latino community.
The other part of my day isworking with Latinos and leaders
and entrepreneurs and, you know, helping them understand that
our identity, our culture, thevalues that we bring to the
(06:02):
workplace, to our businesses, asleaders in the community are
actual assets and that we shouldamplify them, not hide them.
Working to build confidence,working to build collaboration
and connection, unlocking Latinopower really requires me to
educate those that are in powerand Latinos, who should be about
(06:25):
the value that we bring.
And so I spend a lot of timeexternally talking about that.
But I'm a leader of anorganization, I'm a CEO, so I
spend time in financials.
I spend time making strategicdecisions with my executive
leadership team and my board ofdirectors.
I spend a lot of time makingsure that we have a vision for
(06:46):
the next 10 years and beyond,and that's really, you know,
CEOs often are the brandambassadors.
We are the ones who aremotivating and inspiring others
to be a part of the organizationwhile maintaining its financial
stability for the long haul,and so I balance all of those
roles every single day.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
Wow.
So tell me about how your rolehas evolved.
Right, if you were starting outthis organization, presumably
was it just you or did you haveother employees from the
beginning.
And how big are you all now?
And how has you know?
I think when I think ofentrepreneurship, you're
probably someone that is good atsomething and wants to provide
or, like, spend their time doingthat, versus then when you
(07:28):
become CEO, as you said, yourjob is to then convince people
that the thing makes sense.
So tell me more.
Tell me a little bit about thegrowth and kind of the shift in
your, in your scope.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
Yeah.
So this organization wasfounded by a group of
individuals a former mayor ofDenver and two-time secretary
under the Clinton administration, Federico Pena, businessman Tim
Marquez, businessman MarcoBarca, fabulous fabulous Latina
mentors and friends of mine,Patricia Perola-Ribera, which
(07:58):
was in the head of the SBAduring the Clinton
administration, so reallyfabulous Latinos across the
board helped to organize thisand we all brought our
backgrounds.
I had a background beforestarting this in politics and so
had a lot of social capitalaround that, but being able to
also bring people from thebusiness community on as
(08:20):
founders was really criticallyimportant for our mission and
work.
Over the years I have broadenedthat group of founders to
include top-level CEOs,top-level chief people officers
that sit on my board today.
Karen joined my board last year.
She's the chief people officerfor Mattel Inc.
And so I constantly strive tosurround myself with thought
(08:44):
leaders Inc.
And so you know I constantlystrive to surround myself with
thought leaders, subject matterexperts and folks that will
share in the vision that weoriginally had 10 years ago.
We originally started justserving Latinos here in Colorado
and for the first eight yearsof our journey as an
organization, that's where wefocused our time and attention,
but part of the role of a CEO isstrategic planning and
(09:05):
envisioning what the futurewould hold for the organization
and what growth and scale andimpact would look like.
And so in 2018, alongside myboard of directors, I started a
very comprehensive strategicplanning process, and that
planning process led to what ourgrowth strategy has been since
then, and that included takingour leadership development
(09:25):
program national.
So in two years, we've grownfrom just serving Latinos here
in Colorado to serving Latinosin 37 states and several
countries, even as far asAustralia, and we expanded into
entrepreneurship.
Entrepreneurship was always asubject we would tackle in our
leadership developmentprogramming.
(09:45):
Latinos have an entrepreneurialspirit, but also, what is
entrepreneurship?
That innovation and puttingproduct market fit I mean that
works inside of companies or ifyou're starting your own company
.
So we expanded naturally intoentrepreneurship, not just
because it was rooted in thework that we were doing, but
(10:05):
because we see it as a path tobuilding wealth, and you can't
have power without wealth, andso we really wanted to make sure
we leaned into that.
So we've grown exponentiallyGeographically, we've grown our
programming.
We've also grown ourpartnerships with companies and
corporations and organizations,and I think that's an important
part of this as well is that youdon't accomplish a mission and
(10:29):
vision as big as ours withouthaving a lot of partners and
supporters along the way.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
How do you continue to stay sharp as a CEO and
leader right Like how do youcontinue to grow professionally
within your own field?
Because, you're doing it foreveryone else, so how do you do
it for you?
Speaker 1 (10:44):
Well, first of all, I'm curious by nature and I
think curiosity is a great toolif you are a leader.
I'm never done learning and Idefinitely don't think I have
all the answers.
I read about a book a day, andthis is true.
Some things I read for fun,some things I read for my work.
I have a rule in my house Somepeople it's a rule with shoes
(11:05):
and purses that when you bring anew one, you got to let one go.
I have that rule with myhusband around books because
there's not enough space in ourhouse to take all the books.
I think leaders really effectiveleaders ask more questions than
they give out answers.
I'm constantly encouragingthose questions because I think
(11:25):
it gives you more insight andmore opportunity.
I know I have a lot ofpersonality assessments that
have been done on me and thatI've done on myself, and I know
that I need information to makereally good decisions, and so I
seek out information.
I also believe in partnershipand collaboration, and so I
(11:46):
learn a lot from the peoplearound me mentors, sponsors,
friends, allies.
I've recognized very early onin my career that you don't
accomplish these big thingsalone, and I'm just a work in
progress and I'm verytransparent about that.
When I go and I give keynotesacross the country about my own
leadership journey, I talk a lotabout vulnerability as being a
(12:08):
part of if I'm curious and I'mvulnerable and I'm open, then
I'm constantly learning, I'mconstantly improving and
constantly taking feedback andapplying the feedback to be a
better, stronger individualfirst, and leader second.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
What's your favorite part of your job?
Speaker 1 (12:28):
I get to see Latino potential in full display every
day.
I think the best part is beingin rooms with top Latinos and
having conversations and seeingthe moment that they see their
full potential.
The way that I see it, you knowwhen I get a Latina to say, man
, I am ready for this job, I amready for that.
(12:48):
Next, you know level ofleadership.
Or a Latino business owner who,who you know, got the big
investment and you know, comesback to me and says never would
have gotten that investment hadit not been for your work and
your support.
And so, while I love talkingabout Latino excellence, I love
(13:09):
being in the room with it.
It inspires me, it gives mehope.
This work is really hard,especially now with some
pushback around diversity,equity and inclusion and
belonging investments, fearlessfund court cases.
I mean, we're in a battle, butI am fueled by being around
other fabulous Latinos.
Speaker 3 (13:27):
What's one of the biggest challenges in being a
CEO of this type of company?
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Yeah, there's not enough time on a podcast to
cover the challenges with allthe opportunities.
The challenges are real,especially in the moment that
we're living in.
You know, 10 years ago, if youwould have told me that, I would
have been on a phone call withsomeone which I was last week
and you know told that you knowthe work that I do around
(13:52):
advocating for Latino excellenceand you know its connection to
diversity, equity and inclusionbelonging was.
You know its connection todiversity, equity and inclusion.
Belonging was.
You know the horrible policyand that if they thought the way
I did, they wouldn't wake up inthe morning and that you know
they just want good talent.
It doesn't mean to be diversetalent and you know some of the
rhetoric that's out there thatit's dangerous.
(14:13):
It is a dangerous space to bein when the demographics are
shifting, but you know fear andsometimes even hatred is really
fueling folks to not believe inthat.
But I think more you knowtangibly is the court cases that
are challenging this very work.
I mean we are purpose of ourwork and I am constantly
(14:54):
battling that.
I'm battling individuals whowant to when people are
concerned and trying to mitigaterisk about funding
organizations like ours at atime where our work is more
important than ever, and so Idid not think this moment would
come.
But here it is, and I feelcompelled to be a very vocal and
dedicated leader, and I'm notgoing to relent, given the fact
(15:18):
that I think there's a lot ofheadwinds facing this type of
work right now.
Speaker 3 (15:22):
Absolutely.
You know, I think we've seenthat throughout the field, right
From funders to organizationsseeking funding.
You know just that hesitancybecause of where we are in the
climate now and you know it isunfortunate, right Because you
have organizations likeyourselves that are promoting
Latino excellence or workingwith communities of underserved
populations throughout, whateverbackgrounds they come from,
(15:43):
right, like there are justdifferent organizations that are
doing this work and upliftingcommunities that we would want
to uplift and to support and toelevate and, to, you know, make
(16:04):
sure that people can takeadvantage of the programming.
So you know, I certainly hearyou and gets put into a.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
You know we're just trying to feel good about our
work.
It's a social movement of sorts, and I'm not taking that.
There are elements of that, butthis is an economic, social
(16:33):
imperative.
The Latino demographic shiftand, quite frankly, if we look
more broadly, when we combineLatinos in the Black community
and Asian community and others,the nation's destiny is one of
great diversity, and we have toadvance our communities now
because it has a ripple effectfor generations to come.
(16:56):
The work that we do is notcharity work.
You invest in the future.
You invest in the future of theindividual who's going to
benefit from the program, butyou invest as we make the
economy stronger, because whenLatinos do well, so does the
economy, and so I think that'spart of it as well is that we
are at a pivotal moment.
This is an inflection point.
(17:17):
As we become more diverse, wehave to make sure that our
diverse communities areexcelling, and so I think that
also is a challenge that we faceis really explaining that this
is an imperative for all of usto make sure that we unlock this
full potential of the Latinocommunity and other
underrepresented other investedin communities.
Speaker 3 (17:39):
Let's backtrack a little bit.
Let's talk about what happenedor what were you doing before
this role, right?
So, like 11 years ago, what wasyour career path that led you
to this point where you feltempowered, comfortable, tooled
and resourced enough to helplaunch this organization and
become its leader?
Speaker 1 (17:55):
Wonderful question.
I love this question,especially now as we reflect on
10 years of this and what got mehere in the first place.
So I started my career inpolitics, ran congressional
campaigns, ran senatorialcampaigns, you know, really put
in the grind as someone who wasdedicated to public policy,
(18:17):
changing outcomes forindividuals and communities.
That has always motivated meand I had the benefit of getting
to work with some of the mostextraordinary leaders.
Back in the early days of mycareer, I climbed up the ranks
in the political consultingworld quite quickly ranks in the
(18:39):
political consulting worldquite quickly.
By the time I was 26, I wasrunning six offices across the
country in a major congressionaleffort to take on some
congressional seats.
I ran a C4, which is anorganization that really does
move community and politics andbring those things together, and
I just had a fabulous career.
I was pulled into conversationson public policy at the highest
(19:04):
levels of government and reallydid have a say at the table.
I built a brand for myself ofbeing an expert, particularly in
the Latino vote, something thathas always motivated me.
And so I was just talking acouple months ago with my good
friend, maria Teresa Kumar,because it's hard to imagine
Voto Latino, an organizationthat she's been leading, is
(19:27):
celebrating 20 years and I had abig role in expanding Voto
Latino and working alongside her, and so I just I was passionate
about people, politics, policy,and I just had an amazing
career doing that work.
However, doing that work meant Iwas on planes a lot, meant I
was away from home, aprofessional to say I want to
(19:49):
start a family.
So, after the 2008 presidentialelection which was extraordinary
many stories, out of that one,you know I went to my husband
and I said I'm ready, you know,and I'll take a pause in my
(20:10):
career, and we had twins and Iactually stayed home for three
years and doing some consultingwork and building a more of a
portfolio with companies andcorporations instead of
candidates, which expanded myportfolio during that time.
But I made a choice as aprofessional, as a mom, to take
that time with my twins,something I will never regret,
(20:33):
and so that really led to mefiguring out that I loved
working with the private sectoras well, and my knowledge of the
Latinos in general really didtranscend politics and go into
the private sector, and I thinkthat was the root of me going
into this work and bringing theintersectionality of lack of
(20:56):
representation both in politicsin corporate America, and so I
think it was a perfect fit forme to be a member of the
original founders launching thisorganization.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
That makes a lot of sense.
I appreciate a lot of thatcontext, right, and I appreciate
you sharing your story aboutputting your career on pause to
go be a mom, and that can be avery scary decision for a lot of
folks, right, and that can besomething that I'm sure many
women struggle with and eitherpostpone or delay or choose not
to do.
So it's always great to hearfrom someone that has done it
(21:30):
and that is now continues to bein leadership positions, right,
despite having a pause and beingable to also use that time, as
you said, to build morerelationships, right, like you
were already known in the field.
Now you were just buildingrelationships with other
corporations that you may nothave had relationships with,
beginning to do some consultingwork and kind of build from
(21:50):
there.
But you know, I just appreciatewhen folks are able to, like
tell the story in a not solinear way where it's like, oh,
I just kept ascending and doingthe things and it's like,
actually it's not always thatway.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
No, and in fact I would say it's rarely that way.
I think you know, just to callout this important conversation
because I talk a lot about, youknow, especially to other
Latinas and even just youngwomen in general or folks who
are thinking about their career.
You know I I'm so often,especially after I get off the
stage after giving a keynote,without a doubt I will have a
(22:25):
line of Latinas sitting there totalk to me and everyone will
ask me you know, how do you haveit all?
How did you?
You know, how did you make allof this happen?
And you know some reallyimportant lessons right there.
First of all, I don't believeyou can have it all at the same
time.
I think you know everything isa matter of choices and
prioritization, and things comeinto focus and out of focus
throughout your career.
I think we will make a mistakeif we think we can just do it
(22:46):
all at the same time.
And so throughout my career,and even to this day, I make
really intentional decisionsabout how I spend my time and
what that priority looks like.
If I travel to give a keynote,then the next day I'm making
sure that I'm spending a littleextra time during breakfast with
my kids before they go toschool.
I do not miss soccer games, Iam there.
(23:08):
I will fly home on a red eye ona Friday night so that I am
there at my kids' game on aSaturday, if that's what it
takes, and I don't apologizewhen I have to skip a meeting or
leave early so that I could bethere for a parent-teacher
meeting, and I don't let my teamapologize if they need to be
(23:28):
somewhere that is related totheir family or other
obligations.
I think it is really importantfor other Latinas and other
women and other, even fathers Imean this extends beyond just
women and moms but also torecognize that I have succeeded
in my career because I had agreat support system at home A
(23:49):
husband who, you know, didn'tbat an eye when I told him I was
, you know, leaving every Mondaymorning to get to DC and coming
home every Friday evening tospend time with him.
Before we had kids, parents whohelp take care of my kids and
drive them around when I can,and you know it just.
It takes a community to make ithappen.
And yet, despite all of thatsupport, I still have burned
(24:13):
myself out throughout my careerbecause I've overextended myself
.
So the biggest lesson is you tobe successful and to be both a
great CEO and a great mom.
You have to know when to say noto things, and so you won't see
me out at a lot of events andhappy hours and all the things
that people may expect me toattend, because that's my family
(24:36):
time and I don't apologize formaking that a priority.
So, again, it is a balancingact of prioritization and
decision-making, surrounded by asupport network and ultimately
feeling unapologetic about.
You know, when I'm at work, I'munapologetic that I'm at work
and focused, and when I'm athome, I'm unapologetic that
(24:58):
that's my mom time.
Speaker 3 (24:59):
I love it.
I love it.
Is leading this type oforganization what you always
wanted to do for a living.
It sounded like you kind ofevolved into all of this, but
would love to hear, like whenyou were younger, what did you
think you were going to be?
Speaker 1 (25:12):
So it's funny when I was little this tells you
everything about my personalityI think when I was little and I
was asked what I wanted fromSanta for that Christmas, I set
a desk so that I could open upmy own law firm.
And I think I was six, maybeseven years old and I asked for
a desk so that I could open alaw firm and a cash register.
(25:33):
True story a desk and a cashregister so I could get my money
from my clients, which were allmy stuffed animals at the time,
or my neighbors, I'm sure.
And so I, first of all, tobacktrack just a little bit, I
grew up in a family of justextraordinary Latinos.
I I did not know just howblessed and how unique my
(25:54):
circumstances were.
My parents were high schoolsweethearts without a college
degree.
My grandparents were were highschool sweethearts without a
college degree.
My grandparents were all highschool sweethearts, all without
a college degree.
And all of them my grandparents, my great-grandparents, my
great-great-grandparents.
They were servant leaders, theywere business owners, they were
(26:14):
sheepherders and potato farmers, turned entrepreneurs, turned
the first Latina president ofthe Denver City Council, which
my grandmother was.
And so I grew up in a familywhere hard work and commitment
were a given, but so too wasgiving back to community.
So I thought it was totallynormal and I thought every
(26:34):
family in the United States hadSunday dinners that were
centered around voterregistration or boycotts or
walkouts.
You know, again, this was adifferent time, when you know
we're still really fighting forbasic rights and civil liberties
.
Speaker 2 (26:49):
And entrepreneurs.
Speaker 1 (26:51):
My dad, you know, started a business, a successful
business, in a field where notmany Latinos were, and so I just
was always surrounded by that.
So I think it is probablyexpected that at six or seven I
saw myself as an attorney andthought that that's what I was
going to do with my life.
But then, instead of going tolaw school, I got on the
(27:13):
campaign trails and startedworking on campaigns and I loved
it.
I love the strategy, I love thenumbers how do we get to that
50 plus one equation?
I love the people, I love thepsychology of it and I was
hooked and I never looked back,didn't go to law school and
built just a fabulous career.
(27:35):
But I mentioned this earlier.
I'm curious.
I don't think I'm eversatisfied.
I always want to do somethingthat's going to challenge me,
and I think that's why I'vetaken risks and I've jumped into
things that maybe I wasn't anexpert.
I was not an expert in buildinga leadership program, had never
really even done leadershipprograms myself when I started
(27:56):
this work, but I'm kind offearless when it comes to trying
something new and bringing allmy skill sets to the table, and
I think that's led me to take on, you know, at 26,.
I mentioned that too.
I mean, I was running officesin multiple states and traveling
all over and having staff allover that were probably twice my
(28:18):
age at the time.
Didn't know any better, and Ithink I just have a knack for
taking on challenges, and Ithink a lot of that comes from
the fact that I was surroundedby really extraordinary folks
who taught me hard work, somefearlessness, because if I fail,
if I don't do the job well, Ialways know I have a home of
(28:42):
love and support to surround meand I think that's my, you know
that's my, that's my lifeline.
And so I think that's why I'venavigated my career the way I
have, because I always know thatI have a place to go and these
people are going to support me,no matter what I do.
Speaker 3 (28:56):
You're a couple of generations of Colorado
residents, right, like yourfamily has like deep roots in
Colorado, right?
Speaker 1 (29:03):
Yeah, no, I mean, I'm at least ninth generation.
It probably goes back evenfurther once we track my great
grandmother's indigenous roots.
But when my twins were born wehad five living generations and
the borders are somewhat, youknow, they're fuzzy, because it
was really northern New Mexicoand southern Colorado where all
(29:24):
sets of my family were residingand, again, sheep herders,
potato farmers, really rooted inland, but they were business
owners and entrepreneurs.
My great-great-grandfather wasprobably one of the first, if
not the first, latinos electedand did some work around the
school board, you know, beforewe even had territories really.
(29:44):
And so, yeah, I come from along history of that.
That history is really, youknow, important to who I am as a
person and and the way I seethe importance of our culture
and stories and history.
Speaker 3 (29:57):
Did you go to college right out of high school, or
was there a break in between,and what did you study?
Speaker 1 (30:04):
So I went to Loyola Marymount and I started pre-med
because I'm also even though Iknew I wanted to be a lawyer as
a kid and I wanted to go intopublic office, I also wanted to
rebel a little bit and I thoughtI was going to be the first
doctor in the family and I lovedscience and I loved math as a
kid and so I started down thatroad at Loyola Marymount.
(30:26):
But a couple of OCHEM classesinto my studies I was like, yeah
, this is not for me.
So shout out to all the doctorsand those in the STEM field
While I probably could havesurvived through it and studied
really hard, I just missed thepeople part of it, the politics,
the policy.
And so when I was in aphilosophy class freshman year
(30:49):
and thinking about the greatphilosophers over time and how
we pont great philosophers overtime and you know how we
pontificate over things and howthe world really takes shape, I
just I couldn't let that passiongo.
And so then I, you know, wentinto political science.
It was a natural fit for me.
Speaker 3 (31:04):
That makes a lot of sense Political science, as I
can see.
But I also appreciate that.
You know, I think when we'reyounger we just don't even know
where these careers could takeus.
So lawyer at seven makes sense,then high school pre-med makes
sense.
Then you start opening yourmind and experiencing different
things.
You're like, actually let metry this other thing.
So you know, I also appreciatethe journey that we go through
(31:27):
to get to where we are, becauseit's not always as clear.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
Yeah, and I think, if you were to ask me today, like
what I want to do when I grow up, I love sports and it's
actually probably you knowsomething, and I'm excited now
because the LLI actuallypartners with a lot of
professional sports teams andleagues to do some of the work.
But I mean, I'm not done andyou know, as I did the political
thing, I'm obviously doing theLLI now, you know, but I would
love I think there's still a lotof barriers to break in sports
(31:59):
and so I'm not giving up thatdream.
I would love to sit on, youknow, one day, an ownership pool
of a team.
You know that's you always gotto put big goals out, but right
now, you know LLI is building anAI driven platform, and so I
also am, you know, delving intotechnology, and you know whoever
knew that I would, you know, bebuilding a technology platform
(32:22):
as part of our work and missionhere at the LLI.
So I always say be open to it,be curious about it, don't be
afraid of it, and you know Iwant big and better things, even
for myself, in the future.
So, whether that is, you know,to be a CEO, tech and have a
platform that changes outcomesfor future generations, or, you
(32:44):
know, bring my passion forsports to the table.
You know, who knows?
I just love being open to thatand to your point.
I think as kids, we may notknow what we're going to be.
I think as adults, sometimesyou know we're.
We're still on this journey andwe don't know where the final
destination may be.
Speaker 3 (33:00):
I love that it is an ongoing evolution.
Can you, can you share anyother of those types of career
cheat codes or things thatyounger professionals or
professionals thinking aboutmaking a change just should hear
and should know that can helpthem in their careers?
Speaker 1 (33:16):
Yeah.
So you mentioned that we'restarting, and have already
started, the development of aplatform, and it's based on
probably one of the mostimportant lessons and probably
one of the truest thesis Ibelieve in in this work, and
that is the role of socialcapital in one's success and
journey.
You know, did I work hard?
Yes, did I produce?
Absolutely.
(33:36):
But if I'm being really honestwith everyone, I made it where I
made it, how quickly I made it,because I had social capital,
and that is something that iscritical for, I think, success
and I think what a lot ofunderrepresented communities
don't necessarily have access to.
What I mean by social capitalis I'm talking not just about
(33:59):
mentors or individuals who aregoing to give me advice.
I'm talking about sponsors.
I'm talking about people wholiterally opened the door for me
, pushed me in, held the doorand then made sure that I was
going to be successful when Icrossed that doorway.
Individuals like my grandmotherabsolutely opened up so many
doors, but individuals and I'mabout to go meet him for lunch
(34:22):
people like Mike Stratton in mylife who took me as a young
political consultant under hiswing and put me in the room with
presidential candidates at avery young age and said listen
to her, listen to what she hasto say, she knows what she's
talking about, and that I lookback in my career about all of
(34:42):
those, and Federico Pena, youknow, one of the co-founders of
the Latino Leadership Institute,who brought me to the meeting
that day to talk about theInstitute.
I pinch myself sometimes tothink about the people in my
lives that made all of thispossible, and so social capital
is absolutely critical, I thinkparticularly for Latinos we
(35:06):
don't necessarily know that,we're not taught that.
We don't grow up in countryclubs and we don't really
understand that the people thatsurround us, the people that can
help us, are so missioncritical for our own career,
success and trajectory.
So partly why we want to builda platform that really connects
(35:27):
people and really cashes in onthe power of social capital is
because I think it's a gamechanger.
It was for me.
I would not be where I am today, I wouldn't be talking to you,
if a former employee andgraduate of our program didn't
say you know who you need toknow, you know who you should
talk to.
And so I think about that.
And then I imagine what wecould do if we could scale that
(35:49):
and build that even bigger.
And what if people just hadaccess to the type of social
capital I did?
I think it would be game overfor a lot of people trying to
hold us down.
So that is a big lesson, inaddition to everything I've
talked about, I think, theimportance and role of social
capital.
Speaker 3 (36:07):
I know you mentioned earlier that you read about a
book a day.
Can you share, you know?
And the answer could be books,it could be resources, it could
be podcasts, just things thatyou have read or consumed that
have changed you personally orprofessionally.
Speaker 1 (36:20):
Yeah, I mean there's so many.
I mean literally there are abookshelf of books on Latino
history.
You know, things I didn't knowthat I think are really
important.
They weren't taught right.
We get like a paragraph, Ithink, in most textbooks which
is really really sad, and soI've really made an intentional
(36:40):
effort and not just SouthwestLatinos, which is what I know,
being in Colorado and being inthe Southwest but really
learning about the immigrantjourney, and so I have a book of
all of these firsthand storiesfrom immigrants from all over
the world and what is theirexperience, both as they travel
here but then once they get here.
(37:01):
I love reading books from otherCEOs.
I just did a fireside chat withOscar Munoz after his book and
Turnaround Time, which is afabulous book of not only just
his life but what he had to doat United as the first Latino
CEO at the time, and you know.
So, reading other books fromother CEOs, I think one of the
(37:23):
books that really helped meunderstand that there's more to
learn about myself but alsoLatinos recently was the book
Finding Latinx.
You know, I had some youngerstaff on my team and we got into
a really, you know, importantconversation a few years back
about the term Latinx.
I'm a Gen Xer and and you knowwhen that was first brought to
(37:46):
me, I really did not like it andI did not appreciate it,
because I didn't understandwhere it came from and I was
hearing from the younger.
You't understand where it camefrom and I was hearing from the
younger.
You know members of my teamsaying this is, you know,
important for inclusion, and youknow so.
I read that book and I did.
I gained a better perspective.
I understood the roots.
I still don't use it myselfit's not how I identify, but
(38:09):
again, I think reading at thevolume that I do allows me to
gain perspective.
It allows me to grow empathy.
It also allows me to understandmy blind spots a little bit
better, which I have many of.
And then I think there's booksyou just read for fun.
So John Leguizamos' book, youknow there's just, yes, there's
(38:30):
some history in there and that'sfun.
But I just think it's also goodto find those books that bring
it down a notch.
Speaker 3 (38:36):
I could be a little over serious, and so I seek
those books out as well peoplecan make as a leader of an
organization like this, right,you all do national work.
I just you know if you haveheard any other episodes I'm
(38:58):
very big on you.
Don't have to sacrifice beinghappy with your career and
having an impact and thenfundamentally being broke or
doing the opposite, so share.
Speaker 1 (39:07):
I love this question, I think it's so important and
I'm going to be very honest andtransparent about it as well.
So leading a nonprofitorganization of this size, I
mean one can expect I thinkdepending on where you live,
it's going to change that number, but you can expect to make
(39:28):
anywhere between probably$100,000 and $200,000 if you are
a CEO of a nonprofitorganization.
And don't get me wrong, that isa good wage, it's a good living
and you can make a really goodlife for yourself.
But having come from abackground where I was making a
lot more as a consultant and theopportunities to make a lot
(39:48):
more, sometimes from the privatesector, are very real.
So much so that, as a CEO ofthe organization, we've done
comprehensive salary studies formyself and my team and the
reality is is that you couldmake a really good living in the
nonprofit space, but sometimesthe salaries are not as high as
those in other sectors andindustries, and that's just fact
(40:12):
.
And some of that is because, asa nonprofit organization, a lot
of your funding comes fromphilanthropic investments, and a
lot of philanthropicinvestments don't actually cover
personnel.
They have to go toprogram-related costs and so to
make the money and to bring ingeneral operating dollars to
cover things like personnel andsalary makes it difficult at
(40:35):
times for us to have reallycompetitive salaries.
But on the other side of it, Ialso know that being in the
nonprofit space, you knowthere's things that don't
necessarily go onto yourhousehold balance sheet, like
having more time away from work,with family and in community,
and you know being able to dowork that really matters.
(40:57):
I've made an intentionaldecision to be in this work
because this is my life calling,but that does mean that maybe
I'm not making as much as Iwould if I were in the private
sector or taking on some ofthose other roles.
So when you are thinking aboutcareer, when you are thinking
(41:21):
about your family's economicstatus, you have to take all of
these factors into account,because I wouldn't give up my
job for anything, but I dorecognize that I probably could
make more money somewhere else.
Speaker 3 (41:28):
I know you're involved in a lot of things
outside of your current role.
Can you speak to some of yourengagements with other
organizations, whether on boardsor as an advisory role?
Speaker 1 (41:37):
I think stepping into other leadership positions
outside your work is important.
One continues to build yoursocial capital and social
networks.
Two, you have an important roleto influence decisions and I
think that's a really importantthing beyond your companies and
it helps your organization to bebetter known, because you're
talking about what you do.
(41:58):
So I do spend time both servingon boards of directors and I've
done that for nonprofits likeMile High, united Way, something
I was really passionate aboutand sitting in the room with
other executives helping leadorganizations of that size and
of that mission.
And I've also served on thingslike the Hispanic Advisory
(42:19):
Council for the Coca-ColaCompany, sitting alongside other
extraordinary Latino leadersacross the country, alongside
the CEO of the Coca-Cola companyand sitting with other
executives of the organizationtalking about the Latino market,
talking about brand, talkingabout products and new products
(42:40):
and new strategies, and so I'vedone both.
I think that both arecritically important.
I have done paid and volunteerboard positions and I think paid
, whether you're doing it forcompanies or organizations,
that's an opportunity againbuilding wealth, doing good and
making money while you do it.
(43:01):
There's not enough.
Especially Latinas are lessthan 1% of those paid corporate
board positions, so we have along way to go, but I think
they're important, and so whenI'm given the opportunity, I do.
I also serve on advisory boardsfor things outside of my work
as an individual In the media.
I used to have a career as acommunications director
(43:22):
something we didn't talk about,but that was another thing I did
and so I now serve as theadvisory board of a Scripps
affiliate here in Denver forDenver 7.
And you know I'm passionateabout voting and electing good.
So as an individual not in thiscapacity as a CEO I helped, you
know, kind of found anorganization called PoderPAC
(43:44):
back in 2008 that's focused onelecting Latinas to Congress and
to the Senate, and so I'm proudto say, you know, since
launching that, polarpac hasgone on to support a lot of
Latinas into that elected office.
So I find things that I'mpassionate about that are
purposeful and aligned with myvalues.
(44:04):
Some pay and some don't, but Ido find time for them.
Speaker 3 (44:07):
If folks wanted to either get involved with or
learn more about the LatinoLeadership Institute, how can
they do that?
Speaker 1 (44:13):
The best way is number one, going to our website
, latinosleadorg.
There's a wealth of informationabout our programs, but
research my keynotes.
You'll find just a lot there.
But also follow us on LinkedInand social media.
We have over 50,000 engagedfolks on our social media
platforms and we share a lot ofinformation and resources.
(44:36):
Follow us because we'll havesome exciting announcements, not
only about the future of ourwork, but the platform I
mentioned a little bit, and oncethat platform's launched,
definitely get on that platformbecause that's where you'll find
other extraordinary Latinos andallies really driven to closing
the wealth gap by advancingcareers and building businesses.
Speaker 3 (44:58):
Amazing.
Is there anything else wehaven't discussed today that the
world should know about?
Joelle?
Speaker 1 (45:02):
You know.
The only other thing I will sayis we've talked a lot about
success, self-care, and I am notthe best model of that, and
there have been times in my lifeand my career where I've pushed
myself to exhaustion or burnoutor even physical and mental
unwellness, and the reminderthat I have is you know, we're
(45:23):
only as strong as the fuel wegive ourselves, and you know,
we'll run out of gas if we'renot constantly protecting
ourselves, investing inourselves, nurturing ourselves
and caring for ourselves.
So leaders have a tendency tojust give, give, give, give, go,
go, go, go, and sometimes thebest thing we can do is stop,
rest, rejuvenate, refocus.
(45:43):
And it's just something wedidn't discuss today, but
something I always like to leavewith people is you're only as
good as you're good to yourself,and you know that's something
that I continue to strive to bebetter at.
Speaker 3 (45:55):
Awesome, thank you.
Well, thank you for joining ustoday.
Really appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (45:59):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (46:00):
I hope you enjoyed this episode.
If you did and believe on themission we're on, please like,
rate and subscribe to thispodcast on whatever platform
you're using, and share thispodcast with your friends and
your networks.
Make sure you follow us onInstagram and LinkedIn at Career
Cheat Code and tell us peopleor careers you would like to see
highlighted.
See you next week with somemore cheat codes.
Peace.
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