Gloria L. Garcia

I attribute my success to the responsibility I carried from a young age as the oldest child in a Latino family. I always felt like I had to be perfect and set a good example for my younger siblings, which was a cultural expectation. That mentality caused me a lot of stress because I was always planning for the plan to make a plan for the plan, but it also pushed me to work incredibly hard and prepare for everything. I started preparing for my retirement at a young age because I was always thinking ahead and making good investments. While I missed out on being present for a lot of moments because I was so focused on having everything planned out with no mistakes, that structure and push made me who I am today. I'm now the most successful out of all my siblings, and I say that very humbly, but it came at a price. That's why I've learned the importance of balance, self-care, and not bringing emotion into business decisions. I've learned to take a step back and make sound, rational decisions rather than leading with emotion, which has been crucial in the male-led insurance industry. I also learned to set boundaries and protect my time and energy, which has helped me sustain my success without burning out.

I would tell young women entering the insurance industry to learn how to control their emotions and not make decisions from an emotional place. I know it sounds crazy and a lot of women would probably disagree with my stance, but you cannot make a sound decision and lead with emotion because you're going to end up regretting it. Insurance has been a male-led industry for years, and there really wasn't ever a place for women because we were always labeled as too emotional. A lot of us women who have been in leadership positions have had to train ourselves to not be as emotional, because if we were, we would get that label. The sad part is that we work with very emotional men all day, but they refuse to acknowledge it or admit it. Unfortunately, in this world, it's very unique, but my stance is to take the emotion out of it so you can make a sound, rational decision. This also comes from a place of maturity. I have empathy, but when it comes to emotions, I've learned after all these years in the corporate world that there's no place for it in decision-making.

The most important value to me is self-care, because I've learned that I cannot take care of my family the way I would like them to be taken care of without taking care of myself first, whether it's mentally, spiritually, emotionally, or physically. You can't feed from an empty cup, so I always try to make sure my cup is full so I can take better care of those and support those around me. I'm a huge gym buff and go every single day. On good days I work hard at the gym, and on bad days I work harder, because for me it's more about the mental health and the physical attributes just follow if you're consistent. Setting boundaries is also extremely important to me. I've learned to manage my time better and manage my needs so I don't feel obligatory to say yes to everything. If I don't want to do it, I'm not doing it anymore. As we age, our energy levels become a lot lower, so we have to be extremely protective and guarded with our time and our energy. Being around the wrong energy can take a toll on you, so protecting yourself from negativity and people that drain you is just as important as creating boundaries that protect your time. I also value being present and not trying to be so perfect, which is advice I would give my younger self. I spent so many years planning for the plan to make a plan for the plan that I missed out on a lot of present moments.