Elizabeth Mendiola

I attribute my success to hard work, intention, and focus. Coming from being one of the first to graduate from college in my immediate family, and being a young mom who had my first son in high school, I was told by a couple of teachers that I wouldn't be able to go to college, that being a mom was it for me. I was looked down upon and shunned. I graduated high school in '93, and I was in survival mode as a single mother. But I knew that the road I was on didn't have to be permanent, that I could make a significant difference in my path. It does take hard work and intention, I won't sit here and tell you it's handed to you, but it's been so rewarding and such a blessing for me. I'm just so grateful to be here in this space because it is possible. I also surround myself with a couple of women who are optimistic, positive, spiritual, ready to build me up and have my back, support me, and have a bright outlook on life even when we're walking through the mud and fire. It wasn't me by myself, it takes a village.

The advice I would give is do some research prior to going in, maybe volunteer somewhere. It could be in a school, wherever you're allowed to volunteer, like homeless shelters. In San Antonio, we have Haven for Hope, a homeless shelter where sometimes there's people with mental illness, mild, not high intensity, usually high functioning. Find a way to learn more about it. But if you have the heart and you have the passion, and you have that will and desire to learn something new, you're going to do well. There will be some bumps along the road, and it may feel like an uphill climb at times. You're going to go through wonderful seasons of growth and learning, and there will be seasons where you're going to feel stagnant and questioning yourself, like am I doing the right thing? Stay with it. Give it some more time before throwing in the towel. We can't teach compassion. We can't necessarily fully teach how to be empathetic, or compassionate, or enthusiastic. Those people that obtain that, we can teach knowledge and skills. If they've never been in mental health and they're interested, oh my goodness, there's so much you can do. If you have a heart for people, just people in general, and especially those that are struggling with mental illness, you're going to do fine, and you're going to grow, as long as you're intentional.

The biggest challenge and opportunity in mental health right now is shattering the stigma around mental illness. We're working on bringing mental health awareness to the masses. Our facility is having a 5K called Shatter the Stigma to bring mental health awareness to people. Many of us know someone or have a family member that's struggling with mental illness, and it's becoming more apparent. Mental illness can be due to genetics, it could be drug-induced like drug-induced psychosis, bipolar, schizophrenia, things of that nature. We care for those who cannot care for themselves, the individuals depend on us. When staff is supported holistically, they can thrive. When we really get to meet our staff where they're at and learn and build rapport with them, they will work for you, they will move mountains, and that can make or break any organization. My goal is to continue to lead an organization to get us in a healthier place, especially creating psychologically safe workspaces where staff are built to thrive in their jobs.

The values most important to me are self-care, intentionality, and continuous growth. I'm practicing self-care for the rest of my days, practicing my time management for the rest of my days. What I teach in leadership is, if you feel like you've arrived, enjoy it for the moment, because we never arrive. We should always be refining our skills and practicing self-care. I'm learning to love myself more by getting the sleep I need, moving my body more, and being mindful of what I put in my body. Taking care of yourself is essential because when you're depleted, you can't pour from an empty cup. I have people who depend on me, an aging mother, staff here that depend on me. So being mindful of catching yourself when you feel like you're going through burnout is critical. It's not selfish to take care of yourself. I grew up with strong Hispanic culture where my mother cared for everyone else, and it did affect her health. We deserve to take care of ourselves. I'll be practicing self-care till the day I die, because that's how it is. I also value giving people second chances and believing in redemption, which is why I'm passionate about prison ministry and mentoring young women who were teen mothers like I was.