“You know who you are but you don’t know why you are who you are.” This was the career and life advice given to me by career coach Brenda Anderson during a one-on-one coaching session I received when I took part in the Latin American Chamber’s Leadership Development Institute in 2020. As she said those words I broke down in tears and thought about the challenges I had overcome to be who I had become. She said once I understood the path I took to become who I was, my purpose would be clarified.
I was born and raised in South Texas into a bilingual Hispanic home. Times were tough. My father was a Mexican immigrant, we didn’t have a lot of resources, and work was scarce. Then, he went to prison when I was 14. Though life had been hard up to that point, it got even more challenging. Yet, knowing and accepting that part of my life is what, as Ms. Anderson said, would clarify why I am here on this earth.
Because of the challenges I faced growing up, my heart and mind became extra sensitive to the challenges of others, especially people in our vulnerable and marginalized communities. As a health literacy consultant at Atrium Health, I work to clarify communication so patients can more easily access, as well as understand their care. This allows them to be the owners of knowledge they can use to change their own lives. In and outside of my role, my goal is to continue advocating for clarity in all aspects of healthcare. We all need it.
Having the right leaders in the business community is essential to transforming the health of our community. A healthcare system can make a big impact, but it is the healthcare system’s relationships with leaders in the business community that make the impact more effective. Leaders who understand how important their participation in improving access to everyday things like primary care, affordable medicine, or necessary procedures will help transform the wellbeing and quality of life of our neighbors and friends for the better.
I am gleaning a lot of practical knowledge from the Emerging Business Leaders (EBL) program. The talks by Dr. George Banks on ethical leadership and Dr. Janaki Gooty on leading through crisis were insightful and engaging. I am encouraged by the level of networking power and influence our EBL cohort can have as we work together, in the right way, for the same purposes. And, clarifying how we all got here will only help those purposes become even more clear.
