Healthcare HR Leadership: Why Authenticity Wins | October Ambrose

[0:00]  My son recently um suffered a medical emergency [music] and we had his doctor's appointment followup the other day and interestingly enough I have not been in care [music] at my site but I'll give you an example on where AI has come from. His provider said hey I'm about to meet with you. I don't want to type notes in the chart. are you okay if I use my AI transcription tool so that I can be focused in conversation with you and it's just going to capture what we say? I'm going to go through it. Well, can you imagine how much more time we got to actually [music] be engaged with our provider um in that 60-minute follow-up appointment [music] versus had she been needing to type and ask us to repeat and go back and making sure she confirmed what we said. So I think AI is the way of the future. It's about innovating in a [music] space where it allows the provider to have more direct care or the care team themselves to have more direct interaction with the [music] patients that they're serving. Welcome back to an episode here on the Horn and Hustle podcast. This time we have Miss October. How you doing today, ma'am?

[1:30]  Hey, Ephraim. How are you?

[1:32]  You know, it's cold, but I hate to tell people that, especially that I'm from Florida, there's like cold wear. Listen, it's 40° here. How cold is for you, October? Texas is is beating y'all today and we're we're going to get up to 60. So,

[1:44]  oh, we're winning.

[1:45]  Can't wait. [laughter]

[1:47]  I can't wait. October, what's the organization you represent? Let people know where we're coming from.

[1:52]  Absolutely. Um I'm the vice president of people partnerships and engagement uh with Central Health, which is the Travis County Hospital District. So, we are privileged um and honored to serve um our community of uninsured um and underinsured um residents uh with quality dignified health care. So, that that's what I do. I lead a team of folks that uh empower um and enable uh leaders and our team members to do that. And I love to I love that people are in this space because I couldn't do it right. Like when it comes to just like maybe I could have done the back end. I hate when it comes like blood and all that. Maybe that's why you're in the back end. Is that is that correct? Is why you're in the back seat and not actually, you know, ground.

[2:38]  No, that's not correct. Actually, I I come from the front seat. Um so I did direct patient care for a very long time. bedside clinics, multiple spaces. But I came to the background because when you're at the bedside though, it's very impactful and you're with the people, you're only impacting those individuals there that you're that you're serving, their families, them as patients. But when you step back here, it it large enlarges your scope of who you can touch. So now I get to touch a system um enable enable the folks who are bedside um

[3:17]  I was about to say and and really um I think it's it is cool that you've been how how many years did you spend at the bedside?

[3:25]  More than 20. I don't want to age myself. You're bringing [laughter] you're bringing in knowledge, right? And I I love from a leadership perspective because a lot of times people sit in those seats and may not know what goes on right at bedside, but no, you have the insight of 20 years of what it looked like and and now you know what needs to be fixed. What are some of those things? Some of those things that when you were at bedside, you're like, man, I wish somebody could really take care of this problem and now October, you're taking care of that problem. What are those some of those issues? I would say I I I didn't want to age myself but I would say health care has come a very long way. Um so we have electronic medical records. I can tell you when I was bedside in hospitals and clinics we still have paper charts with Lord with triplicates that you needed to send physician orders off. Um so we have come a long way. some of those barriers to just consistency, ensuring accuracy and care um have really been implemented. I think it's still the the age-old adage of uh not enough time to do all the things you want to do. Um and I don't know that we have solved for that year for that yet. Just making sure we're able to to to again deliver the care um that our patients and our families need. You you mentioned paper documentation. You mentioned not aging yourself. But listen, 20 years ago, right? We we didn't have computers. Maybe uh well, no, we Yeah, we started computer. We saw computers. We didn't have AI. We didn't have social media. All these technology is very evolving. And I would actually kind of bring it back to that AI and the automation that plays a huge factor into the healthcare space. I think an organiz a space that has been really um trailing behind for some apparent reason on innovation. Where do you guys see yourself now with AI and technology and ambient listening and all these different things coming to the table?

[5:23]  I think that goes to help close that gap of time, right? So, um, my son recently, um, suffered a medical emergency and we had his doctor's appointment followup the other day. And interestingly enough, I have not been in care at my site, but I'll give you an example on where AI has come from. His provider said, "Hey, I'm about to meet with you. I don't want to type notes in the chart. are you okay if I use my AI transcription tool so that I can be focused in conversation with you and it's just going to capture what we say? I'm going to go through it. Well, can you imagine how much more time we got to actually be engaged with our provider um in that 60inute follow-up appointment versus had she been needing to type and ask us to repeat and go back and making sure she confirmed what we said. So I think AI is the way of the future. It's about innovating in a space where it allows the provider to have more direct care or the care team themselves to have more direct interaction

[6:34]  with the patients that they're serving.

[6:37]  And I agree, the experience is everything like that to you can have an experience where you're not being cut off like, "Wait, hold that thought. Let me write this down." Or, "What did you just say? I was totally writing this down." Um, and I think we've lost that over the years, right? That, uh, we used to have family doctors and now we don't. Uh, the experience is not what it used to be. And I think that also kind of rubs people the wrong way. And one, they won't go back to a hospital. Two, they just won't go back at all.

[7:05]  Right? And I always bring this story, but I think it's really funny that we got to be very mindful of of our experiences with people. So, I went to this uh doctor. My wife says, "Hey, you should go to this doctor." And I was like, "Cool." You know, as men, we don't go often, but I decided to go and I I went and I'm a talker. So, I'm talking to the lady like, "Oh, hey, how you doing? My wife brought me here." And she's like just, you know, obviously typing away, not really looking at me. I said, "My wife was just here. Um, you remember my wife, right?" And she's just lying. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. This, and this, and this. And she's going on and on. So, then I, you know, everything finishes. I go to my wife and I says, "Um, the lady that you that you said you know, like, what does she look like?" And then, you know, we start explaining. I was like, "Well, the lady said she knew you, but she didn't look like this." The lady was just lying, right? It was just kind of in and out. It's the same question she asked everybody. I got to hurry up. Got to hurry up. So, I think yes, AI is in a place. And I think we haven't even really got to um tap, you know, where we could be in like tap in. And I I'll give you some more information after uh this call. I think that AI, man, it's such a game changer to be quite frank. And I just feel that we get to now put people in spaces doing what they love more and really kind of passing along the things that we don't love like admin task. Like who really likes to, you know, be picking up calls or writing in charts? What was your favorite part and not so favorite part uh when you were in the front line?

[8:23]  Um when I was in the front lines of care was really connecting with those families um and the patients. So treating them um like they were my loved one. That was my favorite part. The not favorite part was the same as everyone else. Charting. Um we we we didn't even order supplies through a computer. We had um think of a supply room. No, we had a room, but they had barcode stickers on them that you had to take the sticker off and put it on the patient charge code card that was collected every day. It was it was much different. And then being in trouble because sometimes you're moving fast. Yes, I forgot to take the sticker off the toothbrush label that was in the patient's room. And someone's saying you did not charge for the toothbrush. No, I forgot. [laughter]

[9:19]  Listen, I know you you don't want to age yourself and I hate to ask these questions, right? But you you you're you're in this space of of 20 plus years in in this environment. There has to be something that brought you here. It wasn't just one day you woke up and said, "I want to help people." Or was that the thing? Like you live high school. Did you automatically this is your career path? Was it family that influenced it? How do you get into this space?

[9:41]  Um I actually left high school. I'm born and raised in Minnesota. Um I went to the University of Minnesota cuz that's what my parents were like. you leave school, you go to college. I was like, okay. Um, and I went to University of Minnesota for one semester, maybe two. And I hated it. I'm like, I don't know what I want to do. I hadn't picked a major. It had actually never crossed my mind. I took college prep classes through high school, but had no true desire. I didn't pick a a major, so I was just kind of in general education. Um, and I decided I'm gonna disappoint my folks and I'm gonna leave the U. Um, and I had the opportunity randomly, shout out Shalom Home in uh, Minnesota, a Jewish nursing home said, "We will hire you and pay you to get your certified nursing assistant um, certification." So, they paid me to get that trade. Um, and then I just fell in love with the connection, being able to truly care for people and to serve people. So that's how I that's how I made it in.

[10:51]  Someone someone gave me an opportunity,

[10:55]  you know, that's just purpose. That's that's I'm a big believer that life brings you to these opportunities, right? Um, as long as we don't give up. And that's just something that I have to remind myself. Don't give up even when times are hard. Uh, and for you it was you didn't give up, right? You were still moving. You were trying to pivot. You were trying to figure out the next lane. You just knew you wanted to do better in your life, right? That opportunity presented itself. You realize, wait, there's a lot of passion, a lot of purpose here.

[11:23]  Absolutely.

[11:24]  And the money followed and look where you're at today, October. Right. [laughter] Um, and you've also made some sacrifices of your own because you did leave home and now you're in Texas.

[11:32]  Yeah. What what was um why did you make the move and was it scary for you? Because a lot of people want to make this move, but comfortability is is the thing, right?

[11:42]  Yeah. So, I um have lived in eight states as an adult, but moving here to Texas, I moved from the New Orleans area and I have been there almost 10 years. And I my career again has been fortunate and has moved me a lot, but I've only lived two. The places that I've lived the longest have been home where I was born and raised in Minnesota and then New Orleans. Um, and what was scary was leaving, like you said, the comfort. So, I wasn't afraid to move. I've I've relocated to places where I don't have friends and family, but I was comfortable there. My kids were comfortable there. We um a lot of my moves I haven't always been a single parent but the it wasn't a fear of coming here. The fear was more of the unknown. I'd also been with my last or seven or eight years kind of knew their crazy their expectations. So the fear was I'm leaving something known viable um to take a chance on an opportunity um here and I will say it is definitely paid off. Um I'm also a proud uh member of Zeta Fibbeeta Sorority Incorporated. So I don't have the fear usually of moving to a new space because wherever I move to there's a chapter and there's already a sisterhood. So, I just encourage someone to get involved in organizations that might be national, even if they're not sorities or fraternities, but you have then a natural network. If it's through service or whatever, that'll allow you to shift and have connections wherever you wherever uh your path is pointing you to.

[13:27]  This is very interesting. I didn't go to college. All right? I know about fraternities. I know about sororities. I probably would have probably been part of a fraternity if I would have went to college. And you just mentioned the chapters and I see it all the time, right? I see all the ladies with the Zetas and all these different organizations out there. So, you're telling me there's chapters everywhere I go. You join this this family. What does that look like? So, you go to Texas, you just How do you find this family of yours? when you're active. Most most um Divine Nine or historically black colleges and university um sororities and fraternities are active. Um they're a lot different um than other um sororities and fraternities that are only college pledged. Like when you sign up here, it is for a lifetime and it's most often about service. So it's um giving [clears throat] back. That's one of the common themes through all nine is giving back and serving your community. So, you'll find it, but there again are multiple um areas that have chapters. My daughter just told me she is going to be a a big sister. Well, I remember when I was 18, I was with the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization and had two big sisters during or two little sisters during my time in Minnesota. Right. that'll be forever for her. I can reach out now and find that network of people. So really, it's just again connecting back to people who have uh the same type of passions that you have.

[15:01]  I love that you mentioned your daughter. Um you got two. I think that's how you had two kids.

[15:05]  I do.

[15:06]  Daughter's your oldest?

[15:07]  She is. What do you tell your daughter from a woman of color that was taking a risk that uh you you probably didn't see a lot of this as you were going through, you know, your journey? Um what what what kind of advice you give your daughter as you're taking the leap of faith?

[15:25]  The advice that I give her most often um because she is a early careerist and going through it is to trust herself. um to to make sure that she is open to opportunities. Um she is a perfectionist. She does not get that from me. Um but that to um to grow, you're going to fail.

[15:50]  Yeah.

[15:51]  It's okay to fall down. It's okay to be uncertain. Um I tell most people often, I know it's cliche, you know, be afraid, but do it anyway.

[16:01]  How do you learn and grow? my largest um growth in leadership because I've only been in corporate America 20 years have been the leaders that have let me fail like fall down see me in the rabbit hole and say you ready to come out of there and let's talk through how you got down there [laughter] and how you're going to get out versus protecting me from from from trying it. If the Heart and Hustle podcast has ever sparked any idea or made you think differently, do us a favor. Make sure to guys share this, post it on LinkedIn, or even text that nonprofit friend that you just have. Whatever works. This is what keeps the conversation going and allows us to just grow this community together. Seriously, we appreciate you. Okay. Yeah. No, I I love failing. As much as it's

[16:52]  when you're in it, it sucks.

[16:54]  And when you're in it, it's like there's no way out. But um that's when you got to have good support system. You kind of mentioned it, right? Having a good support system. Um being okay with failing and really kind of taking a step back as you mentioned, getting out of that rabbit hole and saying, "What did I learn from that rabbit hole though?" There was something there to learn. Don't get me wrong, through all failure, there's there's lessons there. But I love it. I love that your daughter is in this space of becoming a young adult. Um you know, the world's not always going to agree with her. You are right. Right. and she's still it's it's not going to be perfect and she's still got to kind of move through it, you know. And representation, how much does that matter for you being a woman of of color as well and stepping into new rooms?

[17:35]  Um, representation is extremely important to me. Um, I used to say, so probably in the last what, six, eight years, there's been like here's the first black X, black woman of X, black woman of Y, black man of Z of all these hundreds of years. Um, and if anyone ever checks my social media, they'll see where I'm like, um, celebration and crying, right? because here we are 2020, we're still saying the first X. Like these folks have been qualified for ages, you know. Um, and I will obviously I'm a black woman. I always pick on black women. I'm like, we are the most educated, likely the most overqualified. And then when you look at she is the first ex and you look at her predecessor it's like and no offense to those who have associates degrees. I have one, right? But her predecessor had an associates degree, you know, she has two undergrads, she has two masters, a PhD, law degree, and she's the first, like so qualified, but was never given that opportunity.

[18:56]  And it's sad. And I was talking to another leader and she just kind of told me the only reason she went to go get a doctor's degree is that she can get um even more of the ugly faces when she walks into a room [laughter] and she said, "I didn't need a Ephrain. I'm I think I can't remember. She's like in her 50s." She say, "I don't need it. You know, I'm very successful, but if this is what I need to show up into these rooms, guess what? I'm going to show up into these rooms." Yeah.

[19:21]  And it's uh I was just actually having a conversation with my neighbor because I'm probably like two classes away from an associates degree. But I've been able to build businesses. I've been able to run nonprofits. I've been able, you know, to to do a lot of things um with even the background that I have of sexual abuse, adoption, all these different things. Um and I can't stand that sometimes this piece of paper is what allows someone else to get the upper hand on someone when ideally, you know, we put in the work. You know, like myself, I've been working since I was 15 years old. So when it comes to people, I got people skills, right? I I understand what that looks like. People come out of school and no disrespect as you mentioned to even to those, but it's like I run circles around these people. You're really good at what it looks like, black and white, but do you understand people,

[20:03]  right?

[20:04]  And and like you said, what you love the most was the people part of it cuz not everybody can do that. Not everybody can be at the base bedside and have patience and and have compassion, right? Be loving, caring. That's just something that we're we're taught as, you know, from early uh childhood to be respectful. Yes, ma'am. Yes, sir. Right.

[20:24]  You know what I mean? So, um I love it. I love that you're in this space that you're being a representation for your own kids, but even for other leaders. And as you're talking about being a leader, what are some of the values that you instill into your team and those that you come across that you're trying to build up to be the next generation?

[20:42]  What I'm trying to instill is authenticity. Um, so I am a I'm a people person. Um,

[20:49]  I I sometimes chuckle. Um, and I don't have any degrees on my walls, you know. Some people do. Again, no offense to those that do. And it's funny. And someone was like, well, why not? I'm like, cuz ultimately I'm from the hood and I don't want anybody to ever get it [laughter] twisted. Like, I know where I came from [gasps]

[21:10]  and I know who I am. So the piece of paper doesn't make me it definitely opened the door. I worked for it. But what people often say, especially those who I lead, it's like, "Oh, I want to do that like you." You don't. You want to do it like you.

[21:27]  What I learned very early in my career was learn to lead in a style, in a space that aligns with who I am authentically. So we've all had horrible bosses. There are some things you're like, I will never do that. Well, don't say you'll never do something. I've said that before and I've done it, but I've done it in a way that is with kindness and empathy because it needed to happen. So, I tell people to find what works for you, how you can connect with your team. And then I give back through um mentorship. So, I um shout out Zia at Houston Tillison. Um I am a mentor to a future physician. Um, so I'm hoping to instill in her how is she going to the same compassion and empathy I have with my team. How will that translate for her when she's in a room with her patients? And she's definitely going to be a physician leader. So, what does that look like? How does she balance that and be authentic?

[22:28]  You talked about mentorship. I'm a big believer that we got to have mentors in our life. Do you remember recall those mentors that you probably still have in your life or have had and what are some of the things you remember about those mentors that they've kind of uh poured into you?

[22:43]  Um I have one I have I have several so I still have them. Um but I have one that I can think about um very early in my HR career. um she gave me the chance to be at a you know Fortune 500 global organization and join her team and she just trusted and stretched me you know she said I want you to lead this training budget. I'm like I've never led a a budget of anything. She was like and you never will if you don't. I'm like look girl I am check to check. I'm barely barely balanced. [clears throat] You want me to have hundreds of thousands of dollars

[23:28]  to develop a plan? And she really just encouraged me. And then when it was time for me to leave, um I had the opportunity to promote to a much larger organization and and be a manager. I was super afraid. And she was like, "You got it." It was again moving. And she said, "I'm a phone call away." and she has forever and always been. That was back in 2007. We met in 2006 and here we are 20 years later. She's still a phone call away. And she was an executive that looked like me and has um just truly encouraged me and and said my name in rooms where I was not at that allowed me to continue to grow.

[24:09]  And that's the most beautiful thing when I always say when someone can see you for who you are, not for where you're at, right? she knew you had the talent in you even sometimes when we don't even know that we have the talent in us. Um and that's huge. We always I actually just, you know, reached out to my uh old high school teacher just to give her her flowers. I graduated 08, you know what I mean? But when I sit here and think about, as you mentioned, the rooms that I'm in and the space that I'm in, it comes because someone believed in me years ago and told me that I had the talent and I and I believed it and I worked towards it, right? And it wasn't just her. There was so many different people. But I will never forget those people that that poured into me when I was empty or I thought I was empty, right? I wasn't empty.

[24:52]  Um, so no, I I really love it and I love that you're in this space and that you got these young kids because it's not about us. Like she's seeing everything and he is he and she, right? You got a boy and a girl.

[25:01]  Yes, they both are.

[25:03]  Yeah, seeing everything.

[25:05]  Yeah. This that's the way to do it. I don't know how people have more kids. I got one boy, one girl. I'm dumb. I [laughter] hear you. Do you ever want Do you ever think to yourself, "Man, I should have had three." Cuz right now, I'm not the [laughter]

[25:17]  And my kids are eight years apart. My daughter said I was the only child for all for eight years. [laughter]

[25:26]  Good relationship though with the brother and sister.

[25:28]  Oh my gosh, they're besties. Yeah.

[25:30]  Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's so [laughter] good. My um my wife and her brother are eight years apart and not the best relationship, but life was also happening, you know, and they separated and all that other stuff. Um, but no, I I I I it's cool that you're in this space for real because I I have a a daughter of color, right? Half and half black. And and we always just try to instill these things. You can do whatever you want. Like you want to play drums, you going to play drums. You want to sit here like whatever, you know? But we also got to let her know cuz she thinks like uh ballet. Well, my brother can't do ballet cuz he a boy. Listen, nowadays they can do whatever they want. You can do whatever you want. You want to be, you know, the next president, go be the next president.

[26:08]  And you can Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Who who who are some women actually leaders that you've looked up to um throughout your life?

[26:16]  Uh non famous um ones are the the mentor I just told you about. She is just

[26:26]  we are so polar opposite in personality in style. Um, but to still see her executive presence in Commander Room in a in a way that that she owns that is for her. Um, I have a um mentor um from New Orleans. Um, her name is Leverne. Um, I really look up to her style. You know, she was a chief administrative officer for one of the parishes in the New Orleans area. doesn't have a degree. Um, extremely intelligent, politically savvy, just watching them go. And then I would say, you know, you get the question of like, if you could have um dinner with one person, dead or alive, like who would it be? And I I'm sure lots of people say this, but I um intentionally mean Michelle Obama. like hearing her story um seeing becoming just the vulnerability she has, right? Like to hear her say like I had imposter syndrome. I I had to live a perfect life in the public eye

[27:42]  for eight years. Just the the realness and how she inspired others to to become who they are through um not worrying about what others think um is amazing to me.

[27:55]  Funny you said that. I I look I was talking to NA from Rock Creek. I can't remember exactly where, but um obviously uh a black woman and she was in her office and the back wall has Oprah Winfrey, Beyonce, and Michelle Obama, right? And she just start talking about the history, but I felt like we missing one person that we don't give a lot of credit, and that's Whoopy Goldberg. Like Whoopi has done some work. Come on now. Why people missing out on Whoopi? I just got her um her book, so I'll let you know after.

[28:28]  Okay.

[28:28]  I don't know enough. I only know the cursory

[28:32]  whoopy.

[28:33]  Yeah. No, man. That's that's she she's been in the game for a long time. But no, those are all good. And Michelle, exactly what you just mentioned, authentically herself at all times. You mentioned that's one of the values that you you kind of live by as well is being authentically you. And um how long has it did it take for you to know that? Because I say it wasn't until I was 30 years old where I realized my worth and I realized that you know what my God-given talent was my voice. Something that I shied away from for so long because of um being picked on, you know, as a young kid and just also just my life, right? I felt like I was always less than. So 30 years old, I'm 35, 36, about to be 36. When was that moment that you realized, wait, I am who I am. I'm authentically me. I'm going to show up authentically me.

[29:18]  Well, it's interesting cuz I had two shifts. So, how you're raising your kids, be and do whatever you want. Those were my parents. I did not get imposttor syndrome from childhood. They were like, "What do you want to do? You want to sing? I can't sing." Grammy award winning. Here she comes. You want to run track? Slow as heck. You got it. Olympic [laughter] medalist. Like, my parents didn't play about me. I could do and be whatever I wanted. And then I lived life. I was great. And then I got into a corporate America space at about 30 and I had lots of doubts and people said things that just made me like showing up in rooms where I was the only one that made me feel like how's she getting in here? Oh, that's the affirmative action hire. Even if they didn't say it out loud, they made me feel that way. And I felt that way for about five years. And I did a lot of soulsearching. My faith is important to me. And I just prayed and God said if I take you there,

[30:22]  I will take you through. I prepared you and I prepared the way before you ever showed up. So when I tell you to go,

[30:30]  you go and don't ask any questions cuz I got you. Um

[30:35]  and that so till that time so about 35 um is when I shifted back to

[30:42]  okay

[30:43]  I am absolutely where I'm supposed to be all the time but I'm human so I still have my bouts of

[30:50]  100%

[30:52]  imposter syndrome and and doubt but it it it turns off much faster

[30:58]  100%

[30:58]  to move forward

[31:00]  I think it's to me is a lot to do with the mental right Like if your mind is not well, you don't rebound quicker, right? And that is so true. There's so many times where I started to doubt myself and I have to immediately shut that off and say that's not true. Like keep keep doing when life starts to hit hard and you're like I can sit here and dwell on it or I can keep going. Keep going. You got this, right? Yeah.

[31:24]  Um and and I loved what you said how how God um brought you there and he'll get you through. Um because my wife said something so similar to me when I left my corporate job and I was so in you know 9 to5 like I like I had a job I would show up to this office 9 to5 had no idea what the next you know chapter of my life would be. I just had to believe in myself and and because people were believing in me you know people were asking me like yo how much do you charge for this or people telling me this and and I loved the job that I had. I was working for the airline industry, traveling the world, but I left that job with a stay-at-home wife, right? Stay at home mom, sorry, let me not discredit her. Stay at home mom of two kids, uh, uh, a mortgage and I was the only income. And I would remember working so hard and at the end of that year going to my wife, all right, and she says, and I asked her like, u, hey, we're tapped out on money. What do I do? And she said exactly that, October. She said, "God didn't bring us this far for you to just quit now, did he?" Right. And it it is that when God speaks, you just got to listen.

[32:28]  You do.

[32:29]  You got to have faith. So, I love that you tap into that. Um, as we continue to to kind of wrap this up, people are watching, right? People are asking for that, looking for that advice, and I want you to speak to another young woman of color because the representation matters to me. Not a lot of Latinos are in the space that I'm in and not a lot of, you know, women of color on the space that you're and I know that because I've spoken to 200 plus leaders. Okay. And there handful. What do you say to those that may be in the space of the unknown of trying to pivot but they feel as you mentioned imposter syndrome.

[33:03]  Yeah. My advice to you is and I think you said it believe in yourself as much as you would believe in someone else. So, when those uh thoughts come in your head of like, "Oh, I can't do it. What would I do?" Think about what how you gonna hype your back your bestie up. Like, girl, do this. You got this. Be your own bestie. Um, hype yourself,

[33:27]  but also make sure you're reaching out. Um, making connections. You don't have to just make connections with um people that look like you. Branch out. Do informational interviews. If you if you start new in an organization that doesn't have a formal mentorship program, ask around like who's who's going to be open to taking me under their wing? Who can I learn from? Um and remain curious. I think sometimes we get to a place and we're like this is my job. This is my career path and then you're like what are my next steps there? Understanding there are career ladders. There's sometimes career ladders. Maybe you're not meant to go up just yet. Maybe you're meant to shift um horizontally to a different area or in a different space and just being curious and open um to do that. But remembering that all of those shoulders that we stand on for those who opened doors um and have given opportunities before we got here, we owe that to them as well as to be the shoulders that the next generation is going to stand on.

[34:39]  Okay, October with the motivation on this Friday. [laughter] I'm I'm all about accountability and I'm all about speaking things into existence. All right, so last question. Yeah,

[34:50]  you uh the next time that we talk, I got to have something to bring up like October. I remember when you said you're going to do this. What is that thing that you would want to accomplish in the next 5 years that you've probably written down and no one knows? in the next five years [laughter] um I really want to um be in a space um that my worth and my voice is in spaces that it's not today. So being a keynote speaker, um,

[35:23]  okay,

[35:23]  I am a nineto-fr. I actually do not have the discipline to quit my job. Unless God tells me different, then [laughter] I'm going to move. But, um, you know, I want to I want to do a TED talk. I want someone to say, "Hey,

[35:39]  we like what you're doing as a leader, as a human. Can you be the keynote at this event? Can you do X? Can you do Y?" So in five years I'll have you in my audience for my TED talk. Right.

[35:53]  So I found out October. Let me tell you cuz I'm I'm the same way. I want to do a TEDex as well.

[35:57]  So I heard there's two different there's a TED talk and there's a TEDex talk. Correct.

[36:01]  TEDex being more chapter in your communities. There one in Orlando just opened up or just came back. Okay.

[36:08]  So I did sign up for it. Obviously I didn't get it. But going back to what we just said October, right? As I look at the list of people, it was people with PhDs. It was people in these spaces. They're no better than me and you, right? We just got to wait for the opportunity and create those opportunities. Yeah. We got to do so good damn near that somebody is saying, "Hey, we're going to overlook that you don't have." But it doesn't

[36:31]  I just don't understand. I got so mad when I seen this. You don't even know October. I'm like, really? Everything I've done in the last 20 years. But you know what? God's time, right? We just got to wait for our time, October. But no, I'm definitely u excited for that. that I mean there's so much on the horizon for you and and you're just kind of getting started right like you just made this this jump to where you're at today very what few years two three years am I mistaken

[36:55]  kind of I I've been in HR went to

[36:58]  no I mean now in in uh

[37:00]  yeah just two years here in Texas

[37:02]  so you just made a jump right you you got to get a little uncomfortable now you get comfortable again then get uncomfortable again so TEDex talk definitely about the next hour that we're compensating where can people find more about you personally is it LinkedIn Facebook but also some of the organizations um you know URLs and socials.

[37:19]  Yes. Uh LinkedIn, I'm the HTTPS www.lin.com/otober. That tells you how long I've been on there. I actually just have my first name. So I'm a OG on that platform. Um my Instagram is open. It's robotco one. So that's October spelled backwards and the number one if you want to follow me there for uh shenanigans, not all not all professional things. Um and then the organization I work for um you can find us at uh Central Health um Texas uh.net. Um, within that I sit on the senior leadership team for our FQC clinic, which is Community Care, and that's community care Texas um or yeah, community Texas.org. So, um, check us out. Um, uh, contribute if you're in the Texas, central Texas area. um please um send folks who are uninsured or underinsured um to a space where they can get quality um and dignified health care.

[38:31]  I love it. Well, October has definitely been a pleasure. I can't wait till the next time we talk and you told me that you are either getting prepared for that TED X or you invited me to a TEDex. Um if you guys are still watching, make sure that you guys do like, subscribe, and comment. This has been October. My name's Ephrain. We'll catch you guys in the next one. All right. Latest.

[38:47]  Thanks, Ephrain.