00:00
Hola. I'm Claudia Romo Edelman and I'm Cynthia Kleinbaum Milner.
00:03
And this is a podcast,
00:05
La Latina, the playbook to succeed being your authentic self today
00:08
an incredible guest,
00:09
Michelle Freire. She's the president of Global Brands Clinic and Origins
00:13
And here are the key three takeaways.
00:16
Number one, the sooner you are comfortable being your authentic self
00:20
the faster you will climb the ladder,
00:22
stop trying to hide you.
00:24
Latinidad. Number two,
00:26
her passion is her superpower.
00:28
She believes that you cannot succeed if you do not love truly
00:32
what you do. And number three,
00:34
make sure to stay in the radar and build a relationship with
00:37
head hunters and recruiters.
00:39
Even if you're not in the market to make a move that
00:42
way when you are ready,
00:44
they will take your call all of that and more here at
00:47
a La Latina. Stay tuned.
00:56
Cynthia. We've been discussing how important it is for Latinas to
01:00
generate wealth, particularly because we understand that only 33% of Latinas
01:04
have retirement income from savings or other assets.
01:08
So how can your company help in this equation?
01:11
Well, we have several options for saving and investing accounts.
01:14
The one for beginners.
01:16
If you are a beginner is our fully managed investing product,
01:19
this is perfect for those want to set it and forget it
01:23
You can select the risk level and even choose the type
01:26
of companies you can invest in.
01:28
That's amazing. So what is the minimum needed to open an
01:31
account? $1? You just need $1 no excuses.
01:35
The earlier you begin to invest,
01:37
the sooner you will start seeing returns for your investment.
01:40
So how can people get started?
01:42
Simply download the Money Lion app and open a managed investment.
01:46
It's quick. It takes just a few minutes.
01:49
Perfect. Let's do it today.
01:51
An incredible guest, Michelle Frey Michelle is the president of Global
01:55
Brands Clinic and Origins and she was recently appointed to the Board
01:59
of Directors of United Airlines.
02:02
She spent 20 years at Johnson and Johnson in various roles across
02:06
marketing and sales, including President U Beauty J and J consumer
02:10
health productions. Prior to her time at J and J,
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Michelle held brand marketing positions with other companies including the Pepsi Cola
02:18
company. Michelle is the executive sponsor of S Hispanic Connections.
02:22
Hi C which is the actively mentoring diverse talent across the ST
02:28
Order organization. Lastly,
02:30
she is a founding member of chief,
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a private network designed to accelerate women in business and support women
02:36
leaders. She grew up in Puerto Rico holds a B A
02:40
from Yale University and an MB A from Harvard Business School.
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Michelle has been recognized by Fortune Bloomberg and the Association of Latino
02:48
Professionals for America as one of America's most powerful and influential Latinas
02:53
in business, Michelle Vam Benita Gracia.
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I'm so happy to be here.
03:00
We're so excited to a Latina in the Board of United.
03:03
This is incredible. We celebrate you.
03:05
We clap you, we honor your presence with us.
03:09
We want to start by asking you what brought you to be
03:13
where you are and what you do today.
03:15
What's your background? Yeah,
03:17
absolutely. Well, born and raised in San Juan Puerto Rico
03:24
my mom is from the Dominican Republic and they both escaped Dictatorships
03:29
So that really shaped,
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you know who I am today.
03:32
They've been my role models,
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they were resilient and just strong people and really showed
03:40
me the power of education.
03:42
So they moved from the Dominican Republic.
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So my mother as a young child,
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she had to leave the Dominican Republic with her family,
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went to Trujillo was there and they all escaped.
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And then my father grew up and have Anna and left in
03:55
1960. When Castro came into power.
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They met later, they met when my mother be returned to
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the Dominican Republic and then they married and went to Puerto Rico
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and that's where I grew up until I was 18.
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But my dad always taught me that a dictator can take away
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your money. And can take away your material things but they
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can't take away what's here in your brain.
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They can't take away your education.
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And that is something I grew up and is still with me
04:23
today that like, appetite of always continuing to learn as the
04:27
key to progress and something that no one can take away.
04:31
Exactly. And you were in Puerto Rico without extended family or
04:35
or more of your cousins now without extended family.
04:39
So what was it like growing up in Puerto Rico?
04:41
What was your community like?
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I, I always say that especially at that time,
04:46
there's no other place in the world I would have rather grown
04:50
up with than Puerto Rico.
04:51
It was a small place in San Juan.
04:54
Everybody knew each other.
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I always say that you would go to a party and you
04:57
would say I like that boy.
04:58
He's cute and people would be like,
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yeah, he's the cousin of so and so the brother of
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so and so and it was just such a great nurturing environment
05:08
And I think a lot of my leadership qualities started there
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because relationships are so important connections.
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It's such a warm place.
05:17
Everybody is kind and the passion and the Caribbean Sun,
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it just gives you a very optimistic look to life.
05:25
So there's just a lot in me that I think came through
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growing up in Puerto Rico.
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So you think that if we ask people in your team?
05:32
Like what is Michel's leadership style?
05:34
They would refer to you as somebody that leads like a leader
05:38
of a community. The first word that comes out of people
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about me is passion and that shows up in my has shown
05:44
up all of my performance reviews.
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Passion is always the first passion for the brands that I run
05:51
Passion for my team,
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passion for the consumers that I'm serving.
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Passion for what I do.
05:57
And that came from that time that comes both.
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It's in our culture,
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right? It's, it's a very big part of who we
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all are. But I think it got nurtured in a Caribbean
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Island like Puerto Rico.
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It's just so inherent to how people are.
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And we in this podcast,
06:13
we try to flip the script for those cultural nuances that are
06:16
so Latinos that honestly are so positive.
06:19
When you say passion,
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I hear incredible commitment,
06:23
enthusiasm bo in corporations hear passion.
06:25
They're like, oh fiery,
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emotional, emotional. Exactly.
06:29
So, so it's important to be able to flip those things
06:32
wait, wait, like passion really in a corporate setting means
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exactly. And, and is it can be a huge driver
06:39
of success because you so passionate and determined,
06:43
to succeed and to take care of the people around you and
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take care of your consumers if you're in a business.
06:51
but you're right. And that sometimes people say,
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well, that's a lot or that's too emotional or that's too
06:56
passionate. But I don't think there's such a thing as too
07:00
too much emotion or passion.
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You also, by the way,
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that's how you inspire people to follow you.
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Nobody follows someone, a cold leader.
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I think you have to incite and inspire that passion in people
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and people will walk through a wall for you.
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And you know, there's research about how women don't lean on
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being passionate and showing vision.
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So there's now training for women to communicate their vision.
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Because if you take men,
07:28
leaders and women leaders,
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men communicate in a way that people follow them.
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And women, we are like,
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I don't really see where we're going.
07:36
So I'm just going to like,
07:38
tell us that we're going here,
07:39
not there. And Latinas,
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I feel like Latinas,
07:43
like I'm generalizing,
07:45
but we don't have that limiting factor that other women have.
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So hopefully other women will be following the lead of the Latina
07:52
Women of we have to show our passion and our vision
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because without that nobody is going to follow you.
07:58
Yes. And I think part of that is also being a
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strong communicator, which I think also in our culture,
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we are big communicators,
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we are very expressive and we talk and we learn communication.
08:09
So I think part of being a strong leader is to communicate
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and articulate the vision and where you're going and why and then
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if you harness that with passion,
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then you have the combination for people to follow.
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So you're able to paint a picture and a dream that people
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will follow and they will follow because you're so passionate.
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So they believe that,
08:30
you know, like you can do it.
08:31
And I'm sure that there's more cultural nuances of Latinas that we
08:35
all share that we should just like unpack and see.
08:38
What else. How do we turn them around and how do
08:40
we invite more Latinas to lean in in their Latinidad to be
08:43
more as opposed to hide it.
08:45
Most of these values come from role models and from your background
08:49
So we want to get deeper into that.
08:51
What else did you see in your parents in the and that
08:55
made you who you are today?
08:57
Passion communicator. What else did you learn from your own?
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I think my, my parents,
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I think one thing I learned from them was like being your
09:05
authentic self. Both of them were just unapologetic themselves.
09:12
Like my father, I always had like,
09:14
he wasn't much of a drinker.
09:16
He didn't. So he would get to,
09:19
to an event and people would be serving alcohol and who would
09:22
be like, I would like a Coca Cola,
09:24
please. And he couldn't care what anybody around him thought about
09:29
whether the fact that he wasn't drinking the wine or the drink
09:31
that other people were drinking and my mom was the same.
09:34
They were just people who own who they are,
09:37
they were confident and they just like spoke their mind and I
09:41
just was around that and that gave me permission to be authentic
09:46
And I think you can't be your best self if you're
09:49
not your authentic self.
09:51
And so that's what I've really tried to as a leader,
09:54
create an environment for people around me to be their authentic selves
09:59
And that was a journey for me.
10:01
You know, even though they taught me that and,
10:03
and it's some thing I inherently have in corporate America takes you
10:06
a bit, especially 20 years ago to,
10:09
to go on that journey.
10:10
But they really taught me that.
10:11
And I think they taught me resilience.
10:14
I think when you grow up hearing stories about escaping Dictatorships and
10:18
all the hardship, there's no such thing as like feeling sorry
10:22
for yourself. There's like a not you got backed out,
10:26
you get up and you get going like you just,
10:29
and that resilience is is really important and is something that
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I'm really focused on teaching my kids because we all know that
10:38
sometimes you worry that like kids are being too cuddled and whatever
10:42
And I feel like when I was growing up,
10:44
you get up and you dust up,
10:46
you fell down, you get up and you keep going and
10:48
the role of parents and role models is critical.
10:52
But we are now the role models of our employees and our
10:55
kids. And we have to be very conscious about what do
10:57
we allow and when you allow people to turn you off and
11:02
not be yourself, you're teaching that to your kids and to
11:05
your employees. And now that you said about your parents,
11:07
like they were themselves just clicked on me.
11:10
My mother was her unapologetic self.
11:12
She was loud. She laughed and I lived in Switzerland for
11:17
18 years and she would go to the restaurants where Swiss people
11:20
were like, eating very clear.
11:22
She, and she couldn't care less even if like the Swiss
11:26
would try to tame her.
11:28
She was like untamed.
11:29
And I think that it gave me the permission to see that
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it's possible to thrive and,
11:35
like yourself without having to tame yourself so much.
11:38
I think that it is important to know that as mothers and
11:41
as bosses. That's a role model because my dad was also
11:46
I grew up only with my dad and he was very
11:49
much his unapologetic self.
11:52
in the Jewish community in Mexico,
11:54
very conservative. And he was a divorced man who like lived
11:59
life differently than everyone else.
12:01
And he told me that I could be whatever I wanted to
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be. And I think that's a mom.
12:06
So that's too, that actually that is also very important.
12:09
I think in terms of the formative years,
12:12
my dad was the same and I think that that's in
12:16
the Latin culture. Sometimes you would expect fathers to not to
12:20
push the sons and not the daughters.
12:22
But I always felt that my dad was like,
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you need to go be like the best version of yourself and
12:30
And when you're a little girl and you have a dad saying
12:33
that to you, I do think that's also very fun.
12:35
The best part is that my dad listens to every episode.
12:38
So I know he's gonna listen to this,
12:42
Education was core and the key and you got the best education
12:47
that you possibly could in one of the greatest academic countries in
12:52
twice, twice. So what was it for you?
12:55
Being in Yale and then in Harper Business School as a
12:58
Latina, what was your experience?
12:59
Did you come in any navigation issues?
13:01
Any bruises, any adaptation?
13:04
I think it was more challenging when I went to Yale
13:09
because that was quite a hard transition going from a small island
13:12
in Puerto Rico. I mean,
13:13
that's on it. 3.5 million people to this huge iconic university
13:18
So you did until high school until high school.
13:21
So I graduated from high school.
13:22
My father had gone to Yale while he was in Cuba,
13:24
which was a huge accomplishment when there were no women at Yale
13:28
So in the fifties and they were still wearing suits or
13:30
whatever. So, I was a legacy so to speak.
13:33
But still I was still,
13:35
got dropped off. I was still 17 and I had studied
13:39
there were several things I dealt with.
13:41
One was like language.
13:43
in an American school in Puerto Rico,
13:45
but I had studied the formal English.
13:48
I didn't know like the colloquialisms and even like pronunciation of,
13:52
of colloquial words. Like I remember the first I kept saying
13:56
well, I need to buy a comforter,
13:57
a comforter because I was pronouncing it instead of comforter like
14:01
we do it. Like in Spanish,
14:03
I realized that most words,
14:05
are janus, like you pronounce the second syllable is the one
14:09
you emphasize. So I was like,
14:11
there were things of just colloquialisms that people would say people would
14:15
be like, what did she say?
14:17
I still had a little bit and it wasn't an accent,
14:19
it was a pronunciation issues and then just like the climate,
14:23
like I didn't have winter coats.
14:25
So I had to go buy a whole new wardrobe.
14:28
I didn't know how to dress for the cold weather.
14:30
And then there were people from all around the world,
14:33
you know, and I have lived in this little island.
14:36
So there, there was a lot to navigate,
14:38
but I was also super proud to be there.
14:40
And I at the same time,
14:42
felt like I had found my people at Yale because they did
14:47
all care about education so much.
14:49
So we had that foundational thing in common and there was a
14:53
little group of Puerto Ricans and we all stuck together too.
14:56
But I also had amazing roommates that I,
14:59
you know, love a violinist,
15:01
you know, who ended up going to Julia.
15:03
And after like, just you meet these amazing people from around
15:07
the world. So it was a phenomenal experience,
15:10
but I think the first year was,
15:12
was a huge transition.
15:13
But I as everything in life,
15:15
right? You learn a lot from the challenges and you grow
15:18
And then at Harvard Business School,
15:19
it was a bit easier.
15:20
But I think I was like,
15:22
wow, I'm at Harvard Business School,
15:25
like the best business school in the world,
15:29
And then what do I uniquely bring versus all the other people
15:33
in my class that were from all around the world?
15:36
There was an, an Olympian,
15:38
there was a, a guy who came from China whose father
15:41
owned a farm. Like you just get like such a diverse
15:44
and you just have to find like,
15:46
what, what do you bring to the table?
15:47
We're all special and kind of digging deep into you.
15:51
What is it that I bring and find your voice and bring
15:54
that voice to the class every day?
15:56
I don't know if this happened to you.
15:59
I arrived to Harvard Business School.
16:01
It took me maybe a month to realize that everybody was just
16:07
as insecure as I was.
16:08
And it happened in this class,
16:10
there was this guy across the class for me,
16:12
the section in my section who came from finance and you know
16:15
finance people speak like they know.
16:18
So every time he spoke,
16:20
I was blown away and then we were in marketing class and
16:24
he made the stupidest comment I've ever heard.
16:28
And I realized this guy is full of,
16:31
you know what? And I can teach him something so he
16:34
can teach me finance,
16:36
but I can teach him marketing and that completely like took the
16:39
veil from everyone. I used to think everybody is so smart
16:44
I realized that everybody was a little bit putting up a facade
16:48
but we all had something to contribute and something to exact
16:51
same. No, we have had a lot of guests that
16:56
have a very different experience to you.
16:58
They had like real navigation issues where their social economic positions made
17:06
them be biased or sidelined where they had to hide their Latini
17:12
that it doesn't seem to be the case for you.
17:15
And it happened more in corporate America though.
17:17
It did, it happened later,
17:19
I did struggle with that at the beginning,
17:21
maybe the 1st 10 years of my career because I joined Johnson
17:24
and Johnson just like no but like I joined J and J
17:31
which is a very conservative company,
17:33
you know, and I was not feeling free in terms of
17:42
I'd rather wear a dress,
17:44
you know, today I'm wearing a jacket,
17:45
but for the most part,
17:46
like, I like being feminine.
17:48
I like my big earrings.
17:49
I like my red lipstick and I didn't feel like I could
17:53
And in a presentation,
17:54
they had us take a presentation course when I was like a
17:57
brand manager and I was told that I was speaking too
18:00
much with my hands and that was distracting.
18:03
And so then I started like presenting like super rigid,
18:07
which of course made me completely ineffective in presenting.
18:11
And eventually I was like,
18:13
I'm gonna ignore that advice,
18:14
but that took a while.
18:17
now it was a journey of getting to realize that the more
18:22
though I found the times that I leaned into who I was
18:25
and I did my red nails and did my red lipstick,
18:28
I put my earrings on and started kind of growing into myself
18:32
as a leader. I realized that's when I was best showing
18:36
up. So the more authentic I was,
18:39
and then finally, I was like,
18:40
I'm just gonna be me,
18:41
you know, but that took a while.
18:43
And I think at the beginning,
18:44
I, I did feel that I needed to fit into corporate
18:48
America in a very specific way,
18:51
especially then. And I think that I'm really glad and
18:55
I tried to pave the way for people to cut down that
18:59
timing. Exactly, because it took me a while.
19:03
I think that that's part of why we decided to do this
19:06
because we know that in order to get more Latinas to talk
19:10
of corporate American half the time with help the bruises,
19:13
they have to start listening earlier that being your authentic self,
19:16
not hiding who you are is going to be your propeller and
19:19
your promotion strategy more than anything else because we we've been told
19:24
so often so long otherwise that we believe that advice we take
19:29
it like don't be Latina like be like the guy next door
19:32
or something like that.
19:34
And I think that the more we hear this advice,
19:36
the more we can tell the younger Latinas that that is your
19:40
strategy, your winning strategy is being Latina.
19:42
Yeah. And I think that those of us that have reached
19:47
have responsibility to act very authentically because you need to look up
19:53
also and say, oh they look like me so I can
19:58
behave like that. There,
19:59
there is a permission and that's why representation at the highest levels
20:04
is so important because you need to be able to look up
20:07
to not just see people that are Latino but also like sound
20:12
like you speak like you,
20:14
you know, dress like you wear the red nails,
20:17
wear the red lipstick and you're like,
20:19
I can do it and be passionate and,
20:22
and be highly respected.
20:24
I had a, I had a call with a mentee that
20:26
I have today. She's Mexican and works in a company that
20:29
it's kind of like J and J very American and like,
20:33
no, she doesn't feel like she can be herself.
20:35
And the 1st 20 minutes of the conversation,
20:37
she was telling me how she doesn't feel like she's succeeding.
20:40
And then she tells me,
20:42
I just don't feel like I belong and I am spending 80%
20:45
of my time worrying about it.
20:48
And I'm like, and you're wondering why you're not succeeding.
20:52
how can you succeed if you're only working 20% of your time
20:55
the other 80% you're worrying about what your boss thinks if
20:58
you're moving your hands.
20:59
So it's amazing that I just told her that and she's like
21:02
I, I didn't think the,
21:04
the option of being myself was on the table.
21:07
So of course, it's on the table.
21:08
It's always on the table.
21:09
We want to promote in this podcast playbooks.
21:12
And we have seen that in your career in J and J
21:16
You had like an incredible,
21:18
every, every two years like Michel,
21:21
what was your playbook for succeeding in J and J?
21:24
I think I wasn't as conscious about it,
21:26
but as I've gone back and reflected,
21:28
I think there are several things that I was doing in common
21:31
in every role I think.
21:33
Well, one is you have to deliver results.
21:35
I mean, so really early on in my career,
21:38
I was told that performance is an entry card.
21:40
Like that's like a given.
21:41
Like you've got to deliver results.
21:43
I've always been very results driven.
21:46
Two is I really had a great sponsor early on who told
21:51
me that careers are not vertical,
21:54
that diversity of experiences is what will set you up to be
21:59
the best leader in the future.
22:01
And I was a brand manager when he told me that and
22:04
I was, he came to me,
22:06
he was the president of Neutrogena and he was like,
22:11
you to come to sales and I was like,
22:13
sales that's so tactical just because I didn't really know anything.
22:17
I mean, sales can be super strategic,
22:18
you know, but I was like,
22:20
And he and I was like,
22:21
I'm a marketer and he was like,
22:23
Michelle careers are not verdict and shouldn't just stay here in the
22:27
marketing track. You should go and get a diversity of experiences
22:32
I was like, I was young.
22:34
I'm just gonna go for a year to sales and do that
22:36
favor for him and then come right back and I ended up
22:39
staying eight years in sales.
22:40
And I would not be sitting here today if I had not
22:44
done that experience. And so I think that that openness and
22:49
there are many examples in my career around that.
22:51
So I think risk taking also,
22:53
I think the third is,
22:54
you know, I always followed my passion.
22:58
So I think you have to work in order to be successful
23:01
and get promoted and all that,
23:02
you have to love what you do.
23:04
You know. So when people ask me,
23:07
the first thing I say is,
23:09
do you love what you do?
23:10
And if not go find it,
23:12
whether it's an industry or a specific function for me,
23:15
it was marketing and it was beauty and like that's been my
23:19
sweet spot. I've stayed in that because I love it.
23:22
I wake up every day super excited and it's always been like
23:25
that. And then I think relationships are really important for you
23:29
to succeed. I think you,
23:30
you can't do it alone,
23:31
you know. So I always have built and spent a lot
23:36
of time in the positions.
23:37
I've been in building relationships around me,
23:40
with my peers, in other groups.
23:44
you know, relationships.
23:45
And then I think the last thing is I started early on
23:48
understanding the value of sponsorship.
23:51
I think you don't get promoted over and over without people sponsoring
23:58
And I think that's important.
23:59
Let's talk about those two final points of the playbook.
24:03
I love the playbook,
24:04
by the way. Thank you.
24:06
Network relationships and then sponsors.
24:09
How much of your time do you spend on building your network
24:12
Like, ok, here's a power map.
24:13
What would you say to younger audiences about,
24:16
like, how to build networks and then how to find a
24:20
sponsor or be a good sponsor?
24:22
How to be a good sponsor?
24:26
first on, on relationships,
24:30
I was building relationships with my peers said that,
24:34
you know, let's say I was in marketing,
24:35
with people in, in sales,
24:37
with people in marketing too,
24:39
with people in other groups that we were all kind of trying
24:42
to achieve a goal together,
24:44
right? I was one to be in my case,
24:47
what worked for me and everybody has to decide what works for
24:49
them was to socialize with them.
24:53
So I would invite people out to lunch.
24:56
I would, I would invest time of my week instead of
25:00
saying at 7 p.m. I'm always gonna go home,
25:04
do you wanna do dinner?
25:05
You know, and that and,
25:06
or do you wanna grab a sandwich or you wanna grab a
25:08
drink? Because once you get people out of the work scenario
25:13
you get them to open up and be their real selves
25:16
and then you start having more real conversations because you also can't
25:19
build a relationship with people just based on the professional piece,
25:23
you've got to actually get to know them,
25:25
get to know what makes them tick,
25:27
get to know. Do they have a family?
25:29
Do they don't like what?
25:31
because what, what I learned is that once people start knowing
25:35
you as a person and you,
25:37
knowing them, people will do things for you that they don't
25:40
have to, people will walk through a wall for you.
25:43
Like, if they've developed a relationship with you,
25:45
you can get more done when you have relationships and when you
25:49
have trust and when you have trust,
25:50
which is very Latino.
25:51
Yes. And that all comes back to,
25:53
yes, it comes back to the beginning,
25:56
but it has worked for me when I've had people that I've
26:00
I need you to do this for me or I can't get
26:02
this thing, you know,
26:03
moving quick enough this project.
26:05
And they would be like,
26:06
OK, let me see what I can do in the background
26:07
whatever, because I had spent and invested the time in
26:10
that. I would say that trust is like a wallet,
26:14
right? Like you first put the coins and then at some
26:18
point you're going to want to use them.
26:20
I don't want it to sound so transactional,
26:21
but you can't expect to go and ask people favors when you
26:24
haven't, you haven't invested the time.
26:32
I got, I got you and then you ask me about
26:35
sponsor, I guess being a good spons,
26:38
I think some of it has to be a natural connection with
26:42
the sponsor, I think.
26:44
again, in events when I would see senior people or they
26:48
would see me present and then they would all of a sudden
26:51
try, I would try and strike up conversations with the ones
26:54
I felt that I maybe would have a connection with whether it
26:57
was because we had a shared interest or I felt comfortable talking
27:01
to them about the business or they had expressed something interesting in
27:05
what I was working on and then I would start that relationship
27:08
And honestly, some of those sponsors are still like in
27:11
my life today. But what I haven't found in a lot
27:15
of our guests is that proactive looking for relationships that could become
27:21
a sponsor. It seems to me that all of us and
27:23
all the guests have,
27:25
have people said like,
27:26
hey, I don't think that you should,
27:28
you know, stay linear,
27:29
go sales. Like you didn't look for people and say,
27:32
like, who could be guiding me in my career?
27:34
We could be a little bit more proactive,
27:36
I think in looking for people and asking there for guidance in
27:39
general as to what do you think?
27:42
So, I think that we're not mentor.
27:44
Well, I think that overall we,
27:46
we have heard again and again that it happens that someone saw
27:50
your potential. But I think that we could just like flip
27:54
and look at, you know,
27:55
like can go and say like,
27:56
hi, do you see my potential?
27:58
Because I could, you know,
28:00
he came to me because I also had developed a bit of
28:05
a relationship with him already.
28:08
So I think you're right.
28:09
Overall, we are not as proactive and I think,
28:12
I think Latinos especially and Latinas,
28:15
we are very much about respect except so I think that we
28:19
feel like we have to ask for permission,
28:21
you know. So I think,
28:22
and that's I try to tell the younger people I mentor like
28:26
you don't have to ask for permission.
28:27
But I do think there's an element of that's why I also
28:31
talk about delivering results a lot of times.
28:33
So the way I built the,
28:34
he was the president of the company,
28:35
I was a brand manager,
28:37
but it would be Friday afternoon and that's when he did his
28:40
walks around the marketing floor and I was always there,
28:44
other people had left other people,
28:46
whatever. And I was there working and doing everything and then
28:48
he'd come in, what are you working on?
28:50
And he'd sit there in the chair and then we just chat
28:54
he and I had already started developing a relationship.
28:58
I hadn't gone there,
28:59
but I was doing things that were putting me on the radar
29:04
And I think that part is also important.
29:06
I want to ask one question before moving more into your career
29:09
transition and so on,
29:11
which is the life work balance because you work late and then
29:15
you ask people to socialize so that you can build that trust
29:20
eight year old. How do we do it?
29:22
I might know that we're all on these,
29:24
but it's interesting to hear your take on this.
29:27
I think there is no such thing as,
29:31
you know, perfect work life balance that doesn't exist.
29:34
And I think I gave up on that notion a long time
29:36
ago and I think I've made peace with some days.
29:40
I'm going to be more of a mom than an executive.
29:44
And other days I'm gonna be more a better executive than I
29:47
am a mom and it's not,
29:48
nothing is good or bad,
29:51
it's about being present and showing up when it matters.
29:55
And so I think I tell people I definitely don't have
29:58
it figured out. If you saw me at 6 a.m.
30:01
with the hair in a clip trying to make lunch boxes,
30:06
trying to get ready to catch a train to go to New
30:08
York from Princeton, like I'm running around,
30:10
but when my kids have an activity that's important to them,
30:14
I will go to the calendar and call my assistant and be
30:16
like, ok, we have to move this meeting.
30:17
We have to move that meeting.
30:19
I need to be there because they will remember that they won't
30:22
remember maybe like the third ballet class that maybe I couldn't make
30:26
it because I was on a business trip.
30:28
But they will remember that when they had a performance or there
30:31
was something important. So you have to also pick where you're
30:34
gonna be and when it matters and the same at work,
30:37
there's gonna be certain means that's like you can't miss,
30:39
you just have to show up and we're all just trying one
30:44
one step at a time and none of us have it figured
30:48
out. We're all trying our best every day.
30:50
And I think you have to,
30:51
I've learned in probably in the last few years,
30:54
we have to be kind to ourselves,
30:57
you know, because I think as women,
30:59
and even Latina women more because I think we have these
31:02
role models of these mothers that the mother like image is like
31:08
you have to be this like great mother all the time
31:11
and you and we all are,
31:13
but that doesn't mean you have to be everywhere every day.
31:16
We just have to be kind to ourselves and we're all
31:18
just trying our best.
31:19
Sometimes I wonder if this is the advice that is less relatable
31:25
to our audience because you can change your schedule.
31:29
But maybe maybe a lot of our audience can change their schedule
31:33
like if you're a manager,
31:35
a senior manager and you have an eight year old and Michelle
31:38
invites you to a meeting.
31:39
I don't know that the manager is going to say I'm just
31:42
going to ask Michelle to change the meeting so I can go
31:44
like they feel less empowered.
31:46
So besides making sure that they find a manager that supports them
31:51
and accompany, that supports them.
31:53
What else can we tell our audience if they are not yet
31:57
in a position of power to change their agenda to be able
32:00
to make those? There's a lot of times I can't change
32:03
my subject to a lot of other people,
32:07
but it's good for them to just to say that like when
32:10
the CEO calls for a meeting or somebody tells me I have
32:16
There's no flexibility. There's a board meeting,
32:20
but there's a million meetings in my work where I can't change
32:25
them because people that are more senior than me in the organization
32:30
that's when the meeting is.
32:31
And there's no flex,
32:32
I can't call the CEO of the company and say you have
32:36
to change your meeting.
32:37
So I try to control what I can control.
32:42
I, I it's about making little choices every day.
32:46
It's just, it's not the big picture.
32:48
It's like every day making little choices and trying to what I
32:52
try to do is plan plan as much as I can.
32:55
You know. So I look at the week or the month
32:59
and, and one thing I've realized is these schools don't plan
33:02
as much. And so sometimes I'm like reaching out to the
33:04
teacher. I probably,
33:05
they hear from me once a week.
33:07
my daughter told me about this performance that was coming up in
33:10
three weeks. Can you tell me when it is?
33:12
Can you tell me at what time it is?
33:13
And then they go and come back two days later.
33:18
Can I not make it work?
33:19
Sometimes I can sometimes I can't.
33:21
So I think you try to control what you can and plan
33:24
for your life. And then I do also explain to my
33:27
Children sometimes when I can't be there,
33:30
you know, and I think that that's important that they grow
33:33
up understanding what you do.
33:35
And then one day like they're like,
33:38
oh mommy was doing something important that she also loved.
33:42
I also tell them that I love what I do.
33:45
And I think that's important that they see their parents loving what
33:49
they do and thriving and,
33:51
and that's part of them growing up and their journey as well
33:56
the tools of trying to plan trying to control the
34:01
guilt and also understanding deep down that it's going to be ok
34:04
that our Children will be ok,
34:06
that our careers will be ok so that we can put it
34:10
a little bit more than one step at a time,
34:14
I want to talk to you.
34:15
But like when, when you left J and J,
34:18
to become General manager of Clinic.
34:20
So why did you make that decision?
34:22
You had like a two year after,
34:24
after year getting promotions?
34:26
And so how did you assess the risk of changing your career
34:29
And what was the motivation of that?
34:31
Yeah, I think it was a continuation of the journey
34:36
So I in the world where I love beauty.
34:40
I J and J is not a beauty company,
34:43
you know, they're a health care company of the consumer division
34:46
and I had reached a certain point in the beauty division and
34:50
the rest was for me to go run other businesses that were
34:53
not in beauty. And I wanted to stay in beauty.
34:55
I had always admired the Estee Lauder companies,
34:58
the family story of Mrs Estee Lauder.
35:02
I mean, she was a trailblazing woman in the forties.
35:05
I mean, she was like,
35:07
I mean, her story is incredible and I had admired Clinique
35:11
I had grown up with Clinique,
35:12
I mean, so much own clinic.
35:14
My daughter is like,
35:16
so it's like, I know it's such an iconic brand,
35:19
you know, and it was like,
35:21
and then as I started meeting more people and meeting the
35:25
Lauder family. I think there were so many things that attracted
35:30
Well, they obviously so from a beauty perspective,
35:32
they're like the pinnacle of,
35:34
of beauty. They're prestige beauty player.
35:37
They're a pure beauty player.
35:38
They're global company. So I could learn a lot.
35:41
They are brand builders.
35:43
I am a brand builder.
35:45
So I I that was really important to me.
35:47
I think the other piece is culture.
35:49
So when we talk about culture and being able to like maybe
35:53
that mentee, you were talking about like she may be in
35:55
the wrong place for her,
35:56
right? I always think that the fit with the culture is
35:59
important. And so this is a family culture and we are
36:04
big and family as Latinas.
36:06
So for me, I love that the Estee Lauder company,
36:10
the family members are still involved and it trickles down from the
36:14
top in the way they treat their employees and the way that
36:17
the company runs and they're in it for the long term because
36:21
it's about their family name and it's about the company.
36:24
And I think that is different than many companies in corporate America
36:28
that are about the quarter,
36:29
the short term market,
36:31
like whatever the stock price versus the long term of,
36:34
we really wanna build brands.
36:37
I just like, love the people love the culture.
36:41
this is like a perfect next chapter.
36:44
An unexpected one. I have to say not wasn't in my
36:47
initial plans, but that's the fun part about life.
36:50
They go your plans on that.
36:52
Well, so in your role,
36:54
we spoke a little bit about this.
36:56
But can you tell us more in your role as a global
36:58
leader of what's your leadership style?
37:00
My leadership style is first I lead with heart.
37:04
I, I think everybody would say that I lead with my
37:06
heart. I lead with empathy.
37:09
And I always wanna create an environment where people can feel safe
37:16
can feel like they can bring their authentic self to work
37:19
can speak their mind.
37:21
Because the other part about my leadership is I really care very
37:25
much about having diverse points of views.
37:27
And it's not diversity in terms of skin color or gender,
37:31
it's different experiences, different backgrounds and then providing the environment for
37:36
everybody at the same table to speak their mind.
37:38
I always tell everybody like I hate hierarchical environments.
37:43
I want people to feel like they can sit and debate.
37:46
The only way you're gonna get to a better outcome is if
37:49
people can feel safe to debate and debate your point of view
37:53
and that point of view,
37:53
and then we all agree.
37:54
And then once you agree,
37:55
everybody we're going into whether you agree or not we get to
37:58
a consensus and, and we move and I think for me
38:02
you know, results is also delivering results and delivering
38:06
on our commitments. I I I take very seriously that if
38:10
the commitments we make to the company,
38:11
we have to deliver on.
38:13
So having a leadership style of,
38:16
hey, we're all accountable.
38:17
That level of accountability I think is,
38:19
is also really important Cynthia.
38:21
I don't know about you,
38:22
but I heard all of those you speak about basically not group
38:33
thinking, right? And group thinking is like the biggest disease
38:38
I think in corporate America,
38:39
that's why Enron happened.
38:41
That's why so many companies do crazy things that you're like,
38:44
this is obviously like who approved this ad?
38:47
And it's all this group innovation.
38:50
So I'm glad to hear that you're like,
38:53
but also that's, that's the way to stay relevant,
38:56
right? Like in such a competitive environment and beauty is like
39:00
crazy and brands popping up everywhere from the garage door.
39:05
Who are you? And that is in this store?
39:07
And so how do you actually keep cleaning relevant?
39:12
that is the hardest thing to do with big brands that have
39:15
been around for a long time.
39:16
How do they stay relevant?
39:17
Because every day there's like they're popping up,
39:20
you know, left and right,
39:21
new Indie brands and you know,
39:23
celebrity brands there that I think it's about a couple of things
39:26
One is I always put the consumer at the center.
39:30
And so however, the needs are changing like post COVID,
39:34
a lot of things have changed and people's skin care routines completely
39:37
changed. Now, there's a new global phenomenon with sensitive skin
39:41
It's like 71% of women are saying that they have sensitive
39:43
skin. So one of the things is you have to maintain
39:47
the brand's DNA that can't change that you have to stay the
39:50
course on because the second you go off course from the brand
39:54
DNA, it's just like the people.
39:56
What's the, so the brand DNA of clinic like Clinique is
40:00
was founded by a Dermatologist Clinique is about,
40:03
you know, offering the most powerful efficacy with rigorous safety.
40:08
We're very much about the safety,
40:09
which is why people trust Clinique so much and we're 100% fragrance
40:14
free and people really trust that we won't provide it.
40:17
We do allergy testing so that,
40:19
and if we get one allergic reaction,
40:21
when we're formulating a product,
40:22
we'll throw out the whole thing and start over so that like
40:26
you can't like move from that and,
40:28
and, and recognize that consumers trust you and you have to
40:32
stay true to who you are.
40:34
and then, but you still have to evolve and delivering
40:39
on solving their needs and the needs are changing.
40:42
So you have to in a world of that's why the education
40:45
piece, you are a continuous learner in life and in your
40:50
work, like you have to stay up to what are the
40:53
consumers doing? What are the trends?
40:55
How are they behaving?
40:56
How are they consuming information,
40:57
you have to have intellectual curiosity all day long.
41:01
And in beauty is moving so quickly and I think really
41:05
staying relevant is also where you engage with your consumers.
41:09
So if today it's Tik Tok,
41:11
we all know in five years it won't,
41:12
it will be something else.
41:14
And so moving at that speed of staying relevant and engaging how
41:19
they want to talk to brands is super important.
41:22
So I guess you're lucky that most people consider themselves to have
41:25
sensitive skin because the Nikki is for sensitive skin,
41:28
right? Did you start this trend?
41:30
Did you tell everybody?
41:31
We just told everybody,
41:33
but I think there's a lot of people are doing but why
41:35
people think they have sensitive skin,
41:37
it's all kinds of things are over using products.
41:40
There's a lot in the environment that's making people,
41:42
you know, the screen time that there's so many things that
41:45
we're doing in behaviors that is causing people to have more
41:49
sensitive. So what about Latinas in the US for you?
41:53
Is that a target brand for you?
41:55
Absolutely. And you know,
41:58
because Latinas are extremely skin care involved and make up involved and
42:04
it's, it's personal to us,
42:06
it's very personal, very,
42:08
very valued. Absolutely.
42:10
Be beautiful and be beautiful.
42:15
You know, like my mom would make sure to be like
42:18
we're not, you're not going out like that.
42:21
Like where's the lipstick?
42:23
A little bit like beautiful,
42:29
beautiful. Exactly. But yeah,
42:31
absolutely there. And that's why it's important to have,
42:35
obviously, it's very important to reach Latinas.
42:37
You know, because I clinic can really help them,
42:41
you know, feel their best and look beautiful,
42:46
that's really important how we walk out the door and what our
42:50
skin looks because it says a lot about you.
42:53
And I think in the culture we grew up in,
42:55
it almost says a lot about also like you're representing the family
42:58
you know how you look.
43:00
So you've rocked it in Clinique after J and J now you're
43:04
in the board of United.
43:06
Yes. What an accomplishment.
43:07
We salute you. Congratulations.
43:09
You make us so proud to start with.
43:11
But this is incredible.
43:13
So what was the road map getting there?
43:17
What would be pieces of advice?
43:18
What's the process like?
43:20
I'm obviously, I'm honored.
43:22
I'm thrilled, I'm the only Latina on the board.
43:27
it's a definitely an,
43:29
an honor and, and it's an industry I'm super passionate about
43:32
I grew up traveling with my parents.
43:35
So like I love travel.
43:37
It's something and it's such an iconic brand.
43:40
So the process itself as a recruiter reached out to me
43:44
who had heard about me.
43:47
sometimes it's like you have to play the long game.
43:50
Like I always knew that I wanted to,
43:53
you know, being on board is part of my plan,
43:56
so to speak. So I always tell people I got advice
43:59
20 years ago from someone I reported to that said that he
44:03
always answers the headhunter calls,
44:05
not because you're gonna take any job that they're offering,
44:08
but because you should build the relationships.
44:12
And so I'm always recommending other people.
44:14
I'm always like, so I had built relationships with head hunter
44:18
So my name is out there.
44:20
I always pick up the phone and they're like,
44:22
oh, I'm looking for someone.
44:23
Are you interested? I'm like,
44:24
no, I'm not interested.
44:25
But let me give you two names of people you could call
44:27
and they really are grateful for that.
44:29
And then sometimes they're like,
44:30
oh, are you interested in being on the board?
44:32
I am and that could have been two years ago,
44:35
that conversation. But then your name is out there,
44:38
what you don't know is they start putting it in databases and
44:41
you have to also do a bit of the foundational work to
44:45
your name out there.
44:46
and express ov overt interest in being on a board.
44:49
And so someone reached out to me and they were like
44:52
you would you be interested in starting to talk to United
44:55
They're looking for more diverse representation.
44:59
They're looking specifically for someone who's Latino.
45:03
They are looking for someone who has a brand marketing background and
45:08
they are looking for someone who's currently running a global business and
45:12
you fit all of those character.
45:14
So, would you be interested?
45:17
United? That sounds amazing.
45:20
Well done for United and so well done for them.
45:23
They've done actually, in the last three years,
45:25
they've added quite a lot of diversity to their board.
45:28
And then I was like,
45:29
ok, let's start meeting some people and then I just like
45:32
fell in love with the people.
45:34
And so it gets back to the fit with the boards.
45:36
It's the same. It has to be one.
45:39
I wasn't gonna, I got called for other boards of industries
45:43
no, I'm not interested like it was just,
45:45
that's not a fit for me.
45:47
So I love travel and then I started meeting them and
45:52
They are down to earth grounded.
45:55
I believe in their strategy.
45:57
Scott Kirby, the CEO is a phenomenal,
46:00
inspirational young leader who is like,
46:03
just kicking butt and taking names.
46:05
I don't know, I wanna really support that and I knew
46:08
I could bring a different voice than the rest of the board
46:11
composition. So I'm really excited about the industry.
46:15
No, the, the the airline industry,
46:19
There's so many macro,
46:20
exactly, so many risks.
46:22
It's so complex. But I find that like,
46:24
like I will speaking of intellectual curiosity,
46:29
how are you going to be able to be on a board
46:31
with this passion? If in the board,
46:34
this is what we should do and you have to like,
46:37
kind of be on the board.
46:38
You're not operating the country,
46:40
you're on the board.
46:40
So I'm glad you're bringing that up because it's a very different
46:43
role. And I think a lot of mistakes,
46:48
that's a great point.
46:50
kind of, I guess rookie board members go in thinking,
46:54
well, I need to just tell them what to do and
46:57
that's not your role.
46:58
You're not running the business.
46:59
You are there to ask questions more.
47:02
I think a lot of it is about asking questions to see
47:07
if you provoke thinking on their part and you're there for maybe
47:11
advice, you provide some support.
47:14
But I think it may be challenging some of the strategies or
47:17
the plans, but it's a different,
47:19
it's, it's, you are totally there to do that and
47:23
support and question and get them to a better place.
47:27
You are not there to run the day to day business.
47:29
It's so challenging though.
47:30
I am, I'm constantly biting my tongue unwilling to,
47:38
no, no, let me introduce you.
47:40
Like I have to constantly,
47:42
of course, act as a board member as opposed to an
47:48
like an executor. Yeah,
47:50
absolutely. So, if you were giving advice to your 30
47:54
year old self. What were you doing around there?
47:56
I had just gotten to Neutrogena.
47:59
What advice would you give Michelle in Neutrogena?
48:02
Oh God, I would say don't stress out so much
48:08
trust the journey, trust the journey because there's no way that
48:12
that if I had gone to that 30 year old self
48:15
who was in Los Angeles just starting out an urgy then say
48:20
you know, 20 years from now,
48:21
you're gonna be at Estee Lauder Companies being global president of Clinique
48:27
living in New York and Origins and the board of
48:30
the Board of United,
48:31
I would have been like,
48:34
That would have been like a completely crazy thought.
48:37
And so I think it's no dream is too big.
48:41
But also I think I wanted to plan everything when I was
48:46
here's the plan and I'm gonna grow in marketing like this and
48:49
then I'm gonna get here and then I'm gonna do this and
48:51
I'm gonna do that and it's like it doesn't work out that
48:54
way. And by the way,
48:55
the plan you don't have may be so much better than the
48:58
one that you think you're coming up with.
49:00
And so I think the trust the journey you do some level
49:04
of planning, but be open,
49:07
be open to where the journey takes you and don't stress about
49:10
it because it's all gonna work out the way it's meant to
49:12
work out. There's a plan,
49:14
there's a higher plan and you just have to go on the
49:17
journey and almost enjoy the journey and make sure you're enjoying the
49:20
journey along the way.
49:21
Everything will be ok.
49:23
So 10 years from now,
49:26
Picture is for us like 10 years from now.
49:29
How does it look like?
49:30
And what advice would you give your,
49:33
your today self? She's gonna be an empty nester 10 years
49:37
from now. So she's gonna be part of our,
49:39
I'm gonna be traveling a lot more 10 years from now.
49:42
Well, the what I would be telling hopefully now is speaking
49:45
of the guilt of the mom guilt.
49:48
I would be telling myself that the kids are gonna be ok
49:51
that because I couldn't be there every single day for every single
49:55
thing. They're still gonna grow up to be happy,
49:59
you know, adults pursuing their dreams and that,
50:02
that's what I need to make sure that,
50:04
that they grow up doing.
50:08
I'll be thrilled to see them go to college and,
50:10
and, and picking like almost finding their passions because I'm so
50:14
big about my go having pursued my passion in my career,
50:17
I want them to find theirs and look,
50:20
I hope to still be somewhere in the beauty industry still doing
50:26
You know, the thing that I love,
50:28
which is to serve this consumer and leading teams and building brands
50:32
and still very much feel like,
50:35
you know, I have an aunt and an uncle who are
50:37
going to turn, they're married.
50:39
I are going to sell 100 and two next month.
50:42
He's gonna turn 100 and two.
50:44
She's gonna turn 100.
50:46
They're both from the Dominican Republic.
50:47
Still married. They've been married since they were 18.
50:50
So that, that's you two years from now,
50:57
I'm still going to be working 10 years from now doing a
51:02
Why do you wish you had?
51:03
No, no. So 10 years from now your kids most
51:07
likely are gonna be saying,
51:09
wow, mom, what a big deal you are,
51:12
how much we admire you and how incredible to see you
51:16
being a role model for us and knowing that everything will
51:20
be OK. And I have another question.
51:25
Yes. So I asked in my,
51:27
in my Instagram, I told the audience that I was gonna
51:31
interview that they were going to interview Michelle.
51:33
And if people had a question and they asked,
51:35
how can I start a beauty routine,
51:37
what's your recommendation? So this is the question for Michelle from
51:41
our audience and, and to start a beauty routine as young
51:47
So I think the first thing and actually would you start
51:51
young, right? Like I think that that's the first start
51:54
young is I'm teaching my eight year old,
51:57
both of them actually,
51:58
girls, to know what I'm gonna say is to wash their
52:01
face. So I think at this stage it's making sure that
52:05
they know how to properly wash their face because it all starts
52:09
there. You can't do anything else even later on in life
52:12
is if you don't have like the cleansing thing down,
52:15
how do we know how do we,
52:17
like, take the soap and make sure that you're washing and
52:20
foaming and how you're removing it and that it's thoroughly clean.
52:25
I think for, for very young Children,
52:27
which I think we didn't have as much awareness when we were
52:30
growing up is the sun protection during the day.
52:34
it has been proven that some protection is,
52:39
I mean, so I have all kinds of arguments with my
52:42
28 year olds and when the summer comes and I'm like slathering
52:46
them with the sun care.
52:47
And I'm always, and they're like,
52:48
yes, we know that one day we're gonna thank you because
52:51
I'm, and they're like the kids that like,
52:54
I don't take my kids to Miami and I don't know if
52:57
they didn't get the memo in Miami,
52:59
but nobody's wearing sunscreen and my kids are like white and I
53:03
tell them one day you're gonna thank Mommy.
53:06
I promise you. So I think that that's really important,
53:09
like cleansing, moisturize some protection.
53:13
That's all. Do that,
53:14
do that until then later when you're in your twenties and you
53:19
a little bit more of like if you wanna have some more
53:21
treatment or Hyaluronic acid or things that have a bit more of
53:25
active ingredients in them.
53:27
But the first and foremost is just to learn how to take
53:31
care of the skin with the most basic simple routine and then
53:36
the consistency of it.
53:37
So the doing morning and night,
53:40
just, just the consistency of every day.
53:42
That is a product from clinic.
53:45
Let's see if it's the same.
53:47
Well, I, I actually use people don't believe me,
53:50
but I use like 20 products a day from clinic and like
53:53
a little because I use the makeup makeup,
53:55
you know, so my favorite,
53:58
I had to pick one moisture 100 hour moisturizer because it's
54:03
this gel like water gel moisturizer that you put on and it's
54:07
so light and I feel like my skin when it's dry,
54:11
it goes like it just hydrates,
54:13
it leaves it perfect.
54:14
But I use black honey.
54:16
I use, what about the yellow cream?
54:18
The dramatically different moisturizing lotion.
54:21
I also use that and people love that and it's look and
54:27
it's dermatologist developed, it has tons of barrier protection.
54:30
It strengthens the barrier of your skin.
54:33
and people love it and in Spanish they call it La
54:36
Cremi Maria. And here is where the clinic a ends before
54:42
we, before we close,
54:44
we didn't talk about how like,
54:46
is it lonely for you up there?
54:48
Like you're one of very few Latinas that are in the sea
54:54
suites of the Fortune 500 company leading out there.
54:57
And you are also part of chief and where you have this
55:01
build this infrastructure and this network to support each other.
55:05
Is it sometimes lonely?
55:06
How do we actually get more Latinas to be at your level
55:10
Yeah, I think we are the ones who are
55:14
already at this level.
55:16
It's I feel a huge responsibility to pay it forward and to
55:21
go and open the door for the ones that you see coming
55:25
behind you. We have a responsibility to increase the number.
55:30
And it's something that I think about every day,
55:33
I'm involved in mentoring and sponsoring programs at DR companies.
55:38
I was at J and J and I also,
55:40
you know, partner with other Latinas in the industry.
55:45
I think you had Maria Salcedo here from Alta,
55:47
she and I are good friends and we talk about it and
55:52
you know, we were even saying like we should get together
55:54
and create like a group of Latinas that are in different industries
55:58
at the top, almost like a Latina chief,
56:01
you know, and something that we should be doing.
56:06
but it's great when I talk to her because we can exchange
56:09
stories and really understand what each other is,
56:13
is going through both personally.
56:14
She's a mother of kid,
56:17
you need, you need some people at the top.
56:20
And then we also understand that the number has to grow.
56:23
It is lonely, then it is.
56:25
it's not completely lonely,
56:27
but I think we need more company.
56:31
who else should we have here?
56:33
That is at that level so that we can start listening to
56:35
their stories, but also start building those communities.
56:38
Yeah, absolutely. Well,
56:41
there's another Latina and actually,
56:42
you know, she was a great sounding board when I was
56:45
going to the United Process is Carmen Bausa.
56:49
She used to be a chief merchandizing officer at HSN and
56:55
the, where I met her was way younger when I was
56:57
younger in my career.
56:58
She was the SVP of merchandizing at Walmart.
57:02
So she had a huge position at Walmart.
57:04
She was running Beauty,
57:05
she was running health care.
57:06
She's on several boards.
57:10
and she's from Puerto Rico.
57:12
And I called her when I was going through the United
57:15
Airlines process. And and she was,
57:19
she was really instrumental and I have to say there's an organization
57:23
L CD A poster child Michelle,
57:28
I just went to a dinner.
57:30
he posted about you.
57:31
But Ozzy was the one who reconnected me with Carmen.
57:36
So they are do Ozzie and the L CD A team
57:40
are doing such a great work to do exactly that to
57:46
put more Latinos on boards because we,
57:49
we need that type of leadership and vision that Ozzie has and
57:53
he's fighting and he's,
57:54
and, and he wrote it and because I commented right on
57:57
linkedin and he wrote is Michelle,
57:59
you know, one at a time and that's,
58:00
that needs to be our mentality.
58:03
we have to keep going.
58:04
And when I, I texted Carmen,
58:06
she was like, when do you need me to call you
58:08
like tomorrow? Like she was there and then she kept checking
58:11
in on me. Did you hear back from United?
58:14
So I didn't feel lonely.
58:15
I felt like I had her and Ozzie and many people came
58:19
around me to really like push me and,
58:23
and get to, I love that.
58:24
We feel like we are the pipeline for L CD A.
58:28
We, we feel that we're helping prepare the,
58:31
you know, like the people that could get into the C
58:33
suite so that they can get into boards.
58:36
Is there any final message that you would like to tell our
58:38
young audience? or not so young to our Latina audience
58:42
I'm not a Latina audience is follow your passion,
58:47
be your authentic self.
58:50
No dream is too big.
58:53
And trust that as Latinas,
58:55
we bring something really special and really unique,
58:59
you know, to whatever table you're sitting at and trust that
59:04
that point of view that we bring and everything in our
59:07
culture and how we grew up and who we are is so
59:12
needed in this world.
59:14
And we have a responsibility to bring our full selves and
59:17
our authentic selves, you know,
59:19
to those tables every day,
59:20
Michelle, this has been an incredible and inspiring episode.
59:25
I cannot thank you enough for taking time to be with us
59:29
to share your wisdom with us,
59:31
your inspiration. And I absolutely feel energized and your passion.
59:35
I feel like let's go.
59:37
Thank you so much for being with us here.
59:39
Thank you Michelle. It was nice to meet you.
59:40
Thank you so nice to meet you.
59:41
Thank you for having me with Michelle and your advice and wisdom
59:46
We're gonna be able to lead and succeed.
Series