Career Cheat Code
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Career Cheat Code
062 | CEO of Latino Leadership Institute feat. Joelle Martinez
What if investing in underrepresented communities wasn’t just a charitable act but a crucial driver of economic and social progress? This episode features Joelle, CEO and President of the Latino Leadership Institute, who shares her journey of elevating Latino leadership and empowering Latino businesses. From her early career managing multiple offices at a young age to leading a national organization, Joelle’s story is one of resilience, ambition, and unwavering family support. She illuminates the mission of the Institute and the significant contributions of the Latino community to the U.S. economy and workforce.
Curiosity and vulnerability are often overlooked but essential traits in effective leadership. Joelle discusses how asking questions and being open to support and mentorship can transform one's career. She offers personal anecdotes about the joys of witnessing Latino potential and the ongoing challenges faced by diversity, equity, and inclusion advocates. By emphasizing the importance of investing in underrepresented communities, Joelle makes a compelling case for why such investments are vital for everyone’s future, especially as the nation grows more diverse.
Balancing a high-powered career and motherhood is no small feat, and Joelle’s strategic shift from political consulting to leading a prominent organization while managing family life offers valuable insights. From her rise in politics to pausing her career to start a family, Joelle’s journey underscores the importance of support systems, mentors, and prioritization. We explore her reflections on leveraging social capital for success and the financial realities of leading a nonprofit. This episode is packed with career hacks, motivational stories, and practical advice for aspiring leaders, especially women and Latinas, aiming to achieve career success while maintaining a fulfilling personal life.
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Host - Radhy Miranda
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Producer - Gary Batista
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I think that's led me to take on, you know, at 26, I mentioned that too. I mean, I was running offices in multiple states and traveling all over and having staff all over that were probably twice my age at the time didn't know any better and I think I just have a knack for taking on, you know, challenges, and I think a lot of that comes from the fact that I was surrounded by really extraordinary folks who taught me hard work, some fearlessness, because if I fail, if I don't do the job well, I always know I have a home of love and support to surround me and I think that's my, you know, that's my, that's my lifeline. And so I think that's why I've navigated my career the way I have, because I always know that I have a place to go and these people are going to support me no matter what I do.
Speaker 2:Welcome to Career Cheat Code. In this podcast, you'll hear how everyday people impact the world through their careers. Learn about their journey, career hacks and obstacles along the way, whether you're already having the impact you want or are searching for it.
Speaker 3:this is the podcast for you. All right, Joelle, welcome to the show.
Speaker 1:Happy to be here.
Speaker 3:Thanks for joining us on Career Cheat Code. Let's dive right in. Let's tell the world what it is you do for a living.
Speaker 1:That's such a hard question to answer. I know that may surprise you. My kids say that I talk a lot about the potential and possibility of Latinos, but my day job is that of being CEO and president of the Latino Leadership Institute, which is a national organization really working to build wealth and opportunity for our growing Latino community, both by helping Latinos advance in their careers and also grow and scale businesses.
Speaker 3:That's awesome. How long have you been doing this?
Speaker 1:I helped launch the Institute 10 years ago. In fact, we'll be celebrating a decade of impact in September, which is almost hard to believe, and yet I believe it all at the same time. So this has been a decade's worth of work.
Speaker 3:Tell me more about what the organization does Like. What is ultimately the kind of the North Star, and is that the same as it was when you first launched it?
Speaker 1:A great story. So I'm going to flip that around a little bit and tell a little bit about the launch into today and the evolution. So when we launched this 10 years ago, it really was a group of Latino leaders. They were business leaders, political leaders and individuals who were sitting down at the table and looking at the demographic destiny of our country, knowing that we were going to be where the, you know, second largest and fastest growing population in the United States and, as we fast forward to the years of 2040 and 2050, that Latinos were going to be an even larger percentage of the population, of the workforce and, quite frankly, the fuel of our economy. But at the same time, 10 years ago, we also recognized that demography was not destiny, that we were actually statistically worse off at that moment than we were in 1990, as far as our representation percentages and leadership positions across every sector and industry.
Speaker 1:And so what really was a catalyst 10 years ago remains our North Star today, and that is Latinos continue to contribute in all aspects of life in the United States today. Yet we also just saw the largest wealth gap in 2022. We are less than 5% of executive leadership positions across every sector and industry, and we're only about 10% of even management positions. So if we are going to unlock our full potential here and more broadly across the United States, then we have to help Latinos step into their power, step into their potential, and so for 10 years we've been accomplishing that mission by creating Latino leadership development programs rooted in our culture and identity, but also based on developing Latinos for the 21st century, ready to serve in elevated leadership. And we take growth stage businesses that have been around at least three years and have demonstrated annual reoccurring revenue, and we help them grow to be over a million dollars in annual revenue, something that less than 3% of Latino businesses achieve today.
Speaker 3:Wow, that's a lot, man. I appreciate when folks just take that leadership to say you know there's a gap here, let's try to address it and let's come together and build an organization from scratch. Can you tell me more about what your day or week would look like as the leader of this organization?
Speaker 1:You know it's interesting being a leader of an organization, especially one like ours today, that is really in the fight, I think in a critical moment. So my day-to-day is a lot of convincing and I convince organizations, I convince funders, I really try to compel them with why investing in the Latino community is not just good, a social good. This is an economic essential for all of us. When I talk to individuals about the rapidly changing workforce, even CEOs of company are surprised to find out that Latinos represent, you know, nearly 80% of the workforce replacement in the next five years alone. They're surprised to find out that we contribute, you know, $3.4 trillion to the economy but that if we were to close some of these economic gaps, that would be even greater. They're surprised to find out that, you know futures of social security and everything that we really pride ourselves in really rely on Latinos continuing to be contributors.
Speaker 1:And so half my day is spent really just educating and building awareness about the growing Latino community.
Speaker 1:The other part of my day is working with Latinos and leaders and entrepreneurs and, you know, helping them understand that our identity, our culture, the values that we bring to the workplace, to our businesses, as leaders in the community are actual assets and that we should amplify them, not hide them. Working to build confidence, working to build collaboration and connection, unlocking Latino power really requires me to educate those that are in power and Latinos, who should be about the value that we bring. And so I spend a lot of time externally talking about that. But I'm a leader of an organization, I'm a CEO, so I spend time in financials. I spend time making strategic decisions with my executive leadership team and my board of directors. I spend a lot of time making sure that we have a vision for the next 10 years and beyond, and that's really, you know, CEOs often are the brand ambassadors. We are the ones who are motivating and inspiring others to be a part of the organization while maintaining its financial stability for the long haul, and so I balance all of those roles every single day.
Speaker 3:Wow. So tell me about how your role has evolved. Right, if you were starting out this organization, presumably was it just you or did you have other employees from the beginning. And how big are you all now? And how has you know? I think when I think of entrepreneurship, you're probably someone that is good at something and wants to provide or, like, spend their time doing that, versus then when you become CEO, as you said, your job is to then convince people that the thing makes sense. So tell me more. Tell me a little bit about the growth and kind of the shift in your, in your scope.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So this organization was founded by a group of individuals a former mayor of Denver and two-time secretary under the Clinton administration, Federico Pena, businessman Tim Marquez, businessman Marco Barca, fabulous fabulous Latina mentors and friends of mine, Patricia Perola-Ribera, which was in the head of the SBA during the Clinton administration, so really fabulous Latinos across the board helped to organize this and we all brought our backgrounds. I had a background before starting this in politics and so had a lot of social capital around that, but being able to also bring people from the business community on as founders was really critically important for our mission and work. Over the years I have broadened that group of founders to include top-level CEOs, top-level chief people officers that sit on my board today. Karen joined my board last year. She's the chief people officer for Mattel Inc. And so I constantly strive to surround myself with thought leaders Inc. And so you know I constantly strive to surround myself with thought leaders, subject matter experts and folks that will share in the vision that we originally had 10 years ago.
Speaker 1:We originally started just serving Latinos here in Colorado and for the first eight years of our journey as an organization, that's where we focused our time and attention, but part of the role of a CEO is strategic planning and envisioning what the future would hold for the organization and what growth and scale and impact would look like. And so in 2018, alongside my board of directors, I started a very comprehensive strategic planning process, and that planning process led to what our growth strategy has been since then, and that included taking our leadership development program national. So in two years, we've grown from just serving Latinos here in Colorado to serving Latinos in 37 states and several countries, even as far as Australia, and we expanded into entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship was always a subject we would tackle in our leadership development programming.
Speaker 1:Latinos have an entrepreneurial spirit, but also, what is entrepreneurship? That innovation and putting product market fit I mean that works inside of companies or if you're starting your own company. So we expanded naturally into entrepreneurship, not just because it was rooted in the work that we were doing, but because we see it as a path to building wealth, and you can't have power without wealth, and so we really wanted to make sure we leaned into that. So we've grown exponentially Geographically, we've grown our programming. We've also grown our partnerships with companies and corporations and organizations, and I think that's an important part of this as well is that you don't accomplish a mission and vision as big as ours without having a lot of partners and supporters along the way.
Speaker 3:How do you continue to stay sharp as a CEO and leader right Like how do you continue to grow professionally within your own field? Because, you're doing it for everyone else, so how do you do it for you?
Speaker 1:Well, first of all, I'm curious by nature and I think curiosity is a great tool if you are a leader. I'm never done learning and I definitely don't think I have all the answers. I read about a book a day, and this is true. Some things I read for fun, some things I read for my work. I have a rule in my house Some people it's a rule with shoes and purses that when you bring a new one, you got to let one go. I have that rule with my husband around books because there's not enough space in our house to take all the books.
Speaker 1:I think leaders really effective leaders ask more questions than they give out answers. I'm constantly encouraging those questions because I think it gives you more insight and more opportunity. I know I have a lot of personality assessments that have been done on me and that I've done on myself, and I know that I need information to make really good decisions, and so I seek out information. I also believe in partnership and collaboration, and so I learn a lot from the people around me mentors, sponsors, friends, allies. I've recognized very early on in my career that you don't accomplish these big things alone, and I'm just a work in progress and I'm very transparent about that. When I go and I give keynotes across the country about my own leadership journey, I talk a lot about vulnerability as being a part of if I'm curious and I'm vulnerable and I'm open, then I'm constantly learning, I'm constantly improving and constantly taking feedback and applying the feedback to be a better, stronger individual first, and leader second.
Speaker 3:What's your favorite part of your job?
Speaker 1:I get to see Latino potential in full display every day. I think the best part is being in rooms with top Latinos and having conversations and seeing the moment that they see their full potential. The way that I see it, you know when I get a Latina to say, man, I am ready for this job, I am ready for that. Next, you know level of leadership. Or a Latino business owner who, who you know, got the big investment and you know, comes back to me and says never would have gotten that investment had it not been for your work and your support. And so, while I love talking about Latino excellence, I love being in the room with it. It inspires me, it gives me hope. This work is really hard, especially now with some pushback around diversity, equity and inclusion and belonging investments, fearless fund court cases. I mean, we're in a battle, but I am fueled by being around other fabulous Latinos.
Speaker 3:What's one of the biggest challenges in being a CEO of this type of company?
Speaker 1:Yeah, there's not enough time on a podcast to cover the challenges with all the opportunities. The challenges are real, especially in the moment that we're living in. You know, 10 years ago, if you would have told me that, I would have been on a phone call with someone which I was last week and you know told that you know the work that I do around advocating for Latino excellence and you know its connection to diversity, equity and inclusion belonging was. You know its connection to diversity, equity and inclusion. Belonging was. You know the horrible policy and that if they thought the way I did, they wouldn't wake up in the morning and that you know they just want good talent.
Speaker 1:It doesn't mean to be diverse talent and you know some of the rhetoric that's out there that it's dangerous. It is a dangerous space to be in when the demographics are shifting, but you know fear and sometimes even hatred is really fueling folks to not believe in that. But I think more you know tangibly is the court cases that are challenging this very work. I mean we are purpose of our work and I am constantly battling that. I'm battling individuals who want to when people are concerned and trying to mitigate risk about funding organizations like ours at a time where our work is more important than ever, and so I did not think this moment would come. But here it is, and I feel compelled to be a very vocal and dedicated leader, and I'm not going to relent, given the fact that I think there's a lot of headwinds facing this type of work right now.
Speaker 3:Absolutely. You know, I think we've seen that throughout the field, right From funders to organizations seeking funding. You know just that hesitancy because of where we are in the climate now and you know it is unfortunate, right Because you have organizations like yourselves that are promoting Latino excellence or working with communities of underserved populations throughout, whatever backgrounds they come from, right, like there are just different organizations that are doing this work and uplifting communities that we would want to uplift and to support and to elevate and, to, you know, make sure that people can take advantage of the programming. So you know, I certainly hear you and gets put into a.
Speaker 1:You know we're just trying to feel good about our work. It's a social movement of sorts, and I'm not taking that. There are elements of that, but this is an economic, social imperative. The Latino demographic shift and, quite frankly, if we look more broadly, when we combine Latinos in the Black community and Asian community and others, the nation's destiny is one of great diversity, and we have to advance our communities now because it has a ripple effect for generations to come.
Speaker 1:The work that we do is not charity work. You invest in the future. You invest in the future of the individual who's going to benefit from the program, but you invest as we make the economy stronger, because when Latinos do well, so does the economy, and so I think that's part of it as well is that we are at a pivotal moment. This is an inflection point. As we become more diverse, we have to make sure that our diverse communities are excelling, and so I think that also is a challenge that we face is really explaining that this is an imperative for all of us to make sure that we unlock this full potential of the Latino community and other underrepresented other invested in communities.
Speaker 3:Let's backtrack a little bit. Let's talk about what happened or what were you doing before this role, right? So, like 11 years ago, what was your career path that led you to this point where you felt empowered, comfortable, tooled and resourced enough to help launch this organization and become its leader?
Speaker 1:Wonderful question. I love this question, especially now as we reflect on 10 years of this and what got me here in the first place. So I started my career in politics, ran congressional campaigns, ran senatorial campaigns, you know, really put in the grind as someone who was dedicated to public policy, changing outcomes for individuals and communities. That has always motivated me and I had the benefit of getting to work with some of the most extraordinary leaders. Back in the early days of my career, I climbed up the ranks in the political consulting world quite quickly ranks in the political consulting world quite quickly. By the time I was 26, I was running six offices across the country in a major congressional effort to take on some congressional seats. I ran a C4, which is an organization that really does move community and politics and bring those things together, and I just had a fabulous career. I was pulled into conversations on public policy at the highest levels of government and really did have a say at the table. I built a brand for myself of being an expert, particularly in the Latino vote, something that has always motivated me. And so I was just talking a couple months ago with my good friend, maria Teresa Kumar, because it's hard to imagine Voto Latino, an organization that she's been leading, is celebrating 20 years and I had a big role in expanding Voto Latino and working alongside her, and so I just I was passionate about people, politics, policy, and I just had an amazing career doing that work.
Speaker 1:However, doing that work meant I was on planes a lot, meant I was away from home, a professional to say I want to start a family.
Speaker 1:So, after the 2008 presidential election which was extraordinary many stories, out of that one, you know I went to my husband and I said I'm ready, you know, and I'll take a pause in my career, and we had twins and I actually stayed home for three years and doing some consulting work and building a more of a portfolio with companies and corporations instead of candidates, which expanded my portfolio during that time. But I made a choice as a professional, as a mom, to take that time with my twins, something I will never regret, and so that really led to me figuring out that I loved working with the private sector as well, and my knowledge of the Latinos in general really did transcend politics and go into the private sector, and I think that was the root of me going into this work and bringing the intersectionality of lack of representation both in politics in corporate America, and so I think it was a perfect fit for me to be a member of the original founders launching this organization.
Speaker 3:That makes a lot of sense. I appreciate a lot of that context, right, and I appreciate you sharing your story about putting your career on pause to go be a mom, and that can be a very scary decision for a lot of folks, right, and that can be something that I'm sure many women struggle with and either postpone or delay or choose not to do. So it's always great to hear from someone that has done it and that is now continues to be in leadership positions, right, despite having a pause and being able to also use that time, as you said, to build more relationships, right, like you were already known in the field. Now you were just building relationships with other corporations that you may not have had relationships with, beginning to do some consulting work and kind of build from there. But you know, I just appreciate when folks are able to, like tell the story in a not so linear way where it's like, oh, I just kept ascending and doing the things and it's like, actually it's not always that way.
Speaker 1:No, and in fact I would say it's rarely that way.
Speaker 1:I think you know, just to call out this important conversation because I talk a lot about, you know, especially to other Latinas and even just young women in general or folks who are thinking about their career. You know I I'm so often, especially after I get off the stage after giving a keynote, without a doubt I will have a line of Latinas sitting there to talk to me and everyone will ask me you know, how do you have it all? How did you? You know, how did you make all of this happen? And you know some really important lessons right there.
Speaker 1:First of all, I don't believe you can have it all at the same time. I think you know everything is a matter of choices and prioritization, and things come into focus and out of focus throughout your career. I think we will make a mistake if we think we can just do it all at the same time. And so throughout my career, and even to this day, I make really intentional decisions about how I spend my time and what that priority looks like. If I travel to give a keynote, then the next day I'm making sure that I'm spending a little extra time during breakfast with my kids before they go to school. I do not miss soccer games, I am there. I will fly home on a red eye on a Friday night so that I am there at my kids' game on a Saturday, if that's what it takes, and I don't apologize when I have to skip a meeting or leave early so that I could be there for a parent-teacher meeting, and I don't let my team apologize if they need to be somewhere that is related to their family or other obligations.
Speaker 1:I think it is really important for other Latinas and other women and other, even fathers I mean this extends beyond just women and moms but also to recognize that I have succeeded in my career because I had a great support system at home A husband who, you know, didn't bat an eye when I told him I was, you know, leaving every Monday morning to get to DC and coming home every Friday evening to spend time with him. Before we had kids, parents who help take care of my kids and drive them around when I can, and you know it just. It takes a community to make it happen. And yet, despite all of that support, I still have burned myself out throughout my career because I've overextended myself.
Speaker 1:So the biggest lesson is you to be successful and to be both a great CEO and a great mom. You have to know when to say no to things, and so you won't see me out at a lot of events and happy hours and all the things that people may expect me to attend, because that's my family time and I don't apologize for making that a priority. So, again, it is a balancing act of prioritization and decision-making, surrounded by a support network and ultimately feeling unapologetic about. You know, when I'm at work, I'm unapologetic that I'm at work and focused, and when I'm at home, I'm unapologetic that that's my mom time.
Speaker 3:I love it. I love it. Is leading this type of organization what you always wanted to do for a living. It sounded like you kind of evolved into all of this, but would love to hear, like when you were younger, what did you think you were going to be?
Speaker 1:So it's funny when I was little this tells you everything about my personality I think when I was little and I was asked what I wanted from Santa for that Christmas, I set a desk so that I could open up my own law firm. And I think I was six, maybe seven years old and I asked for a desk so that I could open a law firm and a cash register. True story a desk and a cash register so I could get my money from my clients, which were all my stuffed animals at the time, or my neighbors, I'm sure. And so I, first of all, to backtrack just a little bit, I grew up in a family of just extraordinary Latinos. I I did not know just how blessed and how unique my circumstances were.
Speaker 1:My parents were high school sweethearts without a college degree. My grandparents were were high school sweethearts without a college degree. My grandparents were all high school sweethearts, all without a college degree. And all of them my grandparents, my great-grandparents, my great-great-grandparents. They were servant leaders, they were business owners, they were sheepherders and potato farmers, turned entrepreneurs, turned the first Latina president of the Denver City Council, which my grandmother was. And so I grew up in a family where hard work and commitment were a given, but so too was giving back to community. So I thought it was totally normal and I thought every family in the United States had Sunday dinners that were centered around voter registration or boycotts or walkouts. You know, again, this was a different time, when you know we're still really fighting for basic rights and civil liberties.
Speaker 2:And entrepreneurs.
Speaker 1:My dad, you know, started a business, a successful business, in a field where not many Latinos were, and so I just was always surrounded by that. So I think it is probably expected that at six or seven I saw myself as an attorney and thought that that's what I was going to do with my life. But then, instead of going to law school, I got on the campaign trails and started working on campaigns and I loved it. I love the strategy, I love the numbers how do we get to that 50 plus one equation? I love the people, I love the psychology of it and I was hooked and I never looked back, didn't go to law school and built just a fabulous career. But I mentioned this earlier.
Speaker 1:I'm curious. I don't think I'm ever satisfied. I always want to do something that's going to challenge me, and I think that's why I've taken risks and I've jumped into things that maybe I wasn't an expert. I was not an expert in building a leadership program, had never really even done leadership programs myself when I started this work, but I'm kind of fearless when it comes to trying something new and bringing all my skill sets to the table, and I think that's led me to take on, you know, at 26,.
Speaker 1:I mentioned that too. I mean, I was running offices in multiple states and traveling all over and having staff all over that were probably twice my age at the time. Didn't know any better, and I think I just have a knack for taking on challenges, and I think a lot of that comes from the fact that I was surrounded by really extraordinary folks who taught me hard work, some fearlessness, because if I fail, if I don't do the job well, I always know I have a home of love and support to surround me and I think that's my, you know that's my, that's my lifeline. And so I think that's why I've navigated my career the way I have, because I always know that I have a place to go and these people are going to support me, no matter what I do.
Speaker 3:You're a couple of generations of Colorado residents, right, like your family has like deep roots in Colorado, right?
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, I mean, I'm at least ninth generation. It probably goes back even further once we track my great grandmother's indigenous roots. But when my twins were born we had five living generations and the borders are somewhat, you know, they're fuzzy, because it was really northern New Mexico and southern Colorado where all sets of my family were residing and, again, sheep herders, potato farmers, really rooted in land, but they were business owners and entrepreneurs. My great-great-grandfather was probably one of the first, if not the first, latinos elected and did some work around the school board, you know, before we even had territories really. And so, yeah, I come from a long history of that. That history is really, you know, important to who I am as a person and and the way I see the importance of our culture and stories and history.
Speaker 3:Did you go to college right out of high school, or was there a break in between, and what did you study?
Speaker 1:So I went to Loyola Marymount and I started pre-med because I'm also even though I knew I wanted to be a lawyer as a kid and I wanted to go into public office, I also wanted to rebel a little bit and I thought I was going to be the first doctor in the family and I loved science and I loved math as a kid and so I started down that road at Loyola Marymount. But a couple of OCHEM classes into my studies I was like, yeah, this is not for me. So shout out to all the doctors and those in the STEM field While I probably could have survived through it and studied really hard, I just missed the people part of it, the politics, the policy. And so when I was in a philosophy class freshman year and thinking about the great philosophers over time and how we pont great philosophers over time and you know how we pontificate over things and how the world really takes shape, I just I couldn't let that passion go. And so then I, you know, went into political science. It was a natural fit for me.
Speaker 3:That makes a lot of sense Political science, as I can see. But I also appreciate that. You know, I think when we're younger we just don't even know where these careers could take us. So lawyer at seven makes sense, then high school pre-med makes sense. Then you start opening your mind and experiencing different things. You're like, actually let me try this other thing. So you know, I also appreciate the journey that we go through to get to where we are, because it's not always as clear.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think, if you were to ask me today, like what I want to do when I grow up, I love sports and it's actually probably you know something, and I'm excited now because the LLI actually partners with a lot of professional sports teams and leagues to do some of the work. But I mean, I'm not done and you know, as I did the political thing, I'm obviously doing the LLI now, you know, but I would love I think there's still a lot of barriers to break in sports and so I'm not giving up that dream. I would love to sit on, you know, one day, an ownership pool of a team. You know that's you always got to put big goals out, but right now, you know LLI is building an AI driven platform, and so I also am, you know, delving into technology, and you know whoever knew that I would, you know, be building a technology platform as part of our work and mission here at the LLI. So I always say be open to it, be curious about it, don't be afraid of it, and you know I want big and better things, even for myself, in the future.
Speaker 1:So, whether that is, you know, to be a CEO, tech and have a platform that changes outcomes for future generations, or, you know, bring my passion for sports to the table. You know, who knows? I just love being open to that and to your point. I think as kids, we may not know what we're going to be. I think as adults, sometimes you know we're. We're still on this journey and we don't know where the final destination may be.
Speaker 3:I love that it is an ongoing evolution. Can you, can you share any other of those types of career cheat codes or things that younger professionals or professionals thinking about making a change just should hear and should know that can help them in their careers?
Speaker 1:Yeah. So you mentioned that we're starting, and have already started, the development of a platform, and it's based on probably one of the most important lessons and probably one of the truest thesis I believe in in this work, and that is the role of social capital in one's success and journey. You know, did I work hard? Yes, did I produce? Absolutely. But if I'm being really honest with everyone, I made it where I made it, how quickly I made it, because I had social capital, and that is something that is critical for, I think, success and I think what a lot of underrepresented communities don't necessarily have access to. What I mean by social capital is I'm talking not just about mentors or individuals who are going to give me advice. I'm talking about sponsors. I'm talking about people who literally opened the door for me, pushed me in, held the door and then made sure that I was going to be successful when I crossed that doorway.
Speaker 1:Individuals like my grandmother absolutely opened up so many doors, but individuals and I'm about to go meet him for lunch people like Mike Stratton in my life who took me as a young political consultant under his wing and put me in the room with presidential candidates at a very young age and said listen to her, listen to what she has to say, she knows what she's talking about, and that I look back in my career about all of those, and Federico Pena, you know, one of the co-founders of the Latino Leadership Institute, who brought me to the meeting that day to talk about the Institute. I pinch myself sometimes to think about the people in my lives that made all of this possible, and so social capital is absolutely critical, I think particularly for Latinos we don't necessarily know that, we're not taught that.
Speaker 1:We don't grow up in country clubs and we don't really understand that the people that surround us, the people that can help us, are so mission critical for our own career, success and trajectory. So partly why we want to build a platform that really connects people and really cashes in on the power of social capital is because I think it's a game changer. It was for me. I would not be where I am today, I wouldn't be talking to you, if a former employee and graduate of our program didn't say you know who you need to know, you know who you should talk to. And so I think about that. And then I imagine what we could do if we could scale that and build that even bigger. And what if people just had access to the type of social capital I did? I think it would be game over for a lot of people trying to hold us down. So that is a big lesson, in addition to everything I've talked about, I think, the importance and role of social capital.
Speaker 3:I know you mentioned earlier that you read about a book a day. Can you share, you know? And the answer could be books, it could be resources, it could be podcasts, just things that you have read or consumed that have changed you personally or professionally.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean there's so many. I mean literally there are a bookshelf of books on Latino history. You know, things I didn't know that I think are really important. They weren't taught right. We get like a paragraph, I think, in most textbooks which is really really sad, and so I've really made an intentional effort and not just Southwest Latinos, which is what I know, being in Colorado and being in the Southwest but really learning about the immigrant journey, and so I have a book of all of these firsthand stories from immigrants from all over the world and what is their experience, both as they travel here but then once they get here.
Speaker 1:I love reading books from other CEOs. I just did a fireside chat with Oscar Munoz after his book and Turnaround Time, which is a fabulous book of not only just his life but what he had to do at United as the first Latino CEO at the time, and you know. So, reading other books from other CEOs, I think one of the books that really helped me understand that there's more to learn about myself but also Latinos recently was the book Finding Latinx. You know, I had some younger staff on my team and we got into a really, you know, important conversation a few years back about the term Latinx. I'm a Gen Xer and and you know when that was first brought to me, I really did not like it and I did not appreciate it, because I didn't understand where it came from and I was hearing from the younger. You't understand where it came from and I was hearing from the younger. You know members of my team saying this is, you know, important for inclusion, and you know so.
Speaker 1:I read that book and I did. I gained a better perspective. I understood the roots. I still don't use it myself it's not how I identify, but again, I think reading at the volume that I do allows me to gain perspective. It allows me to grow empathy. It also allows me to understand my blind spots a little bit better, which I have many of. And then I think there's books you just read for fun. So John Leguizamos' book, you know there's just, yes, there's some history in there and that's fun. But I just think it's also good to find those books that bring it down a notch.
Speaker 3:I could be a little over serious, and so I seek those books out as well people can make as a leader of an organization like this, right, you all do national work. I just you know if you have heard any other episodes I'm very big on you. Don't have to sacrifice being happy with your career and having an impact and then fundamentally being broke or doing the opposite, so share.
Speaker 1:I love this question, I think it's so important and I'm going to be very honest and transparent about it as well. So leading a nonprofit organization of this size, I mean one can expect I think depending on where you live, it's going to change that number, but you can expect to make anywhere between probably $100,000 and $200,000 if you are a CEO of a nonprofit organization. And don't get me wrong, that is a good wage, it's a good living and you can make a really good life for yourself. But having come from a background where I was making a lot more as a consultant and the opportunities to make a lot more, sometimes from the private sector, are very real. So much so that, as a CEO of the organization, we've done comprehensive salary studies for myself and my team and the reality is is that you could make a really good living in the nonprofit space, but sometimes the salaries are not as high as those in other sectors and industries, and that's just fact.
Speaker 1:And some of that is because, as a nonprofit organization, a lot of your funding comes from philanthropic investments, and a lot of philanthropic investments don't actually cover personnel.
Speaker 1:They have to go to program-related costs and so to make the money and to bring in general operating dollars to cover things like personnel and salary makes it difficult at times for us to have really competitive salaries. But on the other side of it, I also know that being in the nonprofit space, you know there's things that don't necessarily go onto your household balance sheet, like having more time away from work, with family and in community, and you know being able to do work that really matters. I've made an intentional decision to be in this work because this is my life calling, but that does mean that maybe I'm not making as much as I would if I were in the private sector or taking on some of those other roles. So when you are thinking about career, when you are thinking about your family's economic status, you have to take all of these factors into account, because I wouldn't give up my job for anything, but I do recognize that I probably could make more money somewhere else.
Speaker 3:I know you're involved in a lot of things outside of your current role. Can you speak to some of your engagements with other organizations, whether on boards or as an advisory role?
Speaker 1:I think stepping into other leadership positions outside your work is important. One continues to build your social capital and social networks. Two, you have an important role to influence decisions and I think that's a really important thing beyond your companies and it helps your organization to be better known, because you're talking about what you do. So I do spend time both serving on boards of directors and I've done that for nonprofits like Mile High, united Way, something I was really passionate about and sitting in the room with other executives helping lead organizations of that size and of that mission. And I've also served on things like the Hispanic Advisory Council for the Coca-Cola Company, sitting alongside other extraordinary Latino leaders across the country, alongside the CEO of the Coca-Cola company and sitting with other executives of the organization talking about the Latino market, talking about brand, talking about products and new products and new strategies, and so I've done both. I think that both are critically important.
Speaker 1:I have done paid and volunteer board positions and I think paid, whether you're doing it for companies or organizations, that's an opportunity again building wealth, doing good and making money while you do it. There's not enough. Especially Latinas are less than 1% of those paid corporate board positions, so we have a long way to go, but I think they're important, and so when I'm given the opportunity, I do. I also serve on advisory boards for things outside of my work as an individual In the media. I used to have a career as a communications director something we didn't talk about, but that was another thing I did and so I now serve as the advisory board of a Scripps affiliate here in Denver for Denver 7.
Speaker 1:And you know I'm passionate about voting and electing good. So as an individual not in this capacity as a CEO I helped, you know, kind of found an organization called PoderPAC back in 2008 that's focused on electing Latinas to Congress and to the Senate, and so I'm proud to say, you know, since launching that, polarpac has gone on to support a lot of Latinas into that elected office. So I find things that I'm passionate about that are purposeful and aligned with my values. Some pay and some don't, but I do find time for them.
Speaker 3:If folks wanted to either get involved with or learn more about the Latino Leadership Institute, how can they do that?
Speaker 1:The best way is number one, going to our website, latinosleadorg. There's a wealth of information about our programs, but research my keynotes. You'll find just a lot there. But also follow us on LinkedIn and social media. We have over 50,000 engaged folks on our social media platforms and we share a lot of information and resources. Follow us because we'll have some exciting announcements, not only about the future of our work, but the platform I mentioned a little bit, and once that platform's launched, definitely get on that platform because that's where you'll find other extraordinary Latinos and allies really driven to closing the wealth gap by advancing careers and building businesses.
Speaker 3:Amazing. Is there anything else we haven't discussed today that the world should know about? Joelle?
Speaker 1:You know. The only other thing I will say is we've talked a lot about success, self-care, and I am not the best model of that, and there have been times in my life and my career where I've pushed myself to exhaustion or burnout or even physical and mental unwellness, and the reminder that I have is you know, we're only as strong as the fuel we give ourselves, and you know, we'll run out of gas if we're not constantly protecting ourselves, investing in ourselves, nurturing ourselves and caring for ourselves. So leaders have a tendency to just give, give, give, give, go, go, go, go, and sometimes the best thing we can do is stop, rest, rejuvenate, refocus. And it's just something we didn't discuss today, but something I always like to leave with people is you're only as good as you're good to yourself, and you know that's something that I continue to strive to be better at.
Speaker 3:Awesome, thank you. Well, thank you for joining us today. Really appreciate it.
Speaker 1:Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2:I hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did and believe on the mission we're on, please like, rate and subscribe to this podcast on whatever platform you're using, and share this podcast with your friends and your networks. Make sure you follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn at Career Cheat Code and tell us people or careers you would like to see highlighted. See you next week with some more cheat codes. Peace.
