The Teacher that Changed my Life

We Need More Inclusive HEROES in our Organizations

When I was 8 years old my mom and I lost our house due to an unexpected bankruptcy. One of the most painfully vivid memories I have was seeing our car being towed due to a lack of payment. The world as I knew it changed in its entirety. Amidst the crisis, we had to move from my loving family’s “barrio” to a forgotten place which was a breeding nest for #inequality and systemic poverty. During all that mess I had a teacher that truly believed in me - her name was Ms. Eduarda Vale. On my birthday she gave me a little box of #JordanAlmonds, you know those that are colorful, and taste sooo good you can’t stop eating them until the whole box is gone 😂. She said, “your spirit is as colorful as the almonds inside the box”. She looked at me, “what you are going through will make you a great leader, embrace it and grow from it, you will do great!” She truly believed what she was saying, so as my friends were singing feliz cumpleaños I had no option but to believe her. I didn’t know it then, but Ms. Vale was the first Inclusive HERO to impact my life.

Inclusive HEROES own the responsibility to crush inequity by showing up with an untamable hopeful spirit guided by the superpowers of Humility, Empowerment, Results, Openness, Equity-mindedness and Systems-centered thinking.

Think about the Inclusive HEROES you have encountered throughout your career, think about the person that helped you embrace your inner “Jordan Almonds”. Please share how they made a difference in your career.

Every organization has Inclusive HEROES sparking moments of #belonging. Since 2015, when we launched the first #inclusiveheroes keynote in San Francisco, CA at a major HR Conference, we have been equipping leaders across tech, government, education, non-profits, and healthcare to become Inclusive HEROES in their teams and communities.

Am I the only one that loves Jordan Almonds so much?