Love as a Leadership Competency
Uva: [00:00:00] [00:01:00] Let's begin with honoring your family's naming of you. I want to make sure that I'm pronouncing your name adequately. So for everyone who might be listening to Our Wellspring, tell us your name.
Kersy: Yes, my name is Kersy Azocar.
Uva: Kersy Azocar. Bello. So, Kersy, how are you in this moment? We just talked about how days can start off in a number of ways, and then we try to get centered.
How are you coming into our conversation today?
Kersy: Yes, I'm super honored and humbled to be here. Very exciting [00:02:00] to speak about our work speak a little bit about The inspiration behind launching GreenLine and also hopefully some of the audience can also feel that inspiration and motivation.
Uva: Excellent. We are equally excited. And as I shared with you before, we started recording. Really, really happy to, to have a kindred spirit in the room. Hopeful that I can stay focused on my English language. But right now I have a feeling I'm going to Weave between English, Spanish, Spanglish as we talked about.
And hopefully that works for you as well. And others may learn a word or two or be able to to lean into their own language as well. Let me give you a couple of flowers, if you will, and just Let's talk a little bit about your background for those who may not know enough about you just yet. You are considered a nationally recognized voice in microlending, president and CEO of GreenLine Access Capital.
Our understanding is that GreenLine has served over 250 people and has helped [00:03:00] 48 clients connect with how many million in grants? Is it 5.
Kersy: yes, 5. 1, 2, 5. in capital. And that's a combination of grants and also loans.
Uva: Amazing. And before GreenLine, you worked for a Philadelphia based CDFI or for those who are not as familiar, a community financial development institution, where you manage a micro lending department with national scope.
That particular CDFI became a, the number one SBA micro lender in the region and top 10 in the country for over seven years. And at the height of COVID, you were the project manager of Pennsylvania's COVID 19 hospitality industry recovery program, a 17 million grant program created by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to support businesses in the hospitality industry.
Of equal importance, you hail from a neighboring country, La Republica Dominicana, the Dominican Republic. [00:04:00] Beautiful smile comes up when we talk about our homes. So in my mind, we're cousins. Welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome. So many questions, but we, before we delve into who you are just as a human being, which is part of what we want to focus on today, tell us a little bit more about Green Line Access Capital and the work you do.
Kersy: Yes, thank you. Green Line Access Capital was launched in 2021, and our name comes from our vision to green line in Philadelphia. A group of community leaders got together. After Philadelphia released a massive ecosystem report on entrepreneurs, and they found four major needs for small businesses, which is is not a surprise.
Like, number one is access to capital access to trusted guidance, and access to market opportunities. And the research also highlighted The vast number a significant number of small businesses and micro businesses. So over 100, [00:05:00] 000 businesses in Philadelphia are sole proprietors. And imagine, that's a significant number.
And 45, 000 are employing up to 50 employees or people. And when we hear these numbers, There's a gap in financing. There's a gap in connecting small businesses to resources, and that was the inspiration to launch GreenLine. When we think about Who's serving the Latino community? And then we start adding layers.
Who has the cultural sensitivity to work with immigrants? Who can connect them with grants, opportunities, credit building? it's such an important aspect to make sure that our small businesses are building wealth, are advancing economically, socially. And that was the main drive behind launching GreenLine.
We wanted to, break the mold a little bit.
We're seeing that in our business [00:06:00] ecosystem. Small businesses are still falling behind and we want to change that. We want to be part of changing the narrative.
Uva: It occurs to me how. Integrated the work that you do is, is concrete work with this cultural sensitivity and the importance of, of stepping into the role that you have, understanding the community's needs, understanding how the community even thinks about this work.
Can you share a little bit about how your understanding of that cultural sensitivity came to be?
Kersy: Yes, that's a great question because as a Latina from the Dominican Republic, like we're in a way very homogeneous.
So when you. Migrate to the United States, and you see so many different cultures, and you interact with people from Panama, Mexico, Colombia. It's a totally different experience, especially what we're used to seeing on TV.
Uva: Mhm.[00:07:00]
Kersy: And, in my case, the more I interact with the different cultures, like, the more I've like, I fall in love with the person behind that story. And what makes us one, because here in the United States we're all Latinos,
Uva: Mmhmm
Kersy: regardless of where we're from. And that also makes me feel like it gives me more pride. I think also It makes the connection a lot easier because I see the struggles even though we're from different countries you can see that certain cultures suffer more than others when it comes to accessing capital or our building wealth or being connected with resources, so In my case, I don't want that, like regardless of where you're from, regardless of your background, at GreenLine we want to give you the highest level of respect, the highest level of [00:08:00] service, to make sure that you know you matter.
And it doesn't matter where you're from, we're going to try to help you. I think the more I interact with the different cultures, like, the more I appreciate it. And then it makes me feel happier to be part of that experience.
Uva: That makes a lot of sense. Makes a whole lot of sense. I am thinking about your own journey.
You mentioned being an immigrant and coming to the United States. So as you know, we are delving into origin stories. And I'm curious about your own trajectory, right? From the Dominican Republic to not just the US, but Philadelphia and your current position. Would love to learn more about your own beginnings.
And what got you to a place where you stand as a leader in this space.
Kersy: Yes, thank you. And just so you know, it's always a little bit challenging to speak about myself. I love talking about Green Line and what we do. So if the audience is hearing some silence [00:09:00] and pauses, it's because I'm trying to process in my brain. But yes, I, I think I've been very, very blessed to come from uh, a wonderful family.
And also when we traveled to the United States, I came with my parents and my siblings. So contrary to a lot of immigrants where they experience that disconnect and the struggle, I think I was very privileged in that matter, in that, in that way. And when I came to the United States, we first arrived in New york and as you can imagine it was like a very interesting experience,
Uva: Interesting is a, is a key word.
Kersy: Yes, and then a few years later or several years later, I got married and we moved to New Jersey. Which is like to a town Pennsauken, which is like very close to Philadelphia. So I arrived to New York, then I moved to New Jersey. And I worked at a bankruptcy office. I want to highlight this. And then after that, I was a loan [00:10:00] officer.
So imagine the transition like, Oh, my goodness, I was working with clients experiencing this financial trauma. And now I'm able to empower people with giving them a loan funds to buy their own home.
Uva: Completely different sides
Kersy: Yes. Yes. And I love that. Um, Just having that, I guess, power in a good way, using it and in a very responsible way.
And then I was able to do business loans. And that was even better. Because when we think about our small businesses, you know, they struggled so much and the impact of giving them access to capital is so big that I really enjoyed being part of that change.
Uva: Mm hmm.
Kersy: And um, what I would like to highlight is that throughout my professional career
Uva: Mm hmm.
Kersy: I discovered that I had to change my old ways of how I was brought [00:11:00] up because it's very different, how you interact with people in the United states and how you interact with people in the Dominican Republic.
Uva: Tell
me a little bit more about
that.
Kersy: I can give you a great
example. I was always taught, like, my dad was always very proud of instill in us ethical
Like like a strong ethical like roots, right, and, and you work hard and you, you give your thousand percent, a hundred percent is not acceptable, and you never ask for a raise, you earn it. So you can imagine in the United States how that could be challenging because here you have to ask, you have to demand, and I was. I was experiencing that when I was working at the financial institution. I wasn't always like a manager or a director. Like I, at a point I was at the bottom of the I guess in one of the lowest positions because I was always waiting.
You're going to [00:12:00] give me like what I deserve or what I have earned.
Uva: Kind of following in your father's principles that you work hard, you earn it,
Kersy: it is Yes. And then in 2014, I had a life changing experience because I was part of a leadership training and that was amazing. I was able to interact with other Latinos, with leaders, and really, Yes, just like learn new things and get to know more things about myself. And I'm like, okay, wait a minute. Let me see. Let me demand. Let me ask. And that was the key. Like after that, my, I remember my boss, I asked him like, why, why I'm not a director. He's like, you never
asked.
Uva: Wow.
Kersy: You never asked. And I'm I'm like, why don't I have a race? You never asked. I'm like, what?
Uva: what? So
I
Kersy: So I think uh, I would like to highlight that to people that are hearing this story. And it's not like a one size fits all. Everybody has a different story. But I think you have to [00:13:00] first know your value and also know that it's not always with bad intentions that people don't promote you or don't give you what you deserve, that you have to ask. and again, that was very a life changing experience because after that it opened so many doors. And then the department was able to produce a lot of long volume the staff worked very cohesively so it also had like a domino effect uh, on everything else
Uva: I imagine that while some of this was cultural, right, you grew up understanding your relationship with work one way, right? And your father instilled certain values. I wonder if gender also played a role in this question of asking, right? And whether or not you were supposed to ask.
I'm wondering if you could react to that in some way.
Kersy: Ah, yes. I'm actually collaborating on an article for women and the wage gap. I'm very interested in the same year I met Diane from Women's Wage. She's the [00:14:00] president of a non profit organization here in Philadelphia. And that was the first time I learned about that concept. I'm like, possible? The, the gender wage gap, and I'm like, it's 2014, how is that possible? So when I, I'm like, okay, so I'm a manager, I'm, You know, managing all these group of people. So when I checked like how much money we are making, one of my staff was making more money than me.
And he happened to be a man.
Uva: He happened to be a man.
Kersy: So, I'm uh, like leaving proof that yes, that that's still going on.
And then it took me several months to challenge my boss and tell him like, wait, what's going on? To make sure that that was, let's say corrected changed and you don't know what you don't know and this is part of the research that I've been doing. So Latinas, they make 57 for every dollar that a white man makes in African American around 63 or [00:15:00] 64, I believe.
So imagine you, you're doing the same job or sometimes more. And you're not compensated the same way, but also you don't know that that's the salary that you should be earning. So that's how I, that's why I find that concept so irresponsible and unjust. And it's still going on, unfortunately, it's not especially in the financial industry.
And with this I would like to say that it gives me an opportunity now being in Greenline to change that and to be part of that. So far there's a group of women in our staff. And I'm always advocating for a just salary and advocating for a salary increase. Because I want to make sure that they are, that they're not experiencing the same thing that I experience and that so many millions of women are experiencing.
Uva: Sure. You're, you're making me think about Your industry, [00:16:00] especially, and I mean, I think it's fair to say that it is male dominant. And so women may find themselves in a space where we are, you know, beyond the gender wage gap, there's so many other challenges. And ways in which who we are interact with our experience of the workforce.
Can you talk a little bit about just that intersectionality, the scaffolding of gender, race, age, what you have experienced and also how you are working to, working to rectify some of that now that you have an opportunity to lead the way for, for other women and other people in general, because the impact is on everyone.
Kersy: Yes, I have a soft spot for, for women in my heart after, because the more you read and the more you research, like the sadder, it very sad, [00:17:00] when you see all the struggles and the disadvantages. And the worst part is. Like in my, in my experience, two things, not having a name for something, like the imposter syndrome, a syndrome, like now that I know what that is, I can't just kill it and like, no, you're, you're not gonna. So like that little voice saying, oh, you cannot do this. You don't have the experience. You don't have the capacity. Like now we, I can identify it in my brain and just shut it down.
Sure. And that naming is so yes, naming it, Yes. And also is like the invisibility. I didn't even know that I was underpaid and that one of my staff was making more money than me. So knowledge is power. But if we don't know that there's even an opportunity, like how can I find out?
Like that's the disconnect. Because if you give me an option, like, look, this is your salary. And John Doe is going to make more than you [00:18:00] are, and I still take the job like that's on me. But when I, when that information is invisible, when that situation is invisible, I think that's the like that's my fear.
And I'm going to commend all women listening to this podcast to always search for more information. Search information from a good source. Like now we're bombarded with social media and you know, where we're getting the information matters because if what we're hearing is that you know, that that's okay,
that's what you're gonna believe.
And I don't want that for myself or for my daughters or for our clients, the people that we work with. And Little things like that can definitely change. These are uh, can make a, such a huge change in a person's life.
Uva: Thank you for that. It, it occurs to me that The leadership program you joined kind of opened your eyes to the world of possibilities and made certain things [00:19:00] visible that you were not aware of before. Who was that first person who you remember in this moment who became that first leader that resonated for you or that you saw and could actually apply that title to?
Kersy: Yes. Well, I'm laughing because that was a terrible person. Yeah, it was a very judgy, um, very strict, I think narrow minded. And all these comes from like not knowing yourself.
And I'm still an introvert but yes, I think I like this new version of myself. I compared myself to the Grinch before 2014. Like I always I'm a positive person and I believe in, you know, always helping others and doing good things for others. But I think in the, the professional world, I was very strict, like, Oh, I already reviewed this information with you.
You should have known what you had to do. And you're just like, No, we don't have [00:20:00] photographic memory.
Uva: Where did you learn to approach work that way?
Kersy: Where in my leadership training, training, because this was a nine month training and these organization NALCAP they still hosted for Latinos, because also that's another layer.
Like once we have trainings that are tailored to us, like the different demographics and cultures, that's, that makes a huge difference. So throughout these nine months, I, Before that, I never believed that a test could tell me what's my personality.
So you can imagine, I never took, like, I never believed, like, oh no, this, this doesn't.
And then when I took the Briggs, Brigg Myer's test, Yes, I always say it backwards, the, and then he's telling me exactly things, like how I think, how I act. I'm like, no, this is not possible. So It, it really helped me to be more aware of myself and others, [00:21:00] and improved my relationship with my family, with my friends, with our clients, because that was also a huge, with our bosses, because we want to make sure that we speak the same level, yeah, that matters.
I think as the years go by I continue to make it my mission to improve. Like, human beings, we're able to change and always challenge ourselves.
I think it's too easy to say, well, that's the way I am, and then you deal with myself, or you deal with my personality. In my case, it's like, no, how can I accommodate you? And now that I have to, like, abandon my true self, but how can I be more flexible? I think before I was, like, very inflexible. So I'm super happy, and I'm, I'm sure people around me are also happy that I took that test. And if I could add something about your previous question on gender, race, and age.
Especially in this financial, in the financial industry, being a woman is definitely challenging. Having [00:22:00] an accent, right, being a person of color, and I'm very aware of that. And I don't let it, like, affect me. I'm just, like, aware. Like, okay, now I know. And then that, that's very useful. And also, I think there's a certain expectation.
I look a lot younger than what I am. And I've been in rooms where people assume, like, oh, you don't, you don't know
anything. the reasons Yes. Yes. Ageism, sexism.
Oh, I used to always laugh when I went to meetings with one of my staff, because I had like uh, white people or latinas, older, right? And then they always greeted her first, because they thought she was my boss.
Uva: Mm hmm.
Kersy: and that was always our, our joke. So that's a reality.
They don't think a Latina can lead an organization. And I can make, like very brief parentheses. Somebody told another friend, like, Oh, no, no, Green Line is not going to be successful because, like, Kersy is too nice. So that's the [00:23:00] perception that we have, that we have to be aggressive, that we have to be a bully, like, all these perceptions, how society or people perceive things to be. And I want to be part of that change. I don't have to be a bully for, like, you to do business with me or for you to fund my organization.
I believe in, if you are nice and if you respect people, if you earn their trust, you get ten times better results than when you do it the other way. And that may work for other leaders, and that's okay, but in, like, in my world, That's how I wanna see things, and that's how I choose our partners. That's how I choose our staff and the people that I interact
Uva: How do you interrupt it? I think that's something, I mean, we, you touched on imposter syndrome and a host of other things that I think people in general certainly deal with, but, but especially women, right? And so in those moments, especially if they're still happening now, [00:24:00] in those moments when people render you invisible, ignore you, undermine your credibility and your leadership, how do you interrupt that in this moment?
Kersy: I have like a little let's say uh, weapon. So I In my crazy brain, I psychoanalyze people and then I think like, okay, I'm glad that I'm seeing your true colors now instead of later.
And I don't feel offended. I think it's just sometimes ignorance or sometimes it's just like different things or the way they were brought up. I try not to judge. And also I try to see what's the intention behind that comment. Is that, that, is maybe that you don't know me, that you have heard something, whatever it is.
But then the last part, in my mind, is what matters. Like, I'm not gonna be silenced. Like, I, I hear, I listen, and then at [00:25:00] the end, I'm like, okay, can I mention something? And then I make my point. And Through all the crazy readings that I've been doing about women, even the tone of our voice matters. So then, while they're talking, and I'm like, Okay, here, here, right?
I'm just like recording everything. And then, I'm like ready to, like, shoot, right? And then the tone of my voice, my posture, everything. conveys the message that I'm trying to say, and so far it has worked. and then afterwards it's just like, okay, I make my, I made my point and now I know you and now either that perception changed or it's just like, okay, now I know that you're not a good partner or you're not a good person.
Uva: It sounds like you are, like your relationship with, with leadership is changing, right?
How you are defining leadership for yourself. And I want to go back to when we talked about earlier models, your first model of leadership and how that person [00:26:00] probably wasn't, you know, the ideal model, but you still, it sounds like you still learn from them. Maybe the things that you did not want to do, how you didn't want to show up in the world.
If you were speaking to a group of women about how leadership is working for you, how you step into your own brand of leadership, what would you say about what works, what you are trying to embody? That is different from that thing you saw earlier on.
Kersy: Yes, I, I think the first word that comes to mind is being genuine.
In my case, I think that's always the secret weapon. I don't have to pretend. And sometimes it's okay not to voice my opinion. It's better to listen, right? And always being yourself. I think in our society, we're bombarded with so many perceptions, not perceptions, but like we're pulled into so many different ways that we may lose our own self. So to me, I think being genuine is what [00:27:00] has worked. And being always respectful. Like, I don't have to judge you, I'll respect your opinion. everything has to come from a place of love. that's like also a big thing for me.
Uva: I love, love, love that you are thinking about love as, as a leadership competency, right? That can kind of guide us in the right direction. Along those lines I'm also thinking about
Mentorship, allyship, sponsorship and again, in an industry where women are usually not in, the highest leadership roles. Have you found mentors, sponsors, allies, either in, you know, in any gender? What has that experience been like for you?
Kersy: it's been interesting. like in my journey after I completed my leadership training, I made it my mission to associate myself with people that had like that good energy, that had the same affinity in the [00:28:00] sense that we're here to work and to have a positive impact and to do it well and to be more efficient and not let's just meet because we want to gossip around like whatever it's going on. I'm like, I don't have time for that. Let's let's work
Sometimes we forget that we are kind of like a product, and having a different perspective from somebody from the outside that is not judging us, that is not telling us what to do. is extremely important. So working with this executive coach has been an interesting journey because a coach is not telling you what to do.
And when I came into the program, I'm like, okay, I have all these questions, I have all these things, and the coach is gonna solve all my, all my problems. And what we don't realize is that until we are ready, like mentally, physically, and in all senses, we cannot address whatever challenges we're facing, or we cannot [00:29:00] even change our perspective, like, you're, you're literally stuck, you have, right, we're, we're talking about the invisibility, it's just like, all their options are invisible.
And I think. Something interesting is that it's not an instant change, like it takes time, like one month, and then two, and then three, and then four, and then after seven months, it's like, oh, I just had an aha moment, and I've been overthinking, and that's okay. And I can give you an example. One of the things that I was working on was that I like to listen.
So when there's a group of people and everybody's sharing, I'm like listening. And I'm like, well, I want to be more active and participate in more conversations. And throughout this journey, I realized like, I'm okay listening to, that's okay. I don't have to talk all the time or I don't have to talk more like I'm okay.
And, and that was very good to know about myself.
Because sometimes [00:30:00] we're fighting to change, to improve and sometimes we concentrate too much on the bad things and we don't try to exploit the good things that we have.
So that's, that was the thing like the most important thing that I took from this and that it never ends.
Like now I'm I think I see the value in the personal growth from that angle because um, when you have a professional guiding you, I think it makes a huge difference
Uva: I can't help but think that you have invested a lot of time, energy and your heart power into learning. And it sounds like it serves, it's serving you really well. And I appreciate the, you're mentioning some of the programs that have helped you, right? As I think about them, there is this for the program that, that really work with Latinos, that there was a cultural layer that it was customized to suit your [00:31:00] needs so that you could see yourself in the curriculum, see yourself in the work and really then take off from there.
So it sounds like 2014 was a pivotal year for you, excited that that happened and then having an executive coach along the way. So at every point, it sounds like you've had the opportunity to have a program, a person kind of hold a mirror up and show you one that you're okay as you are, right? And then how to use who you are and kind of optimize your superpowers.
And I'm sure there are listeners who probably could benefit from just having that mirror. I have a feeling that you're going to be a mirror for a lot of people that just need to hear that they are okay. So I appreciate what you have shared with us. If you were to think about, I want to come back to the work as we're closing out a little bit now that we know more about what's kind of powered your heart.
If you were to think about your most ambitious dreams and aspirations for GreenLine 10, 20, 30 years from now, what do you hope [00:32:00] will happen as a result of the work you are doing now?
Kersy: Oh my goodness. Yes. I have a lot of many, many ambitious dreams. I would like to be able to create a program that is able to serve small businesses.
in a holistic way. And what I mean with that is that sometimes we concentrate a lot on the business, expanding the business, you know, new marketing and we forget about the person. So the person is running the business and maybe that person is facing depression.
Maybe that person is living in a bad neighborhood with high crime or their children are not going to a good school. So how can you run your business when you're thinking about all these other, how can you run your business efficiently and grow it when you're thinking about all these other things.
So how can I, how can we create a program that partners with the different [00:33:00] organizations and kind of like a membership club, let's say. Where small businesses are able to get these services and connect it to professionals and have like different branches, like a branch, one of the branches would be they need a business coach that's working one on one with them and is providing that extra level of support.
And teaching them how to do things. A lot of the clients we serve are very dependent on, on our services. And the same goes for organizations working with small businesses. And that's the reality. So how can we start changing that? Like now we're addressing one, two, or three, or five things. 20, 30?
Like very, very, innovative ways to make small businesses reach next level faster and and more efficiently and then, in addition to that, I would [00:34:00] like to have, like, a business incubator space Sometimes when we're working, like small businesses, particularly when they start a home based business, They find it hard to make that transition.
So how can we help them? Especially in the food industry. If they own a small food truck, and they can start, if we help them right, if they can start practicing before they go and open a business and spend all these all the money and, and face so many challenges. So things like that, I think um, how can we change things that are not working or improve things that may need improvement and also create new things that can help small businesses like reach a different level.
Uva: Optimal levels. I appreciate your desire to Go deeper, right? And have this holistic approach that really [00:35:00] addresses the needs of the human being behind the business as well.
Can't wait to see that happen 20, 30 years from now. We're wrapping up. But a couple of things are coming up for me. One is. The fact that at the beginning of this conversation, before we started even recording, my phone was going off with my son asking about dinner, your phone was doing its own thing with children and, and schedules and so as we think and talk about whole people showing up, right?
Life doesn't stop just because we're working, right? Those pressures, families, all of those other pieces are always in the background or the foreground. I am wondering for other women who might be listening to this and who are navigating, you know, parenting or taking care of their own parents, caretaking in whatever way that looks.
Whatever that looks like for them and, or just trying to be their best selves in this moment. What is your advice for that woman who is just starting off and maybe like you, there wasn't a mentor there. Maybe the leader wasn't the ideal leader, but they [00:36:00] have that light in them and that desire to do something absolutely wonderful and beautiful and impactful that will serve and support communities.
What is your advice to a younger Kersy?
Kersy: Thank you for asking that. I would say always lean on people that are gonna take you farther and have like a light in their heart and also something that a friend always reminds me of is staying present. Sometimes when we're at home, when we're doing uh, things, we're, right, our minds are, are, going, how can we stay present and give our 100 percent of whatever, at whatever we're doing?
I don't know if I'm making a good job articulating that. But I think for people that are listening, everybody has a different story, and what worked for me may not work for [00:37:00] somebody else. So I think it's important to stay open minded And in search for more, like if you are unhappy at your job, like why is that?
Are you in the wrong position? Are you in the wrong place? If you are struggling financially, what, like what are, what are the other options? Maybe you, you want to become an entrepreneur or maybe you're an entrepreneur and you don't know where to go. Like there's always How can we get more?
Like, it's not okay to settle. Like, how can we find that happiness? and, yeah, and I think staying positive and always do everything from that
place of love.
Uva: We come back to love as a leadership competency. I love, I love that.
A couple of quick questions as we close out. What are you listening to, reading, consuming, watching that you would recommend for others? It could just be fun TV. It doesn't matter.
Kersy: I'm smiling because my [00:38:00] family and I we've been watching a lot of Korean dramas, K dramas.
And, uh, K pop too. I think I have two daughters and they're Gen Z. so that's, I guess, a huge trend. And uh, we're making it like a family movie night. Watching these series.
And reading, I'm always reading financial articles like the, the more I read, I guess more surprised I am finding the information at how, critical the situation of our small businesses is, Especially in Philadelphia that we continue have uh, high poverty rates and so many small businesses struggling. So always reading a lot of articles about financing and small businesses.
Uva: Is there a particular resource that you enjoy more than others?
Kersy: Yes, several, I guess, resources. Small Business Administration has a lot of self paced webinars and newsletters where we can [00:39:00] see up to date information and also up to date infographics on the state of small businesses.
And I love that because the Small Business Administration is the largest organization working with small businesses, so we know it comes from a reliable source. The same thing with the different researches that foundations release. Pew Foundation recently released a very good research on 75 years in Philadelphia, how Philadelphia has changed in 75 years and that's good to know.
And there are others that don't come to mind uh, but. Yes, always like this information, particularly after COVID, I'm always looking for that information after COVID
Uva: how we're recuperating and what the trends are. Excellent, excellent.
Kersy: yeah.
Uva: So a few quick questions, prompts for you to finish for me.[00:40:00]
I'll just throw a thing out, a few words out, and I'd love for you to finish the sentence in a way that makes sense for you. It will be easy, I promise.
Financial health is
Kersy: I think financial health is being able to know options regarding the different financial topics and also being able to implement Those things being able to save money being able to like to have that opportunity
Uva: Yeah. To know
Kersy: that you have an option and also being able to take I Guess it as well. Yeah. Mm hmm.
Uva: Love that. I am grateful for
Kersy: My family and the opportunity to be in this industry
Uva: I am paying attention to...
Kersy: The financial situation of small businesses
Uva: I am learning that
Kersy: things are better when you're surrounded by people that share your same mission.
Uva: my final [00:41:00] question or prompt: I am optimistic about...
Kersy: The future of our organization and how many people we can impact.
Uva: What a beautiful place to land, Kersy. Thank you. Muchas gracias. This has been absolutely beautiful. Again, when you start with love as a leadership competency with figuring out who you are, and being comfortable kind of standing in your truth and your power, I don't think you can go wrong.
So I'm happy to follow you wherever you go. And hopefully others who listen to this will have an opportunity to learn from you and following your footsteps again. Thank you so much.
Kersy: you for the opportunity and likewise looking forward to staying connected and thank you for the opportunity. Appreciate it.
Uva: It's our pleasure
[00:42:00]
