Maria Jose Cadena

I attribute my success to consistency and balance. I really value being able to show up, whether that's in my friendships, relationships, or in what I'm doing professionally. Running long distances has taught me the importance of showing up consistently. At the same time, balance is crucial because you need to rest from everything. You can't be completely absorbed by just one thing. I think it's really important to balance things out in order to have the best outcome overall. Everything is a balance, and you need both consistency and rest to sustain performance and well-being over the long term.

The best career advice I've received is to just go for it. If you're passionate about something and you enjoy doing it, just do it. You're going to be able to achieve it if you take the opportunities that you have. I recognize that I've been lucky enough to have a lot of open doors throughout my life, but I think the key is walking through them and taking advantage of all the opportunities. There are so many great opportunities that present themselves in your life, but if you're not looking for them, or if you think you can do it later, you'll miss them. Just take it, go for it, do what you love, do what you're passionate about. Even do it scared. What if it doesn't work? But what if it does work? You'll never know what could have happened if you don't try. Take advantage of your opportunities because there are truly a lot of resources that can be presented, and if you're not looking for them, you won't see them.

My advice to young women entering college or the nonprofit sector is to go for it and take advantage of all the resources that your university gives you. A lot of times people don't see these resources, but if you look for them, you'll find them. Most universities have resources and they want to support you, and I think it's great if you find those opportunities and take advantage of them. This is the time to build relationships and put yourself out there, because people want to help you. If you look for the right people and find the right people, it can open a lot of doors. Look for opportunities, take them, and have fun while you do it. Everything is a balance. Universities and colleges have these resources, and I think sometimes it's hard to recognize that they do want to help you and that you can still do it and have a balanced life. Don't wait for the perfect time, just get started.

In the nonprofit world, it's always a challenge to find a way to appeal to people and find your audience. Through most fundraising events, a lot of the time there are going to be people who don't necessarily care as deeply as you care for your cause. So I think finding a way to appeal to audiences and communicating what you value, what you're for, and what the industry is for can be a challenge. However, I think once you learn how to navigate that space and how to do it, it becomes less of a challenge with time. The key is learning how to connect with people who may not initially share your passion and helping them understand why your cause matters.

The values most important to me in both my work and personal life are consistency and balance. I really value being able to show up, whether that's in my friendships, relationships, or in everything I'm doing all the time. As someone who runs long distances for fun and sometimes does races, running has shown me the importance of showing up consistently. But balance is equally important because you need to rest from everything too. Everything is a balance, and you can't really be completely absorbed by something. I think it's really important to balance things out in order to have the best outcome overall. You need both discipline and recovery to produce the best results, and just being consistent in showing up while also taking care of yourself through rest.