Here are just a few of my stories…
ACT I - RESILIENCE
When I was in kindergarten I was diagnosed with Dyslexia. This made reading, the foundation of pretty much all learning, extremely difficult for me. Throughout elementary school, Fridays were dreaded. After studying diligently the night before with my mom, I'd somehow misspell several of our weekly words, only to overhear my classmate proclaim how he got a perfect 100, despite forgetting to study.
Disgruntled by the weekly experience, my mom would always encourage me, "Hard work and determination will get you further in life." I chose to believe her and developed a resilience that has served me well when I encounter challenges. As one college professor shared with me, "You just get knocked down and always fight your way to get back up." Learning this lesson came with its fair share of cuts and scars, but several decades later, I am able to appreciate them and recognize that I have gained something much greater than an A on a spelling test could ever give me.
ACT II - LEARNING THE GAME
Studies have shown consistently that as women, we naturally do well in school. The classroom rules of following instructions and raising our hands fit nicely with our desire to please and be 'good.' As I struggled to learn, I had to acquire other skills to not fall behind.
Unlike the classroom, the playground tends to be a little bit more confrontational. There is less structure, and more politics. It's a culture all its own, and it's the lesson that boys tend to learn at school. Conveniently, these rules are the same rules that govern life and Corporate America. So naturally, men get a leg up compared to their female counterparts when they are transitioning into the 'real world' after graduation day.
With a natural curiosity of human behavior, I paid close attention to these playground rules. And despite not being one of the boys, I learned how to play the game, with my own flare, alongside them. I learned how to humbly advocate for myself — for the promotion and the compensation increase. I learned how to navigate different personalities and politics with poise.
ACT III - THE CORPORATE JUNGLE
My career didn't actually start in Corporate. I had always been intrigued by the world since it was foreign to me. My parents worked in blue collar industries with my dad as a painting contractor and my mom who worked in food services. So, when I decided to leave my journalism job and take my storytelling skills to Corporate America, I was eager to experience the unknown and ideally, rise through the ranks as the underdog — to prove to myself once again that my mom was right, hard work and determination would get me anywhere I wanted to go.
It turns out, I was pretty good at it. Working at a consulting company, I spearheaded its first enterprise-wide mid-level leadership learning program, designed and scaled a global onboarding program, facilitated quarterly C-suite executive conversations, built a Health and Wellness Employee Resource Group and more.
Today, I advise executives at Disney on strategic people initiatives, facilitate team experiences, and coach individuals to enhance performance.
CURRENT SCENE - YOU AND ME
Above all else, I am fueled by creating meaningful relationships and helping others. In this little corner of the internet I get to do just that. By leveraging my unique ability as a soft skills guru, I provide leadership best practices and insights to help women show up with strength and confidence in the workplace.
