Supported by Texas Mutual Workers Compensation Insurance Company.

Hello, and welcome to Salud.

Celebrating San Antonio's Latina leaders.

I'm your host, Melanie Mendez Gonzalez.

Get ready to meet two inspiring women and hear from another who helps others achieve success.

Salud.

Starts now.

On this episode, we head northwest into the Texas Hill Country town of Bernie.

Here we meet two accomplished Latinas.

One leads in education.

The other is professional voiceover work.

Evo Morales Campbell has a voice that has carried her far in a career that not many people can claim success in.

It took moxie and talent to rise to the top.

My name is Eva Campbell Morales.

I'm a voice talent and translator, I say yes, Montero.

Gently, boy.

I do copywriting and proofreading.

Basically, what I do is I'm a language.

Bridge is the way I explain what I do, between English and Spanish.

And I help people communicate.

I always wanted to be a performer.

My mom was a singer and a composer and an actress.

And my dad, was a linguist.

And I knew that I wanted to be a performer.

And so I focused, studies early on in drama, in public speaking.

I grew up in a bilingual household.

My mom's from Mexico.

My dad's from Illinois.

But because I grew up bilingual, I just.

I was there at a time when there was a real void in the Latino market for voice talent.

And I had lots of practice, lots of, background in drama and theater.

And so I started doing little roles.

My first line in a commercial was, In Spanish, Harris County.

Esta creciendo mucho, mucho trafico.

Somos impulso economico.

I was hyper focused, and interested and, and knowledgeable about language in ways that other people weren't.

We.

It's at home around the dinner table.

We talked about the nuances of language of of translation, of pronunciation, of how does this sound get made?

so I was very much a language nerd, and it helped me a lot.

I eventually ended up starting starting my own business.

I am the world's biggest cheerleader for self-employment.

I refer to working for a company as working in captivity.

So that should give you a little bit of an idea of my attitude about working for a company.

I'll do it.

If you're out there and you want me to work for you, I'll work for you.

You know, the the current or the Weekender or the little magazine that comes out in the newspaper.

This was over 30 years ago, and I picked it up and I was looking at it, and there were on the cover of the magazine, there were like 12 to 16 headshots, and it said highest paying jobs in San Antonio.

And I said, well, I want to know what they are.

So I was looking and I was looking at the annual income.

Everyone making over 70,000 a year owned their own business.

And it was just this.

It was like the big boom.

It just boom hit me and I said, I have to start my own business.

Within a year, I had doubled my income, but within 3 to 4 years I was making ten times what I made it.

Machine gun control.

Doing things your way.

Believing in yourself.

Trusting your instinct.

Not always, but more often than not is the way to go.

Open the door when opportunity knocks.

Hello.

What are you doing?

Just sitting there.

A lot of times behind that door will be an amazing mentor or amazing opportunity that will lead you to something else.

Open the door.

When opportunity knocks, recognize the knock.

Some events are so rare.

They only come around once every four years in a highly competitive business, like voice work and on camera.

One would think that there would be a lot of envy and jealousy and tripping people up.

Again, I will tell you that I. I was very blessed.

I had male, mentors who lifted me up and helped me develop my talents and supported me and believed in me.

And I have had some amazing female mentors and people who who have also lifted me up, believed in me.

The single biggest challenge is lack of a college education.

And it was twofold because you know that the story you tell yourself is more powerful than the story people tell you.

And so I was I've been so blessed that I have been able to excel and gain the trust through performance of giants in the industry and, well, in, in San Antonio and in and in production.

I've been able to earn their trust and respect through my product.

but not having that, it's kind of like The Wizard of Oz with the scarecrow not having that piece of paper.

has, you know, throughout my career made me feel a little bit, tentative about, you know, how do I present what I have to offer?

All I have is my proof of of the work that I do.

I don't have a piece of paper that says, oh, yeah, she can do it.

So that, in my mind, was was a, a challenge.

And it was in some cases, initially trying to gain a foothold, a little bit of a challenge.

But I've been very, very blessed that that I worked with some wonderful people who who grade product over paper.

My advice would be, be relentless.

And you must, fight that challenge of not believing in yourself.

I have heard people say, you know, what are your challenges been as a Latina?

I'm able.

My name is Aaron Morales, and, I say Morales because I am Mexican.

I know I don't look at my superpower.

Is being a Latina.

If I didn't have think about it, if I only spoke English and I didn't have a, a degree, I'd be flipping burgers.

But the fact that I'm bilingual, that I learned my language, my culture, the nuances of both languages and cultures to this day, that serves me well because even with eye taking over, translation, I doesn't understand nuance of language like needle Salah cobertura special de la grande festival de mariachi.

I frequently hear being Latino.

Is this this separate set with separate rules?

And the only thing I would say to anybody Latino, Latina, you don't ever see that as a limitation.

You know, if you are a Latino Latina, you're in school.

You're trying to get started in the business, recognize what a superpower that is.

It's a job that mixes both business and education.

Although that took some challenges early on, she turned them into a successful career.

I need that, Rina, executive director of the Bernie Education Foundation.

I'm Yvette, and, I work at Bernie I-s-d.

I handle a lot of the fundraising, for our community and trying to raise money for our students and teachers in schools.

And then I handle community partnerships for districts where I meet with a lot of different businesses and try to just create partnerships that are both win wins, for our district.

And also, as a local business, or community member.

Those are the top stories from around Bernie I-s-d this week.

I felt that I had a talent in, really creating kind of a community of doers.

I was like, what can I do to make a difference?

I loved working with nonprofits, and I was like, I can talk to people and and really come together and maybe even one day, you know, teach what I do to others.

And they can go out in the community and, you know, really contribute wherever they live, locally or across the world and, and doing more for organizations that that really matter to them.

I just love the courage that you have.

And I was so proud of you.

I think it's best for you to help others blossom and grow.

Like, I just think you can lead from wherever you're at.

You know, and it's up to each person to kind of help others, inspire others, solve a problem, and, and work together for the greater good.

We all have it in us to do something more and just, you know, strive for the best, you know, lead wherever you are, no matter what your job is, what you're doing in the community, even if it's, you know, I'm a stay at home mom.

Be the best.

You know, if you're volunteering somewhere, try to, like, find a way to find a solution.

I, I really think it's just like, you know, I don't know, finding different ways of, you know, reading quotes and reading books and learning, more about what you love and, and just bringing that to the forefront.

I try to lead with, a lot of confidence.

You know, I want them to feel good about themselves.

Good about what they're doing.

they're the nuts and bolts of so many things that we're trying to put together.

I really try to lead a side to them, you know, like, and not really lead in front of them.

I know they're decisions that I have to make, but I want to work together.

I want them to be part of the decisions that are made and join me in like finding solutions, because I think when they're a part of something, they're more, apt to, you know, help us get somewhere and feel like, proud about how far we've come.

I really support education, I love it.

my parents are both in the military and, so it was really something in my heart to, like, be connected to, like, teachers that were in my school.

And, and they were, like, mentoring me.

I felt always growing up.

I stayed in touch with, you know, many of them.

I delivered a healthy baby boy when I was 23 years old, so I was very much a single mom and, juggling childcare, work and also finishing college was difficult.

It was probably the largest obstacle in my in my life.

they're in my early 20s, but, you know, it was a blessing to have my child.

And, it was really a driving force that propelled me to now want to get my life on track.

And, I started setting goals for myself.

So I was like, goal number one is I want to graduate from college by the time he graduates from kindergarten.

And so there we were that day, IMA both of us graduating, which is super exciting.

And then I said, you know what?

I did this could I set another goal for myself.

And so I said, I want to get my master's degree.

And I said, by the time we get to high school, I'm going to nail it.

I'm going to get my master's degree.

And he was headed into like his freshman year.

And about that time I graduated and got my master's degree.

And so I was a first generation college graduate and a first generation master's graduate.

Not being a great student in high school, I was shocked when I graduated from college and graduated with honors and cum laude.

And once I was able to achieve, you know, one of my goals and then the next one, I just felt like, you know, the sky's the limit.

It's I'm in charge of my future.

And, and where I'm headed.

So I think a lot of it was just kind of reminding myself that I could, I could achieve something more.

Someone told me early on, don't take a risk.

And that really bothered me.

And I feel everything I do since then has been a risk, you know, and I and I love that because I'm always thinking about like ways to find a solution to something.

When I was younger, my career, I really didn't have that.

You know, it was always I was fearful of taking a risk.

I don't want to get in trouble.

I don't want to break the rules.

I don't want to, you know, speak out of turn.

You know, I don't know that.

I always felt there was, like, a seat for me at the table.

And now I feel like I am pulling up the seat to the table, and it's.

And it's been really great, you know, because I think more people now, I feel are listening.

You know, when I have, ideas, I think in life I find, I'm more satisfied with the culture I'm in over the compensation.

You know, if it's a culture of supportive people, that are, you know, that pat you on the back that, recognize your efforts, that are team players with you, and helping you, you know, with, reaching the next goal or helping with strategy.

I appreciate that so much more.

And, and I really feel like that helps me, like, grow and learn and lead as I get older.

I want people to know I still got gas in the tank.

You know, I still have ideas.

I still have things to contribute.

And, I want to help, you know, grow business, grow an organization, to be better.

The many things I've gone through in life challenges, obstacles, not being a great student in high school, but excelling in other things later on in life.

I really feel that kind of solidified, that I'm I'm headed the right direction in my life.

Ever wonder how these incredible women, these Latina leaders make it all happen?

We now welcome to Salud.

Long time journalist Jessie Degollado, herself a leader in the community.

To hear how one woman leads, mentors and balances her life.

I'm joined today by Kat Dizon.

Latina woman with a can do spirit.

Kat, you not only serve as the chair of the board of directors of the business incubator geekdom.

You also chair the Board of directors of Girls, Inc. of San Antonio, a nonprofit that has been a guiding hand for thousands of young women.

And you are the co-founder and chief operating officer of Active Capital, your own venture capital firm.

Your impressive resume also includes when you were at Rackspace as its director of corporate strategy and development.

So you've done that and so much more in your amazing career.

So I have to wonder, did you have any idea when you were getting started that you would be at this point in your life?

No, not at all.

my initial plans when I was growing up, this little girl was to become an attorney and to be a trial lawyer.

And then life happened.

As I was getting into the University of UTSA, going through, putting myself through college.

I took on a job and got really good at not only understanding business, but running businesses at the early age of 20.

And it completely changed the trajectory of my career.

Understanding business like you do is a rare gift, but certainly it takes nerve and courage and also financial knowhow, especially to do what you do in the field of venture capital.

So what advice do you have for women who may not have that level of financial literacy, if they want to get started?

How can they get that financial literacy that they'll need?

There's a lot of resources out in our community that offer financial literacy to anyone who's interested in learning.

they come through either through the community colleges.

There are resources downtown that are available through launch S.A., through geekdom organizations that I work very closely with because I understand you can have a business, but if you don't know how to grow it and don't understand the way, the money ins and outs can actually grow and make it successful, you won't ever really see your full potential.

So I encourage anyone, whether you're just coming into the to the college age or you're leaving a very seasoned career that you want to start something new, but just need to understand how the business should be working.

That's going to be very, telling.

depending on where you are.

Understanding the financials.

But before they take that leap, tell me about the network of women that are out there who want to offer the kind of advice and support that they'll need.

So where and how can they find that network or that tribe of women, so to speak, to help them achieve their dreams?

So with my work at geekdom, as the chairman for the last two years, we've stood up a women founders network.

So what we do is we meet every month and we say, if you're a woman building or starting a business or have a business in the San Antonio community and you need help, whether it's understanding your financials, figuring out how to actually get started, we welcome you in to those community settings to figure out what you need and get you what you need.

I also do a lot of work with the local high schools and universities to say, where do you want to see yourself?

Where do you want to go in the future?

These are a few skill sets you can start training for now, and doing your own early on.

Research to figure out what you like, what you don't like, and if business is really where you want to go or just have a successful career having this type of skill set behind you, whether it's business, bookkeeping, communications, Mark getting and actually just being, understanding of how to tell a story can really advance your career exponentially.

But what about the women who may be doubting themselves?

I don't know if I can do this, or who may not have the courage to move forward.

What can you tell them?

I encourage very positive self-talk because you will meet people that will try to talk you out of doing something new or doing something very risky.

So if you have that internal talk with yourself to say, look, everybody else can do it, I can do it too.

Or maybe nobody's doing it.

Maybe it takes somebody like me that really just will count and bet on themselves and get started.

A lot of it is just getting started.

Every time I meet with women that think about starting a business or think about launching a product, I say just do it and figure out the rest later.

If you really have the passion and you really have the drive and the discipline to keep it going and you're serious.

Show everyone how serious you are and take the first step and then take the next one already.

When you look back, you'll realize how far you've come just by taking those small initial steps forward.

Well, as you mentioned earlier, life happens.

We all know that.

So how is it possible for women who are also wives and mothers to still keep their eye on the prize?

I think a lot of women try to figure out, is it fair to balance life?

How do you do that?

You really don't balance life.

You prioritize the best you can.

You do make sacrifices on one side or the other.

But if you have goals and you're reaching goals and you have family as a priority, and you make sure that that is still a healthy unit day in and day out, it all grows together and it won't ever be perfect.

But you can make a really happy life if you understand your priorities.

Keeping your eye on the prize, as we know, is easier said than done.

Too many times, and it's as you say, it's a matter of understanding your priorities.

But now let's talk about what you're doing with girls in San Antonio.

How much potential do you see in those young women?

Would you speak to them and also their mothers?

There's so much potential.

I became a mother in 2013.

I had a beautiful little girl named Sabrina.

She's now 11.

She is fearless.

But watching her in her early years, I thought, gosh, there's so much up against her.

She needs daily support.

She needs daily encouragement.

She needs to know that she can do anything and try her hardest at whatever she wants to be doing and looking out in the community.

I see so many girls that just don't have that daily support.

Girls Inc. is an organization locally that serves the areas of the city that are underserved, that don't have as many means as most of the other cities up north and central, that we're able to give them workshops, we're able to give them organizational programing to where we want them to think bigger of how they can, you know, overcome whatever they're dealing with, but also believe they are strong there.

They have so, so much value and that they can really contribute in the future.

How do we start them thinking about life in the future today and working towards that?

So these types of organizations really focus on that.

And knowing that the parents entrust the organization to, to leave their daughters through the programing and support us at home is where it counts.

And you already see the growth in these girls that are coming out of these programs, and they're going to college and they're they're coming back as alumni telling us their stories and just the exude so much confidence because they had the support daily that they found within the organizations.

Talk to me about how you motivate yourself as you see that mountain of responsibility that you have.

It's growing and growing.

Have you ever been in that kind of situation?

I do, but also it's all about your the way you look at it, your perspective.

I'm a very positive person.

I used to have really grueling and tough jobs where things were usually daily, fires or, you know, problems or just challenges.

And today I'm in a position and I've built my career to, to.

Now, every call is a potential it's opportunity.

It's something that I can actually solve, which I've spun and could I could look at it fires, I could, but I don't I choose to look at it as this is an opportunity.

This person is going to make a very big decision that's going to affect not only their career, their livelihood, their employees livelihood.

We can take them and we can expand them.

It's scary.

How do we get them there?

So instead of it being looking at it like a wall of of problems or a wall of work, I take it piece by piece of how do I make this win?

How does this look and and get to a level of success?

How do I start something new to maybe become more efficient in other things?

So I turn it with the positivity or my outlook to make it seem like, hey, I can get through anything.

And I've proven that 26 years of just doing a lot of different work in industry.

Nothing scares me.

Nothing surprises me.

I just look at his work and I turn it into something positive to move through.

Thank goodness for all the support systems that are out there.

So to conclude, may I ask what is the biggest life lesson that you've learned throughout your career in your life up to now?

The biggest life lesson was I didn't look for mentoring early on in my career.

I started in the workforce at age 20, and I felt like I had to have all the answers.

I had to know exactly what we were doing, how we were going to do strategy for it, how we were going to win.

And I made a lot of missteps, and I never thought I could reach out for help.

One, because when you're at the top, there's really nobody around you to ask for help.

And if you do, it's a almost felt as if you're you're weak about, you know, a part of your career that you just don't want to be as the leader.

And slowly I learned, gosh, there are people that know so much more than me.

They've been there, they've done that.

And had I just asked earlier on, I still not trade this life in this career for anything, but I feel like I would have learned a lot faster.

I would have grown a lot sooner into the role I am in, just not, feeling like I had to know everything early on.

And I think that speaks to every 20 year old today that feels like they know everything.

So I think it's just encouraging them.

There's so much more beyond what you know today, and you won't know it unless you ask.

And the help was there.

I just never really reached out for takes from Kent.

certainly his hard earned path has led to your success.

Thank you so much for joining us, and thank you for joining us here on Sunday.

Thanks, Jesse.

That's a wrap for this episode of salute.

Thank you for being here.

We'll see you again next week to celebrate San Antonio's Latino leaders on Salute.