When She Had to Learn an Entirely New Skill

Learning typing from scratch, excelling to 70wpm with proficiency, opened a top Administrative position after being a laborer for years!

I have always been creatively curious. That being said, I cannot stick to just one thing...ever! My career has spanned from graphic design to fine art to robotics, and most recently publishing and storytelling. I hope to write a book about my journey one day.

I was an all type of science teacher but decided to change to being an ed tech teacher. I just not only needed to know computer science, but coding, engineering, robotics, construction, plumbing, electrical content as well. It has been an exciting learning experience.

Being open to learning has been one of the greatest drivers of my professional growth in the manufacturing industry. When the opportunity arose to learn SolidWorks and AutoCAD, I embraced it, and those skills later enabled me to communicate effectively with engineers, strengthening collaboration and earning the respect of both colleagues and customers.

One of the greatest lessons I've learned as a founder is that leadership means becoming a student again, especially when the next generation brings insights you don't. As we build the CBA Spotlight app, I've intentionally empowered my Gen Z daughters to lead the creative vision, including our exclusive in-app anime series, proving that innovation grows when you're willing to let others lead.

I tell my children learning something new can be difficult, frustrating and challenging. You may even cry someday but that's ok. Just keep going and always try. Be your own biggest cheerleader, no one can pick you up like you can.

Learning automation and AI changed how I run my business: I've automated over 60% of my day to day operations. Now, I help leading companies in hospitality like Matador Network use tools like Claude and Airtable to build AI systems that create real capacity, not just excitement.

At 35 years into my clinical career, I had to learn AI from scratch because the caregivers I serve needed tools I couldn't build with clinical skills alone. Becoming a beginner again taught me that expertise isn't what you already know; It's the willingness to be uncomfortable long enough to learn what your people need next.

One of the most valuable skills I've learned is being comfortable not having all the answers on day one. Stepping into a new area of law reminded me that growth comes from being willing to learn, and that willingness has already opened doors I never imagined.

One of the most important skills I've learned is how to be comfortable making mistakes. I once viewed mistakes as setbacks, but I've learned to treat them as valuable information. Instead of dwelling on what went wrong, I reflect on why it happened, identify what I can learn, and create practical processes to prevent the same issue from happening again. Embracing this learning process has helped me become more resilient, accountable, and willing to take on unfamiliar challenges. It has also opened new opportunities for growth because I'm no longer afraid of not having every answer at the beginning. I trust my ability to learn, adapt, and improve. Mistakes are no longer something I try to hide from. They're often where my most meaningful growth begins.

I have spent my career in human resources. But one of the most transformative chapters of my professional life had very little to do with HR at all. When I joined a manufacturing company I stepped into an environment that was completely foreign to me. The language was different. The priorities were different. The culture was built around process discipline, production targets, and a philosophy called LEAN manufacturing: eliminating waste, improving efficiency, and building systems that could sustain themselves without constant intervention. I had two choices, and I knew early on which one I was going to make. I could manage the people function in isolation and do my job adequately, or I could learn the business deeply enough to become a genuine partner to the leaders running it. I learned the importance of ISO processes and LEAN manufacturing principles. I spent time with supervisors, managers, and executives asking questions that made clear I was starting from scratch. I wanted to understand how decisions made at the leadership level rippled down to the people doing the work every day, and how workforce strategy could either support or undermine operational performance. What happened surprised even me. The deeper my understanding of operations became the more valuable my HR work became. I could see workforce challenges through an operational lens and connect people strategy to production outcomes in ways that resonated with a CEO thinking about revenue and margin, not just culture and compliance. At one point the CEO raised the possibility of moving me out of HR entirely and into a broader operational leadership role. It was one of the most meaningful professional moments of my career not because I wanted to leave HR, but because it told me that I had become something more than an HR executive. I had become a business partner in the truest sense of the word. I chose to stay in HR, but I carried everything I learned into every engagement since. Today when I work with construction companies, trades businesses, and manufacturers I speak their language. I understand their pressures and I can connect people strategy to business outcomes in a way that most HR consultants simply cannot. Growth does not always come from doing more of what you are already good at. Sometimes it comes from being willing to become a beginner again and trusting that what you learn will make everything else you do better.

Learning something entirely new can be humbling because it requires you to become a beginner again. For me, that meant stepping outside of HR and learning about website design and coding while building my own professional site. I started with an idea and very little knowledge of how to actually bring it to life. With curiosity, patience, and the help of AI, I learned as I went, asked a lot of questions, made mistakes, and kept trying. What started as a creative project became a reminder that we are never too established in our careers to learn something completely new. Being willing to be a beginner again opened my mind to new ways of thinking, creating, and using technology, and gave me the confidence to keep exploring beyond what I already know.

Whenever I've had to learn something significant or unfamiliar, I've approached it methodically. I research extensively using credible sources, seek out people with firsthand knowledge and experience, ask thoughtful questions, and then create the resources or framework I need to understand the subject and approach the challenge with confidence and clarity. When I entered the logistics industry, I used that same approach, immersing myself in the field, learning from industry experts, and turning what I learned into practical tools and knowledge I could put to work. For me, learning is about understanding what I need to know, applying it, and turning that knowledge into meaningful opportunities for growth.

The moment I stopped worrying about being an expert and focused on being a learner, new opportunities began to find me.

Everyone has room to grow, we should be open to feedback, specially if it comes from people who want to see you succeed. Be open to new possibilities and learn EVERYTHING you can from everyone around.

Technology. I have always said technology and I are like water and oil. Well, when you get into a business in today's society, it is all about technology and using it as a tool to help you grow. To face it I simply change my thoughts to one step in front of me. I don't worry about all the other things for the future, but fixate just on the one thing I need to do. For Bridge of Hope, we did a benefit concert. I needed to set us up with a text to give idea. I found the professionals who could help me and leaned on them. Don't be afraid to lean on others. I always have interest to learn from them. So I approach the situation, knowing they are the expert, and I can learn from them. And eventually I'll be able to do it myself and if not, I can always turn to the professionals who can do it for me.

Sometimes the greatest growth begins when we become beginners again. Learning an entirely new skill challenged me to step outside my comfort zone, trust myself, and embrace the process of learning. What started as something unfamiliar became an experience that built confidence, resilience, and opened doors to opportunities I never imagined. This moment reminds me that growth doesn't happen when we already know the way-it happens when we're brave enough to learn it.

I think one of the biggest skills I had to learn from scratch was public speaking. It surprises people now because speaking and training have become such a visible part of my work, but I did not start out thinking I would someday be standing on national stages. I started as an advocate, much more comfortable sitting across from one person, listening to their story and helping them navigate what came next. Eventually, the work asked something different of me. I had knowledge, experiences, and perspectives that needed to move beyond one-on-one conversations and into classrooms, conference rooms, trainings, and eventually national conferences. I had to learn how to take everything I knew from direct service and community work and turn it into something I could teach. That meant learning how to build presentations, facilitate difficult conversations, read a room, speak with confidence, and trust myself when people were looking to me as the expert. I learned by doing it. Sometimes nervously. Sometimes wondering afterward what I could have done differently. But every room taught me something. Now, public speaking has opened doors I never imagined for myself. More importantly, it has given me another way to advocate. I can still sit beside one survivor or one community member and listen, but I can also stand in front of a room full of professionals and challenge them to think differently about the people they serve. Becoming a beginner again taught me that growth does not always mean moving away from where you started. Sometimes it means finding a bigger way to carry that work forward.

I am used to being the leader, out in front and trusted in my decisions. I have learned over the last few years to carve out my area, no final decision making, be supportive and stay within the confines of my support role.