In a Q & A with us last year, you mentioned that you were writing your first book. And now Love Is the Path: An Immigrant’s Journey to Belonging Through the Workplace has just been published. Congratulations! Can you please give us an overview.
Thank you, Wayne. In my book, Love Is the Path: An Immigrant’s Journey to Belonging Through the Workplace, I share my personal journey as an immigrant in the United States, exploring how my childhood experiences have shaped my adulthood. After facing challenging years filled with personal struggles and disengagement at work, I embarked on a path of deep self-reflection that ultimately transformed my life. I discovered that confronting my past, cultivating awareness, and pausing my instinctive reactions can lead to profound changes not only in myself but also in the workplace. Through Love Is the Path, I invite readers to critically assess and refine their leadership styles, advocating for a leadership paradigm grounded in empathy and understanding.
You open the book with a summary of your early life, when you found a full-time job in your native Colombia at the age of 17, which liberated you from the group home you had lived for seven years. Can you please give us more detail?
Living with nuns since the age of ten was a challenging experience. They offered the stability I lacked with my mother, but with over 50 teenage girls from diverse backgrounds, individual attention and affection were scarce. We were required to follow strict rules to maintain proper behavior. Eventually, leaving the group home to pursue employment was a significant achievement for me, providing a sense of independence I had never experienced before.
At the age of 21, you had a daughter. Give us a brief summary of her journey from then to today.
Similar to many immigrants, I made sacrifices to build a better life for my family and me. The hardest of these was leaving my native land without my 3-year-old daughter. Val stayed with her father for a few years while I settled in the US. After a couple of years, she visited me and began spending every summer with me, returning to Colombia for the school year with her dad. This arrangement continued until she was 8 years old, when I finally brought her to live with me in the United States. Val later graduated from Providence College and moved across the country to pursue a career in finance. Today she is living in Colombia pursuing entrepreneurship and enjoying time with family.
At the age of 25, you came to America – specifically, Rhode Island. What did you do at first and how did you learn English?
My first job in the United States involved rolling burritos and frying tacos at a food stand in Providence Place Mall. Each evening, I would attend English classes at Gloria Dei, the Lutheran Church across from the mall. Later, I enrolled at Rhode Island College for more advanced English courses. I found that the best way to learn English was through immersion in my job, where I was encouraged to communicate with customers. Thankfully, most of them were kind and patient.
Eventually you found a job at a bank. What were your responsibilities?
In 2015, I secured my dream job doing community development for a local community bank. I flourished in the role, teaching financial education and entrepreneurship to low- and mid-income consumers while also managing a sponsorship fund and volunteer programs for the bank. In January 2018, I stepped into the role of interim CRA Officer until the bank was acquired by a larger institution in October of that year.
Then the bank was acquired by a larger bank, COVID hit, and you entered what you call “one of the most challenging periods in my personal life,” when you were recovering from a broken engagement and experiencing exhaustion, depression and other conditions brought on by uterine fibroids. That took you to some profound realizations. What were they?
After years of prioritizing work at the expense of my relationships and personal well-being, I found myself alone and disengaged at work for the first time in my life. This experience made me realize that there is so much more to life than just work. I began to understand that my worth is not tied to my accomplishments; I am inherently valuable regardless of what I do. This realization was liberating and has allowed me to lead a life more guided by my heart, where love and genuine connections and friendships are flourishing in my life.
Seeking fulfillment, in 2021 you decided to join an Ayahuasca ceremony with Colombia’s Pasto Indigenous Tribe. Tell us about that.
At that time, I felt a deep conviction about it. Having conducted thorough research, I felt compelled to pursue that experience. Although the journey did not unfold as I had anticipated—something I explore in detail in my book—I am grateful for the opportunity. It deepened my connection with my mother, allowing me to understand aspects of her that I had never fully grasped before. Additionally, it strengthened my bond with Mother Earth, a feeling that is difficult to articulate, yet I can simplify it as a newfound love for hugging trees.
And the next year, you took another journey to the Dominican Republic, for an Ayurveda retreat, which you describe as life-changing (my words, not yours!). What was it and what insights did you bring back with you to Rhode Island?
I traveled to visit my good friend Melida Anyi, a yoga teacher with whom I grew closer during our yoga practice throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Before I left, Anyi, who is also an Ayurveda practitioner, asked me to complete a quiz to identify my Dosha type. This quiz provided her with the information needed to customize my retreat experience at Casa Bienestar, where I was staying.
Ayurveda is a 5,000-year-old system focused on promoting health by balancing the mind, body, and spirit. During my week-long Ayurveda experience, I enjoyed massages, private yoga instruction, various self-care rituals, and meals tailored to my body constitution (or Dosha type). Returning from the Dominican Republic, I felt rejuvenated. Not only did I discover new ways to honor my self-care, but I also cherished the time spent with my friend Anyi and other amazing individuals I met there.
Other travel also brought insights, as you write. Why has travel been so key to you?
There are two approaches to travel. I once traveled as a tourist, visiting iconic sites and enjoying typical attractions. However, over the past couple of years, I’ve chosen to embrace discomfort by immersing myself in unfamiliar cultures and traditions, spending time with locals. Both styles of travel broaden our perspectives, but immersing ourselves in different cultures deepens our empathy and understanding of those who are different from us. It is a very enriching experience that allows us to appreciate others on a much deeper level.
You write that spiritual growth can take many forms, including through religion, acts of kindness and other ways – and it leads to “a path of love and unity, not separation and division.” Looking at America and the world in the late summer of 2024, this is such an important message. Elaborate a bit for us please.
We are all shaped by our life experiences. Many of us build walls around our hearts to protect ourselves from pain, especially when previous experiences have made it unsafe to remain open. Personally, I navigated life with a guarded heart, unaware that in doing so, I was missing out on a more fulfilling life. Regardless of your chosen religion or belief system, if it encourages you to embrace an open heart, it can foster a more harmonious world for everyone. The key lies in our willingness to connect with the stories that bind us as humans—the dreams and struggles we all share. As I continue my spiritual journey, I am beginning to see that we are all more alike than we realize, and I find reflections of myself in everyone I encounter.
Part II of your book is titled “Belonging in the Workplace”and the first chapter (chapter 7 of the book) is “We Need Love in the Workplace.” This might seem like a foreign concept to some but in fact you write that it’s essential. Again, please elaborate.
More leaders today recognize that a successful organization relies on engaged employees. We feel engaged in our work when we are seen and appreciated for who we are, when we believe our voices matter, and when our leaders genuinely care for us as individuals, not just as employees. That’s how we cultivate a positive work environment and what I call Love in the Workplace. My definition of love in this context is ‘commitment to the flourishing of others by engaging with them through curiosity, empathy, and genuine concern for their well-being.’
For many, work is stressful (if not downright repugnant). You offer ways to change that. What are they?
Managers and leaders should align employees’ work with their strengths, passions, and aspirations. This alignment not only enhances employee satisfaction and engagement but also drives exceptional performance. Today, many leaders recognize the importance of employee well-being in impacting bottom-line results, as burnout can lead to illness and hinder innovation and effectiveness. However, not all organizations and leaders have adopted this approach yet. Therefore, it’s crucial for individuals to assess their skills and passions and seek environments where they are appreciated for who they are and can truly flourish in their roles.
In your Conclusion, you write that “when we deny our stories, they define us. When we own our stories, we get to write a brave new ending.” Again, a powerful statement – and it applies, of course, not just to work but to our lives. Give us a bit more on this please, Claudia.
Wayne, for much of my life, I tried to hide my past, desperately seeking to forget the neglect and abuse I endured in my early years. Without my conscious awareness, my narrative of victimhood subtly guided my life choices and influenced how I perceived the world. It was only by embracing my past and recognizing the precious lessons hidden within each struggle that I could rewrite a more empowering story of who I am. Today, my past no longer holds me back; instead, it propels me forward.
We would be remiss if we did not note that you are now a principal in a company you created, “Innate Five.” Tell us what the company offers to the public.
Thank you, Wayne, for your thoughtful questions and genuine interest in my personal journey and my company. InnateFive is a consultancy specializing in corporate coaching and workshop facilitation. I am passionate about empowering leaders to embrace diversity and cultivate inclusive workplaces. Through engaging team-building workshops, I promote mutual appreciation and collaboration among team members, fostering a harmonious and productive work environment.
