Brimming with wisdom, experience, and a fierce resolve to shatter stereotypes, Mayra Olivares-Urueta captivates us with her mission to dismantle institutional barriers and create a more inclusive future in higher education.

Readings and Resources:
Olivares-Urueta, M. (2022, March 28). From at risk to at promise: Fighting fiercely for the community college students we have to safeguard the futures they deserve. Teachers College Record, Date Published: March 23, 2022 https://www.tcrecord.org ID Number: 24015

Olivares-Urueta, M. (2021). Mamis rising: Challenging the narrative of who belongs in community college administration. Journal of Applied Research in the Community College, 28(2), 79-92. https://www.montezumapublishing.com/jarcc/issueabstracts/fall2021volume28issue2

Olivares-Urueta, M., & Allen, T.O. (2021). Community colleges leaders’ role in nourishing student success at HSIs. In R.T. Palmer, D.C. Maramba, T.O. Allen, & A.T. Arroyo (Eds.),Exploring the unknown: Understanding the work of student affairs professionals at Minority Serving Institutions. Routledge.

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Let's connect! Come find me on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook.

I also coach women leaders (individually and in groups) and facilitate campus workshops. Learn more at the website.

Have a question about whether I can help you? Just ask! I actually love getting emails from listeners. 🧡

Dr. Elizabeth Keating is a linguistic anthropologist who explores language -- and more recently, narrative -- to understand people's daily experiences. In her new book, The Essential Questions: Interview Your Family to Uncover Stories and Bridge Generations, she explores the power of asking open-ended questions that create connections by revealing the particularities of people's lives.

As much as I find this topic compelling in my personal life, I am intrigued by how leaders can use this approach to learn more about their campuses. This approach seems particularly useful when folks are new to a campus or a role, and seek to understand what is unique about their new community.

In particular, we discuss how specific questions that seem concrete open the door to meaningful memories, and the magic of asking people how they spend their time.

Let's connect! Come find me on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook.

I also coach women leaders (individually and in groups) and facilitate campus workshops. Learn more at the website.

Have a question about whether I can help you? Just ask! I actually love getting emails from listeners. 🧡

Last week in a newsletter I suggested to leaders that they reach out to their teams to talk about what’s happening in Gaza and Israel. Even as I made those recommendations I knew those conversations might be hard – not just for the leaders, but for everyone involved. Because talking about suffering is hard. One person – someone I trust – responded to my suggestion in a way that shows what hard can look like, and I thought it would be instructive to share that here.

This is a short episode, but if you just want the thesis, here it is in three parts.

Leaders of teams have a responsibility to reach out to people and have conversations, even when they’re hard. Those same leaders are likely to make mistakes in the process. When they do, they will benefit if they shut up and listen, genuinely learn, and do better next time.

Part 1: Reaching out to do hard things.
Part 2: Screwing up in the process.
Part 3: Shutting up and getting better.

That’s it.

Well, there's a little more. Thanks for listening!

Let's connect! Come find me on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook.

I also coach women leaders (individually and in groups) and facilitate campus workshops. Learn more at the website.

Have a question about whether I can help you? Just ask! I actually love getting emails from listeners. 🧡