Tessa Liberato

I have to surround myself by like-minded people. I can really work with anyone and for anyone, but I thrive when I am around people who inspire me. Right now, the example I have is I have a CEO who's phenomenal, and she's a female leader, and she inspires me, but it doesn't necessarily need to be female or male, but as long as they're like-minded, that drives me. I have to have a great relationship of trust in them, but also for them and me in the work that I do with some autonomy. One of my passions is leadership development, so I think I surround myself with the team that I have in trust. I also want to inspire them to be their best versions, but I also need that for myself, too. So, making sure that I now place myself in companies that have leadership that way. That's what drives me, is just really making sure that I'm around like-minded people, somebody that also inspires me, and trusts me, and then I will work hard. I will move mountains with them.

Going back to nonprofit just really aligns me with my core values of giving back. Although I don't directly work with the clients we serve, I support the leaders and the direct care staff that do, and how I can impact them and make their lives easier is where I truly find the reward in the work that I do. I have to find avenues and outlets for myself to be able to provide that emotional support for others. Exercise is a huge thing. Having my core group of my family and my friends that I can go to is essential. I meditate and exercise and take care of myself, I read, all those things, because I will be good to no one if I didn't. One of the things that I've learned in my career is there was a lot of guilt around taking time off for myself in the beginning of my career. I do not feel guilty anymore taking time off, because I know that is allowing me to be able to come back to be the best version of myself. I have a daughter who's young, and I try and really remember that I'm role modeling for her. I have to have clear boundaries of when I'm working, and then when I'm done working, I'm eating dinner with my family. Being cognizant of what I'm role modeling for her and having those healthy boundaries for myself too with that balance of work and being at home is so important.