Her Story
About Bianca
Bianca Franks is the founder and owner of Tears of Hope, a community-focused agency based in Minneapolis. With 20 years of experience in education and community advocacy, she serves as a chemical dependency peer advocate specializing in autism support, parent education, chemical dependency, and youth mentorship programs in schools. Her work expanded from free support groups for families affected by autism to partnering with ABA clinics and creating mentorship programs in schools for youth dealing with substance issues. She also works as a reservations agent at Delta Air Lines in the evenings.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Bianca
01What do you attribute your success to?
My success comes from relatability. The majority of the families that I've helped, I've been them. I've been a single mom. I've been a young mother, I've been homeless, I've been depressed. We know what it's like to feel helpless. That has driven me because it takes more than just relatability. There's a combination that needs to happen. It's the relatability and the drive and the passion combined. I take the classes and workshops because I want to serve them well.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I definitely approached this when I first started trying to save people and that gave me burnout really fast. So my new approach is I am here to help you do the things you need to do for yourself. That has been so much healthier for me. It's very freeing to feel like it's not all on me. Take that pressure off because it's not on you, it's on them. We don't want to create codependency. You want to do advocacy without codependency which is a very fine line. Be very mindful of their dignity.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity. It goes back to what I said about I have yet to have to pitch blind. The majority of it has been someone that spoke my name in rooms I wasn't in already. And so the integrity of what I do and keeping the passion behind it is huge. That's probably my top value. My biggest concern with scaling is I never want to become the person that forgets why I do this and why I started.
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