July 31, 2025 • 39 mins
The path to authentic leadership isn't about climbing corporate ladders—it's about discovering your unique purpose and lifting others along the way. In this captivating conversation with Lisa Pratt Sanchez, a veteran technologist who transformed from coder to executive to purpose-driven entrepreneur, we explore how leadership transcends job titles and organizational hierarchies.
Lisa shares the pivotal moments that shaped her twenty-plus year journey through tech giants like Citrix and JM Family, revealing how she ultimately found her calling by helping others achieve their potential. Her insight that "leaders are born" challenges the notion that we must wait for authority before making an impact. As she explains, "Leadership means taking control of things you're meant to control and embracing others while seeking growth for yourself."
The power of genuine connection emerges as a central theme throughout our discussion. Lisa recounts how mentoring a junior developer decades ago unexpectedly led to a significant business relationship years later—a perfect illustration that "your network becomes your net worth." This circular journey demonstrates how authentic relationships built on knowledge-sharing and support create foundations for long-term success in technology.
Most compelling is Lisa's framework for living a purpose-driven life, captured in her book "Working on a Project Called Life." Using the project management principles that guided her tech career, she provides a roadmap for discovering what we're truly meant to do. Her warning against being "busy with being busy" resonates deeply as she encourages listeners to stop waiting for perfect circumstances and start taking action toward meaningful work.
Whether you're just starting in technology or considering your next career evolution, Lisa's wisdom offers a refreshing perspective on success that values human connection over titles and authentic purpose over prescribed paths. Listen now to discover how to lead from wherever you are and create the impact you were born to make.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Leadership doesn't equate to where you are on the
ladder right within anorganization.
Leadership means that you havethe ability to take control of
the things that you are meant tobe in control of, to control
how you react to certain thingsand then how you embrace others
(00:25):
around you, how you help themwhile you're looking for
something for yourself, becausethere's a lot of times that
folks are like, well, until Iget to this position, I can't
help you, I can't.
Leaders are born.
We have this innate abilitybecause we are human, like human
(00:46):
, are relational, right andleaders are relational.
So you can lead in your ownright.
Don't wait for perfect.
Perfect will never come whereyou can share right, but also
going out and seeking thosepeople and those things that
(01:09):
could feed what you are meant todo as well welcome, welcome,
welcome.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
I'm missing my guy d hustle today, man, it's it's
like I I need him to help outwith.
But you know what?
We're gonna have a great timetoday.
Today I have a special specialguest, um, and we're here
backstage with bobby d.
I'm your host, bobby d,obviously, and you know that the
show is really focusing onbringing people that I have
worked with, people that arepart of my family, people that
(01:48):
are part of my circle, toenlighten you all on the journey
that they've been on, but alsoI'm trying to open up the doors
for y'all in terms ofknowledge-wise, so I hope y'all
tuned in.
We got a special guest for ustoday.
We're going to have Lisa PrattSanchez come to the stage.
What's up, lisa?
Hey, bobby D, lisa, lisa, howyou doing, fam?
Speaker 1 (02:09):
I am blessed and glad to be here.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Oh my gosh and emphasize fam.
This is family, right here.
Family Family.
Lisa and I go way back andwe're definitely going to be
talking about the journey, talkabout the great things that
you've been doing in ourcommunity, but I want to give
you a quick opportunity tointroduce yourself.
Tell us a little bit aboutyourself and then we'll jump
right into our conversation.
So tell us a little bit aboutyourself, lisa.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Hey, I'll say family.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
Yes, yes.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Folks that I connect with.
We're a community.
We are a collaboration of justgreatness.
So I'll say, hey, family, lisaPratt Sanchez here.
I have been around for a while,have been in the IT space for
many years and are now in thephase where I'm enjoying all
(03:01):
that I've learned and all thatI've gathered.
So my claim to fame I will saybecause you have to claim it
right is that I'm a technologistthat's focused on people.
I coach and I consult withcompanies and with individuals.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
That's awesome, lisa.
Yes, she is a technologist.
You've been around the block afew times, been around the block
A few times, a few years, anddefinitely very appreciative of
the people part, because I thinksometimes when we talk about
being in tech, they think it'sonly about coding, being at the
computer and there's so manyother things that you can do in
(03:42):
our field of technology andstill being able to make massive
impacts to organizations andthings like that for sure.
So one of the things that isI'm so grateful for this
opportunity to chat with you isa part of my family.
Lisa is one of those that I'veeven run into at workplaces,
yeah Right.
So I don't know if you all know.
(04:04):
Definitely check her out onLinkedIn and check me out on
LinkedIn so you can see whereour paths is across.
But we had a good stint workingyou know, collab not directly
but indirectly at Citrix Systems, yeah.
So how did you like Citrix andtell me a little bit about that
part of the journey for you?
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Citrix was a great run right.
I'm from New York and I've beenin South Florida now for 20
years, and one of the thingsthat I was a little bit hesitant
on is where would my journeylead me from a technology space?
I've been implementing in theERP space for many years,
(04:41):
specifically SAP, the ERP spacefor many years, specifically SAP
, and Citrix was one of thosecompanies that had SAP and I had
my eyes on them.
But I was busy consulting inother organizations and then the
opportunity came for me atCitrix.
They were looking for someoneto oversee their
reimplementation of SAP and theywere looking for someone
(05:05):
full-time.
And this is a funny story aboutCitrix.
I actually went in theinterview because I wanted to
stay a consultant in contractand so I went into a full-time
interview trying to negotiatebeing a consultant for them
that's how much full she?
Speaker 2 (05:24):
she said they.
They wanted me to be afull-time employee, but when I
went into the interview I don'twant to let you know I only take
w9s, I only do w9s right.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
So the funny thing is it was a great experience,
great time.
They were looking for someonebecause they had worked with
others in the consultant spaceand they really wanted someone
to be a part of Citrix.
I'm glad I joined because atthat time when I was there,
culture was everything, peoplewere everything, creativity was
(05:55):
everything the ability to grow.
Actually, it was there that mymanager saw me and said to me
you're going to be a greatspeaker one day.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
You're going to do great things.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
You are meant to lead and although I was in yeah
although I was in a leadershipposition, I didn't see more of
what he saw, and so that's kindof like what I want to touch on
today when you and I talk is howdo you look beyond the
(06:29):
immediate what you're seeing infront of you, and how do you
reach above that and allowothers to bring you along the
way?
Speaker 2 (06:37):
That's a gem right there, because I think in our
community sometimes we havedifficulty seeing ourselves.
Yeah, even when we're in thespace right, and you and I both
know most of the times whenwe're in that space it's only us
, right and then you don't knowthat you're shooting like curry,
right, and they have people onthe bench that are like in awe
(06:59):
of you, but you can't see ityourself, right?
So that's, in terms of thejourney, something that I think,
um, I've also found out, likelistening to what people are
saying and and taking that inand then processing it and then
really understanding like I havethe ability, I have it, I have
belief in myself.
If they don't even know me likethat, but they can see it.
(07:21):
I mean, yeah, but they can seeit.
I mean, yeah, that's a gemright there.
So, yeah, y'all need to makesure y'all rewind.
So if y'all first time to theshow, whenever you hear that
sign, that sound, you need torewind a little bit, don't you
know the rewind button?
Back it up a little bit.
Take a listen to what lisa hadto say, because I'm telling you
it's gems, gems, gems.
So I actually jumped in and youknow how, back in the day they
used to have the jump rope, hop,skip stuff, and then they say
(07:43):
go and jump.
I think I jumped too fastBecause I didn't even get a
chance to ask you how did youget into tech, how did tech
become a part of your path, apart of your journey?
And I know we're going to bediving into deeper, but I want
to at least give you anopportunity to talk about that.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Sure Tech I've been doing since high school.
So I went to a specialized highschool in Brooklyn.
Shout out to Brooklyn Tech Technight for life.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
Big shout out to them .
Speaker 1 (08:10):
Yay, and I needed to choose a career, and computer
science was what spoke to me.
So I've been coding since highschool and then when I went on
to college I decided I wanted tobe in the school of business
and from there I pursuedinformation systems and that was
(08:32):
where my technology career kindof took off.
Post-college I went into workfor Ernst Young and the
technology continued from there,so I was able to work initially
as a developer.
I didn't like it, but I haverespect for it because, that is
(08:55):
where I was able to decipher andask questions behind the
question to get to resolvingissues.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Yeah, yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
And so that's been my bread and butter for many years
in different facets.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
That's what's up, lee .
So big, big, big applause forthat.
Especially and this is thereason why I want to make sure
we give some context to thebeginning of your journey is our
audience are going to be eithercollege grads, new to the
industry, looking for, you know,like-minded people or people
that look like them, and thecool thing about when I have
guests come on is when you tellus how it all began.
(09:33):
It resonates with them, becauseI also went to you know, a
pathway of pursuing andunderstanding technology at a
young age and then it carries oninto my career development and
it just more or less helpsignite if the fire is there.
But keep it going, you know,because if I would have known
more people like Lisa, right, ifI would have had more examples
(09:53):
of people that were pursuingtechnology and engineering, I
think I would have been evenmore into it.
So it's definitely gratefulthat you, you know, bring your
story from the beginning and onthis pathway, because I ran into
Lisa at Citrix, but Citrix wasonly one stop on the train,
right?
So after Citrix, where did youend up starting working or kind
(10:13):
of pursuing that path orcontinuing to work in tech?
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Well, after Citrix what I did.
So when I came to Florida Icame with my Already I had my
company and I wanted to doconsultant contract work
independent contracting, becauseI had young children and I want
to be more in charge of my timeand that's why I wanted to
(10:37):
pursue Citrix as a consultantorganization.
But when I moved on from CitrixI went back into independent
consultant and that led methrough networking and doing
good work at the company priorto Citrix, someone saying hey,
you're available, can you comeout and see if you can assist us
(11:00):
with what we have going on.
And that company happened to beJM Family and so JM Family.
I went in and I was a contractor.
So, jm Family, I went in and Iwas a contractor and when I went
in for the interview they saidto me why wouldn't you want to
come work for?
Speaker 2 (11:17):
me.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
And I said, well, you know, I was asked to come in to
do consultant work, and sothat's, I'm, I'm, I'm a person
of my word, so that's what I'mgoing to do.
And they said, well, you shouldconsider us.
Well, fast forward with that.
(11:41):
I did get into full-timeopportunity with them where I
was able to oversee their PMOand work with the developers the
software engineers, thesolution architects yeah, a slew
of resources similar to what Idid at Citrix, but expanded to
now.
Now I'm overseeing the groupthat provides the technology
(12:03):
projects for our business, andso that's where it continued.
And I was at Jamfam family formany years.
Great company, great culture.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
But again, you have to know what is it you're meant
to do facts while you're here,and so that was a moment for me
you need to know what you'remeant to do while you're here.
That is powerful, because Ithink sometimes we get caught up
in the rat race nine to five,paying the bills, family and
(12:37):
then we lose focus on what we'remeant to be here to do.
Right, like uh and and this isgonna I'm plugging something in
that book, right, there isdefinitely giving you that
pathway, uh, but in general itjust for me, knowing that you're
on your journey, you were notentry-level intern, you're at
(12:58):
the executive at that level.
Those are people that are inthe circles that you're in and
pitching to or giving updates onprogress and projects and
things like that from start tofinish type stuff.
So you definitely have had theopportunity to be in those
circles.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
But even in those circles, or achieving that in
your life, you still feel theneed to acknowledge the things
that are most important, likethe thing that you're meant to
be here meant to do.
Right yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
Tell me a little bit about that.
I'm going to go back to justsomething.
You just said that, althoughyou're in that circle right,
I've been in the circle withleadership.
One of the things that I dowith people is connect, right.
What's that connection point sobeing that I was overseeing the
portfolio management office?
(13:47):
Of course I have needs forresources that come in and I
would see someone maybe I need aproject manager, for example
and they're coming in as acontractor and they would be
blown away when I say to them Iwas in your seat how many years
ago I started where you started,as a contractor.
(14:08):
So they understood that I'm notjust someone that's just sitting
over here, disconnected.
I know and that's a connectionpoint, and that is where I see
at times when, as you go up theladder for lack of a better word
that sometimes you lose thatconnection with the doers and
(14:32):
the folks that run your.
You know your company.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
Right and that is something that is always near
and dear to me is how do youreach up but also reach back?
Speaker 2 (14:45):
Yeah, right.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
Because for me, that's what leadership is.
I look for folks when I'mlooking for mentors are folks
that are here but they'll takethe time to say yeah, lisa, you
know what I'll bring you alongthe way with me, back and
(15:07):
sharing.
And you mentioned students thatmay not know or may not see
themselves right represented incompanies that we need.
We need to do our due diligence.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
Yeah yeah, as leaders , as leaders yeah, for sure oh
my gosh, lisa, that that wasdefinitely a gem, because the
thing that I've always ran intois uh, I I've always felt like I
didn't see as many people thatwere in that leadership role, um
, to pull me up, um, but thereare allies out there that
recognize game, right, it's likehey, I'm, you can't hustle a
(15:42):
hustler and they see it.
They'd be like, oh, theyrecognize game, right.
So there's definitely alliesout there that do reach back.
But I think the principleitself that you can still
resonate with those that arecoming up like when you said,
hey, I started off in coding andI started off like you, can
resonate, relate with them right.
It's not only like, hey, I'm,I'm pushing paper.
No, actually, hey, you, you'reusing this library.
(16:05):
I remember I used this libraryback in the days when I did this
is like you're able to makethat connection, to make that
open, you know, for thatmentorship and or, uh, uplifting
and caring not caring, butsupporting people as they're
going through their journey.
So a big shout outs to you andLisa, uh, always dropping these
gems.
And y'all need to keeplistening to some of these
quotes, cause I'm I'm gettingthem, yeah.
So I'll share something withyou, bobby.
(16:26):
We talk about coding right.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
I'll share something with you, Bobby.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
What's up we?
Speaker 1 (16:29):
talk about coding, right, so I talk about when I
started out, I coded, I was adeveloper, and when I went to
one of my companies as a lead, ateam lead, in the functional
space because the functionalspace is what intrigued me right
and requirements what are wedoing?
Speaker 2 (17:07):
How are we?
Speaker 1 (17:07):
going to improve business processes Right, I love
that.
And there was a young lady thatwas a coder that came in and
she was supposed to develop therequirements that I provided for
her and first meeting goingthrough the requirements, I
recognized that this was new toher and I said to her do you
know what I'm saying?
And she's like, not really so.
I'm like, girl, come on.
So I actually we sat down and Ibecame an informal mentor to
(17:28):
her.
25 years later this person hasbeen able to bring me into her
company to pretty much presentwhat I do to her leadership and
help them on their journey.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
Connection, collaboration, reaching back
Right, and I was just like wecan relate, 20 years ago to
where we are now.
Yeah, Because I took the timeto share what I knew.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
And then her now needing a resource went back in
and said Lisa, she's like Iremember, I remember that look
you gave me and I was so afraid,Right, and then you were there.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
One of my biggest clients now Right, so amazing.
I just say that it you know,it's not for not.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
Yeah.
And you never know For sure,and and that's the thing about
leadership is that, uh,sometimes, when people feel like
, as leaders, when we give back,we're expecting something right
, but the thing is, is thatwe're giving because it's going
to open up opportunities, nottoday, not tomorrow, years from
now, yes, that that that oneencounter uh, uh really
(18:43):
imprinted into that person ofyour character and who you are.
um, and this is the thing I tellmy mentees all the time, your
net work will be your net worthexactly 100 because if, if and
I'm not trying to toot my hornor nothing like that y'all y'all
be watching the show a littlebit, but if I need to get back
into the market, I got peoplelike lisa yes, I got friends and
family that have been in theindustry, that are there to
(19:04):
support me, or even back insilicon valley, like I can get
an email almost once a week,bobby, you, you ready to come
back and, you know, go back andplay at the court, type stuff.
But in general, the thing thatI'm really taking from you here
is, as we are growing anddeveloping, always find a way to
give back and support.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
Oh, of course.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
Because it will be paid 10, 20 times over for sure.
Oh man, check out that gym slotfor sure.
So the next thing that I wantto talk about in terms of your
journey so we talked aboutcitrix, jam families.
Oh, and one thing about jamfamilies these streets are small
.
In these streets, in our circle, right because low-key, I have
one of my, my mentors, uh,technical mentor of mine that I
(19:41):
have worked with, steven barrett.
Big shout out what's up?
Steven barrett, congratulationsto you on his journey, because
he's killing it.
But I remember when you started, steven sent me a message like
hey, do you know lisa?
I was like lisa, who, likepratt's inches, I was like
that's family, though, and Itell you as soon as I knew, as
soon as I seen that and he'sanother black technologist, he's
(20:02):
jamaican.
So, uh, the down here in southflorida we got a mix down here
and when I heard that you werethere, he was there.
I was like man, they really gotsomething going on.
So a big shout out to thatnetwork connections.
And know, these streets aresmall, so be careful what you
the bridges you burn, becauseyou never know, but after you
(20:23):
moved on to jam families, um,it'll sound like you took some
time off and and or re-establishyour consulting company, or
tell me where is that at.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
So where I'm at now.
Yeah, I took, so when I decidedto move on, it was Lisa taking
care of herself.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
I'm in a new stage of my life and I wanted to pursue
those things that were gnawingat me, speaking to me like this
is your time right.
This is now, and so I decided togo back and I've always had
Gerions, my company, many years,and I decided I'm going to
(21:05):
pursue that full time.
And what does that look like?
And what does that look likeCoaching, consulting, connecting
with people, and that's what Idecided to do.
And Jerrion's LLC is there andwe are in the business of
allowing people to be at theirfull potential.
(21:26):
And what does that mean?
And what does that mean?
That means that I'm workingwith individuals and companies
that want to grow internally andunderstand that your people are
your most important asset.
Right people and your peopleinvest in themselves, then we
(21:52):
have a good marriage where wecan continue and grow our
clientele.
Be that much better for ourcustomer base yeah and so that's
what I do.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
I do business transformation on the individual
or on your processes, orholistic as a company yeah,
that's amazing because you bringthe the 20 plus years of
experience that you've hadworking Fortune 500 tech
companies and then bringing itinto a package that really like
takes all the great things thatyou learn from each of them, all
(22:25):
the experiences that you have,and then you can actually offer
it in your own and your ownconsulting services and products
oh I'm, you know, I'm on thesideline room for you, lisa
actually offer it in your ownand your own consulting services
and products.
Oh, I'm, I'm, I'm, you know,I'm on the sideline room for you
, lisa.
so I'm always so, so excited tohear the stuff that you're
working on, uh, because itinspires me too, right?
I mean uh to me and nodisrespect, but you're like
senior to me, right?
I look up to your journey anddefinitely uh appreciate uh you
(22:48):
pushing your boundaries, becauseit gives me a new bar that is
set right, and it's not like I'mcompeting for me.
I'm like looking at it like inall and so much.
All because I I've had theseencounters, I've had these uh
people come in and out of mylife uh, but when it comes to
lisa lisa's part of family so Iknow I'm always going to be
there.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
It's foundation Foundation.
Right yeah, it's foundation.
So what I respect and admirefor you is your hustle.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
The tech hustle right , and what hustling is is
reaching out and doing thosethings that there is a need for,
it, right.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
And your hustle is one of those that you're not in
your face.
You're like this is me and thisis what I bring to the table,
and you see things organicallyhappening yeah and what I love
about what you bring to me isyou're my one lateral holder.
Right for me to go up the rungis I need a firm foundation and
(23:51):
I have people like you that arethere holding me up.
And then the other part is Icould come down this ladder and
come and hold yours as well, andI appreciate that Right, and so
we have to do that for eachother.
We talk about there is enoughfor everyone, but we don't
really believe that, becausefolks hold things close and they
(24:13):
don't share, and what you do isyou share, and I love that
about you, thank you so much andI just for this audience,
because I see that I know thathe will continue to be blessed
and I know that doors are goingto continue to open for him,
(24:33):
because this is realness in realtime and too often we as
individual are not living thelife that we are meant to.
Out of fear, right a lot offast talking about what it is
we're doing or think we shoulddo, because other people think
(24:54):
that what we should do.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
But when you take a step back and self-assess right
and really come into the truthof who you're meant to be, then
this is what the tech hustle isabout right, thank you thank you
so much, lisa, for that,because, um, you know, sometimes
you put in a lot of work, um,and and for me, I'm not waiting
(25:19):
for the pat on the back, right,because I got to keep pushing uh
, but when I do get it,especially from respective
voices, uh, I, I really doappreciate it because, uh, when
I say family, you know fromwhere my family first started,
right 20 some years ago, um, andto see where I'm at as I'm
continuing to push uh, you, youdefinitely uh have uh the the
(25:42):
highest respect from me.
When you say how you feel, andand, and I know you will tell me
straight up, bobby, I don'tknow, I don't know about that,
right, right, and I appreciatethat because it's like a compass
to me and it helps me make surethat, oh, I am heading in the
right direction and or, nomatter which way I turn, the
(26:02):
compass is not going to lie tome and that's what I really
respect about you.
So, thank you so much for thosekind words, and that should be
a reason why y'all tell friendsabout me and keep tuning in.
But the, the other thing thatI'm so excited to talk more
about, especially about thepurpose in life, because, y'all.
I don't know if y'all know, buty'all check the links below in
(26:22):
the description.
But Lisa in my book is myfavorite author.
Let's give her a big round ofapplause.
And your first book, uh, whichis titled working on a project
called life?
Yes, tell us a little bit aboutthat.
Speaker 1 (26:37):
Um, and I know you have other things going on, but
I definitely want to give youthe space to talk about your
book yeah, thank you, one of mybiggest supporters yeah working
on a project called life hasbeen in birth in me probably
about 10 years or more, and Ilet fear False evidence
(26:58):
appearing real stand in the wayof what I was meant to do, which
was to write, and so I wouldjot things down.
And I have gone to conferenceswhere I was told this book, yep,
you should go for it.
And still never did because Igot busy with being busy yeah.
Which sometimes, when we're busywith being busy, is not real
(27:22):
work.
It's just that we'reoverworking ourselves so we can
overlook what's meant for us todo.
And so working on a projectcalled life, which means to lead
in your purpose, invest time inyour purpose, focus on what
you're meant to do andultimately execute.
Now you can tell I'm a projectmanager working on a project
(27:46):
called life facts so similar to.
We have.
A project has a beginning andend, our life has a beginning
and end, right?
What do we do in between that?
So, just to talk a little bitmore, it is about executing on
those things that are meant foryou to do, and if you're stuck,
how do you get unstuck?
(28:07):
Follow the tools and theprinciple here.
There is a spiritual undertonehere, because that's just who I
am, that's just how I'm led, andso I use that to enable
individuals to go through theirown journey of what that is for
them.
The book, what does it do foryou?
(28:28):
Is?
It relates to others, and whenyou're asking yourself, can I?
The coach in me will say I can,yes, you can, I can, yes, you
can.
And so that's what it's meantto do is to be a companion, to
lead you in that journey of howdo you get from stuck to going
(28:51):
into what your purpose with andhow do you execute on that.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
Amazing, amazing, and and you, you, you hit the nail
on the head with this book interms of ensuring that we take
that veil off from our normaland really embrace the things
that were meant to be here for apurpose, right, and the reason
why I enjoy your book so much is, like it's a guide, that I give
(29:16):
this book to all the young onesthat are around me to give them
the insights on.
Like, hey, if you pick this upearly, right, you don't have to
go through 20 years and and andworking like I went through, and
then finally get to the end of20 years and you'd be like man,
am I actually following what Ireally want to do, or am I just
paying these bills, you know, ortrying to maintain a lifestyle?
(29:37):
That's survival mode.
Right that's survival mode right, I'm surviving.
And then this lifestyle interms of a framework.
You even have a framework.
Uh, that's called life.
Uh, lead, invest, fulfill andexecute.
Right, it's like having thesetools will ensure that you're
utilizing, or utilizing theskill that you have that's meant
to be your purpose to its fullpotential.
(29:58):
Because I see it all the timelike I see, uh, someone does
something like oh my gosh, youdon't know that that's hard for
everybody else, but it's so easyfor you that that's right,
that's your gift.
Uh, for me, speaking andtalking on stage, whenever I get
up there, it's like I'm I'mplaying, right, or being at
computers and and being sointrigued and understanding how
stuff works, it's because I'mplaying and that's my purpose
(30:20):
and I need to continue to pourinto that.
So much so, yeah, I get to gohang out with the big leagues
and do things.
But the book itself if you havethe opportunity, I'd highly
encourage you to read the book.
There will be links below,because we're always going to
plug in, lisa for sure.
But the thing that I reallytake away from it is the
frameworks, the worksheets, theway that you articulate your
(30:45):
journey, because that's the partthat's so inspiring to me and
it definitely uplifts us as wego.
So, congratulations on thatbook, thank you, I'm looking
forward to it.
Outside of the book, you alsodo public speaking, mentoring
and stuff like that.
Speaker 1 (31:01):
Tell me about your speaking and and why is that
like some, uh, not a noon avenue, because I've always known lisa
had it, but it's more or less,uh, including your portfolio in
terms of yeah, so speaking isone of those things that is part
of what I have to do in mycareer right, leading projects,
as bobby mentioned, speakingwith executives, speaking with
(31:22):
my team, encouraging my team,and so one of the things that
I've always done when I moved toFlorida was connecting with
organization yeah as a projectmanager.
I signed up immediately forSouth Florida PMI, which has
supported me in my journey.
I've played many roles at SouthFlorida PMI, which has
supported me in my journey.
I've played many roles at SouthFlorida PMI, but they have
(31:47):
invited me out to speak at theirconferences and I was able to
do that while I was working atCitrix and at JM Family.
These aren't paid things.
These were just things of megiving back to an organization
and to a community thatsupported me.
So my way of supporting them andas I continued to do that,
(32:09):
folks would come up wanting tobe mentored.
And when I decided to move onin my career, I signed up with
other groups from a speakingperspective and I've been able
organically I don't pushnecessarily, but organically
just folks knowing the work I dohave asked me to come in to
(32:33):
their companies or organizationto speak yeah, that's what I
mean.
Speaker 2 (32:37):
She's been dropping gems on our show.
Well, what do you thinkeverybody else is going to see
in here, as they're going?
Speaker 1 (32:42):
right, it's been good yeah and I'm also a part of uh
south florida pmi toastmasters.
So for anyone that has a fearof public speaking or just want
to be more expressive.
Find a toast master group.
It will do wonders for you, oh,yes, for sure, 100 000 percent.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
Um, one of, uh, our members of our podcast, raymond
don't call him ray ray, what'sup, raymond?
uh, he's also been a part oftoastmasters for years, uh, and
I think he's a part of, like,the, the board and stuff like
that but in terms of just skillsdevelopment, um, he's an
amazing speaker, right, um, andand he, he, he follows more of
like uh, the more comedic sideof it.
(33:23):
But if you just think about theskill set of speaking, being
able to go off the cuff,introduce yourself, making sure
that you're asking the rightquestion in a way that really
conveys your thought isimportant, especially in the
spaces that you're in right.
Speaker 1 (33:38):
Exactly.
Speaker 2 (33:39):
So big shout outs to Toastmasters.
Yeah, and I did have onequestion what does PM stand for?
Speaker 1 (33:43):
pmi project management institute awesome,
awesome, awesome.
Speaker 2 (33:47):
So if you are into project management, I would
definitely has an interest inlearning more about it.
Yeah, yeah, and those areorganizations, uh, throughout
the nation, right, oh yeahinternational, yeah,
international word worldwideroger that, roger that.
Thank you for uh closing thatloop, because I was like pmi
about to go type on my laptopreal quick, uh, and, and what it
is is that our audience are are, um, not as versed in some of
(34:10):
these terminologies.
So I use it all the time tooand I'd be like, and then
raymond would be like, uh, butwhat does that really mean?
Speaker 1 (34:15):
yes, no, thank you for asking, yeah there's no dumb
questions, right no, you haveto get clarity so that you
understand it.
Speaker 2 (34:24):
So the next and I believe our last somewhat
segment coming up is you've beengiving advice all day.
She's been dropping gems allday during the conversation and,
like I mentioned to you, interms of just our audience are
growing in their career.
Some of them are thinking aboutgetting into leadership, but
the question that we have hereis what advice would you give to
(34:46):
those balancing career growth,leadership and living on their
purpose?
So it's kind of likeencompassing your whole journey
and obviously folding in thebook, but just what advice would
you give to those that arepursuing career growth,
leadership and living theirpurpose, to those that are
pursuing career growth,leadership and living their
purpose?
Speaker 1 (35:02):
First of all, ask yourself the why, right, the why
and the what.
What is it I need to be doingand why?
A lot of times and you touchedon it before is that there is a
specific path that's laid out.
If you want to be in technology, you have to do these things,
(35:24):
or you have to go to this schoolor you have to.
That's not necessarily the case.
The reason why I love the TechHustle and why I wanted to be on
the podcast because I see whatBobby brings to the table.
Folks that come in that's beenthere, done the journey, learn
from them.
(35:44):
So get those type of insight.
But then look at what resonateswith you and what you can
commit to, as opposed to whateveryone wants you to commit to.
And that's what I would say.
I would say as far as, if youhave a desire for a specific
field of interest, go and findyourself mentors.
(36:07):
In my college years, in myprofessional years, if I go and
I meet someone and there is aconnection like, wait, I could
learn more from that person.
I'm that person that says, hey,can you be my unofficial mentor
?
Is it okay if I check in withyou every now and then?
(36:31):
And most times, it's a positivereaction right.
So you can learn and glean fromothers.
And then I would say, if you'venever done it and you think
this is what you want to do, tryit out, check it out right,
figure out ways of how you couldkind of tap in and see what
(36:53):
would this mean for me and howcan I do it?
Yeah, Right.
And leadership doesn't meanleadership doesn't equate to
where you are on the ladderright within an organization.
Leadership means that you havethe ability to take control of
(37:14):
the things that you are meant tobe in control of, to control
how you react to certain thingsand then how you embrace others
around you, how you help them,while you're looking for
something for yourself, becausethere's a lot of times that
folks are like, well, until Iget to this position, I can't
(37:35):
help you, I can't.
Leaders are born.
We have this innate abilitybecause we are human, like human
, are relational, right, yeah,yeah.
And leaders are relational, soyou can lead in your own right.
Don't wait for perfect.
(37:55):
Perfect will never come.
So look for opportunities whereyou can share, right, but also
going out and seeking thosepeople and those things that
could feed what you are meant todo as well.
That's you taking leadership inyour own life.
(38:16):
So there's just it's.
You know, as you say, I'mseasoned.
Speaker 2 (38:22):
I caught that.
He says no disrespect.
Speaker 1 (38:25):
After all these years , you can only be who you're
meant to be, so be you.
Facts, facts facts, that's it,just be you.
Speaker 2 (38:33):
That's what's up, lisa, and, yeah, it's an eye
opener, and let me tell you,you're mentoring me right now.
It's an eye opener, um, when,when and let me tell you you're
mentoring me right now, by theway, that you're conveying this
and, and definitely, uh, umreaffirming my thought process,
but also um, closing any holesor gaps that I have.
And that's the most powerfulthing about you know, the
(38:54):
podcast.
Like you said, I'm bringing onguests that have been here for a
while.
You've heard and seen theirjourneys, and all, every single
one of my guests are here togive knowledge and give
information.
So, um, I want to first of allgive you a big round of applause
.
Thank you so much, lisa, forpulling up, hanging out with the
tech hustle this is as real asit gets.
(39:14):
I love it yeah, and don't forget, if y'all hear this sound right
here, that means to rewind backso you can catch them gems that
Lisa's been dropping.
And yeah, we're going to getclose to the end of our
conversation, lisa.
You know we're going to keepgoing afterwards, but you know
they don't need to heareverything we're talking about.
I love it.
Speaker 1 (39:32):
Thank you so much, Tech Hustle.
Thank you, Bobby D.
I appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (39:36):
Roger.
That Lisa.
Well, thank you all so much fortuning in to Backstage with
Bobby D.
We have our guest Lisa PrattSanchez.
Check out her book.
Working on a Project CalledLife.
I'm telling you gems, gems, anddon't forget about checking out
all those spots that we'regoing to mark in our video.
Here Again, this is your boy,bobby D Holla.
Leadership doesn't equate to where you are on the
ladder right within anorganization.
Leadership means that you havethe ability to take control of
the things that you are meant tobe in control of, to control
how you react to certain thingsand then how you embrace others
(00:25):
around you, how you help themwhile you're looking for
something for yourself, becausethere's a lot of times that
folks are like, well, until Iget to this position, I can't
help you, I can't.
Leaders are born.
We have this innate abilitybecause we are human, like human
(00:46):
, are relational, right andleaders are relational.
So you can lead in your ownright.
Don't wait for perfect.
Perfect will never come whereyou can share right, but also
going out and seeking thosepeople and those things that
(01:09):
could feed what you are meant todo as well welcome, welcome,
welcome.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
I'm missing my guy d hustle today, man, it's it's
like I I need him to help outwith.
But you know what?
We're gonna have a great timetoday.
Today I have a special specialguest, um, and we're here
backstage with bobby d.
I'm your host, bobby d,obviously, and you know that the
show is really focusing onbringing people that I have
worked with, people that arepart of my family, people that
(01:48):
are part of my circle, toenlighten you all on the journey
that they've been on, but alsoI'm trying to open up the doors
for y'all in terms ofknowledge-wise, so I hope y'all
tuned in.
We got a special guest for ustoday.
We're going to have Lisa PrattSanchez come to the stage.
What's up, lisa?
Hey, bobby D, lisa, lisa, howyou doing, fam?
Speaker 1 (02:09):
I am blessed and glad to be here.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Oh my gosh and emphasize fam.
This is family, right here.
Family Family.
Lisa and I go way back andwe're definitely going to be
talking about the journey, talkabout the great things that
you've been doing in ourcommunity, but I want to give
you a quick opportunity tointroduce yourself.
Tell us a little bit aboutyourself and then we'll jump
right into our conversation.
So tell us a little bit aboutyourself, lisa.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Hey, I'll say family.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
Yes, yes.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Folks that I connect with.
We're a community.
We are a collaboration of justgreatness.
So I'll say, hey, family, lisaPratt Sanchez here.
I have been around for a while,have been in the IT space for
many years and are now in thephase where I'm enjoying all
(03:01):
that I've learned and all thatI've gathered.
So my claim to fame I will saybecause you have to claim it
right is that I'm a technologistthat's focused on people.
I coach and I consult withcompanies and with individuals.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
That's awesome, lisa.
Yes, she is a technologist.
You've been around the block afew times, been around the block
A few times, a few years, anddefinitely very appreciative of
the people part, because I thinksometimes when we talk about
being in tech, they think it'sonly about coding, being at the
computer and there's so manyother things that you can do in
(03:42):
our field of technology andstill being able to make massive
impacts to organizations andthings like that for sure.
So one of the things that isI'm so grateful for this
opportunity to chat with you isa part of my family.
Lisa is one of those that I'veeven run into at workplaces,
yeah Right.
So I don't know if you all know.
(04:04):
Definitely check her out onLinkedIn and check me out on
LinkedIn so you can see whereour paths is across.
But we had a good stint workingyou know, collab not directly
but indirectly at Citrix Systems, yeah.
So how did you like Citrix andtell me a little bit about that
part of the journey for you?
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Citrix was a great run right.
I'm from New York and I've beenin South Florida now for 20
years, and one of the thingsthat I was a little bit hesitant
on is where would my journeylead me from a technology space?
I've been implementing in theERP space for many years,
(04:41):
specifically SAP, the ERP spacefor many years, specifically SAP
, and Citrix was one of thosecompanies that had SAP and I had
my eyes on them.
But I was busy consulting inother organizations and then the
opportunity came for me atCitrix.
They were looking for someoneto oversee their
reimplementation of SAP and theywere looking for someone
(05:05):
full-time.
And this is a funny story aboutCitrix.
I actually went in theinterview because I wanted to
stay a consultant in contractand so I went into a full-time
interview trying to negotiatebeing a consultant for them
that's how much full she?
Speaker 2 (05:24):
she said they.
They wanted me to be afull-time employee, but when I
went into the interview I don'twant to let you know I only take
w9s, I only do w9s right.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
So the funny thing is it was a great experience,
great time.
They were looking for someonebecause they had worked with
others in the consultant spaceand they really wanted someone
to be a part of Citrix.
I'm glad I joined because atthat time when I was there,
culture was everything, peoplewere everything, creativity was
(05:55):
everything the ability to grow.
Actually, it was there that mymanager saw me and said to me
you're going to be a greatspeaker one day.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
You're going to do great things.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
You are meant to lead and although I was in yeah
although I was in a leadershipposition, I didn't see more of
what he saw, and so that's kindof like what I want to touch on
today when you and I talk is howdo you look beyond the
(06:29):
immediate what you're seeing infront of you, and how do you
reach above that and allowothers to bring you along the
way?
Speaker 2 (06:37):
That's a gem right there, because I think in our
community sometimes we havedifficulty seeing ourselves.
Yeah, even when we're in thespace right, and you and I both
know most of the times whenwe're in that space it's only us
, right and then you don't knowthat you're shooting like curry,
right, and they have people onthe bench that are like in awe
(06:59):
of you, but you can't see ityourself, right?
So that's, in terms of thejourney, something that I think,
um, I've also found out, likelistening to what people are
saying and and taking that inand then processing it and then
really understanding like I havethe ability, I have it, I have
belief in myself.
If they don't even know me likethat, but they can see it.
(07:21):
I mean, yeah, but they can seeit.
I mean, yeah, that's a gemright there.
So, yeah, y'all need to makesure y'all rewind.
So if y'all first time to theshow, whenever you hear that
sign, that sound, you need torewind a little bit, don't you
know the rewind button?
Back it up a little bit.
Take a listen to what lisa hadto say, because I'm telling you
it's gems, gems, gems.
So I actually jumped in and youknow how, back in the day they
used to have the jump rope, hop,skip stuff, and then they say
(07:43):
go and jump.
I think I jumped too fastBecause I didn't even get a
chance to ask you how did youget into tech, how did tech
become a part of your path, apart of your journey?
And I know we're going to bediving into deeper, but I want
to at least give you anopportunity to talk about that.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Sure Tech I've been doing since high school.
So I went to a specialized highschool in Brooklyn.
Shout out to Brooklyn Tech Technight for life.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
Big shout out to them .
Speaker 1 (08:10):
Yay, and I needed to choose a career, and computer
science was what spoke to me.
So I've been coding since highschool and then when I went on
to college I decided I wanted tobe in the school of business
and from there I pursuedinformation systems and that was
(08:32):
where my technology career kindof took off.
Post-college I went into workfor Ernst Young and the
technology continued from there,so I was able to work initially
as a developer.
I didn't like it, but I haverespect for it because, that is
(08:55):
where I was able to decipher andask questions behind the
question to get to resolvingissues.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Yeah, yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
And so that's been my bread and butter for many years
in different facets.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
That's what's up, lee .
So big, big, big applause forthat.
Especially and this is thereason why I want to make sure
we give some context to thebeginning of your journey is our
audience are going to be eithercollege grads, new to the
industry, looking for, you know,like-minded people or people
that look like them, and thecool thing about when I have
guests come on is when you tellus how it all began.
(09:33):
It resonates with them, becauseI also went to you know, a
pathway of pursuing andunderstanding technology at a
young age and then it carries oninto my career development and
it just more or less helpsignite if the fire is there.
But keep it going, you know,because if I would have known
more people like Lisa, right, ifI would have had more examples
(09:53):
of people that were pursuingtechnology and engineering, I
think I would have been evenmore into it.
So it's definitely gratefulthat you, you know, bring your
story from the beginning and onthis pathway, because I ran into
Lisa at Citrix, but Citrix wasonly one stop on the train,
right?
So after Citrix, where did youend up starting working or kind
(10:13):
of pursuing that path orcontinuing to work in tech?
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Well, after Citrix what I did.
So when I came to Florida Icame with my Already I had my
company and I wanted to doconsultant contract work
independent contracting, becauseI had young children and I want
to be more in charge of my timeand that's why I wanted to
(10:37):
pursue Citrix as a consultantorganization.
But when I moved on from CitrixI went back into independent
consultant and that led methrough networking and doing
good work at the company priorto Citrix, someone saying hey,
you're available, can you comeout and see if you can assist us
(11:00):
with what we have going on.
And that company happened to beJM Family and so JM Family.
I went in and I was a contractor.
So, jm Family, I went in and Iwas a contractor and when I went
in for the interview they saidto me why wouldn't you want to
come work for?
Speaker 2 (11:17):
me.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
And I said, well, you know, I was asked to come in to
do consultant work, and sothat's, I'm, I'm, I'm a person
of my word, so that's what I'mgoing to do.
And they said, well, you shouldconsider us.
Well, fast forward with that.
(11:41):
I did get into full-timeopportunity with them where I
was able to oversee their PMOand work with the developers the
software engineers, thesolution architects yeah, a slew
of resources similar to what Idid at Citrix, but expanded to
now.
Now I'm overseeing the groupthat provides the technology
(12:03):
projects for our business, andso that's where it continued.
And I was at Jamfam family formany years.
Great company, great culture.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
But again, you have to know what is it you're meant
to do facts while you're here,and so that was a moment for me
you need to know what you'remeant to do while you're here.
That is powerful, because Ithink sometimes we get caught up
in the rat race nine to five,paying the bills, family and
(12:37):
then we lose focus on what we'remeant to be here to do.
Right, like uh and and this isgonna I'm plugging something in
that book, right, there isdefinitely giving you that
pathway, uh, but in general itjust for me, knowing that you're
on your journey, you were notentry-level intern, you're at
(12:58):
the executive at that level.
Those are people that are inthe circles that you're in and
pitching to or giving updates onprogress and projects and
things like that from start tofinish type stuff.
So you definitely have had theopportunity to be in those
circles.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
But even in those circles, or achieving that in
your life, you still feel theneed to acknowledge the things
that are most important, likethe thing that you're meant to
be here meant to do.
Right yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
Tell me a little bit about that.
I'm going to go back to justsomething.
You just said that, althoughyou're in that circle right,
I've been in the circle withleadership.
One of the things that I dowith people is connect, right.
What's that connection point sobeing that I was overseeing the
portfolio management office?
(13:47):
Of course I have needs forresources that come in and I
would see someone maybe I need aproject manager, for example
and they're coming in as acontractor and they would be
blown away when I say to them Iwas in your seat how many years
ago I started where you started,as a contractor.
(14:08):
So they understood that I'm notjust someone that's just sitting
over here, disconnected.
I know and that's a connectionpoint, and that is where I see
at times when, as you go up theladder for lack of a better word
that sometimes you lose thatconnection with the doers and
(14:32):
the folks that run your.
You know your company.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
Right and that is something that is always near
and dear to me is how do youreach up but also reach back?
Speaker 2 (14:45):
Yeah, right.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
Because for me, that's what leadership is.
I look for folks when I'mlooking for mentors are folks
that are here but they'll takethe time to say yeah, lisa, you
know what I'll bring you alongthe way with me, back and
(15:07):
sharing.
And you mentioned students thatmay not know or may not see
themselves right represented incompanies that we need.
We need to do our due diligence.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
Yeah yeah, as leaders , as leaders yeah, for sure oh
my gosh, lisa, that that wasdefinitely a gem, because the
thing that I've always ran intois uh, I I've always felt like I
didn't see as many people thatwere in that leadership role, um
, to pull me up, um, but thereare allies out there that
recognize game, right, it's likehey, I'm, you can't hustle a
(15:42):
hustler and they see it.
They'd be like, oh, theyrecognize game, right.
So there's definitely alliesout there that do reach back.
But I think the principleitself that you can still
resonate with those that arecoming up like when you said,
hey, I started off in coding andI started off like you, can
resonate, relate with them right.
It's not only like, hey, I'm,I'm pushing paper.
No, actually, hey, you, you'reusing this library.
(16:05):
I remember I used this libraryback in the days when I did this
is like you're able to makethat connection, to make that
open, you know, for thatmentorship and or, uh, uplifting
and caring not caring, butsupporting people as they're
going through their journey.
So a big shout outs to you andLisa, uh, always dropping these
gems.
And y'all need to keeplistening to some of these
quotes, cause I'm I'm gettingthem, yeah.
So I'll share something withyou, bobby.
(16:26):
We talk about coding right.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
I'll share something with you, Bobby.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
What's up we?
Speaker 1 (16:29):
talk about coding, right, so I talk about when I
started out, I coded, I was adeveloper, and when I went to
one of my companies as a lead, ateam lead, in the functional
space because the functionalspace is what intrigued me right
and requirements what are wedoing?
Speaker 2 (17:07):
How are we?
Speaker 1 (17:07):
going to improve business processes Right, I love
that.
And there was a young lady thatwas a coder that came in and
she was supposed to develop therequirements that I provided for
her and first meeting goingthrough the requirements, I
recognized that this was new toher and I said to her do you
know what I'm saying?
And she's like, not really so.
I'm like, girl, come on.
So I actually we sat down and Ibecame an informal mentor to
(17:28):
her.
25 years later this person hasbeen able to bring me into her
company to pretty much presentwhat I do to her leadership and
help them on their journey.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
Connection, collaboration, reaching back
Right, and I was just like wecan relate, 20 years ago to
where we are now.
Yeah, Because I took the timeto share what I knew.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
And then her now needing a resource went back in
and said Lisa, she's like Iremember, I remember that look
you gave me and I was so afraid,Right, and then you were there.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
One of my biggest clients now Right, so amazing.
I just say that it you know,it's not for not.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
Yeah.
And you never know For sure,and and that's the thing about
leadership is that, uh,sometimes, when people feel like
, as leaders, when we give back,we're expecting something right
, but the thing is, is thatwe're giving because it's going
to open up opportunities, nottoday, not tomorrow, years from
now, yes, that that that oneencounter uh, uh really
(18:43):
imprinted into that person ofyour character and who you are.
um, and this is the thing I tellmy mentees all the time, your
net work will be your net worthexactly 100 because if, if and
I'm not trying to toot my hornor nothing like that y'all y'all
be watching the show a littlebit, but if I need to get back
into the market, I got peoplelike lisa yes, I got friends and
family that have been in theindustry, that are there to
(19:04):
support me, or even back insilicon valley, like I can get
an email almost once a week,bobby, you, you ready to come
back and, you know, go back andplay at the court, type stuff.
But in general, the thing thatI'm really taking from you here
is, as we are growing anddeveloping, always find a way to
give back and support.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
Oh, of course.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
Because it will be paid 10, 20 times over for sure.
Oh man, check out that gym slotfor sure.
So the next thing that I wantto talk about in terms of your
journey so we talked aboutcitrix, jam families.
Oh, and one thing about jamfamilies these streets are small
.
In these streets, in our circle, right because low-key, I have
one of my, my mentors, uh,technical mentor of mine that I
(19:41):
have worked with, steven barrett.
Big shout out what's up?
Steven barrett, congratulationsto you on his journey, because
he's killing it.
But I remember when you started, steven sent me a message like
hey, do you know lisa?
I was like lisa, who, likepratt's inches, I was like
that's family, though, and Itell you as soon as I knew, as
soon as I seen that and he'sanother black technologist, he's
(20:02):
jamaican.
So, uh, the down here in southflorida we got a mix down here
and when I heard that you werethere, he was there.
I was like man, they really gotsomething going on.
So a big shout out to thatnetwork connections.
And know, these streets aresmall, so be careful what you
the bridges you burn, becauseyou never know, but after you
(20:23):
moved on to jam families, um,it'll sound like you took some
time off and and or re-establishyour consulting company, or
tell me where is that at.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
So where I'm at now.
Yeah, I took, so when I decidedto move on, it was Lisa taking
care of herself.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
I'm in a new stage of my life and I wanted to pursue
those things that were gnawingat me, speaking to me like this
is your time right.
This is now, and so I decided togo back and I've always had
Gerions, my company, many years,and I decided I'm going to
(21:05):
pursue that full time.
And what does that look like?
And what does that look likeCoaching, consulting, connecting
with people, and that's what Idecided to do.
And Jerrion's LLC is there andwe are in the business of
allowing people to be at theirfull potential.
(21:26):
And what does that mean?
And what does that mean?
That means that I'm workingwith individuals and companies
that want to grow internally andunderstand that your people are
your most important asset.
Right people and your peopleinvest in themselves, then we
(21:52):
have a good marriage where wecan continue and grow our
clientele.
Be that much better for ourcustomer base yeah and so that's
what I do.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
I do business transformation on the individual
or on your processes, orholistic as a company yeah,
that's amazing because you bringthe the 20 plus years of
experience that you've hadworking Fortune 500 tech
companies and then bringing itinto a package that really like
takes all the great things thatyou learn from each of them, all
(22:25):
the experiences that you have,and then you can actually offer
it in your own and your ownconsulting services and products
oh I'm, you know, I'm on thesideline room for you, lisa
actually offer it in your ownand your own consulting services
and products.
Oh, I'm, I'm, I'm, you know,I'm on the sideline room for you
, lisa.
so I'm always so, so excited tohear the stuff that you're
working on, uh, because itinspires me too, right?
I mean uh to me and nodisrespect, but you're like
senior to me, right?
I look up to your journey anddefinitely uh appreciate uh you
(22:48):
pushing your boundaries, becauseit gives me a new bar that is
set right, and it's not like I'mcompeting for me.
I'm like looking at it like inall and so much.
All because I I've had theseencounters, I've had these uh
people come in and out of mylife uh, but when it comes to
lisa lisa's part of family so Iknow I'm always going to be
there.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
It's foundation Foundation.
Right yeah, it's foundation.
So what I respect and admirefor you is your hustle.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
The tech hustle right , and what hustling is is
reaching out and doing thosethings that there is a need for,
it, right.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
And your hustle is one of those that you're not in
your face.
You're like this is me and thisis what I bring to the table,
and you see things organicallyhappening yeah and what I love
about what you bring to me isyou're my one lateral holder.
Right for me to go up the rungis I need a firm foundation and
(23:51):
I have people like you that arethere holding me up.
And then the other part is Icould come down this ladder and
come and hold yours as well, andI appreciate that Right, and so
we have to do that for eachother.
We talk about there is enoughfor everyone, but we don't
really believe that, becausefolks hold things close and they
(24:13):
don't share, and what you do isyou share, and I love that
about you, thank you so much andI just for this audience,
because I see that I know thathe will continue to be blessed
and I know that doors are goingto continue to open for him,
(24:33):
because this is realness in realtime and too often we as
individual are not living thelife that we are meant to.
Out of fear, right a lot offast talking about what it is
we're doing or think we shoulddo, because other people think
(24:54):
that what we should do.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
But when you take a step back and self-assess right
and really come into the truthof who you're meant to be, then
this is what the tech hustle isabout right, thank you thank you
so much, lisa, for that,because, um, you know, sometimes
you put in a lot of work, um,and and for me, I'm not waiting
(25:19):
for the pat on the back, right,because I got to keep pushing uh
, but when I do get it,especially from respective
voices, uh, I, I really doappreciate it because, uh, when
I say family, you know fromwhere my family first started,
right 20 some years ago, um, andto see where I'm at as I'm
continuing to push uh, you, youdefinitely uh have uh the the
(25:42):
highest respect from me.
When you say how you feel, andand, and I know you will tell me
straight up, bobby, I don'tknow, I don't know about that,
right, right, and I appreciatethat because it's like a compass
to me and it helps me make surethat, oh, I am heading in the
right direction and or, nomatter which way I turn, the
(26:02):
compass is not going to lie tome and that's what I really
respect about you.
So, thank you so much for thosekind words, and that should be
a reason why y'all tell friendsabout me and keep tuning in.
But the, the other thing thatI'm so excited to talk more
about, especially about thepurpose in life, because, y'all.
I don't know if y'all know, buty'all check the links below in
(26:22):
the description.
But Lisa in my book is myfavorite author.
Let's give her a big round ofapplause.
And your first book, uh, whichis titled working on a project
called life?
Yes, tell us a little bit aboutthat.
Speaker 1 (26:37):
Um, and I know you have other things going on, but
I definitely want to give youthe space to talk about your
book yeah, thank you, one of mybiggest supporters yeah working
on a project called life hasbeen in birth in me probably
about 10 years or more, and Ilet fear False evidence
(26:58):
appearing real stand in the wayof what I was meant to do, which
was to write, and so I wouldjot things down.
And I have gone to conferenceswhere I was told this book, yep,
you should go for it.
And still never did because Igot busy with being busy yeah.
Which sometimes, when we're busywith being busy, is not real
(27:22):
work.
It's just that we'reoverworking ourselves so we can
overlook what's meant for us todo.
And so working on a projectcalled life, which means to lead
in your purpose, invest time inyour purpose, focus on what
you're meant to do andultimately execute.
Now you can tell I'm a projectmanager working on a project
(27:46):
called life facts so similar to.
We have.
A project has a beginning andend, our life has a beginning
and end, right?
What do we do in between that?
So, just to talk a little bitmore, it is about executing on
those things that are meant foryou to do, and if you're stuck,
how do you get unstuck?
(28:07):
Follow the tools and theprinciple here.
There is a spiritual undertonehere, because that's just who I
am, that's just how I'm led, andso I use that to enable
individuals to go through theirown journey of what that is for
them.
The book, what does it do foryou?
(28:28):
Is?
It relates to others, and whenyou're asking yourself, can I?
The coach in me will say I can,yes, you can, I can, yes, you
can.
And so that's what it's meantto do is to be a companion, to
lead you in that journey of howdo you get from stuck to going
(28:51):
into what your purpose with andhow do you execute on that.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
Amazing, amazing, and and you, you, you hit the nail
on the head with this book interms of ensuring that we take
that veil off from our normaland really embrace the things
that were meant to be here for apurpose, right, and the reason
why I enjoy your book so much is, like it's a guide, that I give
(29:16):
this book to all the young onesthat are around me to give them
the insights on.
Like, hey, if you pick this upearly, right, you don't have to
go through 20 years and and andworking like I went through, and
then finally get to the end of20 years and you'd be like man,
am I actually following what Ireally want to do, or am I just
paying these bills, you know, ortrying to maintain a lifestyle?
(29:37):
That's survival mode.
Right that's survival mode right, I'm surviving.
And then this lifestyle interms of a framework.
You even have a framework.
Uh, that's called life.
Uh, lead, invest, fulfill andexecute.
Right, it's like having thesetools will ensure that you're
utilizing, or utilizing theskill that you have that's meant
to be your purpose to its fullpotential.
(29:58):
Because I see it all the timelike I see, uh, someone does
something like oh my gosh, youdon't know that that's hard for
everybody else, but it's so easyfor you that that's right,
that's your gift.
Uh, for me, speaking andtalking on stage, whenever I get
up there, it's like I'm I'mplaying, right, or being at
computers and and being sointrigued and understanding how
stuff works, it's because I'mplaying and that's my purpose
(30:20):
and I need to continue to pourinto that.
So much so, yeah, I get to gohang out with the big leagues
and do things.
But the book itself if you havethe opportunity, I'd highly
encourage you to read the book.
There will be links below,because we're always going to
plug in, lisa for sure.
But the thing that I reallytake away from it is the
frameworks, the worksheets, theway that you articulate your
(30:45):
journey, because that's the partthat's so inspiring to me and
it definitely uplifts us as wego.
So, congratulations on thatbook, thank you, I'm looking
forward to it.
Outside of the book, you alsodo public speaking, mentoring
and stuff like that.
Speaker 1 (31:01):
Tell me about your speaking and and why is that
like some, uh, not a noon avenue, because I've always known lisa
had it, but it's more or less,uh, including your portfolio in
terms of yeah, so speaking isone of those things that is part
of what I have to do in mycareer right, leading projects,
as bobby mentioned, speakingwith executives, speaking with
(31:22):
my team, encouraging my team,and so one of the things that
I've always done when I moved toFlorida was connecting with
organization yeah as a projectmanager.
I signed up immediately forSouth Florida PMI, which has
supported me in my journey.
I've played many roles at SouthFlorida PMI, which has
supported me in my journey.
I've played many roles at SouthFlorida PMI, but they have
(31:47):
invited me out to speak at theirconferences and I was able to
do that while I was working atCitrix and at JM Family.
These aren't paid things.
These were just things of megiving back to an organization
and to a community thatsupported me.
So my way of supporting them andas I continued to do that,
(32:09):
folks would come up wanting tobe mentored.
And when I decided to move onin my career, I signed up with
other groups from a speakingperspective and I've been able
organically I don't pushnecessarily, but organically
just folks knowing the work I dohave asked me to come in to
(32:33):
their companies or organizationto speak yeah, that's what I
mean.
Speaker 2 (32:37):
She's been dropping gems on our show.
Well, what do you thinkeverybody else is going to see
in here, as they're going?
Speaker 1 (32:42):
right, it's been good yeah and I'm also a part of uh
south florida pmi toastmasters.
So for anyone that has a fearof public speaking or just want
to be more expressive.
Find a toast master group.
It will do wonders for you, oh,yes, for sure, 100 000 percent.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
Um, one of, uh, our members of our podcast, raymond
don't call him ray ray, what'sup, raymond?
uh, he's also been a part oftoastmasters for years, uh, and
I think he's a part of, like,the, the board and stuff like
that but in terms of just skillsdevelopment, um, he's an
amazing speaker, right, um, andand he, he, he follows more of
like uh, the more comedic sideof it.
(33:23):
But if you just think about theskill set of speaking, being
able to go off the cuff,introduce yourself, making sure
that you're asking the rightquestion in a way that really
conveys your thought isimportant, especially in the
spaces that you're in right.
Speaker 1 (33:38):
Exactly.
Speaker 2 (33:39):
So big shout outs to Toastmasters.
Yeah, and I did have onequestion what does PM stand for?
Speaker 1 (33:43):
pmi project management institute awesome,
awesome, awesome.
Speaker 2 (33:47):
So if you are into project management, I would
definitely has an interest inlearning more about it.
Yeah, yeah, and those areorganizations, uh, throughout
the nation, right, oh yeahinternational, yeah,
international word worldwideroger that, roger that.
Thank you for uh closing thatloop, because I was like pmi
about to go type on my laptopreal quick, uh, and, and what it
is is that our audience are are, um, not as versed in some of
(34:10):
these terminologies.
So I use it all the time tooand I'd be like, and then
raymond would be like, uh, butwhat does that really mean?
Speaker 1 (34:15):
yes, no, thank you for asking, yeah there's no dumb
questions, right no, you haveto get clarity so that you
understand it.
Speaker 2 (34:24):
So the next and I believe our last somewhat
segment coming up is you've beengiving advice all day.
She's been dropping gems allday during the conversation and,
like I mentioned to you, interms of just our audience are
growing in their career.
Some of them are thinking aboutgetting into leadership, but
the question that we have hereis what advice would you give to
(34:46):
those balancing career growth,leadership and living on their
purpose?
So it's kind of likeencompassing your whole journey
and obviously folding in thebook, but just what advice would
you give to those that arepursuing career growth,
leadership and living theirpurpose, to those that are
pursuing career growth,leadership and living their
purpose?
Speaker 1 (35:02):
First of all, ask yourself the why, right, the why
and the what.
What is it I need to be doingand why?
A lot of times and you touchedon it before is that there is a
specific path that's laid out.
If you want to be in technology, you have to do these things,
(35:24):
or you have to go to this schoolor you have to.
That's not necessarily the case.
The reason why I love the TechHustle and why I wanted to be on
the podcast because I see whatBobby brings to the table.
Folks that come in that's beenthere, done the journey, learn
from them.
(35:44):
So get those type of insight.
But then look at what resonateswith you and what you can
commit to, as opposed to whateveryone wants you to commit to.
And that's what I would say.
I would say as far as, if youhave a desire for a specific
field of interest, go and findyourself mentors.
(36:07):
In my college years, in myprofessional years, if I go and
I meet someone and there is aconnection like, wait, I could
learn more from that person.
I'm that person that says, hey,can you be my unofficial mentor
?
Is it okay if I check in withyou every now and then?
(36:31):
And most times, it's a positivereaction right.
So you can learn and glean fromothers.
And then I would say, if you'venever done it and you think
this is what you want to do, tryit out, check it out right,
figure out ways of how you couldkind of tap in and see what
(36:53):
would this mean for me and howcan I do it?
Yeah, Right.
And leadership doesn't meanleadership doesn't equate to
where you are on the ladderright within an organization.
Leadership means that you havethe ability to take control of
(37:14):
the things that you are meant tobe in control of, to control
how you react to certain thingsand then how you embrace others
around you, how you help them,while you're looking for
something for yourself, becausethere's a lot of times that
folks are like, well, until Iget to this position, I can't
(37:35):
help you, I can't.
Leaders are born.
We have this innate abilitybecause we are human, like human
, are relational, right, yeah,yeah.
And leaders are relational, soyou can lead in your own right.
Don't wait for perfect.
(37:55):
Perfect will never come.
So look for opportunities whereyou can share, right, but also
going out and seeking thosepeople and those things that
could feed what you are meant todo as well.
That's you taking leadership inyour own life.
(38:16):
So there's just it's.
You know, as you say, I'mseasoned.
Speaker 2 (38:22):
I caught that.
He says no disrespect.
Speaker 1 (38:25):
After all these years , you can only be who you're
meant to be, so be you.
Facts, facts facts, that's it,just be you.
Speaker 2 (38:33):
That's what's up, lisa, and, yeah, it's an eye
opener, and let me tell you,you're mentoring me right now.
It's an eye opener, um, when,when and let me tell you you're
mentoring me right now, by theway, that you're conveying this
and, and definitely, uh, umreaffirming my thought process,
but also um, closing any holesor gaps that I have.
And that's the most powerfulthing about you know, the
(38:54):
podcast.
Like you said, I'm bringing onguests that have been here for a
while.
You've heard and seen theirjourneys, and all, every single
one of my guests are here togive knowledge and give
information.
So, um, I want to first of allgive you a big round of applause
.
Thank you so much, lisa, forpulling up, hanging out with the
tech hustle this is as real asit gets.
(39:14):
I love it yeah, and don't forget, if y'all hear this sound right
here, that means to rewind backso you can catch them gems that
Lisa's been dropping.
And yeah, we're going to getclose to the end of our
conversation, lisa.
You know we're going to keepgoing afterwards, but you know
they don't need to heareverything we're talking about.
I love it.
Speaker 1 (39:32):
Thank you so much, Tech Hustle.
Thank you, Bobby D.
I appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (39:36):
Roger.
That Lisa.
Well, thank you all so much fortuning in to Backstage with
Bobby D.
We have our guest Lisa PrattSanchez.
Check out her book.
Working on a Project CalledLife.
I'm telling you gems, gems, anddon't forget about checking out
all those spots that we'regoing to mark in our video.
Here Again, this is your boy,bobby D Holla.
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