065 | Corporate Philanthropy with Dayanna Torres

What happens when you combine resilience, cultural awareness, and a passion for economic equity? Dayanna Torres, Vice President at Ares Management Corporation, provides the answer by sharing her inspiring journey into corporate philanthropy. Dayanna explains how self-belief and perseverance have been the cornerstones of her career, from her initial dreams of broadcast journalism to her current role in transforming corporate giving. We delve deep into her responsibilities, from identifying the right nonprofit partners to co-designing initiatives that aim for systemic changes in economic equity across the US and Europe.

The episode takes a broader look at the philanthropy landscape, focusing on the organization's portfolio that was launched in 2021. Dayanna emphasizes the need to understand unique economic barriers and cultural contexts to create impactful, long-lasting solutions. She recounts her experiences working closely with communities, leveraging macro-level insights for fostering innovation while addressing the nuances of each community. The conversation showcases the importance of strategic investments in career preparation, reskilling, personal finance, and entrepreneurship, emphasizing that true change comes from more than just financial contributions.

Building strong partnerships and maintaining a balance between passion-driven careers and financial stability are key themes Dayanna discusses. From her educational background at Syracuse University to her initial role with Big Brothers Big Sisters, Dayanna's narrative is a testament to the power of networking, continuous learning, and diverse experiences. Her story underscores the importance of authenticity and patience in career growth, while also highlighting the value of giving back through mentorship and advisory roles. Join us for this enlightening episode and discover valuable insights that could transform your own career path.

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.

If you enjoyed this episode, please like, rate, and subscribe to this podcast on whatever platform you’re using, and share this podcast with your friends and your networks. For more #CareerCheatCode, visit linktr.ee/careercheatcode. Let's make an impact, one episode at a time!
Host - Radhy Miranda
LinkedIn
Instagram
Producer - Gary Batista
LinkedIn
Instagram
To watch on YouTube
Follow us on our YouTub...

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Never doubt that it is possible and that you can
make it happen.
So that was something, I feellike, that was instilled in me
by the people that I came acrossthrough the years, from
elementary school having thegood teachers, right counselors,
to having the right mentors, tohaving the right feedback from
my mom when I came home fromschool and was having good
grades, or when I was struggling, or supporting me when there

(00:23):
was an opportunity that camealong and I needed that
signature.
So that belief in yourself is soimportant, of always taking the
attitude of I'll figure it out,I'll make it happen.
And as you said earlier, tosomething that I think is
cultural.
We don't always know how to askfor help or always think that
we have to figure it out on ourown, and sometimes we make it a
lot more difficult on ourselves.

(00:44):
But making sure that you're notthe person, the first person,
to tell yourself no, is reallyimportant.

Speaker 2 (00:50):
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 already havingthe impact you want or are
searching for it, this is thepodcast for you.
All right, diana, welcome tothe show.

Speaker 1 (01:06):
Thank you for having me, Ravi.

Speaker 2 (01:08):
Of course, really excited about this.
Let's dive right in.
Let's tell the world what it isyou do for a living.

Speaker 1 (01:12):
I'm Diana Torres.
I am a vice president at AriesManagement Corporation.
Aries is a leading globalalternative investment manager
and at the firm I am the seniorprogram officer leading US and
European grantmaking at theAries Charitable Foundation.

Speaker 2 (01:26):
So what does that mean?
So when you walk in on a Monday, right like, what does your job
really entail?
Like what are you looking for,what are you scheduling, what do
you, what do your meetings looklike, what is it?
What does that actually from afunctional standpoint look like?

Speaker 1 (01:39):
Well, I would say it's actually my dream job.
For a few years now, I'vedreamed of going into corporate
philanthropy.
So I work as part of a globalfirm that is an investment
manager and I have theopportunity to leverage those
resources to partner with localnonprofits across regions in US
and Europe and Europeancountries to provide the

(02:00):
opportunity to address economicdisparities in those local
communities.
A lot of that work consists of alot of meetings, like many of,
us virtual and in-person sitevisits with nonprofit
organizations and getting toreally understand the
communities.
But I also work very closelyacross the firm with leaders
that serve as regional committeemembers and we liaise and

(02:22):
partner to leverage thestrategic advisory and expertise
of our company to buildcapacity for our grants during
the grant cycle and our projectsand to inform on the direction
of the foundation as well.
So lots of meetings and lots ofopportunity to ideate and
develop concepts for projectsand initiatives to address
economic disparities, forprojects and initiatives to
address economic disparities,and our focus is we have three

(02:46):
areas of focus in which wesupport nonprofit organizations,
including career preparationand reskilling, encouraging
entrepreneurship and alsopersonal finance.

Speaker 2 (02:54):
Wow, that's great.
So, really, findingorganizations nonprofit
organizations that are focusedon these three pillars and your
job is to go in and understandwhat it is they're doing, how
they're addressing these issuesand then figuring out if there's
an opportunity for partnershipand how you can provide them
with the resources they need todo their work Is that right have

(03:20):
a formal application whereorganizations submit, just get
approved or declined.

Speaker 1 (03:25):
We actually vet and identify organizations that are
doing great work already anddetermine the opportunity to add
value to that organization,build capacity and provide the
resources and the partnership toactually develop the project or
an initiative that they haven'thad the opportunity to do
before because they don't havethe funds or the right partner.
So we look not to invest inexisting programs but to

(03:47):
actually work with subjectmatter experts like the local
nonprofits or nationalnonprofits that are looking to
address systemic changes,leveraging their experiencing,
working with the communities,working with their clients, and
we work together to co-designthe partnership and the grants
in order to really work towardseffectively addressing systemic

(04:09):
changes to addressing economicequity gaps.

Speaker 2 (04:13):
That makes a lot of sense and that's very similar to
my role.
Like at Rockefeller Foundation,we don't have a portal that you
can just go in and apply for agrant for, but it's really the
onus is on the program officersto go and find these
organizations and and understandwho's doing what and how that
fits into your strategy, andthen you know, partner with them
and tool them like, provide theresources that they need to

(04:35):
just, you know, continue toeither do what they're doing at
that level or scale it Right.
How do, how do we continue toamplify the great work that a
lot of these organizations aredoing?
So that's great.
So tell me more about yourportfolio.
How, how broad is it Like?
What are we talking about interms of number of grantee
partners and then also in termsof geography?

Speaker 1 (04:55):
Yeah, so that's a great question.
We were launched in 2021 and weare continuing to grow our
portfolio and, as part of myrole, I have the opportunity to
identify ideas and solutionsthat organizations have that
create a right fit for theportfolio, according to the
regions that we're supportingand according to our mission to

(05:16):
address economic inequities.
As part of our mission is alsoto ensure that we are developing
solutions and creatinginvestment opportunities for
these local nonprofits in theareas where we live and work.
So we have different regionsthat I cover, including the West
Coast, where our headquartersare, and Northeast and Midwest

(05:37):
and European countries, but wealso have offices and do
business and it actually variesin terms of.
Something that is reallyexciting to me is really
understanding what are theissues on the ground and in the
different communities, thedifferent states, different
locations, even the differentcountries, the culture is very
different.
So really having anunderstanding, hearing from
organizations what are thebiggest economic opportunity
barriers that they're facing.

(05:58):
For example, the majority ofour portfolio is actually career
preparation and reskilling,both in the US and Europe, and
we're seeing a growing number ofpersonal finance and
entrepreneurship in the US andI'm looking to explore what does
that look like also in theEuropean countries?
Does it exist?
Is it an issue?
Is it a thing yet?
And trying to understand wherewe can add value in our grant

(06:19):
making, really creating culturalrelevance and also relevance in
terms of what's happening inthose markets and what is
happening in terms of theexperience of the communities
that live there.

Speaker 2 (06:28):
Can you tell me what's your favorite part of
your job?

Speaker 1 (06:31):
Oh well, I definitely love my job.
As I said earlier, I feelreally honored and proud that I
have the opportunity to get todo work that creates impact and
also allows me an opportunity tolearn, really get to understand
what organizations are workingon and what the needs are, and
to leverage the influence,position, power, expertise of

(06:53):
colleagues across the firm tobuild that capacity for
organizations not only writing acheck but really working
closely to understand theorganizations better and then to
step back and look at the workthrough our portfolio and the
lens of systems change.
So I think a big part of whyI'm excited about the work is
our approach of systemic changes.

(07:14):
So it's changes.
Instead of investing insolutions and seeding programs
that are creating a bandaid, weseek to actually identify
organizations that arewell-positioned to really get
creative and aim to move theneedle, to really address the
issues that are barriers foreconomic opportunity for people

(07:36):
looking to achieve their careersor achieve economic mobility,
get into the workforce for thefirst time or transition into a
different industry, or thosethat are looking to really
develop the skills in personalfinance to not only educate
themselves but their families,their communities, encouraging
entrepreneurship, which we seeit through a lens of economic
development, where supporting anentrepreneur in launching a

(07:59):
business, building a businessand growing a business, it's not
only contributing to theirsuccess, but also their
community's economy and theopportunity to create jobs and
hire other community memberslike themselves, and it can make
a drastic impact.
So the complexity of the workexcites me.
A partnership focus andaddressing issues at a systems
level is something that I'vealways been very passionate

(08:20):
about, and getting theopportunity to leverage the
resources of a firm like Aresit's definitely a dream.

Speaker 2 (08:26):
That's awesome and you know it's great because you
know you've been a subjectmatter expert for a long time,
right, like you've been workingwith communities for such a long
time not only your entirecareer, but really coming from
some of these communities thatyou're supporting.
Right, and now you have anopportunity to connect some of
the dots from this macro level,where you have a portfolio that
is global and you can say, hey,I see some patterns.
Or, hey, you all should connectwith these organizations.

(08:49):
I know you're in Europe, butthere are some organizations
here in the United States thatare doing similar things and
approaches and now we can makesome connections.
So, you know, can you talk alittle bit about, kind of what
having that macro view and thatglobal approach in your
portfolio provides you thecapability to just, you know,
connect some dots for folks?

Speaker 1 (09:07):
That is a very fascinating question, because I
grew up in one of the mostunderserved congressional
districts in the United States,a place called the Bronx in New
York, and spent most of mycareer working across different
systems in New York City publichousing to economic development,
to higher education and workingdirectly with community members
, not only looking to navigatethe different economic systems

(09:29):
but also looking to leverageresources, and got closely
involved with having anunderstanding about the systems
and how they work and theeconomic investments that exist
and the silos that exist,oftentimes across public-private
sectors.
And I also had the opportunityto work closely with people
directly that were eitherlaunching or managing businesses

(09:49):
or pursuing college as a firstgeneration student kids of
immigrants, navigating povertyand economic barriers.
So, from directly working withpeople and understanding what's
happening in the home and theirfamilies and their communities,
from also stepping back andhaving worked in different
systems, it allows me now tobring that lens but also bring

(10:10):
the nuance of understanding thatnot every community is the same
.
So I have the passion and I'mvery eager to have an
understanding at a micro levelof what's really happening in
those communities and notassuming that what I experienced
and the systems that I'venavigated and worked in will be
the same in the Northeast asthey would be in the West Coast,

(10:30):
midwest or in differentcountries in Europe.
So it allows me to bring myexpertise but also be nimble, to
learn and listen and have theopportunity to connect the dots
and say, hey, what if this wouldwork here?
Or, you know, we tried this inthis market and it didn't work.
Let's see if we can identifyother connections or

(10:51):
opportunities to provide ideasfor solutions, but always
recognizing that we're not amonolith, we're global scope, so
there's always that opportunityto grow and to be innovative.

Speaker 2 (11:04):
Absolutely, and you've always, you know, been
good at working across sectors,right, and being able to like,
make sure that social sector,private sector and public
sectors are all at the table tosolve these big, complex issues
right.
So, which is one of the thingsthat makes you, I'm sure, really
good at your role aside fromyour own background and what you
mentioned right, but like, youreally have worked in this space

(11:26):
of just connecting dots in away that is just fascinating,
you know, can you share a littlebit about, maybe not
necessarily just in this role,but just generally, like what
are some of the challenges thatcome with this type of role?

Speaker 1 (11:37):
Wow.
Well, I think the first thingthat comes to mind is that the
people closer to the problem areclosest to the solution.
So something that I've learnedalong the way is how important
it is to convene and engagepeoples across different
experiences, especially peoplethat you're looking to impact,
and they're oftentimes notinvited to the ideation table or
involved in the decision making.

(11:58):
So oftentimes, organizationsand institutions are looking to
address similar issues or anaspect of those issues, and are
not often communicating orconvening or coming together to
do that.
So something that I've learnedthroughout my career and I sort
of fell into, was partnershipdevelopment and the power of
partnerships and the power ofdeveloping the trust, and that

(12:18):
can take a lot of time.
So a lot of this work takestime.
So being able to be patient,being able to identify the right
players and the people that arein it for the long haul is
really critical, and people thatare open to change as well, not
to say you know, we always dothis the same way.
This is how it's going tocontinue, but really coming to
the table with fresh ideas orthe open-mindedness of we can

(12:42):
actually make an impact, and Ido believe that the resources
are there, the information isthere.
We have to all come together tobetter leverage them.
So I think one of thechallenging aspects for me is
that a lot of these issues andbarriers have solutions, but
they're not moving.
The solutions aren't moving asquickly as they should and as
they could, so making sure thatwe are committed to doing that

(13:03):
is really important in order forus to be able to see the impact
that we want in this generationand for future generations.
I feel like there's no excuseor reason why we can't move the
needle.

Speaker 2 (13:15):
That's awesome, diana .
You said this is your dream job.
Tell me more about how does oneget into this type of role and
what made this be your dream job, like, at what point did that
come about?

Speaker 1 (13:26):
Yeah, well, it's very interesting you say that,
because earlier you saidsomething around me connecting
the dots.
I think there comes a point inour lives that some people know
exactly what they want to dowhen they grow up.
Other people navigate andexplore and sort of kind of find
themselves in that journey.
I would say I thought I wantedto do one thing and then I
analyzed why I wanted to do whatI wanted to do.
Growing up I actually wanted tobe an anchor on Univision or

(13:50):
Spanish News channel, because Igrew up seeing the role models
of people really speaking on ourbehalf, advocating, sharing the
news and really also promotingopportunity information
resources.
Through the years I realized Icared to be a representative of
underrepresented communities nocliche or pun intended and I

(14:11):
realized the importance ofmaking the connection.
So all of my career has beenaround navigating systems and
leveraging partnerships,managing partnerships,
developing partnerships,identifying the right
organizations and, as youmentioned earlier, not only in
one sector but across sectors,within an institution, across
teams.
So I always found the value ofthat and corporate philanthropy

(14:33):
was probably one page in mypublic relations campaign book
in grad school.
I was like, oh wow, I thought Iwanted to go into corporate at
a certain stage.
But I also knew I wanted tomake a difference and make an
impact and leverage resourcesthe concept of giving back to a
community that has given me somuch.
I felt like I've been able toleverage so many resources,

(14:54):
growing up where I grew up andhaving the limited access that I
had and, you know, gettingwhere I've gone.
I haven't done it alone.
So I found myself realizing thatthroughout my career I could
adapt that attitude and aspectand lens of I can be a source
for good and a person that willbe not only advocating for the
impact that I want to see, butalso like aiming to do the

(15:17):
drastic changes at a systemslevel by bringing people
together to work together.
And an exciting part about it isalso I grew up with limited
access to financial resources,so being able to have the
opportunity to and earlier in mycareer to, work for the city of
New York and then incorporateis leveraging those resources,
not only capital but the peopleand the networks to make that

(15:39):
difference.
So that's sort of how my careerwas shaped.
I also was focused in publicaffairs and public
communications work so in mygraduate program.
So I always envisioned havingdiverse experience, but also
expanding from where I grew upto other parts of the experience
I've had through the yearsacross different systems and

(16:05):
really also incorporate mypassion for understanding
different cultures and differentsystems and policies that exist
across these systems to reallyhave a better understanding of
how I can be that agent ofchange.

Speaker 2 (16:17):
That makes a lot of sense.
Where did you end up going toundergrad and grad school?
And you know, I do appreciateyou walking us through how you
arrive at this point, right,because I think a lot of times
we could have a sense of wherewe're going.
We don't know how all thepieces fit together.
Right, like you said, corporatephilanthropy is one page in the
thesis, right, but like itdoesn't mean that you had it
fully fleshed out, but you justsaw that as one of the levers

(16:40):
that was important to the puzzleand a way that you could
contribute to that, right?
So, like, tell me more aboutwhat you went, where'd you go to
school?
And like, did you get what youwanted out of grad school as
well?

Speaker 1 (16:51):
So I went to undergrad in Syracuse University
and I actually did a couple ofinternships while as an
undergrad in corporate andnonprofit and NGO from New York
to Washington DC and I decidedto go to grad school and I
pursued a dual degree inSyracuse University as well, in
the Maxwell School of PublicAffairs and the Public

(17:12):
Communication School, theNewhouse School.
At the time I didn't have itall resolved in terms of what I
wanted to do.
I always have a passion forlearning and also taking
advantage of any opportunity Icould get.
So I applied, took the test andgot into grad school and, as
the first generation in myfamily to graduate college and
then to pursue graduate program,I saw value in that, in

(17:33):
learning and also advancing inmy education.
As I figured it out, I alwaysand I would recommend for anyone
to really take advantage ofnetworking and connections and
curiosity to apply tointernships, to take the job,
even if it doesn't pay that wellat first, so that you can start
sort of navigating andunderstanding how things work
and organizations work and thesectors that you might want to

(17:55):
get into, because sometimes youhave an idea of what you want to
do but until you're there youonly have what you think the
experience could be.
So something that I did wasalways have what you think the
experience could be.
So something that I did wasalways, I remember, taking
advantage of unpaid internshipsand taking paid internships and
sort of marrying the experienceto explore, you know, different
experience in terms ofexperience and roles, but also

(18:18):
being able to afford.
I think when you come from abackground, low income
background, you can alwaysafford an unpaid internship but
you can always complement itwith something else that can
help you pay those bills.
So that's something that I didthroughout my graduate program
trying to figure it out, andalways had lots of meetings,
conversations, reaching out topeople, reaching out to alumni,
professors, people in my networkthat I admired or that I was

(18:41):
curious about their work orsector, as I figured out what I
wanted to do.
And I will say that when Igraduated I came in our
generation actually like therewas a lot of twists and turns
and rollercoaster of our economy, so the economy was pretty bad
when I graduated.
So I dreamed of hey, you go tocollege, you'll land the first
job and you'll make really goodmoney and you have great

(19:01):
benefits.
That wasn't necessarily thecase for me.
I came back with a passion tosort of, you know, show my
family that I'm doing well butat the same time to leverage my
experiences and bring it back tothe community.
So my first job out of graduateschool, I actually got out of
Craigslist.
So I've had like sixinternships before that and I
didn't reach out.
So I didn't reach out to thoseinternships and say, hey, I'm

(19:23):
looking for work now.
I sort of tried to do it on myown.
So I would say anotherrecommendation don't try to
figure out on your own.
There's always people willingto help, and employers and
professors and your networks andyour schools and your
colleagues and friends.
All that to say all of my frommy first experiences, my
internships, and then theexperiences after.
They weren't all disconnected.

(19:44):
They all had a reason.
So I followed my passion.
So I took an opportunity to workin the community as a recruiter
for Big Brothers, big Sisters.
Mentoring was a big part of mylife and my upbringing and I
think it made a big impact forme in terms of developing
confidence and opening my eyesto what was out there for my
future.
So my first job was somethingconnected to my identity and

(20:08):
what I believed in.
It was an incredibly fulfillingrole, but it was also a
challenging role.
It was my first opportunity todevelop partnerships for an
organization called CatholicCharities Brooklyn and Queens
and my role was a recruiter forBig Brothers Big Sisters focused
on a program, a grant that theorganization had received to
support families impacted by thejustice system.
So I spent my first year out ofgrad school going out of jails

(20:31):
and prisons and local reentryprograms to connect those
families to Catholic charityresources and to Big Brothers
Big Sisters programs for youngchildren.
Did I ever plan to do that whenI was going to school?
Not at all, but I sort of fellinto it and it allowed me to
department called EconomicEmpowerment and Sustainability
where I worked across New YorkCity.

(21:09):
So New York City has been mytraining ground.
Public housing was my trainingground and working with local
nonprofit organizations servingpublic housing residents or that
were interested in servingpublic housing residents to
provide them with the economicopportunity programs like
entrepreneurship programs,access to college, access to
jobs, access to tax services,variety of financial empowerment

(21:32):
, et cetera.
And during that time I stillwanted to do corporate
philanthropy, but that was awhile ago.
It was around maybe 10 plusyears ago, where we're in a lot
of people that looked like us inthe space.
So it wasn't that I sort oflike gave up and didn't think it
was going to happen, but I wasreally aware that it didn't just

(21:53):
.
There weren't just a list ofmany jobs in corporate
philanthropy that I could justapply and get in.
I ended up in a temporary roleat a large company that I
admired in terms of thecorporate philanthropy work that
they did and before my contractended I asked one of the
managers that I supported whatdo you recommend for me to get
into this work?
And they said go back into thecommunity and get more community

(22:15):
experience.
So I went back into thecommunity and continued doing
community work, from going intodirectly working with college
students to working in economicdevelopment and community
investments to working withsmall businesses during the
pandemic.
So all of that led me and thatfeedback and not giving up on
that vision led me to where I amnow, where the experience is

(22:37):
that I've had has put me in aunique position that many people
might not have, because it'sthe diversity of organizations
that I've worked with, sectorsthat I've worked with, that are
all part of the systems that I'mlooking to tackle and work
closely with partners tonavigate and address, to create
that systems change and economicequity.

Speaker 2 (22:56):
That's great, you know.
And you dropped a couple ofgood gems and career cheat codes
there.
Right, like going and thinkingabout your if you're in college.
Like there are opportunitiesfor paid internships and for
unpaid internships.
I also took advantage of that,right.
So, like I worked at thecafeteria, did some catering,
all of that and that never evenmade it to my resume.
But I was also doing unpaidinternships at the local

(23:19):
baseball team doing theirmarketing communications right.
I was also doing internships atthe local Make-A-Wish
Foundation right, because I knewat some point I wanted to be in
that like nonprofit socialsector world.
I was also making sure that mywork study hours were towards
something that I could put on myresume right, so I was
supporting a local nonprofitlocal nonprofits every year

(23:40):
right, like doing that.
So, like the local communitycenters.
There were like two different,two different portions of that,
but, like, I love the approachof thinking about that as a
cheat code, because I alsoforgot that that was something
that I intentionally did, whichwas you got to make money and
you can also build your resumeso that by the time you do
graduate, you have builtsomething and you have built
some sort of experiences thatcan lead you to that first role.

(24:02):
And you're not just, you know, agraduate that comes out with a
degree, which is great, but youknow, as an employer you want to
see that they have some trackrecord of being in a
professional setting, of beingin a similar field.
So you know, I just love theway that you positioned that
Right.
And then I also like that lateron in your career you learn
from your mistakes of not goingback to your employers and

(24:24):
saying, hey, I'm looking forfull time employment.
This time, when you wereactually about to leave, you
just asked for advice and theyjust pointed you in the right
direction, like, hey, if youwant to be in this field, go
back to the community, go dosome work.
You know, I just appreciatewhen folks have reflected on
what has gone right, what hasgone wrong, and then take that

(24:45):
on going forward because thatbuilds us into the professionals
we are today, absolutely.

Speaker 1 (24:46):
And I think sometimes our decisions don't always
connect.
At the time we don't realizewhat it's leading us to.
But it also takes a level ofbelief in ourselves and
persistence and, as you noted,your experience, hey, if you
can't afford an unpaidinternship, try to take
opportunities where you can sothat you can pay those bills,
meet your basic needs.
But never one thing I alwaystell people, regardless of where

(25:10):
you come from, your zip code,the income that you come from,
never doubt that you are, thatis, that it is possible and that
you can make it happen.
So that was something I feellike that was instilled in me by
the people that I came acrossthrough the years from
elementary school having thegood teachers, right counselors,
to having the right mentors, tohaving the right feedback from

(25:32):
my mom when I came home fromschool and was having good
grades, or when I was struggling, or supporting me when there
was an opportunity that camealong and I needed that
signature.
So that belief in yourself is soimportant, of always taking the
attitude of I'll figure it out,I'll make it happen.
And as you said earlier, tosomething that I think is
cultural we don't always knowhow to ask for help or always

(25:54):
think that we have to figure itout on our own, and sometimes we
make it a lot more difficult onourselves.
But making sure that you're notthe person, the first person,
to tell yourself no, is reallyimportant.

Speaker 2 (26:04):
I love that and that's so real.
Right Like, let the universetell you, no, you know, don't,
don't go ahead and volunteerthat yourself.
And a lot of times, folks arewilling and eager to help.
Right Like, people want tosupport you, especially if
people that it's that youactually have had a relationship
with, even like there arepeople that I support that I
don't even know from a hole inthe wall that they'll reach out
on LinkedIn or on, you know,instagram or something, and I'm

(26:27):
like sure, let me help you out,because I think, even if I don't
know you, we don't have anymutual friends.
You know, if there's a way thatI can support you in your
career path and it's informationor a connection that I wish I
had when I was younger, whywouldn't we Right?
So, for the most part, I thinka lot of folks are willing to
help.
We just have to stop ourselvesfrom making that decision for

(26:48):
them.
So I love that.
I love that approach.

Speaker 1 (26:51):
I think that's very powerful.
We just said because it makesme think a lot about having gone
to a lot of networking eventsby myself or meeting people that
have lent an advice or ahelping hand or have responded
to a cold call, email, et ceteraand reminding ourselves that
the person that will be willingto help you or give you advice
or take the time is not alwayssomeone that you know or someone

(27:12):
that looks like you or hassomething in common with you.
So making sure that you're notnarrowing your network or
narrowing your connections andjust being open and, really
importantly, also being open toknow and being ignored and just
keeping it going Not takingthings personal is really
important.
And also trusting trusting inyourself and trusting that, as

(27:33):
you said earlier, the universeknows what it's doing, and stick
to a path and commit.
I always say, too, that youjust never know who's looking.
So always try to follow yourpassion, because you're usually
going to do good work whenyou're passionate and you care
about it.
And you know some of us have alot of different interests.
So trying to stay focused asmuch as you can in that North

(27:54):
Star what you're looking toachieve and what you're looking
to accomplish, but alsorecognizing that you also have
to enjoy the journey.
You're not always going to havethe answer right away and it's
not always going to make senseand it's completely fine, but as
long as you're finding yourselfas like that proactive actor in
your life, it's going to bereally important, not thinking,
hey, things are just going tohappen or come to me.
Sometimes they do.

(28:15):
But what they do is because youhave positioned yourself through
time.
It doesn't happen right away.

Speaker 2 (28:19):
Absolutely through time.
It doesn't happen right away.
Absolutely Own your career andyou know, I certainly appreciate
that Be comfortable withgetting some no's.
Like even I I don't respond toeveryone that reaches out.
Right Like I cannot.
Everyone has things going on inlife and at work and things that
just pull us in differentdirections.
So just have that grace of you.
Know this person is not a jerkbecause they didn't respond, but
like think about it right.

(28:40):
One they don't know you.
Two like if they do, that'sgreat, but like that doesn't
necessarily put them in a jerkbox.
If they don't respond, it'sjust that they have things going
on at the moment when you reachout.
So you know, but being willingto be vulnerable and putting
yourself out there can lead togreat things and a lot of the
folks that have responded to meor have connected with me at
networking events or otherthings, sometimes it's not even

(29:01):
advice that they gave me or it'snot even that they made a
connection to me that has led toa job.
I've literally never had thathappen, but sometimes it's just
one.
Now I have other people thathave expanded in my network.
Two it's just.
Sometimes people are great inmy life just by virtue of being
themselves.
I can point to someone in afield, in a space that I'm like,

(29:21):
oh, that person has that typeof role.
They could look like me or not,but like I just didn't know
that that was a role.
And now I have something elseto strive for, I have something
else to work towards, I havesomething else to research.
But I just wouldn't have knownthat if I didn't expose myself
and like go out there and meetpeople.

Speaker 1 (29:36):
So true, I think exposing yourself and being true
to who you are goes a long way,and you just never know who
you're connecting with.
I think being authentic isimportant, being memorable or
recognizing that not everyone'sgoing to connect with you.
We're human, we're alldifferent, and there are some
people that are going toremember something you said or
something you did, or just thevibe you gave them.

(29:57):
And even if they just met you,they're going to want to provide
advice or connect you withsomeone.
And even if they just met you,they're going to want to provide
advice or connect you withsomeone.
So never forget that.
You just never know again who'swatching, who's listening or
who's going to have thatconnection with you.
So something that I alwaysrecommend as well is articulate
what you're looking for,Articulate what you want, not
only to put it out in theuniverse.
And it can change, it candevelop through time and it's

(30:18):
fine.
You can change your mind asmuch as you can, but when you're
communicating and connectingwith someone, it's not because
you need something out of themor going to get something out of
them.
As you said, you just never knowwhere that conversation is
going to take you.
It could be an opportunity thatcould happen in a month or two
or in a few years.
Hey, I remembered you told meabout this interest of yours and
I just met this person.
I would love for you to meet,or I saw this opportunity and I

(30:40):
thought of you because of whatyou said or the experience
you're showcasing that you have.
So just being able to own yourbrand is really important.
So being consistent on that,like on what you say and what
you share on social media andhow you carry yourself and also
the work that you do and itdoesn't mean that you won't have
, you know, different interestsor things that you do outside of

(31:01):
you know different interests orthings that you do outside of.
You know we're not all justcareer, right?
So being able to have some sortof consistency in your brands
and what you say and how youengage with people allows for
the universe to sort of likecircle back and connect you back
to the right resources and theright connections that you just
never know, what's going to opena door?

Speaker 2 (31:17):
Such great cheat codes.
Absolutely Owning yourprofessional and your personal
brand is such an underratedthing.
What you share, how you shareit, when you share it Like.
There are folks that I knowthat refuse to be on LinkedIn or
refuse to like post on thingsand then like that's fine, but
just know that you're doing yourbrand a disservice, right.
You can very well positionyourself as a person that knows

(31:39):
what they're doing.
If that's what you're doinglike, if you know what you're
doing and you're doing it well,let people know that that way.
It's not even necessarily aboutlike bragging, right, but it's
just reminding people.
Sometimes.
I may have not connected withyou in years, but then I'll say,
oh, I forget, you're in thatfield.
I may need someone in thatfield one day.
Or, you know, actually I knowsomeone that should benefit from
talking to you, right, becauseI now recognize that you are

(32:01):
this brand and this person andlike.
It just makes it easier forpeople to associate.
How to connect some of thosedots Would be great to hear from
you some of the ways that youhave either given back or
provided your expertise eitherin a board capacity, advisory
boards, mentorship any of thatthat you know would be helpful
for people to recognize, andpart of that does lend into the

(32:24):
owning your career and yourbrand right.
So tell me about some of that.

Speaker 1 (32:27):
Yeah Well, I would say that even when I was
pursuing college, then came backhome, I was always thinking
beyond my quote unquote nine tofive, or work or career
aspirations and family.
I was always considering whatto do to get involved, learn and
connect with my community.

(32:48):
My first exposure aftergraduate school to how systems
work at a local level wasjoining my community board.
That was the youngest boardmember.
I'm not sure if you're familiarwith community boards, but they
exist all throughout the fiveboroughs, with specific
districts and zip codes, whereyou serve as a representative of
your community, where communityinvestments and decisions are

(33:10):
made that are really importantto the future of the community
and to leverage the resources ofa municipality.
Younger board member.
It was very intimidating Atfirst I joined.
I actually had to apply, getselected by the borough
president and realize there werepeople there that had 20, 30

(33:31):
years of experience serving onthe board.
It took me a while to recognizethat my voice and my
perspective as a newergeneration actually had value.
So I found that there werepeople that were either
championing or advocating,pushing me and supporting me to
be vocal, to share my opinion,to take on leadership role
within the board, and that allof that happens because I was
open to the challenge and I hadallies in the community that

(33:51):
helped, supported me.
So I became a chair of acommittee Again.
I followed my passions.
I was very excited toconnecting young people in my
community to resources, so Ihosted meetings to educate our
community about the differentprograms and resources that
exist.
I managed, like variousscholarships and grants that
were coming into the community,to connect our young people to
them, et cetera, and Iparticipated in different

(34:13):
committees as well, not only asa chair, and started having a
better understanding of howdecisions are made and how
investments happen and howchange happens at a local level
and how oftentimes we're justnot there and it's many times
the same people 20, 30 yearsserving on these boards.
Moving forward, I applied a lotof what I learned at a board to
my personal and career and alsojoined various boards.

(34:35):
Currently I'm serving as a boardmember for Women Creating
Change, a hundred plus yearorganization in New York City,
and I'm really excited to bepart of this board because it's
an opportunity to bring myexpertise and experience at a
personal and career to the workthat they're doing as a
nonprofit, empowering womentowards civic engagement and

(34:55):
economic equity.
I also serve on the board ofBronx Community College, which I
grew up two blocks away from,so it's an incredible honor and
passion to be able to reallyhave an understanding of a
community college and afoundation and how they work and
how to serve as arepresentative and an advocate
to bring more resource to aneconomic engine and an

(35:17):
institution that serves as ananchor and that serves to change
the lives of so many, offeringcommunity college resources and
education.
So through the years I alsothought about what helped me
when I was growing up andmentoring was a big part of my
life and I served as a mentorfor Student Sponsored Partners,
which was the organization thatI actually grew up, going

(35:38):
through public school, k througheight and for high school I was
awarded a grant through theStudent Sponsored Partners
Program and a mentor to go toprivate school, and that really
changed the trajectory of myfuture, and so, when I came back
, I served as a mentor myselfand a sponsor, always thinking
about how can I gain experience,how can I open my eyes and
awareness of what's happening ata local level, but also how can

(36:00):
I give back my time and make adifference in people's lives.
There's always that aspect ofgiving back, but you gain so
much when you do things that areunpaid, or leadership
development, or sometimes you'renot sure what's going to happen
when you're committing yourtime, but I definitely recommend
it.

Speaker 2 (36:18):
Absolutely, and as someone that has worked directly
with community boards when Iwas at the New York City
Economic Development Corporation, my job was to work with
community boards and to gopresent at community boards and
I understand so much of theirpower and influence and how they
can really help shape andprotect communities.
Right, and they vary inwhatever things you're

(36:38):
passionate about, right, likeyou may be passionate about
small business development.
You may be passionate abouteconomic development.
You may be passionate aboutyouth programming or education
or public safety.
Whatever it is that you'repassionate about in preserving
or supporting or advancing orchanging in your communities.
That's one way to do it right.
You can definitely do thatthrough your community board.
You know, I also I feel you whenyou say it can be intimidating

(37:00):
to feel like your voice mattersin these spaces.
Right, like I've been ondifferent boards some that are
very hyperlocal, some that arenational and you get there and
you're like they want to hearwhat I have to say here.
Right, but like there's areason why you're in the room.
There's a reason why folks wantyou there, even if you're
younger in your career, even ifyou're not necessarily kind of

(37:21):
at the professional level, thatothers are in the room like
there's a reason why folksbrought you there and it is
because of the uniqueperspectives that you bring,
whether through your livedexperiences or your professional
experiences, and like we justhave to be comfortable owning
that and stepping into thatright and recognizing that we
bring so much to the table andwe can help shape the way
organizations move through ourvoice.

Speaker 1 (37:43):
So true, and it reminds me of what you just
shared, how important it is, forthere are many times that we
might think we don't know whatwe're doing or that we might not
be as prepared as we think orhave the experience or the years
.
It's so important not to compareyourself, because it's your
uniqueness, the path that you'vetaken, the experience you've

(38:05):
had, what you know, what you'veseen, that makes you equipped to
be in that room, as you said.
And when you're in a room,something that I learned through
the years that I didn't reallyrecognize at the beginning is
there is a reason you're thereand make sure that you always
are contributing, that you'recontributing either insights you
always are contributing thatyou're contributing either
insights, questions, feedbackand that you own that space.
And I always take pride andpassion, for I know a lot of my

(38:34):
neighbors or people that I grewup with are not in these spaces.
So there's a sense ofresponsibility in unpaid work,
paid work in our careers, in ourlives, to not necessarily be a
representative of a community,but really to leverage the
opportunity that you have to beat the table, to be a voice, to
bring the insights of what youknow that others might not know,
and also to challenge folksthat may be doing this for a

(38:55):
very long time or that you feelhave more experience than you,
to see things in a different way, because that usually is how
change happens.
If you let being afraid be abarrier, it's doing a disservice
to yourself, for your growth,for your brand and for the
impact that you can make.

Speaker 2 (39:10):
Aside from the stuff that you do outside of work I'm
a very big proponent of you cando good and do well.
One of the reasons why Istarted this podcast was because
I was exposed to a bunch ofdifferent careers of people
actually making a decent livingand having really impactful
roles.
So we'd love to hear, in yourtype of role, how much money can
people expect to make?
Like, are they going to bebroke their whole lives on this

(39:32):
thing?
Or like, what does that?
What does that look like?
Because you have a high levelof impact, so what does that
actually look like for you?

Speaker 1 (39:37):
Yeah, I think when, when you come from limited
economic means and resources,there's always a fear that all
your efforts and all theeducation that is not going to
lead you to economic advancementor mobility or to make your
family and your loved ones proud.
So that was always a concernfor me.

(39:57):
I think honestly that I thinkwe always need to think about
our career, our passion, how welive our lives, but also like
how we're going to make a livingand how we're going to make a
change for ourselves and ourfamilies and future generations.
And oftentimes that is achallenge or it seems like a
challenge when you say but Iwant to do good work, I want to
do people things, and usuallythat stuff doesn't pay.
So what I would say is yourmajor or what you decide you

(40:18):
want to do when you're youngerdoesn't like determine how much
money you're going to make,necessarily.
You can control that, you canmanage that, you can navigate
that.
I will say it's not easy and itdoesn't always happen right
away.
But if that is your intention,if you, if you tell yourself I
want to do great work and I alsowant to make money, you can do
it.
But if you decide early on that.
I just want to make good moneyand then like on the side, do

(40:41):
community service, do impactfulwork?
You can do that too, but Iwould first say you have to make
the decision of what you'rewilling to settle for and being
open to know that it may taketime, it's not a linear path,
but that you can achieve it.
So, for me.
I once thought, hey, I'll docorporate communications.
And then I realized, well,there's this thing called
corporate philanthropy, maybeI'll do that.
It sort of merges my interestin making an impact and also

(41:04):
being in a sector, an industrywhere I thought I could make
more money in the future.
But I spent most of my careerin nonprofit and government and
I wasn't making all that greatmoney and I owed a lot of money
for loans and bills et cetera.
So it wasn't always clear as tohey, am I doing the right thing
for myself, for my pocket?

(41:27):
So it took a lot ofconversations, research, reading
and connecting with otherpeople and asking them like how
do you do what you do and howdid you get there?
And becoming confident in yourabilities, that if you have
determined that you want to gothrough a career path, that you
have value, that you providevalue, even if it's good work,
it also resonates with gettingpaid your worth as well, that
you don't have to settle for,hey, I'm doing good work, so I

(41:49):
just assume that I won't getpaid for it.
So all that to say it doesn'thappen right away, but you have
to make the decision to knowyour worth and to ask for what
you feel your worth is and toput yourself in those positions.
And once you start believing itand putting it out there, the
doors and opportunities willcome.
But it's like owning your brandand defining your brand as
something valuable is going tobe really important as well.

(42:11):
So never underestimating theinfluence that you have because
of your passion for doing animpact also has value.
You also asked about, I guess,not giving up on a certain
salary or amount.
I think being aware of what themarket is is really important
in doing your research andunderstanding that you can do a
lot of great work in differentindustries.
So kind of figuring out what isthe industry that's going to

(42:33):
pay your worth or going toprovide you with the resources
that you are looking to leverageto make that impact, and really
doing that due diligence, doingthat research, doing the
networking, going to thoseevents, even if it's by yourself
and you know no one else that'sin those spaces and selling
people what you want and thevalue that you bring.
You also asked about the range.

(42:54):
I think that, again, dependingon the sector, the range is
pretty large.
It could be very overwhelmingto go on Glassdoor or Indeed and
all these other websites andstart trying to understand how
much you're worth this or whatthe pay is out there.
If you haven't determinedyourself what your goal is.
You have to decide what you'rewilling to walk away from, and

(43:14):
I'd say pride in knowing that Ihave walked away from
opportunities that I've beenexcited about but that didn't
pay my worth or that didn't paywhat I was looking for and that
took many years for me to get tothat stage of my life and my
career.
It didn't just happen.
There were bills that had to bepaid.
There were times I couldn't dothat, but when I could do it, I
started doing that and thepatience and the confidence

(43:36):
actually was worth it, becauseit allowed me to get what I
needed and be in positions whereI felt like, wow, I'm not only
making a difference and makingan impact, but I'm also getting
what I requested and what Iwanted.
So keep going and don't stop onthe first no, but you do your
due diligence and make thedecision of what you're willing
to accept and what you'rewilling to walk away from.

Speaker 2 (43:57):
That's true.
And then you know, I thinkthere's a couple of things there
, right.
So, like cause, I rememberbeing younger and once I
realized that like you didn'thave to be in just accounting or
marketing or business to makeover six figures, it just went
off like a light bulb for me.
Right, I'm like wait, you canlead a nonprofit organization
and make a good livingInteresting.
You can work at a foundationand make a good living

(44:19):
Interesting, like all of thatkind of worked out for me in
that like I just found that outearlier on in my life.
And then you know, to your pointaround knowing kind of what
that worth looks like, right,like, I definitely always do a
lot of due diligence, but I'vealso not just walked away from
opportunities that didn't giveme the worth, but I've also

(44:40):
walked away from opportunitiesthat were not mission aligned or
just didn't make sense for meat the moment, but it was
playing way well over what I wasmaking at the time.
Right, and I think once you'reable to do that like, it just
comes with such an empoweringlike feeling where you're like,
oh, I've turned down more moneythan like.
Like if my parents knew howmuch money I've turned down,
like they would kill me Right.

(45:02):
But like, but like, right.
But it didn't make sense for meat the time.
It just didn't make sense.
Or it's not what I wanted to do, or it was a continuation of a
path that I didn't want tocontinue to go down, right.
So, knowing not just your worthbut also kind of where that
fits into the impact that youwant to have, and all things can
be true, it's not like you're,it's not like it was money that

(45:23):
was going to be bad work, it wasjust not what I wanted to do at
the time, right.
So, like you know, I think,knowing that, doing your due
diligence, recognizing that like, especially in, like
philanthropy, you can make agood amount of money and like
you can easily make over sixfigures and really be able to
like point at the impact andlike see the impact, you know, I
think that has just beentransformative for me in my, in

(45:43):
my life, and that's you.

Speaker 1 (45:52):
That's part of the reason why I'm a philanthropist.
I'm like I feel like this islike a beautiful merger of
impact, of doing good and doingwell.
Right, you just reminded me ofthe importance of being able to
pivot and making a decision withregards to it might not make
sense for other people aroundyou turning down more money for
positions of work that you feellike it's not mission aligned or
it's just not the right thingfor what you're looking for.
It's okay if it only makessense to you.
I did go through that for, likeearly on in my career, where

(46:13):
the economy was bad you know Ihad all these degrees and my
bank account didn't reflect itat all but I was like, hey, I'm
passionate about this work, it'snot paying what I think it
should be paying me, or you or Iknow I can be making more money
, but this is what I want to dobecause one it's aligned to who
I am and my mission and mypurpose, and I know I'll do

(46:33):
better work if I care about thework and I'm passionate about it
.
But there comes a time and ithappened to me where I stepped
back from the work that I wasdoing the direct impact working,
launching partnerships andmanaging programming and doing
that direct community work.
So stepping back and figuringout like, okay, maybe, the
impact that I want to make if Icontinue on this path, it won't

(46:56):
be as systemic as I want it tobe or as macro as I feel it's
needed because of the issues andthe challenges and the barriers
that I was witnessing from thepeople that I was looking, that
I was serving.
So I pivoted my career fromcommunity partnerships to
economic development, where Ididn't realize at the time that

(47:17):
the community partnershipexperience was needed in
economic development theunderstanding of the issues and
the barriers in the systems andthe opportunities that could
exist.
Because I had that insight, Ibrought value in a different
angle in leveraging local cityinvestments for more inclusive
economic opportunity programs inthe areas of workforce,
entrepreneurship, programming,et cetera, in ways that I didn't

(47:40):
know when I was pivoting, Ifelt like I don't know what I'm
getting into, but I know I needa change.
I don't know what I'm gettinginto, but I know I need a change
.
And it allowed me to also againbe within a new system that I
didn't understand yet of howeconomic development works,
another side of how communityboards work and their power and
how they work with the city, etcetera.
So at the time I made a decisionthat I didn't know 100% where

(48:03):
it was going to take me, but itdefinitely transformed my career
.
It created that balance fromcommunity impact and direct
community partnershipprogramming to understanding
exactly how community, howcities invest, how economic
development works, how corporateexpansion, relocation and job
creations work.
So it all came together.
As I transitioned out ofeconomic development into

(48:26):
corporate philanthropy and intodoing more work with small
businesses, et cetera.
It all came together.
But if I wouldn't have takenthat leap, not seeing the whole
like full light at the end ofthe tunnel, I would have been
sort of stuck in the same pathwithout recognizing how it was
going to add so much value interms of the experience that I
was going to gain and thecontribution that I was able to
make because of the angle that Icame, that I brought to the

(48:49):
work.

Speaker 2 (48:49):
I love that.
That's great.
You mentioned reading earlier.
Are there any books, resources,things that you have read or
consumed, or podcasts that youthink have helped shaped you
personally or professionallythat you want others to check
out?
Good question Could be a movie,could be a TV show, could be
some folks have said the Bible.
Some folks have said anewsletter that they subscribe

(49:10):
to.
Some folks have said the WallStreet Journal.
Right, so whatever that is foryou, and it could just be one
that you're like, you know whatthis thing right here was
actually really impactful for me, and it again does not have to
tie to your career.
It could very well just be likejust a personal light bulb that
went off once you consumed someinformation and if you want to
say listening to career cheatcode, you know that's totally

(49:31):
fine.

Speaker 1 (49:31):
Well, I love your concept.
I think it's incredibly needed.
So kudos to you for you knowleveraging your talent and
skills and your time to createthis platform and not only
giving so many of us theopportunity to share our stories
and our cheat codes, butcreating a space and information
that is now accessible, thatdidn't exist before.

(49:52):
So thank you for that.
When you asked the question,the first book that came to mind
was the Powerful Engagement,and it's about managing your
energy, not your time, and Ithink it correlates to our
careers to quote unquotework-life balance, to how we
operate.
I think that that book gave memore insight on recognizing that

(50:14):
we're not all the same and thatwe have to really understand
how to take advantage of when wehave the most energy.
When are we creative?
When do we schedule the time tofocus?
When do we schedule the time towrite and think?
When do we need the time toself-care?
And you know, work out and donourishing food.
So I think that the aspect ofreading that book gave me more

(50:38):
insight around.
You have to compartmentalizeyour life in a way, and your
energy, and there are timeswhere you're not focused and you
can't think clearly and youhave to find ways to get to know
yourself and, as you evolve anddevelop as a human being, as to
what is right for you.

(50:58):
I think anyone that would readthat book I think Jim Lohr is
the one that wrote it would takedifferent things out of it, but
for me it allowed me to thinkabout we evolve.
We evolve in our day, we liveour lives through stages and
it's okay to prioritize certainthings on certain times of your
day or certain times of yourlife.
So I feel like earlier on,growing up, I focused a lot on

(51:21):
my grades.
When I was a kid, I was like Ihave no money, but I want to go
to college and I need thosescholarships.
And I was told that if I getgood grades, I could get
scholarships.
So that was my life.
Then, when I was a little older, I was like hey, I have time
now to get involved inextracurricular activities and
the arts and all that.
Let me balance that out.
Early in my career I wasn'tfocused on salaries and money.

(51:44):
I was like I'm going to enjoywhat I do, I'm going to give
back to the community.
I'm not sure where it's goingto take me, but I'm passionate
about this role and theorganization or the project that
I'm working on.
Then I was like wait a minute,I need to pay all this debt or I
want to have defined goalsfinancially.
How do I now marry what I'velearned along the way, the
experience I have, the passion Ihave to now say, okay, now I

(52:07):
got to get serious about thisdebt or this financial goal that
I have, or that American dreamas a first gen daughter of an
immigrant, and focus on how tonavigate that.
And then comes family andfriends.
There are times where you'relike I don't know, 100%, 90%
career.
And then you realize, wait, Ihaven't paid all that attention

(52:28):
or effort to my family orbuilding a family.
Let me get serious on that, letme focus on that.
So all that to say, it happensin a day, it happens within your
week, it happens in your lifestages.
It's okay to compartmentalizeyour attention and your time and
your energy to things and itdoesn't mean you're doing
anything wrong.

Speaker 2 (52:45):
Is there anything else we haven't discussed today
that the world should know aboutDiana?

Speaker 1 (52:49):
We talked about a lot .
I would say I find pride anddrive from my upbringing.
I always think about when I getnervous on something or I feel
like maybe I'm not going toachieve this or I'm not going to
get it or I'm not going to getthe response I need.
I think of my single mom, theresources that she didn't have.
I think about all the doors andopportunities that have

(53:12):
happened to me.
that sort of it's outside of thenorm, and so considering myself
highly favored and blessed is adriver for me to be optimistic,
even when things are not goingwell or when things are not
clear, or when things are notclear or when I'm not having a
good moment I look back and I'mlike I have no time or reason to
get discouraged, because thingshave always worked out and even

(53:36):
when they're not working out,it led me to another path that
was meant to be better or createan opportunity that I could
have never imagined, that Icouldn't have planned for or
that someone like me would havenot been equipped or prepared
for.
But I was in the right place atthe right time and had the
patience.
So, all that to say, I'msomeone that reflects a lot and

(53:56):
has a lot of faith, and ithasn't always been easy and I'm
not always motivated orconfident, but I step back and
reflect and find that faith fromknowing that the hardships and
the challenges and the limitedresources are an asset and an
attribute, not something that Ishould be like, embarrassed of
or that it doesn't have value.
So always thinking about likehey, no, no, that happened for a

(54:19):
reason.
And any opportunity I have asyou said earlier too, like even
if someone I don't know that Ican help or support or be an ear
or connect to an opportunity,I'm always open, because that's
how my life has been my journey.
People that have made adifference in my life didn't
even always know that they weremaking a difference, or didn't?
know me that much, and whatevertable you're in, whatever mic,

(54:44):
you have to be able to sharethat positive vibe to the world,
even when things are not goingas clear or as positive as you
might want it to.

Speaker 2 (54:53):
Wow, that's powerful.
Thank you for joining us today,diana, you've been great.
I appreciate you taking thetime to have this conversation.

Speaker 1 (55:00):
Thank you for your time.
I really enjoyed it.

Speaker 2 (55:01):
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.