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Women STaRs with Jenice Contreras

28m · Women STaRs · 22 Mar 07:00

This week on the Women STaRs Podcast, we have the pleasure of talking with Jenice Contreras, the Executive Director of the Northeast Ohio Hispanic Center for Economic Development. Jenice was born in Puerto Rico, is bilingual, bicultural and is proud of her heritage. Through her key involvement in CentroVilla25, an adaptive reuse of a vacant warehouse and office building, Jenice is a driving force around the neighborhood redevelopment efforts in Cleveland’s Clark-Fulton neighborhood, the most densely populated Hispanic enclave in the state of Ohio. She has many achievements to commend her, such as features from prominent publications like Crain’s, other awards and community involvements, as well as her advocacy for others and dedication to helping her community.

Listen to this fantastic episode and glean some stunning advice, great stories, and the inspiration you just might be missing in your life. Jenice shares with us the experience of being a young mother and raising children while building a career; how she learned to give herself grace; finding people in her she-tribe who fill her cup; and meaning it when she says “no.” You’ll not want to miss hearing about her greatest success that she’s currently going through: helping to strengthen the neighborhood she grew up in and making it more equitable.

If you’d like to contact Jenice, you can visit her profile on hbcenter.org.

Thank you to our sponsor, On Technology Partners for their support, guidance, and ongoing encouragement.

Quotes

“Oftentimes women feel like they have to choose one or the other: if you want the career, you can’t have the family, if you want the family, you can’t have the career. And I think there are many stubborn women who refuse to believe that that is the case. And so, I challenged myself to do it all. It wasn’t perfect and it was very messy most days, but I’m happy I was able to get through it.”

“Plan, but also give yourself the flexibility to know that life happens. Give yourself the grace to say, ‘Hey, that didn’t happen today, it’s okay and we will manage.’”

“Just to have the opportunity to play a leading role into creating something that’s transformational in a community, that’s going to live for generations to come, it’s pretty wild and pretty invigorating to me.”

“I spent a lot of time on things that are not important. I would go to evening meetings or weekend events. In retrospect, now that I don’t have a lot of time and I’m super busy, I would analyze how a meeting or event fulfills my personal or professional goals. And if I couldn’t answer that clearly, I would tell people to walk out of that meeting.”

The episode Women STaRs with Jenice Contreras from the podcast Women STaRs has a duration of 28:25. It was first published 22 Mar 07:00. The cover art and the content belong to their respective owners.

More episodes from Women STaRs

Women STaRs with Jenice Contreras

This week on the Women STaRs Podcast, we have the pleasure of talking with Jenice Contreras, the Executive Director of the Northeast Ohio Hispanic Center for Economic Development. Jenice was born in Puerto Rico, is bilingual, bicultural and is proud of her heritage. Through her key involvement in CentroVilla25, an adaptive reuse of a vacant warehouse and office building, Jenice is a driving force around the neighborhood redevelopment efforts in Cleveland’s Clark-Fulton neighborhood, the most densely populated Hispanic enclave in the state of Ohio. She has many achievements to commend her, such as features from prominent publications like Crain’s, other awards and community involvements, as well as her advocacy for others and dedication to helping her community.

Listen to this fantastic episode and glean some stunning advice, great stories, and the inspiration you just might be missing in your life. Jenice shares with us the experience of being a young mother and raising children while building a career; how she learned to give herself grace; finding people in her she-tribe who fill her cup; and meaning it when she says “no.” You’ll not want to miss hearing about her greatest success that she’s currently going through: helping to strengthen the neighborhood she grew up in and making it more equitable.

If you’d like to contact Jenice, you can visit her profile on hbcenter.org.

Thank you to our sponsor, On Technology Partners for their support, guidance, and ongoing encouragement.

Quotes

“Oftentimes women feel like they have to choose one or the other: if you want the career, you can’t have the family, if you want the family, you can’t have the career. And I think there are many stubborn women who refuse to believe that that is the case. And so, I challenged myself to do it all. It wasn’t perfect and it was very messy most days, but I’m happy I was able to get through it.”

“Plan, but also give yourself the flexibility to know that life happens. Give yourself the grace to say, ‘Hey, that didn’t happen today, it’s okay and we will manage.’”

“Just to have the opportunity to play a leading role into creating something that’s transformational in a community, that’s going to live for generations to come, it’s pretty wild and pretty invigorating to me.”

“I spent a lot of time on things that are not important. I would go to evening meetings or weekend events. In retrospect, now that I don’t have a lot of time and I’m super busy, I would analyze how a meeting or event fulfills my personal or professional goals. And if I couldn’t answer that clearly, I would tell people to walk out of that meeting.”

Women STaRs with Jenice Contreras

This week on the Women STaRs Podcast, we have the pleasure of talking with Jenice Contreras, the Executive Director of the Northeast Ohio Hispanic Center for Economic Development. Jenice was born in Puerto Rico, is bilingual, bicultural and is proud of her heritage. Through her key involvement in CentroVilla25, an adaptive reuse of a vacant warehouse and office building, Jenice is a driving force around the neighborhood redevelopment efforts in Cleveland’s Clark-Fulton neighborhood, the most densely populated Hispanic enclave in the state of Ohio. She has many achievements to commend her, such as features from prominent publications like Crain’s, other awards and community involvements, as well as her advocacy for others and dedication to helping her community.

Listen to this fantastic episode and glean some stunning advice, great stories, and the inspiration you just might be missing in your life. Jenice shares with us the experience of being a young mother and raising children while building a career; how she learned to give herself grace; finding people in her she-tribe who fill her cup; and meaning it when she says “no.” You’ll not want to miss hearing about her greatest success that she’s currently going through: helping to strengthen the neighborhood she grew up in and making it more equitable.

If you’d like to contact Jenice, you can visit her profile on hbcenter.org.

Thank you to our sponsor, On Technology Partners for their support, guidance, and ongoing encouragement.

Quotes

“Oftentimes women feel like they have to choose one or the other: if you want the career, you can’t have the family, if you want the family, you can’t have the career. And I think there are many stubborn women who refuse to believe that that is the case. And so, I challenged myself to do it all. It wasn’t perfect and it was very messy most days, but I’m happy I was able to get through it.”

“Plan, but also give yourself the flexibility to know that life happens. Give yourself the grace to say, ‘Hey, that didn’t happen today, it’s okay and we will manage.’”

“Just to have the opportunity to play a leading role into creating something that’s transformational in a community, that’s going to live for generations to come, it’s pretty wild and pretty invigorating to me.”

“I spent a lot of time on things that are not important. I would go to evening meetings or weekend events. In retrospect, now that I don’t have a lot of time and I’m super busy, I would analyze how a meeting or event fulfills my personal or professional goals. And if I couldn’t answer that clearly, I would tell people to walk out of that meeting.”

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If you’d like to contact Sara Jo, you can reach out to her on Linkedin.

Thank you to our sponsor, On Technology Partners for their support, guidance, and ongoing encouragement.

Quotes

“I’m a huge proponent of self-care. I’m not an absolutely disciplined person when it comes to these things, but every day, I try to eat well, exercise, laugh, and get good sleep.”

“I remember sitting in my sophomore year English class and we were asked what was most important to us. Even at that age, my biggest goal was to achieve balance in life. I have a fulfilling career, a relationship with a partner that’s everything and more than I could have ever wanted, I have friends who are interesting and challenging, and I’m giving back to my community. My biggest triumph is curating a life that I’m proud of.”

“Task number one is to find something to do with the majority of your day that rings true to you.”

“I consider myself a cerebral person. I’m in my head a lot. And, as I’m going even through simple things, I’m like, ‘Am I giving this my all? Am I paying attention to this? Am I present?”

Women STaRs with Sara Jo Smith

On this week’s episode, we sat down with Sara Jo Smith, Vice President – Senior Relationship Manager, Institutional Real Estate Group, KeyBank. Beyond being successful in her career, Sara Jo is dedicated to using her voice, being involved in her community, and finding balance in all aspects of her life.

Our conversation with Sara Jo and her perspective on finding balance through her struggles and triumphs are inspiring and engaging. Tune in as she discusses working in a male-dominated field and being more boisterous to be seen, surrounding yourself with the right people, doing life with purpose,  and being more present to make fewer mistakes. There’s something for everyone in the wisdom she shares, such as her advice to serious people like herself: don’t be reckless, but try to have more fun. 

If you’d like to contact Sara Jo, you can reach out to her on Linkedin.

Thank you to our sponsor, On Technology Partners for their support, guidance, and ongoing encouragement.

Quotes

“I’m a huge proponent of self-care. I’m not an absolutely disciplined person when it comes to these things, but every day, I try to eat well, exercise, laugh, and get good sleep.”

“I remember sitting in my sophomore year English class and we were asked what was most important to us. Even at that age, my biggest goal was to achieve balance in life. I have a fulfilling career, a relationship with a partner that’s everything and more than I could have ever wanted, I have friends who are interesting and challenging, and I’m giving back to my community. My biggest triumph is curating a life that I’m proud of.”

“Task number one is to find something to do with the majority of your day that rings true to you.”

“I consider myself a cerebral person. I’m in my head a lot. And, as I’m going even through simple things, I’m like, ‘Am I giving this my all? Am I paying attention to this? Am I present?”

Women STaRs with Catherine Bosley

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If you’d like to get in touch with Catherine, you can find her on most social medias, or you can visit her website, catherinebosley.com, where you can also buy her book, Forever and For All to See

Thank you to our sponsor, On Technology Partners for their support, guidance, and ongoing encouragement.

Quotes

“We need to be so cautious about what we do online and off. There is so little room for that ‘What was I thinking?’ moment before something becomes part of your forever and for all to see.”

“How many of you have gone through something and you feel like you’re never going to survive it? And you do. We’ve all been through those types of situations, and you survive it. And not only do you survive it, you’re stronger, you’re wiser, and you’re more equipped to help other people.”

“Be mindful that what think is just for the moment, it’s not just for the moment anymore.”

“Be very aware of the necessity to step aside, to set time aside…No more ‘one more thing’ when you’ve made a promise to spend time with your family or even yourself.”

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