Life Is...Sai Baba

Life is a song - sing it. Life is a game - play it. Life is a challenge - meet it. Life is a dream - realize it. Life is a sacrifice - offer it. Life is love - enjoy it.

--Sai Baba

 

Insecurity...Drew Barrymore

I never have been insecure, because I see what a waste it is. I know there is a solution to insecurity. I don't tend to be thrown by problems that don't have solutions. And insecurity has a wealth of alternatives.

--Drew Barrymore

Get What You Want...Ben Stein

The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want.

Ben Stein

Loving Deeply & Being Deeply Loved...Lao Tzu

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”
 
 --Lao Tzu

A Test Of Conscience...Gaylord Nelson

“The ultimate test of man's [woman's] conscience may be his [her] willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard.”

--Gaylord Nelson

Making You A Priority..Jennifer Lopez

You've gotta do things that make you happy. As women, we tend to give away a lot. We take care of a lot of people, and we can't forget to take care of ourselves.

Jennifer Lopez

How Can We Make A Difference...George Lopez

How we can we make a difference ? Speak for those who are voiceless, and nothing speaks louder than unity.

--George Lopez, Actor and Comedian

#LeadershipTuesdays: I Know Who I Am

We’re constantly being told what other people think we are and that’s why it is so important to know yourself.

--Unknown

Every other Tuesdays, WOMEN AT LIBERTY provides a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage and strengthen women leaders. Today on the last Tuesday of the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, we feature Johnson & Johnson executive, Arisa Batista Cunningham. She is the Vice President of Global Diversity and Inclusion for the Medical Devices and Diagnostics Group, a $24 billion medical devices and diagnostics business.

Some time ago Ms. Batista Cunningham talked with Aurelia Flores of PowerfulLatinas.com about being born and growing up with her family in rural Panama. She described facing discrimination and low expectations in grade school because she was a girl and she was not from a prominent wealthy family. Ms. Cunningham also spoke about overcoming her own insecurities regarding her accent and adjusting to the American culture when she came to the U.S. for college.

As she reflected on her experiences from her current vantage point as an accomplished C-Suite executive at a Fortune 100 company, she shared wisdom that will inspire Latinos, and any woman, man, adolescent boy or girl who has had to confront adversity.  

To listen to the interview, click here. For more information on Leadership Tuesdays or WOMEN AT LIBERTY, click here.

Arisa Batista Cunningham

Trust Me...H.L. Mencken

"It is mutual trust, even more than mutual interest, that holds human associations together."

--H. L. Mencken

Finding What You Want...Abraham-Hicks

Let go of the oars... Everything you want is downstream.

 --Abraham-Hicks

The Importance of Our Origins...Mike Norton

“When we reject our origins, we become the product of whatever soil that we find ourselves planted; the colors of our leaves change as we consume borrowed nutrients with borrowed roots and, like a tree, we grow.”

--Mike Norton, Fighting For Redemption

What Did You Do About It?...Rosario Dawson

"I remember my friend said that she had talked to Chelsea Clinton after [Chelsea had read] Bill Clinton's book. And she'd never thought about it, but her (Chelsea) Dad was a little boy during segregation. ...and she was like,  'Whoa, Wow Dad...what that must have been like. What did you do about it?'

And just know each and every one of you at some point will get asked that question. Cause there is a lot of things that are happening right here and right now. It's not about being nostalgic and looking at the past. Or just about always assuming we're just gonna get there somehow in the future. We have to participate. And there's going to be a lot of kids at some point that are gonna look at you and go, 'Wow during all of these things that were going on in the world, what did you do about it?' And hopefully you all can say that you voted...at the very least."*

--Rosario Dawson, Actress and Entrepreneur

*An except from: Q & A Panel from Comicpalooza June 2015 

Be Better...Antonia C. Novello

“I do believe that the spirit of entrepreneur[ship] and wanting to be something else every single day of my life, . . . comes from her [my mother]. Because I always remember a mother who always worked, who always studied, and who always tried to better herself. 

--Dr. Antonia C. Novello

#LeadershipTuesdays: The Power Of Images

As the first Hispanic female governor in history, little girls often come up to me in the grocery store or the mall. They look and point, and when they get the courage, they ask 'Are you Susana?' and they run up and give me a hug.

--Susana Martinez, 31st Governor of New Mexico

Meet Governor Susana Martinez

Every other Tuesday, WOMEN AT LIBERTY provides a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage, and strengthen women leaders. Images are so important in today's society. So much of what we see on television or in the media, whether accurate or not, is taken as the norm. It is very hard to become what you do not see. Meaning, it is very hard, not impossible, but hard to become an astrophysicist if you grow up in a town of farmers, come from a family of farmers, and you are never exposed to people who have studied astronomy or the sciences. But if you watched "Cosmos: A Personal Voyage" by Carl Sagan on PBS or became familiar with his work through that exposure, you would be able to decide whether you had interest in astrophysics.

Now that's an extreme example, nonetheless it amplifies a broader point: it is important for little girls and boys to be exposed to powerful images of accomplished women, men and minorities who are leaders. It shows them what is possible. Governor Susana Martinez's story as told in the quote above is a powerful one. Being the first Hispanic and woman to be elected as Governor of New Mexico creates a legacy for other Latinos and women that are sure to follow her. So today, during Hispanic Heritage Month, we salute Governor Susana Martinez for her accomplishments and legacy.

As mentioned earlier, the images we see in the media are important to our worldview. I invite you to check out this brief video blog entitled, "Women and The Media: Miss Representation?", which talks about the images of women and minorities that we are expose to on American television and the power that we, especially women, have to impact what we see in the media.

For more information on Leadership Tuesdays or WOMEN AT LIBERTY, click here. 
 

Looking At History Through Colored Lens...James Feinmore Cooper

“History, like love, is so apt to surround her heroes with an atmosphere of imaginary brightness.”

--James Fenimore Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans