Full Transcript for You Don't Need Dollars to Have Dignity: Miguel Centeno on Community, Accessibility, and Impact

--> 00:02:25.039 Me too. 00:02:25.199 --> 00:02:31.039 It's just, you know, just in the few conversations that we've had, you know, I've learned so much. 00:02:31.360 --> 00:02:33.919 And I really we could probably go on for hours. 00:02:34.080 --> 00:02:36.400 But I want to start with the beginning. 00:02:36.560 --> 00:02:40.400 You know, one of the things is like you grew up in the Bronx in public housing. 00:02:40.479 --> 00:02:48.479 You grew up with Puerto Rican-born parents who, you know, worked really hard to give you everything, but you're still living in a particular space. 00:02:48.639 --> 00:02:51.680 You only have a certain level of exposure to the world. 00:02:51.919 --> 00:02:56.240 Obviously, as kids, what you see around you is your entire world at that time. 00:02:56.479 --> 00:03:19.599 But when you think back to that apartment, when you think back to the block that you grew up on in the Bronx and you think back to your childhood, what lessons, you know, do you see yourself thinking about like how that has the lessons that your parents taught you, the things that you learned from childhood that you would say that still carry forward today? 00:03:19.840 --> 00:03:20.080 Yeah. 00:03:20.319 --> 00:03:23.599 You don't need dollars to have dignity, right? 00:03:23.759 --> 00:03:26.479 We grew up extremely uh modestly. 00:03:26.639 --> 00:03:34.639 Uh, I can still remember uh, you know, many evenings during the winter when we wouldn't have heat or we wouldn't have hot water. 00:03:34.879 --> 00:03:38.000 But my sister and I always had a loving home. 00:03:38.159 --> 00:03:48.000 And so my parents may not have had much to offer materially, but they offered so much in terms of love and support and encouragement. 00:03:48.240 --> 00:03:56.240 You know, the lasting lesson from that is that we've got to learn how to treat each other with dignity. 00:03:56.400 --> 00:03:59.840 And that we don't have to have a lot ourselves in order to do that, right? 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:02.080 It really has to simply come from within. 00:04:02.159 --> 00:04:11.280 Uh, and then the flip side of that, which I hope to be able to get into during our conversation, is that there's also dignity in accepting help, right? 00:04:11.439 --> 00:04:18.240 That, you know, too often in life we feel too proud to accept help when it's offered. 00:04:18.399 --> 00:04:23.600 And my perspective on that is hey, we have a destiny to fulfill. 00:04:23.759 --> 00:04:30.800 And if this help is going to be a pathway toward my realizing that destiny, right? 00:04:30.959 --> 00:04:33.920 To be able to fulfill my life's purpose. 00:04:34.079 --> 00:04:53.519 If that help is gonna be instrumental to my realizing that, then I'm going to accept that help and I'm going to accept it proudly because I'm certainly not going to let something like pride get in the way of realizing what I'm meant to achieve and meant to contribute in this world. 00:04:53.839 --> 00:05:02.800 Gosh, that, you know, that point about, first of all, dignity has come up so many times in other conversations that I've had with other change makers. 00:05:03.040 --> 00:05:13.040 And I think that there's so much power that you shared it from this perspective of what dignity, that dignity is something that everyone can have. 00:05:13.279 --> 00:05:17.519 And dignity is what everyone can experience and should experience. 00:05:17.759 --> 00:05:25.120 It is not reserved for a socioeconomic class or for your status or because you hold this title. 00:05:25.279 --> 00:05:29.120 It is your right as a human to have dignity. 00:05:29.439 --> 00:05:36.319 And it sounds like that's what really your parents really shared in you, showed you with the love and care. 00:05:36.560 --> 00:05:44.480 And, you know, when you talk about that accepting of help and the dignity in being able to say, yes, like I appreciate you helping me with this. 00:05:44.720 --> 00:05:55.360 And so much of that, you know, it comes from this idea of there's a lot of broken trust when you look at these marginalized and communities that have been really, really oppressed. 00:05:55.600 --> 00:05:58.319 There's a lot of mistrust with the system. 00:05:58.399 --> 00:06:01.680 There's mistrust with leadership, there's mistrust with institutions. 00:06:01.920 --> 00:06:05.600 And so there's this idea that, you know, I've got to have my own back. 00:06:05.759 --> 00:06:14.560 And when they come in and also you see families that are broken and you see families that also have that, then it gets into the cellular level. 00:06:14.720 --> 00:06:20.959 You know, we talk about health, but like it gets into the cellular level of how we're then conditioned to showing up. 00:06:21.120 --> 00:06:32.879 And so, you know, being able to say that, like, yes, I am going to accept help, but and that doesn't make me smaller or doesn't make me pathetic, but it's what is going to get me to that purpose. 00:06:33.040 --> 00:06:55.839 You know, something that you experienced is when you were, you know, when you were going and studying and, you know, just being a kid, you were actually, you and your sister were then identified as two individuals that, you know, this woman showed up in your life and said, I'm gonna invest in you. 00:06:56.000 --> 00:06:59.519 And imagine if your family said, Nope, we don't trust you. 00:06:59.680 --> 00:07:07.040 You're not, we don't, we're not, they're fine with where they're at and they're gonna keep doing what they're doing, like how your life trajectory would have changed. 00:07:07.199 --> 00:07:18.240 I really would love for you to share the story about, you know, your experience with this woman who came into your life and fundamentally changed everything about it. 00:07:18.480 --> 00:07:19.759 There is no question about that. 00:07:19.920 --> 00:07:24.639 You know, I think many times in life we are in the presence of guardian angels. 00:07:24.800 --> 00:07:28.319 And we may not necessarily

know it at the time, but eventually we get to know that. 00:07:28.399 --> 00:07:33.279 And Susan Luger was a guardian angel uh to both my sister and me. 00:07:33.600 --> 00:07:39.759 We're gonna, we're gonna create a find Susan Luger, you know, social media uh attempt out for that. 00:07:40.160 --> 00:07:41.519 That would be, that would be awesome. 00:07:41.680 --> 00:07:44.399 My sister and I have tried unsuccessfully. 00:07:44.639 --> 00:07:56.399 So if through participation in this program she and I are able to reconnect with Susan Luger, that would be a wonderful bonus uh to having participated here today. 00:07:56.560 --> 00:08:00.560 Uh, you know, this woman didn't have to do what she was doing. 00:08:00.800 --> 00:08:21.600 She chose to live her life in that way that she was going to commit her talents, her time, her resources to helping students like my sister and me, uh, folks who showed promise uh but didn't have the financial wherewithal that other students may have had. 00:08:22.639 --> 00:08:36.240 And she said, we're gonna help these kids and we're going to prepare them to participate in schools, education that otherwise they wouldn't even know existed. 00:08:36.480 --> 00:08:48.960 And so she helped my sister and me and countless other promising minority students to prepare for the entrance exams for competitive schools. 00:08:49.200 --> 00:08:54.080 And this is something that my parents just didn't know anything about. 00:08:54.240 --> 00:09:01.519 And so the fact that she came into our lives, and there we were Saturday after Saturday, preparing for these exams. 00:09:01.600 --> 00:09:02.960 Now remember, we're little kids. 00:09:03.279 --> 00:09:06.240 There are other things that we would have rather been doing on our Saturdays. 00:09:06.399 --> 00:09:09.200 But, you know, my parents certainly saw the value, right? 00:09:09.279 --> 00:09:13.840 Because remember, my sister and I were too young to consent to this ourselves. 00:09:14.000 --> 00:09:23.360 So my parents had to be the first line to be able to say, hey, this is something really good, and please continue with what you're offering. 00:09:23.519 --> 00:09:27.919 And so for us to have that opportunity, and then, hey, we did the work, right? 00:09:28.080 --> 00:09:30.159 So we had to do our part and we had to do the work. 00:09:30.320 --> 00:09:37.919 And so, you know, we we took that entrance exam and we ended up gaining admission to the ethical culture schools. 00:09:38.080 --> 00:09:49.600 And so now we go from, in my case, go from attending a neighborhood school that I would get to with a five-minute walk, the elementary school that I had been going to. 00:09:49.919 --> 00:09:58.480 Now I've got to take the subway from the Bronx into Manhattan to attend the Midtown school, it's called, on Central Park West. 00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:04.960 Hit from Bronx Public Housing, and now all of a sudden I'm gonna going to school on Central Park West. 00:10:05.279 --> 00:10:06.879 Like, it's a whole new world. 00:10:07.039 --> 00:10:07.600 Yeah. 00:10:07.919 --> 00:10:10.480 But that's what, you know, I was exposed to. 00:10:10.639 --> 00:10:13.840 And then, you know, my sister went to Fieldston Lower. 00:10:13.919 --> 00:10:20.399 And then ultimately we both went to Fieldston, the school that we attended from seventh through twelfth grade. 00:10:20.480 --> 00:10:20.799 Yeah. 00:10:21.039 --> 00:10:25.519 Just things that would not have even been on the radar screen. 00:10:25.759 --> 00:10:26.240 Yeah. 00:10:26.480 --> 00:10:31.919 And so, you know, to to think about what that positioned us to do afterwards. 00:10:32.080 --> 00:10:38.159 And then all of the people that my sister and I have been able to impact through our respective careers. 00:10:38.320 --> 00:10:38.639 Yeah. 00:10:38.799 --> 00:10:41.120 I mean, the impact is in the thousands. 00:10:41.279 --> 00:10:41.759 It's tremendous. 00:10:42.320 --> 00:10:43.039 It's tremendous. 00:10:43.279 --> 00:10:54.240 And I want to, I want to actually like talk about that moment because here you are, you know, your parents see the value of this, and you're you're receiving this incredible support. 00:10:54.399 --> 00:10:57.679 You're now being transported to a whole new world. 00:10:57.759 --> 00:11:15.200 And something that I remember as well, and people don't realize this, is that, you know, when I when so when I was doing clinical therapy and I was doing home-based counseling in New York, I would go out to the furthest areas of Brooklyn, East New York, and, you know, further out, like Coney Island is literally that's it, right? 00:11:15.600 --> 00:11:16.480 There's nothing more there. 00:11:16.639 --> 00:11:23.120 And these are kids who are born and raised in New York City, who are, you know, live their entire lives out there. 00:11:23.279 --> 00:11:27.360 And in our sessions, they would ask me, like, so what does Central Park look like? 00:11:27.600 --> 00:11:28.080 What is it? 00:11:28.240 --> 00:11:30.320 What is, you know, what does Manhattan look like? 00:11:30.480 --> 00:11:34.399 Like, because when you're that far out, you actually can't even see the skyline. 00:11:34.559 --> 00:11:35.840 Like it's not possible. 00:11:36.080 --> 00:11:42.320 And so, you know, and for them, it's a decision of do I buy lunch or do I go on the subway? 00:11:42.559 --> 00:11:52.240 And so, you know, making those decisions, like these are kids that are literally 45 minutes out and have never actually stepped into this whole world that the world glorifies. 00:11:52.480 --> 00:12:11.039 And so be going from a space where, you know, your whole world is in the Bronx, it's in the projects, and you're surrounded by people who have made amends with or justified, settled into that, well, this is my life and this is how I live, and this is what my future is going to also look like. 00:12:11.200 --> 00:12:15.279 And you have now this opportunity of being transported into a whole other world.

00:12:15.440 --> 00:12:40.240 I can imagine that even as a kid, you are so well aware of how you are now just having this dance between two very, very different worlds and what that might have been like for you to walk down that hill, you know, while everyone else is being busted in these private buses and you are taking the public bus back to the Bronx. 00:12:40.399 --> 00:12:55.039 Yet you're in school with these kids, you're seeing how they live, you're experiencing what they're experiencing, you're you're getting that education as them, but then you're getting transported back to the world where they have justified that this is my future. 00:12:55.360 --> 00:13:08.480 How, you know, I've I've a few questions about this, but we'll start with can you take us back to that moment of like what that felt like for you to have to kind of dance between these two worlds and have to navigate your own experience within your body? 00:13:08.720 --> 00:13:09.840 Yeah, it's a great question. 00:13:09.919 --> 00:13:16.960 So you you were describing the situation of my transporting to the Fieldson School. 00:13:17.200 --> 00:13:18.960 So I was done with the Midtown School. 00:13:19.039 --> 00:13:20.240 That was the subway ride. 00:13:20.399 --> 00:13:23.120 And now the Fieldston School is also in the Bronx. 00:13:23.200 --> 00:13:26.320 Uh, and so the way I would get there is by public bus. 00:13:26.720 --> 00:13:43.440 And whenever I would arrive at the school in the morning, there would be all of these private buses, the Liberty Lines buses, all lined up, transporting the kids from the Upper West Side and the Upper East Side and wherever else uh they may have come from. 00:13:43.600 --> 00:13:48.399 And so, you know, I was constantly having to manage that. 00:13:48.960 --> 00:14:01.279 It's like, why is it that these kids have this mode of transportation where they're basically picked up and taken to school, and then at the end of the day, they're picked up and taken home. 00:14:01.440 --> 00:14:10.879 And meanwhile, my sister and I have to walk down this very steep hill to get down to the public bus line to then take the bus home. 00:14:11.120 --> 00:14:16.240 And one of the things that I never did was I never begrudged other people's resources. 00:14:16.720 --> 00:14:18.000 I was like, you know, that's huge. 00:14:18.240 --> 00:14:18.559 God bless. 00:14:18.879 --> 00:14:20.159 I don't think that's that's common. 00:14:20.480 --> 00:14:21.120 Right, right. 00:14:21.200 --> 00:14:22.240 So, you know, God bless. 00:14:22.399 --> 00:14:33.600 But what I was left with was why is it that the people that don't typically have those resources that they far more often than not look like me? 00:14:33.919 --> 00:14:34.480 Why is that? 00:14:34.639 --> 00:14:34.879 Yeah. 00:14:35.039 --> 00:14:35.279 Right. 00:14:35.440 --> 00:14:52.240 And so it was very proactively wanting to address that observation that led to the career that I have and one where I'm able to impact people's lives in a positive way. 00:14:52.399 --> 00:14:53.919 You know, so that's one of the things, right? 00:14:54.159 --> 00:15:00.240 You can't get caught up in what I don't have because then you get mired in that rabbit hole, right? 00:15:00.399 --> 00:15:04.879 I think it's got to be more about an asset-based approach. 00:15:05.039 --> 00:15:07.039 It's like, hey, I have assets. 00:15:07.200 --> 00:15:11.039 They may not be material, but I have things that are of value. 00:15:11.200 --> 00:15:12.559 A am of value. 00:15:12.720 --> 00:15:17.200 And so what can I do to try to move forward? 00:15:17.360 --> 00:15:20.080 And that's where what I mentioned before, accepting the help. 00:15:20.240 --> 00:15:22.960 I've accepted lots of help in my life. 00:15:23.120 --> 00:15:24.559 And I'm grateful for it. 00:15:24.720 --> 00:15:28.480 And I'm also now grateful for the fact that I'm able to help others, right? 00:15:30.240 --> 00:15:35.759 I think that like that part right there of, you know, seeing yourself that I am of value. 00:15:35.919 --> 00:15:44.320 I don't need external materialistic things to see the value that I add, whether it's through the the natural strengths and gifts that you have. 00:15:44.480 --> 00:15:55.600 Like if you are someone who was just brilliant when it comes to math, you know, I can tell you I absolutely suck at math and you do not want me doing your accounting. 00:15:55.840 --> 00:15:58.000 Like I don't want, I should not be doing my own accounting. 00:15:58.080 --> 00:15:58.960 That's why I have an accountant. 00:15:59.440 --> 00:16:05.279 But it's, you know, everyone has a strength, everyone has a gift that they come into this world with. 00:16:05.519 --> 00:16:22.080 And when you see that as value and asset that you're able to bring to the world, I'm curious that when you were a kid and you're going to Fieldston and you're you're seeing this and you're getting the exposure and you're seeing, and you're sounds like you're having having a lot of gratitude for this opportunity. 00:16:22.320 --> 00:16:32.240 Were you able to then, as you come back into home and now you've got your friends that you've growing up with and they're seeing you go to Fieldston? 00:16:32.480 --> 00:16:36.879 Were did you notice you being able to influence them or inspire them as well? 00:16:37.039 --> 00:16:42.960 To being like, hey, you know, yes, you're not at Fieldston with me, but this is what you can be doing too. 00:16:43.519 --> 00:16:45.759 Did you see those changes even then? 00:16:46.240 --> 00:16:51.440 Yeah, you know, it was about trying to do the best I could with what I had. 00:16:51.600 --> 00:17:00.639 And I had been blessed, right, with certain opportunities that otherwise would not have come my way, thanks to Susan Luger and others. 00:17:00.799 --> 00:17:16.240 And so I was very conscious about making sure that others had that proper mindset or what I viewed as the proper mindset of, hey, we may also not have had

everything that we would have wanted to have growing up. 00:17:16.400 --> 00:17:22.480 But it's about how do we make the most of what we have and wanting to make a difference in the world, right? 00:17:22.640 --> 00:17:23.920 We're not going to be here forever. 00:17:24.079 --> 00:17:26.319 So what's going to outlive us, right? 00:17:26.480 --> 00:17:29.920 What's our legacy going to be for having been on this earth? 00:17:30.240 --> 00:17:33.359 And how can you build your legacy while you're still living, right? 00:17:33.519 --> 00:17:35.839 Like not wait for it to be until you're on. 00:17:36.000 --> 00:17:37.839 But it's like your living legacy. 00:17:37.920 --> 00:17:58.799 And for you, Miguel, your living legacy is the impact you're able to make through, you know, doing social impact work by doing these, by being part of Health First and making sure that communities have the right health care and have access to things that, you know, otherwise those resources seem very, you know, far and few between. 00:17:58.960 --> 00:18:11.839 What I'm curious about though is that so you see your value, you see your assets, you see all this, you're given this opportunity at Field Stand, you're inspiring people around you, even at that age, to look at like, what do you have and what can you work with? 00:18:12.000 --> 00:18:31.839 And yet, when you are getting ready to go to college, you then get your student counselor who is trying to prevent you from applying to Columbia and saying that, you know, you may not want to apply there and maybe you want to apply to somewhere that's more affordable or that's a little bit more realistic, more realistic for you. 00:18:32.640 --> 00:18:43.680 You know, I I say this also with having my own experience with the dean of my college telling me that I shouldn't bother finishing because I'm not gonna amount to anything. 00:18:43.839 --> 00:19:00.960 You know, and I think about you know, my friend Jasmine, who also grew up in Sunset Park and went to um, you know, she was a first generation coming out of the projects, got her PhD at Yale, but like her experience of having to get there, prove herself, it stays with you in your body. 00:19:01.119 --> 00:19:02.799 You know, think of even about Michelle Obama. 00:19:03.200 --> 00:19:06.799 Michelle Obama was told that, like, nah, you're not gonna get into Princeton. 00:19:06.960 --> 00:19:12.400 Like, you know, you need to, you need to, you know, think a little bit more smaller than where you're thinking. 00:19:12.480 --> 00:19:14.000 Like your head's getting too big. 00:19:14.319 --> 00:19:31.200 But for you, you know, when that voice arrived, and when you have this person who's supposed to be your high school, high school guidance counselor, who is supposed to be on your side telling you not to apply to Columbia, and you did it anyways, and you got in. 00:19:31.519 --> 00:19:36.640 And, you know, in in there was this internal battle then of like, can I make it there? 00:19:36.799 --> 00:19:38.319 Is it is it too much for me? 00:19:38.480 --> 00:19:46.319 Like, I want to know what that experience was like for you to believe in yourself, but get accepted somewhere that you wanted to go. 00:19:46.480 --> 00:19:56.319 But then that internal battle of what happens to the kid from the Bronx who cares so deeply, who who is supposed to, you know, make and is doing incredible work. 00:19:56.720 --> 00:20:01.759 But that voice, how do you battle with that voice that gets like incepted into your mind? 00:20:02.000 --> 00:20:03.359 Yeah, it's really hard. 00:20:03.519 --> 00:20:07.759 And, you know, again, that's where accepting help pulled me through. 00:20:07.920 --> 00:20:12.160 Uh, the first source of help was from my parents and my family. 00:20:12.319 --> 00:20:19.599 And I remember getting this consistent message hey, if they accepted you, it's because they believe you can do the work. 00:20:19.839 --> 00:20:20.799 You belong there. 00:20:20.960 --> 00:20:21.440 Right. 00:20:21.599 --> 00:20:23.359 They wouldn't have accepted you otherwise. 00:20:23.519 --> 00:20:28.319 So it's like, okay, that has merit, but I had to come to believe that myself, right? 00:20:28.480 --> 00:20:39.759 So it's one thing for people to tell you, but then when you've had a life of wondering, why is the system not necessarily working for people who look like me, right? 00:20:39.920 --> 00:20:46.880 Then you start to wonder, wow, maybe there's a reason why the guidance counselor was trying to give me this advice. 00:20:47.039 --> 00:20:50.400 And so having to push through that was very difficult. 00:20:50.559 --> 00:20:58.000 And I will say that what was a great help was the higher education opportunity program. 00:20:58.319 --> 00:21:04.240 I was accepted into the higher education opportunity program, which provides extra financial support. 00:21:04.400 --> 00:21:12.160 There's a pre-freshman orientation to help acclimate, you know, kids to college life, right? 00:21:12.319 --> 00:21:20.880 Particularly those who, like me, didn't have parents who had gone to college who could sit down with me and tell me, son, this is great. 00:21:21.039 --> 00:21:22.480 You're in Columbia now. 00:21:22.720 --> 00:21:24.720 Let me tell you what you're in for now. 00:21:24.960 --> 00:21:25.200 Yeah. 00:21:25.440 --> 00:21:26.960 I didn't have anybody to tell me. 00:21:27.119 --> 00:21:27.279 Yeah. 00:21:27.519 --> 00:21:29.200 They don't have names on buildings. 00:21:29.359 --> 00:21:32.720 They don't have, you know, that alum access. 00:21:33.119 --> 00:21:33.680 That's right. 00:21:34.000 --> 00:21:42.720 So, you know, without having had the financial wherewithal or anyone in my immediate circle that had gone through college, right? 00:21:42.799 --> 00:21:46.720 I was the first one to go, thank goodness, for this program. 00:21:47.039 --> 00:21:54.559 To also, similar, similarly to Susan Luger, the program communicates that we believe in you.

00:21:54.720 --> 00:21:59.519 We believe you have enormous potential, but we need to level the playing field. 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:02.079 This is equity in action, right? 00:22:02.319 --> 00:22:04.000 Leveling the playing field. 00:22:04.240 --> 00:22:11.920 So others who have this benefit of their parents having gone to college, you don't have that. 00:22:12.079 --> 00:22:18.240 So what do you need in order to level the playing field with someone who has that kind of experience? 00:22:18.400 --> 00:22:24.319 Again, not begrudging that individual who has that experience, but hey, how about me? 00:22:24.559 --> 00:22:26.880 How do I get a how do I get a little bit of that action? 00:22:26.960 --> 00:22:27.279 Yeah. 00:22:27.519 --> 00:22:28.319 Right, right. 00:22:28.559 --> 00:22:33.920 And so, you know, this program instilled that confidence. 00:22:34.160 --> 00:22:38.319 That was sort of the final push to say, hey, Miguel, you're not alone. 00:22:38.559 --> 00:22:38.799 Yeah. 00:22:39.039 --> 00:22:45.599 And how often in life is it so important for us to truly understand that we are not alone? 00:22:45.920 --> 00:23:01.839 You know, that that is that part where even if you think about it, what you're just saying right there is that students who have parents that have generational support of going to college, they have help because their parents have know what it's like and they can help them with that. 00:23:02.079 --> 00:23:14.240 Students or just individuals who have parents that own businesses, you know, they're able to say, all right, yeah, sure, go out there, get an internship, whatever, but ultimately you can come work into my business. 00:23:14.400 --> 00:23:16.720 You have something here to work through. 00:23:16.880 --> 00:23:19.359 I'm going to teach you how to think about business. 00:23:19.599 --> 00:23:46.480 You know, you hear this all the time with kids who grow up with very in wealthy homes, the way that those parents set their kids up to already receiving financial benefits from a very young age and the way that they even teach them and about money, like money is a tool, money is energy, money is something that you flow versus when you're a someone who's growing up in the projects or you're growing up middle class, like your relationship to money is so different. 00:23:46.640 --> 00:23:54.079 And so, in the same manner, you know, that relationship to help and as like circling back to that is so different. 00:23:54.319 --> 00:24:08.559 The one who is, you know, we look at, we look at kind of like Amazon or you look at these large, large organizations, they have no problems getting a corporate handout, you know, and and asking for support from the government when things are not doing well. 00:24:08.720 --> 00:24:14.400 Like we had, you know, during COVID and the pandemic with the big bailout with like airlines and industries. 00:24:14.480 --> 00:24:21.039 And, you know, we had all of those things and they're asking for it because they make it into and justify it as business sense. 00:24:21.200 --> 00:24:27.839 It makes business sense for us in order for our business to not collapse, which employs thousands of people. 00:24:28.000 --> 00:24:31.759 And so that it doesn't collapse the economics of our society. 00:24:32.000 --> 00:24:35.920 It makes sense for you, the government, to help support us. 00:24:36.079 --> 00:24:45.519 But yet, if we take that same conversation and move it down to individuals where it's saying, hey, you know what? 00:24:45.759 --> 00:24:53.039 You don't have the same resources available to you that this wealthy person can or this organization can. 00:24:53.200 --> 00:24:55.920 But I want to make sure that you still get access to education. 00:24:56.079 --> 00:25:01.759 I want to make sure that you still get access to, you know, being able to change the trajectory of your life. 00:25:02.000 --> 00:25:09.839 And those same individuals are looking at help as if because we've been trained in society to say that, oh, it's a handout. 00:25:10.000 --> 00:25:13.519 And, you know, so so what I'm hearing with you is like you really flip that. 00:25:13.599 --> 00:25:14.960 It's like this isn't a handout. 00:25:15.119 --> 00:25:16.799 You are still having to do the work. 00:25:17.039 --> 00:25:18.400 You may have that opportunity. 00:25:18.559 --> 00:25:25.759 It's no different than like, you know, a LeBron James son can come into the basketball, but if he doesn't perform, he's out. 00:25:25.920 --> 00:25:34.000 So you're getting access, but you still have to do the work to actually, you know, continue to reap the benefits of it. 00:25:34.160 --> 00:25:49.519 And so that relationship to help is how you're reframing the way that that, and because your family accepted help from Susan Luger, because you went to that class, you know, and you understood, okay, like what is it going to take for me to be successful here at Columbia? 00:25:49.680 --> 00:25:51.920 It continued to change the trajectory of your life. 00:25:52.160 --> 00:25:52.640 Absolutely. 00:25:52.799 --> 00:25:54.000 I mean, no question about it. 00:25:54.160 --> 00:26:07.519 It's, you know, Susan Luger presented the platform of the classes, but I still had to do the work on the Saturdays in order to be able to do well enough on the exam to be able to gain admission to the ethical culture schools. 00:26:07.680 --> 00:26:15.759 And then at the college level, wonderful, greatly appreciative of the support that the higher education opportunity program provided. 00:26:15.920 --> 00:26:19.359 But then I've got to go to the classes and I've got to do the work. 00:26:19.519 --> 00:26:27.039 And, you know, proud to share that, you know, I was on Dean's List for five semesters of my time at Columbia. 00:26:27.200 --> 00:26:28.559 That didn't just happen. 00:26:28.720 --> 00:26:30.160 I had to put in the work. 00:26:30.400 --> 00:26:37.920 And then subsequent to that at NYU and to the point where I was,

you know, the student speaker at graduation. 00:26:38.079 --> 00:26:41.359 Again, I had to do all of that work in order to get there. 00:26:41.759 --> 00:26:48.240 And so, you know, society unfortunately sometimes stigmatizes the fact that people need help. 00:26:48.400 --> 00:27:02.240 The same society that will withhold resources from these folks will also then stigmatize the same folks who are trying to gain resources that have been withheld from them from so long. 00:27:02.319 --> 00:27:02.400 Right. 00:27:02.640 --> 00:27:07.200 I was like, wow, wow, that's patently unfair. 00:27:07.440 --> 00:27:07.839 Yeah. 00:27:08.079 --> 00:27:18.799 And so I wanna, I wanna flip that script and say, hey, you know, let's work where we can to break down those societal barriers. 00:27:18.960 --> 00:27:27.680 And one of those barriers is to normalize help, giving it, receiving it as a way for everyone to be able to move forward. 00:27:27.759 --> 00:27:32.240 Because again, at the end of the day, everyone has to do the work. 00:27:32.400 --> 00:27:35.839 Once they get the assistance, they've got to do the work. 00:27:36.160 --> 00:27:36.559 Yeah. 00:27:36.880 --> 00:27:56.319 And you started to see, you know, you went from receiving that help, obviously as a kid and growing into that person, to now you're out in the world, you're an adult, you have your, you're, you're in your job, your first, one of your first jobs working at the family shelter. 00:27:57.200 --> 00:28:06.400 And a family shelter, you know, 80 families in one building, all waiting for the call that, you know, they you found a home for them. 00:28:06.640 --> 00:28:08.559 But you did this differently. 00:28:08.880 --> 00:28:26.480 You showed them, again, dignity, that they're not just a family who happens to live here and that they should be so grateful to be able to get an apartment or they should be so grateful for whatever you just like give to them, as if, like, here's a leftovers, here it is. 00:28:26.640 --> 00:28:29.119 You should be grateful that you're even getting my leftovers. 00:28:29.279 --> 00:28:36.480 And that is how sadly, a lot of ways people tend to move who are not in those worlds. 00:28:36.640 --> 00:28:38.400 And so they don't, they don't understand it. 00:28:38.559 --> 00:28:47.440 They don't necessarily always understand that, like, again, these are people who are in these shelters because of challenging situations that happened. 00:28:47.599 --> 00:28:53.440 Again, to debunk the myth, it's not necessarily because of mental health or because of drug abuse or any of those things. 00:28:53.519 --> 00:28:55.839 It's actually because they lost a job. 00:28:56.079 --> 00:29:02.480 They, you know, had medical bills that were just too much for them and they, you know, weren't able to make rent. 00:29:02.640 --> 00:29:05.359 They weren't able to pay their, they had to make a choice. 00:29:05.519 --> 00:29:07.839 Do I eat today or do I pay for this? 00:29:08.079 --> 00:29:13.599

And you have these families, kids living in this shelter. 00:29:13.839 --> 00:29:28.640 And I want you to walk us through how you showed them dignity, how you showed them that I don't care what your situation was that led you to this moment, but you absolutely deserve dignity in placement. 00:29:28.880 --> 00:29:29.519 Yeah, yeah. 00:29:29.599 --> 00:29:32.240 Uh, I remember it as if it were yesterday. 00:29:32.400 --> 00:29:36.799 Uh, so the family homeless shelter was in the Bronx. 00:29:36.960 --> 00:29:40.880 Families, however, were placed there from all over New York City. 00:29:41.039 --> 00:29:44.559 So they weren't just Bronx families who needed the support. 00:29:44.720 --> 00:29:47.279 There were people who came from all over. 00:29:47.440 --> 00:29:52.799 And I remember an exchange that I had with a family that had been relocated from Brooklyn. 00:29:52.960 --> 00:29:54.720 Brooklyn to the Bronx is not a short trip. 00:29:54.799 --> 00:29:56.480 And yet they were displaced. 00:29:56.640 --> 00:29:59.359 In this instance, it was due to a fire. 00:30:01.920 --> 00:30:05.759 And so their networks were in Brooklyn. 00:30:05.920 --> 00:30:10.319 And to them, the Bronx might as well have been another state, another country. 00:30:10.480 --> 00:30:10.880 Right. 00:30:11.119 --> 00:30:15.759 And so I remember the first time, you know, I'm in my office. 00:30:16.000 --> 00:30:19.039 The mother comes in with her four kids. 00:30:19.200 --> 00:30:29.200 And one of the first questions that I asked was, where would you prefer to have permanent housing once you live here, once you leave here? 00:30:29.359 --> 00:30:30.640 And she said, excuse me. 00:30:30.799 --> 00:30:31.920 So I had to repeat it. 00:30:32.079 --> 00:30:37.759 And then I wanted to share a little of the why behind the question. 00:30:37.920 --> 00:30:47.599 And it was because, hey, I know that the kids had friends and there may even have been family members who helped take care of the kids. 00:30:47.839 --> 00:30:49.279 And those are resources. 00:30:49.599 --> 00:30:50.240 Absolutely. 00:30:50.480 --> 00:30:51.119 Absolutely. 00:30:51.359 --> 00:30:54.160 Resources that need to be acknowledged and valued. 00:30:54.319 --> 00:30:58.799 And so, you know, I shared this rationale with her. 00:30:59.039 --> 00:31:07.279 And, you know, she started to cry because she had not been asked these kinds of questions when she entered the homeless system. 00:31:07.440 --> 00:31:09.359 It was basically just being processed. 00:31:09.440 --> 00:31:10.799 And here's where you show up. 00:31:11.200 --> 00:31:12.720 There wasn't any concern, right? 00:31:12.880 --> 00:31:16.559 There wasn't any concern about networks that may have been left behind. 00:31:16.799 --> 00:31:32.400 Uh, and so for her to have heard someone who was in a position to help actually ask what was important to her and not, as you mentioned before, how sometimes it's characterized, hey, you're happy for whatever you get. 00:31:32.640 --> 00:31:33.039 No, no. 00:31:33.440 --> 00:31:34.960 What would you prefer? 00:31:35.119 --> 00:31:40.079 Right in that moment, I could see the heaviness lift from her shoulders. 00:31:40.400 --> 00:31:53.039 Because now she had confidence that when her family got back on their feet, they would be able to do so in a place where the networks could be reactivated and all of the support that comes with that. 00:31:53.200 --> 00:31:55.839 And so, you know, I did that work for a couple of years. 00:31:56.000 --> 00:32:00.319 And so that same kind of experience played out over and over. 00:32:00.559 --> 00:32:12.079 And, you know, and remember, you know, I'm asking the question as the individual who lived in public housing and often had the heat and hot water shut off. 00:32:12.240 --> 00:32:12.559 Right. 00:32:12.799 --> 00:32:16.400 So I'm asking from that place of empathy. 00:32:16.559 --> 00:32:16.799 Yeah. 00:32:16.960 --> 00:32:31.039 And I'm grateful to have had that opportunity because, you know, some of the families, not all of them, but some of them after they were placed would actually reach out and share, you know, how how well things had been going for the family. 00:32:31.279 --> 00:32:38.799 And just, you know, a word of thanks for caring enough to ask the question about what was important to me, right? 00:32:39.119 --> 00:32:39.759 Dignity. 00:32:40.079 --> 00:32:40.400 Dignity. 00:32:41.119 --> 00:32:42.160 Sharing dignity. 00:32:42.240 --> 00:32:45.920 It's this person just happened to be going through a season of a rough time. 00:32:46.079 --> 00:33:00.720 I mean, I I we have a family friend, one of my father's old college buddies, who actually grew up in extreme wealth in India and moved here and, you know, got into real estate, got married, had kids, the whole thing. 00:33:00.880 --> 00:33:06.400 And in the early 90s, when there was that big collapse, ended up losing everything. 00:33:07.279 --> 00:33:18.079 And went from a lot of wealth and having all these real estate properties and everything, and going into him, his wife, and his three kids living in their car. 00:33:18.319 --> 00:33:34.480 And so, you know, to go from that moment and then from there was able to, because of the support and because of being able to one, know what it's like to be at the top and know what access and resources and things are available. 00:33:34.640 --> 00:33:48.799 And then being able to like get to this point and then tap into that again and being able to say, like, all right, like I know what it takes to get up here again, but like right now, like this is the support that I need and getting that and was able to rebuild all the way to the same moment again. 00:33:49.039 --> 00:34:06.960 But I take that story because so much of what you're talking about is that no one would have thought that someone who comes from extreme wealth can actually drop to that moment and have to deal with the same challenges where I think people expect it

to be that, oh, well, these are individuals that have always been in these positions. 00:34:07.119 --> 00:34:14.000 These are individuals that have always struggled or they don't know how to manage their money, they don't know how to manage this or whatever. 00:34:14.159 --> 00:34:24.239 And now they're just being a burden on us, not having taken the moment like you have to have that empathy and compassion and to provide context to what matters. 00:34:24.400 --> 00:34:31.760 And I think that, you know, what you're talking about is the fact that you ask the question of, hey, where would you prefer to live? 00:34:31.920 --> 00:34:33.679 What where is your community? 00:34:33.920 --> 00:34:35.679 Where are your kids' friends? 00:34:35.840 --> 00:34:37.760 What school does your kid go to? 00:34:38.000 --> 00:34:50.320 What you're actually then doing is you're utilizing the resources that the system has in a way that won't have these individuals collapse again onto the system. 00:34:50.559 --> 00:35:01.280 So when we talk about that cycle, how much of the system is actually doing it to itself by not having compassion and empathy and dignity for these people? 00:35:01.679 --> 00:35:16.159 Because if you're just saying, like, all right, we'll just place you here, we'll just place you there, we'll just place you there, and now they're having to start all over again without resources, without the support system, without their community around them, they're gonna collapse back and be like, oh, here they come again. 00:35:16.480 --> 00:35:27.199 And it's like, but but your due diligence of you showing that dignity and you asking those questions actually prevented the system from being collapsing over and over again. 00:35:28.079 --> 00:35:29.119 That's absolutely right. 00:35:29.280 --> 00:35:33.039 And those are the kinds of things that don't show up necessarily in a report. 00:35:33.199 --> 00:35:33.280 Right. 00:35:33.440 --> 00:35:33.519 Right. 00:35:33.679 --> 00:35:35.360 There are things that might show up in a report. 00:35:35.440 --> 00:35:39.280 Oh, this person was placed in this housing facility. 00:35:39.519 --> 00:35:40.639 Wonderful, right? 00:35:40.800 --> 00:35:58.159 But what's not necessarily captured is what kind of quality of life do they have after being placed somewhere that is far from their networks, far from what they have known, you know, and and and to what degree were those factors even considered? 00:35:58.320 --> 00:35:58.480 Right. 00:35:58.800 --> 00:35:59.039 Yeah. 00:35:59.679 --> 00:36:03.679 And you've taken that, and now, you know, what you're at health first. 00:36:04.000 --> 00:36:14.800 And again, another organization that cares deeply about creating accessibility with healthcare so that individuals who are living in these areas have resources to support. 00:36:15.039 --> 00:36:30.400 And you shared a beautiful story with me about a woman who truly became a champion, a, you know, you could call her the PR without, you

know, the unofficial PR for what Health Force did. 00:36:30.559 --> 00:36:58.559 I'd love for you to share that story and just about, again, this 25, 30-year career you've had now of just continued validation about when you show up with dignity and with support and help these individuals and these society and communities see how their life just becomes so much more elevated and beneficial by receiving help from a place of dignity, how that can just completely transform everything. 00:36:58.719 --> 00:37:10.400 I'd love for you to share that story and just also just, you know, how her experience shifted the way then the community and neighborhood started trusting Health First. 00:37:10.800 --> 00:37:11.599 Yeah, absolutely. 00:37:11.840 --> 00:37:20.480 Well, let me just say, for those who may not know, right, Health First is the largest not-for-profit health insurer here in downstate New York. 00:37:20.719 --> 00:37:24.239 Health First is privileged to serve over two million New Yorkers. 00:37:24.400 --> 00:37:34.800 These are individuals who have access now to high-quality, low-cost health care who otherwise would very likely not happen. 00:37:35.039 --> 00:37:52.719 And so, you know, we in community engagement spend quite a bit of time educating the community on health and wellness, on other things, again, to empower people, to have the tools that they need in order to live their happiest, most productive life. 00:37:52.960 --> 00:38:00.559 And so, in the course of doing this work, we met this wonderful ambassador, as it turned out, uh, for Health First. 00:38:00.800 --> 00:38:06.639 You know, she was always so proud to share her Health First story. 00:38:06.719 --> 00:38:15.039 And she would tell anyone who was within earshot that when I got cancer, Health First was there for me every step of the way. 00:38:15.280 --> 00:38:18.480 And I am a Health First member for life. 00:38:18.639 --> 00:38:25.840 She was a woman of wonderful spirit, incredibly community-minded, incredibly community-minded. 00:38:25.920 --> 00:38:30.239 You know, she unfortunately uh ended up losing her battle with cancer. 00:38:30.480 --> 00:38:34.079 But, you know, we continue to work with that community. 00:38:34.239 --> 00:38:45.679 We continue to work with her children who are advancing her vision for community empowerment through her foundation that she created. 00:38:45.840 --> 00:38:51.679 And so, you know, that is one example of doing well by doing good. 00:38:52.320 --> 00:38:52.719 Right? 00:38:53.039 --> 00:38:56.559 We do well by doing right by people. 00:38:56.880 --> 00:38:59.920 It's not trying to get by. 00:39:00.800 --> 00:39:04.719 It's not trying to get around or get over. 00:39:05.280 --> 00:39:09.119 It's doing what's in that individual's best interests. 00:39:09.280 --> 00:39:10.880 We do well by doing good. 00:39:11.039 --> 00:39:22.239 And so I think it's a, you know, the approach that we take at Hell First, I think is one that hopefully more and more companies can emulate. 00:39:22.480 --> 00:39:32.239 Because they're there, you know, there's incredible loyalty that is then built in once you have treated someone with respect and dignity. 00:39:32.639 --> 00:39:33.039 Yeah. 00:39:33.280 --> 00:39:55.599 And I think that's something we're probably going to see more and more with organizations that as AI technology really takes over, we are going to see, I think, an evolution of people who now the value of human and being human is going to become even more elevated. 00:39:55.760 --> 00:39:57.039 People are going to crave it. 00:39:57.280 --> 00:40:09.360 So the organizations who actually lean in to making a difference in that touch point where you're not just another call on customer service. 00:40:09.519 --> 00:40:16.320 You're not just another patient, but you are someone that is seen as an important figure in someone's life. 00:40:16.400 --> 00:40:18.000 Like you, your health matters. 00:40:18.079 --> 00:40:32.559 And so I think more and more organizations that actually take that purpose and embed those values are actually going to see an uptick in customers being satisfied, being happy, and also just, you know, just functioning better. 00:40:32.800 --> 00:40:33.119 Yeah. 00:40:33.280 --> 00:40:33.679 Yeah. 00:40:33.920 --> 00:40:40.239 At the end of the day, AI should support human interaction, not replace it. 00:40:40.559 --> 00:40:40.960 Correct. 00:40:41.119 --> 00:40:41.440 Yeah. 00:40:41.679 --> 00:40:47.360 And so, Miguel, like in your, I feel like your life, like you were born for this. 00:40:47.519 --> 00:40:54.400 You know, you were, you were, Susan Luger didn't just see a kid who was in the Bronx that was like, oh, you're smart. 00:40:54.480 --> 00:40:56.000 All right, let's she saw you. 00:40:56.159 --> 00:40:58.000 She saw the compassion. 00:40:58.159 --> 00:40:59.360 She saw the empathy. 00:40:59.519 --> 00:41:07.920 She saw what gift you had specifically and knew that you were the one to nurture to get to the place where you are. 00:41:08.000 --> 00:41:17.760 Because of that, because Susan, and because of countless others who took a chance on you and said, I want to help you. 00:41:17.920 --> 00:41:20.719 And you were like, bring it, let's do it, you know? 00:41:20.880 --> 00:41:28.639 And your parents role modeled that by accepting Susan's help and role modeled to you that you are worth being at Columbia. 00:41:28.800 --> 00:41:30.559 They chose you, they said yes to you. 00:41:30.800 --> 00:41:33.840 So you need to now say yes to yourself. 00:41:34.079 --> 00:41:49.039 And I think that what you are really emulating and what you have is showing whether you're a change maker or you are someone who works in the social impact space, but you didn't necessarily come from that world. 00:41:49.199 --> 00:41:55.519 It can be very easy to look at those individuals as like, these are my clients and these are my patients and these are my that. 00:41:55.599 --> 00:41:57.519 But then

I return to my world, right? 00:41:57.760 --> 00:42:14.000 And what you're really showing, Miguel, through your entire storyline and everything that you've done, every story that you've shared, is that every moment of this is that we're all humans just trying to like exist in this world and show up and do the best we can for ourselves, for our neighbors and everything. 00:42:14.079 --> 00:42:22.719 And if we can just make it a little easier for each one, like the I personally believe that the more that we lean in, the more everybody benefits. 00:42:23.039 --> 00:42:29.280 Because if everyone's asking each other, what do you need, what do you need, what do you need, then you're also being asked, what do you need? 00:42:29.440 --> 00:42:31.360 And you're also being received that help. 00:42:31.519 --> 00:42:39.440 And so the way that you share that with such, you know, again, the the the theme of the theme of the conversation, dignity, the way that you really share that. 00:42:39.599 --> 00:42:40.639 I mean, I think it's really special. 00:42:40.719 --> 00:42:53.599 And I think it's something that people who get immune to the work that they do and stop treating people with that conscious compassion, you know, need to kind of keep that at top of mind for them. 00:42:53.679 --> 00:42:57.519 Like, I mean, this happens to like crisis doctors, this happens to social workers. 00:42:57.760 --> 00:43:03.440 You know, when you're working in those spaces, it becomes very easy to be like, yeah, okay, it's another day, another client, another situation. 00:43:04.480 --> 00:43:14.320 So, you know, how do you, who has spent your entire life committed to giving people better opportunities of living their life with dignity? 00:43:14.480 --> 00:43:25.519 How do you help, you know, other change makers that are, that are coming into the world, into this world, work, who are emerged and in the thick of it, who are getting exhausted, who are tired? 00:43:25.760 --> 00:43:37.199 How do you help them hold that dignity at the top so that it doesn't, it doesn't actually then, you know, lose trust with the people that they are here to work and support? 00:43:37.440 --> 00:43:37.679 Yeah. 00:43:37.840 --> 00:43:38.159 Yeah. 00:43:38.400 --> 00:43:43.760 I think it's I think it's very important never to commoditize the work that you do. 00:43:43.920 --> 00:43:46.719 And like you were saying, it's sometimes very easy to do that. 00:43:46.960 --> 00:43:50.800 Oh, you know, how many new members have we gotten this month? 00:43:50.960 --> 00:43:54.400 Oh, right, fill in the blank, depending on the the type of work that you do. 00:43:54.559 --> 00:43:59.039 And you always have to remember the human stories behind those things, right? 00:43:59.280 --> 00:43:59.760 So, yes. 00:44:00.400 --> 00:44:16.800 You know, how many families have, for how many families have we now provided incredible peace of mind because now they know that they have access to this low-cost, high-quality health insurance that they otherwise might not have had. 00:44:16.960 --> 00:44:20.639 And so I think you always got, you always have to keep that humanity at the center. 00:44:20.800 --> 00:44:30.800 One of the things that I share with my employees, the folks on my team all the time, if any of them was here right now, they would all say, yes, Miguel does tell us this. 00:44:30.960 --> 00:44:34.960 I always remind them, you are not just an employee to me. 00:44:35.119 --> 00:44:36.159 You're a human being. 00:44:36.320 --> 00:44:40.079 And so I want you to bring all of yourself to work. 00:44:40.159 --> 00:44:49.920 And so our conversations will extend beyond the project or projects at hand and extend to how's your family doing? 00:44:50.079 --> 00:44:50.880 How are you doing? 00:44:51.039 --> 00:44:51.280 Right? 00:44:51.440 --> 00:44:52.159 How can I help? 00:44:52.320 --> 00:45:03.920 And these are the kinds of things that create very strong bonds because everyone wants an opportunity to work for someone who cares about them as people. 00:45:04.159 --> 00:45:04.320 Right. 00:45:04.480 --> 00:45:06.320 And that they're not just an employee. 00:45:06.400 --> 00:45:07.440 They're not just a number. 00:45:07.599 --> 00:45:16.639 And so if we extend that mentality into everything that we do and treat people as human beings, seems like a very simple notion. 00:45:16.800 --> 00:45:22.400 But unfortunately, as you well know, not as common these days as one would hope. 00:45:22.639 --> 00:45:22.880 Right. 00:45:23.039 --> 00:45:29.360 And so we can never lose hope so long as we keep humanity at the center of what we do. 00:45:29.679 --> 00:45:34.320 My gosh, Miguel, I feel like you're healing parts of me that were wounded. 00:45:34.480 --> 00:45:41.519 You know, generally, like just by saying that, I can tell you that I know my last corporate job was incredibly toxic. 00:45:41.679 --> 00:45:51.599 And my manager was the one who was made like I to by the end of my time working in corporate, it was very much I was having nausea. 00:45:51.760 --> 00:45:55.039 I was like my stomach was, you know, was having anxiety. 00:45:55.519 --> 00:45:57.039 Sunday nights, criteria. 00:45:57.199 --> 00:46:00.639 I mean, forget Sunday nights, Monday night, Tuesday night, Wednesday night, like every night, right? 00:46:00.719 --> 00:46:07.360 Like it was just uh, and then that of course inflicts the the quality of work that I'm able to do. 00:46:07.519 --> 00:46:24.559 And it's it becomes a self-inflicted prophecy of whatever that person is putting on you, you ultimately end up showing poor work and then you're not performing well, and then you're gonna ultimately end up leaving the job, regardless of being either leaving on your own terms or leaving because they put push you out. 00:46:24.800 --> 00:46:44.480 And I I genuinely wish that every company and every place had a Miguel because the way that you share that, I think every person, whether you're a leader, whether

you're a manager, whether you're an individual contributor, whatever work you're doing, yes, you've got wounds, you've got things that you've got to work through. 00:46:44.559 --> 00:46:56.320 But the minute you start projecting that onto somebody else because you haven't worked through your own stuff, you know, you're then also impacting that person's trajectory, their confidence, their future, all of those things. 00:46:56.559 --> 00:47:17.840 That individual, the guidance counselor who told you that, you know, I don't think you should apply to Columbia, the guidance, you know, the dean who told me that I shouldn't even bother graduating from college, all of those play just as much of an impact in our minds and the way then that we operate as does the way that society has conditioned certain people in different neighborhoods to see themselves. 00:47:18.079 --> 00:47:25.840 And Miguel, what you just again show with so much compassion is that we don't have to choose to be that way. 00:47:26.000 --> 00:47:32.480 And we have a choice to have humanity, have compassion, and again, treat people with dignity. 00:47:32.559 --> 00:47:36.079 And when you treat people with dignity, you receive that respect back. 00:47:36.320 --> 00:47:40.159 And that can change all of our communities in the way that we absolutely. 00:47:40.400 --> 00:47:41.920 You you receive it tenfold. 00:47:42.159 --> 00:47:42.400 Yeah. 00:47:42.559 --> 00:47:52.719 Miguel, thank you so much for this beautiful conversation, for the warmth that you bring, for the experiences that you've shared, the stories that you've shared. 00:47:52.880 --> 00:48:03.920 And I really hope that everyone who's listening here, you know, I know right now a lot of change makers are just really exhausted with what's going on in our world and what we have to carry. 00:48:04.079 --> 00:48:17.519 And I just know that what you have just provided is a sense for these change makers and a sense of community that there are change makers like you, Miguel, who help us see that the work is worth it. 00:48:17.920 --> 00:48:18.239 Absolutely. 00:48:18.320 --> 00:48:20.719 Thank you so much for the opportunity to be with you today. 00:48:20.800 --> 00:48:21.360 And Dr. 00:48:21.440 --> 00:48:23.280 Barry for the work that you do, right? 00:48:23.440 --> 00:48:25.599 The work that you do is so critically important. 00:48:25.760 --> 00:48:32.880 And I know that there are frustrating days, but never forget, right, the impact that you're having by telling these stories. 00:48:33.119 --> 00:48:38.239 How many people hopefully will be inspired by the conversation that we had today. 00:48:38.320 --> 00:48:41.840 Um, and then multiply that by all of the conversations that you facilitate. 00:48:42.000 --> 00:48:42.960 And so thank you. 00:48:43.199 --> 00:48:49.199 Thank you for the work that you do to uplift communities and to share these stories. 00:48:49.280 --> 00:48:50.880 It's it's very, very important. 00:48:51.440 --> 00:48:51.679 Thank you. 00:48:52.320 --> 00:48:53.199 They're communicating. 00:48:53.599 --> 00:48:54.719 I I receive that. 00:48:54.880 --> 00:48:55.679 I appreciate that. 00:48:55.840 --> 00:48:57.760 And hopefully we'll have you back soon, too. 00:48:58.400 --> 00:48:58.880 Awesome. 00:48:59.360 --> 00:49:00.159 That sounds great. 00:49:01.599 --> 00:49:02.400 Awesome. 00:49:02.719 --> 00:49:10.320 If you're enjoying these episodes, I'd really love it if you could subscribe, leave a review, or share it with your friends and family. 00:49:10.960 --> 00:49:17.360 Your words help others discover that the stories and these episodes exist in the perspectives that we're exploring over here. 00:49:17.519 --> 00:49:24.639 And the more feedback we get from you through those reviews, the more we can make sure that we're creating meaningful episodes that you want to listen to. 00:49:25.440 --> 00:49:26.000 Thank you so much.