51. Seizing Opportunities At All Times

Episode Transcript

Alisa Manjarrez: (00:00)
So right before this podcast, I got a workout in and I’m so proud of myself.

Dr. Merary Simeon: (00:07)
Yay!

Alisa Manjarrez: (00:08)
I didn’t even need to tell myself, “You got this!” I just had it.

Dr. Merary Simeon: (00:13)
That is awesome.

Alisa Manjarrez: (00:13)
I was like, “Okay, I’m going to go for 10 minutes on the bike.” I didn’t have a lot of time because we had this podcast recording, but I’m going to get something in today. So I got 15 minutes in. I turned up my music, and if it weren’t for this podcast I’d still be riding. Because I was in a good space. That is maybe the first time I’ve said this on the podcast because I rarely feel like that.

Alisa Manjarrez: (00:41)
Merary, are you still working out? What’s your thing?

Dr. Merary Simeon: (00:43)
I’m still working out. But, today I had an early meeting, so I only worked out for 15 minutes. So it’s perfectly okay. At least you got it in, and I felt good about it. I still try to do it four times a week, but even today I had a seven o’clock call and I’m like, “Okay, let me just go and do it the little time that I have,” and I still feel great. So I’m so proud of you, Alisa. Yay!

Alisa Manjarrez: (01:08)
Yeah. I know my goal has been to get at least 30 minutes of movement, a walk or something. Then it’s cool because once I set that 30 minute goal, on some days I can go an hour, an hour and a half. Then days like today, I went 15. The point is, this isn’t a goal setting episode, but setting that little goal has really made a difference for me.

Dr. Merary Simeon: (01:32)
But look at you how happy you even look, and how much you’re smiling, and how happy you are to tell the story is very different than from a few weeks ago.

Alisa Manjarrez: (01:39)
Yeah, when I was like, “I hate this.”

Dr. Merary Simeon: (01:44)
So proud of you.

Alisa Manjarrez: (01:45)
Thank you. Thank you. Sandi, we’re going to introduce you in a little bit, but what’s your workout life like? Let me just put you on the spot.

Sandi Li: (01:54)
Sure. I didn’t know you were going to put in me on the spot, I love it. So my workout, I try to do every day if possible, but I travel. But even when I travel, I try to find a place has workout of place. So what I do, I’m a morning person, I get up five and I do my routine workout. I have a dog. I work my dog for 10, 20 minutes. Listen to my podcast or not. I love biking and playing tennis. So all sort stuff, but that’s part of my life. I’m so glad we talk about this.

Dr. Merary Simeon: (02:31)
Love it. I love it.

Alisa Manjarrez: (02:33)
Okay. So this working out thing… this is like… when I think about my ideal life, I want to be a healthy person, and I don’t want to make health a burden or a chore for me. I see so many successful women who just have it down. When I look at Merary, she’s on it, and Rosa is a walking machine in the snow.

Rosa Santos: (02:57)
Yes.

Alisa Manjarrez: (02:58)
Consistently. I just go through phases where sometimes I totally like that. Sometimes it takes a little bit more to get going. So I love to hear that the people that just have it, like you Sandy, you just wake up and you do it. It seems so effortless. I want to be there someday.

Rosa Santos: (03:17)
But I tell you what I often started to introduce in my workout routine. I don’t know if you guys are going to like this… napping.

Sandi Li: (03:26)
I love it. That’s what I need.

Rosa Santos: (03:29)
You know, I’ve come to realize that I’m always on. I think it gets to a point that you can actually break yourself down, because you’re always on. Then allowing yourself to actually stop, and take a nap, and not feeling guilty about it. That is my goal. For that, I got myself a nap dress, which I didn’t know they existed until somebody told me…

Alisa Manjarrez: (03:56)
What? [crosstalk 00:03:56]

Dr. Merary Simeon: (03:56)
What, tell me about this nap dress.

Rosa Santos: (03:59)
[inaudible 00:03:59], all the raging California, Alisa. So I am today, in honor of go get what you want, I’m wearing a nap dress.

Alisa Manjarrez: (04:07)
That’s your nap dress? That’s so adorable.

Rosa Santos: (04:10)
Yes. There you go.

Alisa Manjarrez: (04:11)
Oh my gosh. You’re just stepped up the game right now.

Dr. Merary Simeon: (04:16)
I don’t know if my children would allow me to take naps. I probably would have to hide from them to make that happen, but I love the idea.

Rosa Santos: (04:23)
Oh, there you go. There you go.

Alisa Manjarrez: (04:24)
I might just buy the dress.

Alisa Manjarrez: (04:36)
Speaking of going after what you want and seizing opportunities, we have an incredible episode today. I’m so excited. I’ve been thinking about this topic all week. In my personal entrepreneurship journey, I’ve been thinking a lot about how I have so much freedom to do what I want, that I cage myself in… I think I’ve talked about this in previous episodes. When opportunities come, I have this opportunity to join an agency part-time to do B2B podcasting. Obviously, I’m on a podcast here. I love podcasting. It’s a great opportunity. It’s super smooth work for me, but I was like, “Oh no, but that’s not coaching, that’s not my business. What am I going to do?” The person that I’m working with is like “Well, what if this allowed you to do more of the other stuff that you wanted to do?”

Alisa Manjarrez: (05:32)
It really opened my eyes and I started seeing it in a different way. So today, we’re going to be looking at opportunities and changing course without hesitation. And really, I would say, being open to the possibilities that await you.

Alisa Manjarrez: (05:48)
So let me talk about who’s here with me today. I have Rosa Santos, leadership and organizational development expert, human resource executive. Then I have Dr. Merary Simeon, she is a motivational speaker and an HR executive. My name is Alisa Manjarrez, I’m a vision producer, executive coach, and whatever else I want to be. This is the What Rules podcast, where we can all do whatever we want, wherever we work.

Alisa Manjarrez: (06:18)
However, we work and we are here to help multicultural women outsmart the game to advance in their career. Joining us is a special guest, Sandy Li. Sandy, why don’t you introduce yourself. Tell us all the hats that you wear. We heard about your workout routine, what else do you do?

Sandi Li: (06:38)
Thank you, Alisa. Greater to be here. So I’m current [inaudible 00:06:43] President of finance for a leading cannabis company. Starting my career with Entrepreneur Tech Company, or [inaudible 00:06:52] Company for a few years after college. I motor to North America, Toronto, Canada, and since then been working for as executive in public private investment banking and cannabis. So being course worked, living in China, Canada, and America. So I even don’t know really who I am, but I know I enjoy my life every single day. Glad to be here.

Alisa Manjarrez: (07:23)
That’s amazing. I mean, you are the epitome of the multicultural women. That’s for sure. Living in multiple countries, and speaking multiple languages. It’s really interesting to hear about all the places you’ve been and the jobs that you’ve. What would you say is the thing that helped you to seize opportunities the most? How did you do it?

Sandi Li: (07:48)
I don’t know how I do it, I just do it. I think sometimes you can smell and see opportunity right in front of you. My life, I’ve been blessed with all those great opportunities, great mentors, and friends. Sometimes just in front of me, sometimes just through different channels. I love it, because another thing is that I love to learn. I think a continue education to me is a big deal. I’m still learning. I’m learning from, I have been [inaudible 00:08:21] learning from of my children every single day. That’s what I can see opportunity in front of me. I know that’s right opportunity. If ask or what, right? You just do it, if not working and there’s other opportunity going to wait for you.

Sandi Li: (08:40)
Sometimes we have to create the opportunity. We talk about networking. We talk about mentors. We talk about friends. Most of my opportunity does not really come from recruitment. It’s really coming from friends from connections. I love to be with people. I love to be able to help others. I think what do you get is what you gave. How do you know that’s right opportunity of course? Because you continue learning and you will know sometime. But if you don’t know, will you need to do some research. We talk about, is this a cannabis? As an Asian, Chinese woman. You know, my classmates even call me, “Weed Lady”. Imagine you’re a cannabis, you know?Because that’s great opportunity. That’s right opportunity. I have done my research. I’ve done my study, and I have a great connections in this space.

Alisa Manjarrez: (09:39)
I’m sorry. I’m still cracking up at people calling you Weed Lady because I would feel so uncomfortable calling you that.

Sandi Li: (09:46)
It’s okay. I’m in a weed business. So…

Rosa Santos: (09:49)
That’s awesome. What I am hearing Sandi, is that you don’t necessarily jump into the opportunity. You do your homework before you think this is something that it could be good for you?

Sandi Li: (10:06)
I’m open, right? So every single day I’m open a universe. I think it’s about, I work a lot on my mindset every day of formation of this. I think partially my self development, Rosa, is of course physical workout we covered in the beginning of this podcast. A lot is about your mental strengths. I spent a lot of time doing that. You’re right, back to your questions that I don’t really jump into opportunity because there’s this called opportunity to cost as well, right?

Rosa Santos: (10:42)
Yes.

Sandi Li: (10:42)
So everything has a cost.

Rosa Santos: (10:44)
Right.

Sandi Li: (10:44)
By once you do calculate risk and benefits, I take a calculator risk. That’s I start to make a moment.

Rosa Santos: (10:53)
What about you guys, Merary? How do you know an opportunity is in front of you worth taking?

Dr. Merary Simeon: (10:59)
What I agree with Sandi, I think, because I feel that I’ve taken a lot of opportunities and created a lot of who I am today. But I kind of had my mindset, this is what I want. I do take calculated risks to create that opportunity. There has been times where I have not taken that opportunity because it wasn’t the right time for me or my family. You know, I always talk about my team. My team is my family. So there’s times where I said, “Mm, not right now,” and it’s been okay. But then there’s also been times where I’m like, “Okay, it is the risk that me and my family are willing to take,” from a career perspective or even a personal perspective from a learning perspective. Even just something as getting my doctorate.

Dr. Merary Simeon: (11:47)
It was the right time for me and my family to do that. Was it easy? No, but it was a calculated risk that we were all in, and willing to take. So I a hundred percent believe in, just like Sandi said, exercising, because I feel that that clears my mind. But then also thinking about, I’m always thinking about my future, what it could be, what it couldn’t be, what I can do. Okay, let me take the chance and do this. I’m always thinking about that, so when the opportunity arises, I’m like, is it the right time? Let me step back and think about it. So I don’t just jump into it either. I do think about it and what the risks are, not just to me, but the people in my family,

Alisa Manjarrez: (12:31)
I created a business plan this morning and my business plan for the Happy Cactus is: “a project or person has to be fun, cool, and then I need to be able to invoice at the end.” Those are my criteria. Is it fun? Is it cool? Can I invoice?

Alisa Manjarrez: (12:49)
I’m a year in and it’s taken me a long time to just embrace that. That that is my process, and that it doesn’t look like everyone else’s process. I have a client, she has a five binders for her life, mission, purpose, all these things. She’s very calculated, and all of the decisions she makes are very intentional, very purposeful. I really respect that, but I don’t work like that, and I come back to this all the time. Is it fun? Cool? And can I invoice? And I finally am just starting to embrace it. That is my process, and that’s okay.

Dr. Merary Simeon: (13:27)
No, I love that you said that. Because even when I started speaking, a lot of the things were what people wanted me to talk about and now I’m like, “No, this is, I want to talk about, this is what I love. This is what I’m really good at.” And to your point, what’s your budget? Let’s talk about it.

Sandi Li: (13:45)
Ladies, I love it. Of course. I mean, number person, number person mean the business of numbers. So, you know, we talk about eight numbers.

Dr. Merary Simeon: (13:54)
Yeah, because I don’t know if that happened to you or to any of you. But one of the things I was noticing, because I loved to do it and I was having fun, I was just doing it, right? I love inspiring people and I love to see the impact that I make. But I’m like, “Why do I keep doing this for free?” My time is money too, because it does take time to prepare, to put it together, and just even be there in the moment. So yeah, I’m all into it now, Sandi, as far as numbers, but it took me a minute.

Rosa Santos: (14:26)
Sandi’s all about numbers. I know that.

Rosa Santos: (14:27)
So hearing you guys, and I’m all down for the money, huh? Alisa know this very well. So I’m all down to make sure that we know our worth and when we make choices, what impact is that financially is going to have for us and in the way that we are pursuing our careers.

Rosa Santos: (14:45)
I tell you, hearing and listening to you right now, you all seem so process orientated. Okay, we’ve got this down. It doesn’t sound to me like a lot of risk taking. Because I know the three of you, and if nobody knew who you are, they all would think that you go through this risk analysis and then you do PowerPoints. I know you three and I know there are occasions when you’ve gone and seized an opportunity with your gut, for lack of a better word. You all know how much I love to plan, but I, for one, I think that some of the best opportunities that have come my way, I didn’t risk assess them. I think I made them worth the risk afterwards. I actually think that a lot of those opportunities, and I can think of like at least three in my life.

Dr. Merary Simeon: (15:41)
Okay. Because I’m like, what? Well tell me.

Rosa Santos: (15:44)
And I think I’ve spoken about them here, but they were like pivotal to becoming who I am today. So from the moment, for instance, and I think I’ve told this story before of sitting on an airplane next to somebody who offered me a job or the idea of a job, right? But it’s like those moments of kind of knowing something is in front of you and you need to interrupt it and make it yours. Sometimes because we think way too much, some of those opportunities might just walk us by. So I think, that for me, there’s a little bit of that balance of, to what extent you truly take your time. I think it depends on what we are talking about, and I guess the level of maturity and risk. This scale is different depending, I think, who you are your situation and maybe where you are in your life and in your career. That is true.

Rosa Santos: (16:33)
At the same time, I think we need to remain open to Sandi’s point. Open because you never know what possibility, something that you hadn’t even thought about, could bring to you. I always talk in terms of when I went to college when I was 17 or 18, and my options were very reduced, were very small. Is either being a doctor, a teacher or a lawyer. That’s what I thought.

Rosa Santos: (17:03)
Then I happened to be doing something to travel and visit others, or doing exchanges in Europe, you do these exchanges with other schools. I’m missing all these people. That is when realize like, wow, there is a job called makeup food artist. Nobody had told me about that. That that was a possibility, right? Had I known, maybe today I would be like a super cool makeup food artist for what we know. I always talk about that because sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know, and then you assess things based on a very rigid paradigm.

Dr. Merary Simeon: (17:40)
I mean, I go back to what Sandi said earlier. It’s kind of staying in that learning mindset because if you do, then you probably learn more opportunities or things that you weren’t even aware of that existed.

Alisa Manjarrez: (17:59)
What are the barriers that have stopped you in the past that you know you don’t want to stop you in the future?

Dr. Merary Simeon: (18:08)
Money. Finances. I go back to what Sandi said. I think I would’ve taken a lot more risks if I would’ve started early on thinking of finances differently.

Rosa Santos: (18:22)
I think you learn from what has not worked. I think for me, throughout the years, I’ve learned when I seized an opportunity, or maybe I created an opportunity that didn’t result, or didn’t have the outcome that I wanted. I really, that moment I do a purposeful kind of notation in my head to making ensure that they’re following time I take certain things into consideration. Because there have been a few occasions that I’ve had this sense of guilt sometimes, especially with career guilt, because maybe I got a different job that required a different kind of involvement and engagement at a higher level for me. Maybe I would have left my son to be at home longer than maybe I, in hindsight, I should have. Which for me, goes all about this, your worth as well. How much are you willing to give up and invest from yourself in making that opportunity a success.

Rosa Santos: (19:27)
So for me, it’s a lot about that. A little bit of an after action review. Also, once I make a decision, I go full on. It may not work out, but I think it’s a matter of owning your choice and your decision and your responsibility behind it. It can go sideways. They need to go sideways, because if they don’t go sideways, then I think that those experiences is when you can quickly do all of you guys’ processes much, much faster than if you have to start from always being successful and not having failed. That’s how I do it now. I really lean into the experience of having certain opportunities, that in fact they didn’t pan out the way that I was expecting .

Sandi Li: (20:16)
Alisa, if you think about barrier for me is a lot about the intention, right? So I always think “Where’s your intention, where would be your energy”. So for example, in the morning we get up, we exercise because it is my intention to do. I get energy from that. So our career development, personal development, and others the same thing. So my barrier, of course, I come a long way is at a self development.

Sandi Li: (20:46)
When I came here, a friend of mine brought me to a Toastmaster. Everybody was so good. You know, it’s just so natural for them. I just thought, no, no, that’s not for me. It’s not for me. So next time he said, “Oh, let’s go back,” I said, “No, I’m not going.” But here’s the thing. When I see now going I said, “No, this is good,” is a good because communication skills, presentation skills, every single leadership needs it.

Sandi Li: (21:16)
That’s my…you know, I’m freed. Go there, right? But guess what? I went back. Not only I went back couple years later, I mentor people. I sit on the leadership team or not. We all have internally freed of something by effect to what I said. Where is your intention with your energy? I know one day, I want to be CFO, CEO. I know I need a presentation communication. When I talk about this, I can reading Chinese. This is back to many, many years ago, right? By multi languages I needed to practice. I came on course of learning. I think it’s that my barrier, this my career is intention and the self development.

Alisa Manjarrez: (22:05)
I love that. I want to give a shout out to my Toastmaster group presenters and facilitators Toastmasters in California once a month on Tuesdays. It’s funny because our group is presenters and facilitators and people get really intimidated. I’m not a presenter or, but then they become them. Then you see the transformation. For me personally, I rejoined Toastmasters. I was in it 10 years ago, and I rejoined when I moved to a new city so I could meet some people and work on my skills. I can see where I need to grow, a lot. I’ve never been so aware of my flaws and speaking as I am today because of that.

Alisa Manjarrez: (22:48)
I’m also very aware of my strengths in that. Thinking back, when I was like my idea of a successful person is someone who exercises and someone… but it is that you work on yourself, and not everyone works on themselves. I think that whatever gets you there is not what’s going to take you to the next level, necessarily. So you have to find those moments, or those areas, or those gaps to get you to the next place. So for you, you’re like, “I need to be able to present in multiple languages if I want to become a CFO, CEO someday”, and you’re doing it and you’re working on it. Whereas, other people might see you and be like, you’re fine. You’re done.

Dr. Merary Simeon: (23:30)
You know, I agree. I think even when I started speaking, it was also a risk that I took. When I get nervous my accent comes out and I say things in Spanish and it’s just like, “Oh!”, and I kept going. I kept going and I got a coach and I’m just like, okay, I need to keep going. If it wasn’t because I took that risk, I wouldn’t have never had the opportunities that I have now. I mean, I speak globally, and people are contacting me from Latin America, from all these places like, “Hey, we want you to speak.”

Dr. Merary Simeon: (24:02)
If that opportunity didn’t come up, and I didn’t take it right there and then, because let me tell you, I was afraid. I was bright red. My hands were shaking. I mean, I was getting on that stage and I’m like, how am I even going to say a word? I just took the risk. Then after that, I realized I needed more coaching on how to speak, but I took the risk and just kept learning and learning and practicing. It’s a lot of work, but it is something that’s completely changed the way I even look at life now, and what I do.

Rosa Santos: (24:33)
What I’m hearing you guys is, and within the context of sizing the opportunity, I think what you guys are talking about is how you seize the opportunity on ourselves. How do we put ourselves sometimes first, before, even we create maybe the aura or the right environment. I’m pretty disposition for these opportunities to come to you, either to come naturally or because you are creating them. You just need to start with feeling good about yourself and feeling that it is okay to be a work in progress. I think we’re all a work in progress, and we’ll define progress uniquely for each and every one of you. So it’s awesome to hear that we all four share that. When thinking about creating or seizing opportunities. Well done ladies.

Alisa Manjarrez: (25:22)
Thank you. You, Rosa, have seized the nap opportunity. I think that is something we can all aspire to.

Dr. Merary Simeon: (25:31)
Yes. I love it. [crosstalk 00:25:33]

Alisa Manjarrez: (25:33)
With a wardrobe to go.

Rosa Santos: (25:35)
With a wardrobe to go. Exactly.

Alisa Manjarrez: (25:37)
[crosstalk 00:25:37] You talk about self-care.

Rosa Santos: (25:38)
Yeah.

Alisa Manjarrez: (25:41)
Yeah. I also see that as a theme in this, it’s like seizing the big opportunities, but then seizing the small opportunities for your own health and wellbeing and growth.

Sandi Li: (25:53)
Whenever there’s risk, there are going to be opportunity. It’s about process. Sometimes not about results, but a result will come along. But if you don’t start, never have a result. Keep on learning, right? Self development and build your confidence. If you have a confidence, you can do anything.

Alisa Manjarrez: (26:21)
Want to know how breaking the rules can help you level up your career game? Search What Rules podcast on any social media platform and join our members only group on LinkedIn, where we discuss rule breaking strategies for multicultural women. What Rules is a production of Color Forward. The show is produced by me, Alisa Manjarrez, with editing and fabulous sound design by Mat [inaudible 00:26:44] DeLeon. Visit colorforward.com for more stories, events, and of course all the episodes of What Rules.

Alisa Manjarrez: (26:53)
You’ve arrived. You’re you’re the Weed Lady.