Episode 121: Don't believe everything you think – with Elaine Montilla
Beyond 6 Seconds: Neurodiversity stories from neurodivergent people
02/01/21
•31m
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Elaine Montilla is an accomplished senior executive who has been an IT leader in higher education for two decades. As an immigrant, Latina, lesbian woman, Elaine has overcome many challenges to build her successful IT career. She is currently Chief Information Officer and Assistant Vice President for Information Technology at The City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center, a Forbes Technology Council member and contributor, and an AMA Women's Leadership Center presenter.
Elaine is also a TEDx speaker and the founder of 5xminority.com, a company and social media brand dedicated to empowering women and minorities, especially in tech, with a mission to demonstrate how businesses can be powerful platforms for social change.
During this episode, you will hear Elaine talk about:
- What inspired her to start 5xminority.com
- Her story of moving from the Dominican Republic to New York and discovering her interest in IT while attending college, where she learned English and programming language at the same time
- How her first job working in a restaurant kickstarted her IT career
- The obstacles she overcome to build a successful IT career in the US as an immigrant, female, Latina, lesbian human being... and how she battled imposter syndrome while advancing in her career
- Why you can't believe everything you think, and how challenging your own thoughts is critical to overcoming imposter syndrome and unconscious bias
- How important it is for your career development to "be comfortable being uncomfortable" and have difficult conversations
- Why it is important for leaders to admit their mistakes and to be vulnerable
Learn more about Elaine and her work at 5xminority.com and on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
Watch Elaine's TEDx talk: The Value of Mentoring Women and Minorities in Tech
Watch the video of this interview on YouTube!
Subscribe to the FREE Beyond 6 Seconds newsletter for all the latest news and updates about my podcast!
Previous Episode
Episode 120: Make your voice heard with LipRevolt – with Courtney Stewart
January 18, 2021
•20m
Courtney Stewart is the Founder and CEO of LipRevolt, a cosmetics brand specializing in lipstick that promotes social activism. Through LipRevolt, Courtney aims to inspire people to fight for what they believe in and to speak up for others. LipRevolt donates 15 percent of its net profits to organizations that support women's rights, civil rights, and LGBTQ rights. Courtney started her career in public service after receiving her BA in Political Science from Spelman College and MS in Terrorism and Homeland Security Policy from American University.
Content Warning: This episode contains mentions of sexual assault and abuse, and an incident of racism and violence.
During this episode, you will hear Courtney talk about:
- How her personal experiences, the #metoo movement and the importance of using your voice inspired the creation of LipRevolt
- Why she decided to support nonprofits with her own business' profits
- How she learned to run a beauty business as a newcomer to the beauty industry
- Her future plans for LipRevolt, and why the month of March is significant to her
Find out more about LipRevolt on LipRevolt.com, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. If there is a nonprofit that you want to see LipRevolt support, you can message your recommendation to the Instagram account.
Next Episode
Kevin M. Yates is a learning & development leader with a career spanning 20+ years, a sought-after expert in the field of learning measurement, a global public speaker and e-book author... and as a Black man living and working in the U.S., he sometimes feels he is mistakenly seen as a "unicorn."
On this episode, Kevin talks about what he means by "unicorn" and how it relates to his experiences as a Black man living and working in the United States. He speaks candidly about the impact of race in his professional and personal life. We also talk about how the racial and social justice movements of 2020 have further inspired Kevin to live in authenticity by being transparent about his whole self and experiences, because as he puts it, "living in duality is too much work."
Find out more about Kevin on his website, on Facebook, on Instagram, on Twitter, on LinkedIn, and on YouTube.
Get your free copy of Kevin's e-book, "L&D Detective Kit for Solving Impact Mysteries©"
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