Breaking Glass Ceilings: The Journey of Elisabeth Moreno
Get ready to dive into a conversation that’s all about courage, empowerment, and staying true to yourself!
Nkechi Nwafor-Robinson sits down with the incredible Elisabeth Moreno, who shares her journey from humble beginnings to becoming a powerful advocate for change. Elisabeth emphasizes the importance of holding onto your values and reminds us that true leadership isn’t about titles or power, but about being authentic and making a positive impact on others.
We’re not just talking about lofty goals here; we’re getting real about the struggles and triumphs that come with breaking glass ceilings and championing equity. Tune in and discover how you can harness your own power to uplift others in your life, because when we empower ourselves, we can light the way for countless others!
Takeaways:
- The podcast emphasizes that empowerment starts with oneself; being your true self can inspire others.
- Elisabeth shares how her journey has been about resilience, purpose, and ensuring equality for all.
- Nkechi highlights the importance of leading with authenticity and staying true to one’s values.
- Empowered individuals can create a ripple effect of positivity, impacting and uplifting those around them.
- Elisabeth discusses the responsibility of leadership and how it should be used to better the world, not just for personal gain.
- The conversation reveals that true success is about happiness and fulfillment rather than titles or wealth.
If this episode resonates with you, then remember... SUBSCRIBE • 5-Star Rate • COMMENT • SHARE this Podcast!! 💚❤️🙌🏾🙏🏾
Book Recommendation: "The Rebel" by Albert Camus
Find Elisabeth Online:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elisabeth-s-moreno/
Find us online: https://linktr.ee/nkechinwaforrobinson
Transcript
Great day.
Speaker A:Amazing human.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:Welcome to Empowered at My Skin podcast, where our mission is to help 1 billion people in this world think in more empowering ways.
Speaker A:Empowered humans empower humans.
Speaker A:So you are in the right place to become a lead domino for empowerment today.
Speaker A:My name is Nkechi Mwaho Robinson.
Speaker A:I'm not only your host, but I am a vibrant optimist obsessed to bring you empowering content with every single episode.
Speaker A:We will bring you weekly content, alternating between longer episodes with featured guests and a shorter episode called Empowering Bites, where I'll be joined by my co host, Gabby Memone.
Speaker A:So if you're ready, let the show begin.
Speaker A:Great day.
Speaker A:Amazing humans.
Speaker A:I'm so excited.
Speaker A:This what I want to share before I introduce this next guest is this actually, like, formed in April when I was in Morocco?
Speaker A:Never actually, probably even before, because I actually watched this human's amazing TED Talk, and then I had the pleasure of interviewing her on stage at Jitex Morocco.
Speaker A:And then she said yes to being on the Empowered My Skin podcast.
Speaker A:So, so really excited.
Speaker A:But let me just get.
Speaker A:Let me just get her bio out to y'.
Speaker A:All.
Speaker A:So from construction sites to Cap Verde to.
Speaker A:To C Suites and then Kevin, from Cap Verde to French government, she has made bold moves in places where very few have dared to to go.
Speaker A:Turning boardrooms, governments, and global challenges into platforms for bold change, champion equity, innovation, and impact across continents, y'.
Speaker A:All.
Speaker A:Her journey is absolute proof that resilience and purpose can actually shape the world and both live together and with purpose as our compass and people at its center.
Speaker A:She is building a future where inclusion isn't just a buzzword, it is actually a revolution.
Speaker A:So please join me in a gigantic podcast.
Speaker A:Welcome for the amazing, the incomparable, the fierce, the powerful, the insightful Elizabeth Moreno.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker B:Come on.
Speaker B:And Kate, you are too kind with me and you're putting so much pressure on my shoulders.
Speaker B:But look, I'm so happy to be with you today.
Speaker B:Thank you very much for your invitation.
Speaker A:No, I love it.
Speaker A:And to everyone, like, when we met in.
Speaker A:In Morocco, I honestly really.
Speaker A:You never really know what's going to happen when you're in the presence of somebody.
Speaker A:And I think what I value of you so much is you were just so welcoming.
Speaker A:Like, I.
Speaker A:Like I just met you, you made me feel like this.
Speaker A:Like there was, like, no worries.
Speaker A:Don't worry about anything.
Speaker A:We are going to have fun on stage.
Speaker A:We're going to be yourself.
Speaker A:Don't you know what I mean?
Speaker A:Like, just bring your fire.
Speaker A:Be yourself.
Speaker A:And I'M going to be myself.
Speaker A:And we each held space in our uniqueness.
Speaker A:And I think that's where the magic gets created, where you just allow others to be, you know, just really awesome.
Speaker A:And you do that.
Speaker A:And you did that for me and I'm really, really appreciative of that.
Speaker A:So I have to ask, you know.
Speaker B:What I usually do to others, what I expect.
Speaker B:Yeah, I usually do for others what I expect people to do for me.
Speaker B:And I think in these crazy world, you know, in Jitex, I think they were something like three thousand and thousand and thousand people.
Speaker B:And I think what people are expecting is authenticity, is simplicity.
Speaker B:It's just give me what I came to look for.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:And you were amazing.
Speaker B:I mean, people know you, the people who, I mean, all the people who've been following you for a while, I want them to know that you are exactly what we see.
Speaker B:And this is a real gift to the world.
Speaker B:So thank you for that.
Speaker A:Thank you so much.
Speaker A:I love that.
Speaker A:So you're in Paris, I'm.
Speaker A:So you're, you're.
Speaker A:I'm in the East.
Speaker A:I'm on the east coast in Eastern Standard Time, so Toronto.
Speaker A:And so you've had way more of today than I have.
Speaker A:But my first question to you is, what has been your most empowering thought that you've had of the day so far?
Speaker B:Well, you know, I'm going to be super frank with you every morning, every day, when I wake up in good health and I see that my family is at peace and I realize how incredibly lucky I am, how fortunate I am, because I know that none of this is guaranteed.
Speaker B:And when you see what's happening around the world today, you can simply be happy to have a chance to live in a free country where you can express your thoughts when you can act when you could, when you, you, you have the chance to do what you want to do.
Speaker B:So that's the kind of thought I try to wake up with every single day.
Speaker A:I love that.
Speaker A:And I, you know, that doesn't come easy.
Speaker A:And that probably is a good segue into my first question, because when I, when you kind of look through your credentials and when you look at what you've done, it's quite extraordinary.
Speaker A:And you've let it, like really senior places, and you started, I think, with your own business at the age of 20.
Speaker A:But, like, what has been the driving, like, as you start to think back of your journey and if you can help somebody who maybe is early in their career or like, what's been the driving Force that has enabled you to like, start where you started and get to where you, you've and just continue going irrespective of whatever's happening around you.
Speaker B:Well, you know, I think that this world, or many people may think that this world rewards only conformity and performance and conviction.
Speaker B:And I think what really matters.
Speaker B:You know, I'm almost 55 years old.
Speaker B:I started my journey in a very poor but beautiful country.
Speaker B:And I have realized that when the lights go out and the applaud fades, you know, when you have had success.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:When you have had success and suddenly you are alone at home and you are alone with yourself, you'd rather like the person you see in the mirror.
Speaker B:You'd rather like the person you see in the mirror.
Speaker B:And I have learned that to do so, you have to stay super aligned.
Speaker B:You need to know what are the values that are not negotiables.
Speaker B:You need to know that your dignity has no price and neither the dignity of others.
Speaker B:And I really believe that authentic leadership is not about being perfect or searching to please other people all the time.
Speaker B:It's just about standing your ground with humility.
Speaker B:It's about listening deeply and being brave enough to stay human.
Speaker B:You know, very often people tell me, well, you have had a lot of responsibilities and you have been a CEO, you have been a minister, and still you are humane.
Speaker B:And these remarks makes me laugh.
Speaker B:It really makes me laugh because it makes me think that because you climb the ladders, you should become a robot.
Speaker B:You should become a.
Speaker B:The day I am just a human being, I am a mother, I'm a spouse, I'm a friend, I'm a daughter.
Speaker B:So I'm humane and I can climb as high as I want.
Speaker B:My mother tells me these very often, you remain my daughter, you'd rather do the right thing because wherever you go, you will still be my daughter.
Speaker B:And I will tell you what you right and what you wrong.
Speaker B:So we shouldn't compromise about our values if we want to stay.
Speaker B:Are you a strong leader?
Speaker A:So I, So I have to, I have to double click on this because I think it's just so vital and so important and I'd love you to share maybe if you can, a time in your career where your values were challenged, right?
Speaker A:Like where, because you talked about values need to be coming.
Speaker A:So you're non negotiable.
Speaker A:So have you.
Speaker A:Can you talk about a time in your career where they were challenged?
Speaker A:And how did you work through that?
Speaker B:Well, you know, I've been in business and I've been in politics.
Speaker B:So I can tell you that very often people have challenged my values and my principles.
Speaker B:It's obvious, because in this world, it is something that happens all the time.
Speaker B:You know that, right?
Speaker B:And I realized that each time I tried to negotiate with my values, I felt so bad.
Speaker B:Not about others, but about myself.
Speaker B:And I realized that it is really, really important.
Speaker B:I come back to what I told you earlier.
Speaker B:You have to like the person you see in the mirror.
Speaker B:I have kids.
Speaker B:I don't want my kids.
Speaker B:I don't want my daughters to feel ashamed because I told them something and I did something different.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:When I was in politics, very often I was asked to say things I didn't believe in.
Speaker B:And I think the reason why not in politics any longer is because I refused to compromise with these values because I knew that politics was one step in my career and I would have to leave with the compromises I would have done.
Speaker B:And it's not something that I was ready to do, maybe by lack of courage, maybe because I'm made like that.
Speaker B:I don't know and I don't care.
Speaker B:I only know that want to do things that I'm proud of, that my family is proud of, and things that do not make me ashamed.
Speaker B:If someone asked me, why did you do that?
Speaker A:And so can you, Because I will be honest with you, especially in.
Speaker A:In the world today.
Speaker A:And there's.
Speaker A:Everyone is commenting, everybody has an opinion.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:But at the same time, you also, you also have a family.
Speaker A:You also have.
Speaker A:You also have to, you know, sort of, you know, survive.
Speaker A:And you.
Speaker A:And you want to continue climbing.
Speaker A:And I just want to just.
Speaker A:I just want to tweak on that a little bit more.
Speaker A:What is something that somebody can do when they're in the room and they.
Speaker A:And they feel like their values are questioned?
Speaker A:What can they do in that moment?
Speaker A:How do they kind of navigate in like very tactically in that moment.
Speaker A:Can you suggest a couple of tips?
Speaker A:Because I, I love what you just shared, but I want to make it a little bit more practical for somebody who's listening to this.
Speaker B:It's really simple.
Speaker B:You have to ask yourself, why would you compromise the things that are the most important for you?
Speaker B:What are the reasons why you would be ready to sell your values?
Speaker B:And how will you feel with yourself with this compromise?
Speaker B:So, you know, it's not about others.
Speaker B:It's really about you and yourself.
Speaker B:It's really about what made you who you are today, you know, climbing.
Speaker B:And it's something I always feel comfortable talking about because I Come from very humble beginning and nobody was expecting me to get where I have been.
Speaker B:And I have been in positions that nobody would have thought possible for me.
Speaker B:Hence it is very easy when you achieve these kind of success.
Speaker B:And hopefully we will speak again about success.
Speaker B:It's very easy to be so desperated that you want to stay where you've been.
Speaker B:Even if you have to compromise a little bit, you know, you would say, oh come on, it's not that serious, I can do it, it's not going to hurt anybody.
Speaker B:But if it hurts you, it changes you and it changes you.
Speaker B:You are not the same person you are supposed to be or you are going to become.
Speaker B:I have met with so many people who have completely changed because they became X, Y or Z. I have met with people who have forgotten where they came from.
Speaker B:And each time you compromise with who you are, you lose a bit of your power.
Speaker B:Each time you forget where you come from, you forget the people who made you who you have become.
Speaker B:Each time you forget the values that brought you where you are, you lose a little bit of your power.
Speaker B:And if you lose your power, you become somebody else.
Speaker B:The real question is, are you ready to become somebody else and to lose what makes you unique?
Speaker A:Oh, I love, I love this.
Speaker A:And you know the one thing that comes to mind because I just like for listeners, it's not only about what you say that could compromise your values.
Speaker A:It's also about what you don't say because I.
Speaker A:That's what I think.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker B:Oh my God.
Speaker B:Definitely, definitely.
Speaker B:You know, a silence can say so much more than a word.
Speaker B:You know, if someone gives you an envelope and you know what's in that envelope, you know that envelope can pay the school of your child.
Speaker B:You know that envelope can allow you to buy the car you're dreaming about.
Speaker B:But your inner voice is telling you don't do that.
Speaker B:You know, very often if you follow your brain against your heart, you make a mistake.
Speaker B:And I can tell you it's someone who really have been through so many responsibilities.
Speaker B:At the end of the day when you will be on your deadbed.
Speaker A:Yes, yes, yes.
Speaker B:And reflecting and reflecting about what you did, what you didn't do, how you did things.
Speaker B:You'd rather go straight and not.
Speaker B:You know, I don't know the right word in English to say that, but it's.
Speaker B:I remember.
Speaker B:That's it.
Speaker B:You know, I remember once I was working for a large corporation and one of our colleagues died.
Speaker B:And I remember that thing really made me think about the kind of leader I Wanted to become.
Speaker B:That guy was a terrible guy.
Speaker B:He likes humiliating people.
Speaker B:He likes showing up by saying he's the best he likes.
Speaker B:I mean, he can throw you under a bus if it's for his success.
Speaker B:And when he died, none of the colleagues we were working with went to his funeral, and nobody said, oh, I'm gonna miss him.
Speaker B:And I was like, oh, my God.
Speaker B:What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind you?
Speaker B:Because what you do is not only you.
Speaker B:It's you, it's your family, it's your friends.
Speaker B:And if you really want to be proud of what you have achieved, you have to think not only about you, but also about the people who trust you, about the people you can raise just.
Speaker B:You can raise just because you've been where they have not had the chance to go.
Speaker B:And that's, to me, what true responsibility means and what true leadership means.
Speaker A:It's funny.
Speaker A:One of the things that just based on what you just said, that resonates with me and has become such a guiding force in terms of how I enter any room is.
Speaker A:Is everything that passes by me.
Speaker A:So a lot of humans.
Speaker A:So anything.
Speaker A:Anything that passes by me is better because it did.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And if I can't.
Speaker A:If I can't make that to myself, then I feel like I'm wasting my time in any room that I. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:So I don't want to.
Speaker A:I want.
Speaker A:I want to catch.
Speaker B:That's a super.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So I want to catch the energy because.
Speaker A:Because you said you want to talk about.
Speaker B:Please go ahead.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:You want to talk about success.
Speaker A:So I want.
Speaker A:I want to catch that energy.
Speaker A:So can you talk to us?
Speaker A:Like, what does.
Speaker A:What does success look like or mean to you?
Speaker A:When I think about, like, the illustrious career and the life that you have, you kind of touched on.
Speaker A:You have two daughters.
Speaker A:Is.
Speaker A:Is it.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And family.
Speaker A:So what does success look like for you?
Speaker B:Well, success to me is watching where you were yesterday, where you are today, and where you want to go.
Speaker B:Success to me is having a smile in your face every day.
Speaker B:It's having fun with the people you love.
Speaker B:It's building things that you thought unachievable.
Speaker B:It's breaking your glass ceiling.
Speaker B:It's daring to say what you want to say independently of what people are expecting you to say.
Speaker B:It's being your true self.
Speaker B:That is success.
Speaker B:Being yourself and doing what you love with the people you love is the best success to me.
Speaker A:And that's a beautiful definition because it doesn't have title, it doesn't have money.
Speaker A:It doesn't have position.
Speaker B:Not at all.
Speaker B:I know many people who have crazy positions and commit suicide.
Speaker B:I know many people who have the best position they can dream of and they feel lonely.
Speaker B:I know many people who have 100 behind the 1 in their bank account and they are miserable.
Speaker B:So it's not about the amount of money on your bank account, the size of your house or your title.
Speaker B:It's how do you feel deep inside.
Speaker B:I'm gonna tell you something.
Speaker B:I was in Africa a few weeks ago, a few days ago.
Speaker B:And I'm always amazed to see that in the north of the world, in the so called developed countries, where we have everything.
Speaker B:We have health, we have justice, we have education, we have money, we have everything.
Speaker B:But look at the people who are miserable.
Speaker B:See how selfish we have become.
Speaker B:See how we close our doors, we close everything.
Speaker B:We close our minds, we close our heart.
Speaker B:And in the so called underdeveloped countries, you still see solidarity, you still see love, you still see people together, you still see people sharing, sharing food, sharing stories, sharing happiness.
Speaker B:And very often I tend to believe that the more you develop economy, the less you develop human being.
Speaker A:Wow, that's the strong statement right there.
Speaker B:And it's funny because, you know, economy was built to serve human being and nowadays human being are serving economy.
Speaker B:And it is really.
Speaker B:And I work for an investment firm.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:And I really want to share this lesson with you.
Speaker B:Money is not a bad thing.
Speaker B:The way you use money to transform the world is the real question.
Speaker B:You know, at Ring Capital, what we do is using money to support entrepreneurs who create, innovate, invent solutions to support social and environmental activities.
Speaker B:And I love using money for that.
Speaker B:And I fight to raise money to do so.
Speaker B:But when you raise millions and millions and you use that money to do stupid things, then we should wonder what our humanity has become.
Speaker A:Yeah, I, you know, I have to go, I have to ask you something because when you speak right now with so much conviction and, but like, where does that come from?
Speaker A:Where was that instilled from?
Speaker A:Is it like, where did that fire start?
Speaker A:Like, when did you actually start to realize that you had that fire, fire in you?
Speaker A:And you know, I know I asked you that at the beginning, but I don't think we did it justice because you, you've been doing it for 55 years.
Speaker B:I think it really comes from the injustice I have faced my entire life.
Speaker B:You know, I don't understand why in this planet, 99%, 1% of the people have it all and 99% has to fight to get the minimum.
Speaker B:It is something I really don't understand.
Speaker B:It is something I refuse to accept.
Speaker B: can't understand why women in: Speaker B:I still don't understand why the so called minorities are treated so badly and why they have to fight so hard just to leave like who they are.
Speaker B:I just don't understand why poverty is spread across the world and inequalities are exploding.
Speaker B:Although we have never had so many means to fix all the issues that the humanity is facing.
Speaker B:We have the human resources, we have the science, we have technology, we have all it takes to fix all the problems we are currently facing.
Speaker B:But less than 20% of the planet is taking advantage of that.
Speaker B:I have been lucky to break my glass ceiling.
Speaker B:I know what it takes to break glass ceilings and I want to do what I wish people to do for me when I was miserable.
Speaker B:That's where my conviction comes from.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker A:And you just spoke a moment like that truth that you just dropped right now that never in history have we had more resources available to us.
Speaker A:Because I mean, I've been on this planet for 52 years, I'm just right behind you.
Speaker A:And that is such a true statement.
Speaker A:We've never actually had this much intelligence, this much data, this much opportunity, this much convenience in terms of how easy it is to, to, to be around the world.
Speaker A:Look at us, you're in Paris, I'm here in Toronto.
Speaker A:And, and communication, telecommunication hasn't is making it possible for us to have this conversation.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Like it actually hasn't been that easy.
Speaker A:And I think the problems are just getting worse.
Speaker B:It is getting worse.
Speaker B:Look at the examples of leadership we have nowadays.
Speaker B:Putin, Trump, Corbin and so on and so forth.
Speaker B:Who is dreaming about having this kind of model of leadership for the next generation?
Speaker B:I'm very anxious about the world I'm going to leave my child with.
Speaker B:I'm very anxious about the way we are stepping back in the most basic human rights.
Speaker B:I'm very, very anxious about this way of living because again, knowledge is power.
Speaker B:We have never had so much knowledge.
Speaker B:We have never had so much access to information.
Speaker B:We have never had access to all the science we are currently having and all the technologies we are currently having.
Speaker B:You and I wouldn't be able to have this conversation if it was not technology.
Speaker B:You know, you can live in Ivory coast and you can sell your product to Singapore.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's the new world we are living in.
Speaker B:And in the same time, we have never stepped back so hardly on the human rights this, to me, is absolutely crazy.
Speaker A:Can you tell us a time in your career and when you have seen power used so well and the outcomes that it drove?
Speaker A:Do you have an example?
Speaker B:Oh, my God.
Speaker B:You want me to give you some examples?
Speaker B:Look at what Nelson Mandela did in South Africa.
Speaker B:Look at what Anil Car Cabral did with Cabo Verde.
Speaker B:You know, he liberated that country from colonialism.
Speaker B:Look at what Simone Weil did in France.
Speaker B:She came back from the most horrible thing a human being can live, and she has built laws to protect other human beings.
Speaker B:You know, power is meaningful only when you use it to make this world a better place.
Speaker B:And when you think about that, if I ask you, nk who are the.
Speaker B:I mean, the best examples of leaders of our days, of our times?
Speaker B:I mean, 50 years ago, you had 10, 20, 50 examples that would come to your mind from all around the world.
Speaker A:Yeah, it's.
Speaker A:It's harder now.
Speaker B:Nowadays, you would count them on one hand.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:So it's really.
Speaker B:And it's not like if we didn't know what is the worst of humanity.
Speaker B:We have had the first and the second World, and nowadays we are living since the second.
Speaker B:Yeah, since the Second World War, we are living the period where we have the biggest amount of conflicts and war around the world.
Speaker B:And we're not reacting or we are barely reacting.
Speaker B:Although we know it's not like if tomorrow we can say, oh, I didn't know.
Speaker B:Because thanks to technology and access to information, nowadays, you know everything.
Speaker B:You know, very often I am not a politician.
Speaker B:I went to politics because I thought that it was the right place to do the right thing.
Speaker B:It was just an ideal.
Speaker A:I'm just not a real.
Speaker B:No, no, forget it, Forget it.
Speaker B:Look at the people who are leading their countries nowadays, and you will see that it can be.
Speaker B:But it's not always.
Speaker B:You take Jacinda Harden, the former Prime Minister in Finland.
Speaker B:She did amazing things, Amazing things.
Speaker B:So power is all about a choice.
Speaker B:You choose what you do with the power that has been given to you.
Speaker B:You do good or you do bad.
Speaker B:The thing is, we live in the global world, and what happens in Canada, what happens in the U.S. what happens in Israel or in Gaza has a direct impact in your life, wherever you live.
Speaker B:So the power of responsibility is even bigger nowadays, because even if I have not elected Donald Trump, what he's doing in the US has a direct impact in my life.
Speaker B:In France, look at the decision about tariffs.
Speaker B:You see what I mean?
Speaker B:So I think the worst the situation is, the more important power is.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And I think what I get from you is.
Speaker A:I think, I love what you just said that you don't necessarily need to be in politics.
Speaker A:Politics is not the only place.
Speaker A:I think that.
Speaker A:I think it is a place, but it isn't the only place where change can actually.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:Definitely not.
Speaker B:You have.
Speaker B:Look at this young girl, that lady now in Sweden.
Speaker B:What's her name again?
Speaker B:Greta.
Speaker B:Greta Thunberg had nothing.
Speaker B:She absolutely had nothing.
Speaker B:She just decided to start to sit in front of the parliament and to say, I won't move until you listen to me because the way you are treated, treating the planet is not good.
Speaker B:This girl has spoken to the most powerful people across the world.
Speaker B:And the influence she has today is.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:That most politicians don't.
Speaker A:Don't have.
Speaker B:You see what I mean?
Speaker B:So O can have amazing power, companies can have amazing power.
Speaker B:We have been told for decades that politicians have the biggest power on Earth.
Speaker B:That's not true.
Speaker B:The biggest power on earth, easy on your hands because you have the right to vote and choose the politics who are going to represent you.
Speaker A:I truly do believe that.
Speaker A:And I'm gonna actually even.
Speaker A:Just make it a little bit even more simple before you actually get to the polls.
Speaker A:The power you have in a single day.
Speaker A:I truly do believe when you.
Speaker A:I think what I get from this and what I'm hoping listeners will take away is be convicted about something.
Speaker A:Like, there's got to be something in this world that you choose to, to just be convicted about.
Speaker A:You know, you talked about, you can't believe that, you know, 20, 25 and women are still being treated like you are convicted.
Speaker A:That we should live in a world where equality is not something that we negotiate, that is something that is available for everybody, irrespective of what they look like in this.
Speaker A:And so I think from this, what I would encourage listeners is pick something, pick a cause, any cause, and become so convicted about it that any interaction you go into, you will influence it in a very meaningful way.
Speaker A:When you, you know, understand like I truly do believe.
Speaker A:Exactly right.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And it can be anything.
Speaker B:It can be, you know, it's, it.
Speaker B:It doesn't need to be a mountain, it can be something small.
Speaker B:It can be protecting dogs, it can be protecting your village, it can be protecting your college, it can be protecting women, it can be protecting anything.
Speaker B:But provided you believe in that thing and you put a bit of your energy, a bit of your spirit on it, you have the power to transform it.
Speaker B:And people, you know, so many people think that they are too small to Make a difference.
Speaker B:That's not true.
Speaker B:We all have the power to make a difference in the life of somebody else.
Speaker B:And we don't use that power because of fear, because of our limit in.
Speaker B:In terms of thoughts, in terms of whatever it is.
Speaker B:But I can tell you that we all have the power to make a difference in this world.
Speaker A:I completely agree.
Speaker A:And if I could, you know, the purpose of this platform that I built or empowered in my skin was, you know, and even just leveraging the podcast to.
Speaker A:For it to be a place where people can use their voice was to have.
Speaker A:I had a mission to help a billion people in this world think in ways that are empowering.
Speaker A:Even though there's 8 billion people, I'm not trying to get to the 8 billion.
Speaker A:I'm really focused on 1 billion people because I truly do believe it takes an empowered person to empower the next.
Speaker A:That's the domino effect.
Speaker A:And so even though you and I are having this conversation, I think what's going to be so brilliant from this is that there's somebody that's listening who we don't even know, Elizabeth, and is going to take something from this, and the next action they take is going to empower that next person.
Speaker B:Right, Kate?
Speaker B:That's the reason why I wanted to be with you today.
Speaker B:Although I'm on vacation, I wanted to be with you because you never know what impact you can have in somebody else's life.
Speaker B:You know, when I became the CEO of the largest tech company in the world, in France, I was amazed to see the number of letters I received from people I didn't even know.
Speaker B:Women, men, diversity, French, whoever you want.
Speaker B:Taking the time to send me an email, to send me a letter, just to say, madam, I just wanted to thank you for showing me that it is possible.
Speaker B:It is possible.
Speaker B:And I didn't even know.
Speaker B:I didn't even know that because I had managed to break my glass ceilings.
Speaker B:It would give a chance to somebody, somewhere to believe that it is possible.
Speaker B:And making things possible for other people is probably one of the best gift you can get.
Speaker B:And it's not about changing the world.
Speaker B:Neither you or I have the power to change the world.
Speaker B:That's fine.
Speaker B:Because if we had that power, I mean, with our magic wind, we would stop war, we would stop poverty and so on.
Speaker B:We don't have the power to do that.
Speaker B:But you have the power to give a smile to somebody who is suffering.
Speaker B:You have the power to help other people who need your help.
Speaker B:You have the power to mentor or coach a Younger man or woman who is going through a difficult path in his career, you have the power to do something achievable for you that would sound a mountain for somebody else.
Speaker B:And this has nothing to see with your gender, with the color of your skin, where you live, the amount you have on your bank account.
Speaker B:It is your inner power.
Speaker A:It's your heart.
Speaker A:It's your heart.
Speaker A:It's your heart posture.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So what gives you hope right now when it comes to leadership?
Speaker A:Because I will be honest with you, when I do think about the inspiring leaders like Nelson Mandela, like, unfortunately for me, even the biggest, the names that come to mind are a lot of times they're past.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's true.
Speaker B:You know, what gives me power?
Speaker B:What gives me hope.
Speaker B:Not power, but power and hope.
Speaker B:The young generation.
Speaker B:The young generation gives me hope because they have understood that happiness doesn't necessarily come from what we thought it would come.
Speaker B:Money.
Speaker B:We all want to be rich.
Speaker B:We all want to have bunch of money.
Speaker B:We want to marry a rich man.
Speaker B:We want to have the best house.
Speaker B:But we have realized that this does not make us necessarily happy.
Speaker B:It is important to have money.
Speaker B:It is important to work hard to get your money.
Speaker B:It is important to be educated enough to go where you want to go, to speak with what, with who you want to speak and so on.
Speaker B:It is important, but well being is important as well.
Speaker B:I think mental health is one of the most terrible issue we're going to face in the 21st century.
Speaker B:I think after.
Speaker B:After the COVID the young generation has suffered like hell.
Speaker B:Loneliness, mental pressure and so on and so forth.
Speaker B:These generation is showing us how powerful it is because despite all these difficulties, they have understood that if they want to take care of the planet, they need to take care of themselves first.
Speaker B:And this generation is super educated.
Speaker B:It is super courageous.
Speaker B:It has values, it has the willingness to change things where my generation have made too many compromises.
Speaker A:So in your work that you do with.
Speaker A:Because I know that you're very much a big champion of the younger generation.
Speaker A:Are you seeing that?
Speaker A:Are you actually seeing evidence that they are more empowered at a younger age than perhaps like our generation?
Speaker B:Oh, yeah.
Speaker B:Simply because, you know, nowadays you can live in Nigeria and you can have access to the best teachers on earth.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Very often, you know, education, as Mandela said, is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
Speaker B:It is the fundamental of everything.
Speaker B:And I mean, most of our youth is educated today.
Speaker B:Most of them have access to things that our parents and grandparents have access to.
Speaker B:They Understand things that my generation didn't understand.
Speaker B:And they are using what they know and what they learn to change things.
Speaker B:And they are so bold.
Speaker B:Oh my goodness, they have an audacity that I didn't have at their age for the good and the bad.
Speaker B:But they've got it.
Speaker B:They've got it.
Speaker B:And you know, the fact that they are living in an open world, the fact that they can, most of them can travel so easily.
Speaker B:They learn from their house, from their school, from their country, but from the entire world.
Speaker B:And they can learn the goods and the bads from everywhere.
Speaker B:And this helps them become the best version of themselves, hopefully.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So the one thing I would say that they don't have, that we have is the experience.
Speaker A:The years of having to continue to navigate tough spaces, the hardships, the, the different challenges that are going to come from different ways.
Speaker A:And so if you were in a room with thousands and thousands of women or the younger generation, what are some of the things that you would say to them to really embody so that they can withstand the test of time?
Speaker A:Because it is about endurance, right?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:First thing.
Speaker B:And you tapped into it.
Speaker B:Experience has no price.
Speaker B:Experience is, you may know so many things, but until you experience it by yourself, you can't say I know you can't.
Speaker B:So I would tell them to experience as many things as they can.
Speaker B:They have to be cautious because this world is full of fake information.
Speaker B:It is full of bad noises, it is full of division, it is full of discrimination.
Speaker B:And I would ask them to be aware and to be conscious about what's happening around them.
Speaker B:I would tell them to learn to know what is their truth.
Speaker B:I would ask them not to let anyone decide for themselves who they can become.
Speaker B:I would ask them to trust their guts and to dream big and to do everything they can to realize their dreams.
Speaker B:And whatever they do, they should never stop moving, never stop learning and never stop having fun.
Speaker A:So never stop learning, never stop moving and never stop having fun.
Speaker A:But I love this.
Speaker A:Get experience from as many places as possible.
Speaker A:Be cautious about what you ingest.
Speaker A:So cautious and conscious.
Speaker A:Know what is your truth.
Speaker A:I think that that is so important.
Speaker A:Back to the earlier question I asked you about your values and how do you not, you know, how do you like they're non negotiable.
Speaker A:So how do you continue to hold on to them?
Speaker A:Trust your gut.
Speaker A:That's a hard one.
Speaker A:That's the first one to go that intuition.
Speaker A:And then dream big and do whatever you need to do to realize your dreams.
Speaker B:Hey, that's it.
Speaker A:That is, that is amazing wisdom.
Speaker A:I love that.
Speaker A:And so I'm going to take you through some rapid thrivers just to continue to have some fun with you.
Speaker A:And so when you think, when you think of someone who inspires you, who comes first to mind.
Speaker B:Oh, I think I mentioned them, I mentioned Nelson Mandela and I spoke also I think about Simone Weil because these two giants are to me the best example of what dignity, courage and moral clarity is about.
Speaker B:And they both told us that the world, I mean they told the world that true leadership has nothing to see with having power for power.
Speaker B:It's about forgiveness, it's about unshakable sense of justice and it's about serving others.
Speaker A:If I had to ask you something just in this moment, are you slowing down or are you speeding up in life?
Speaker B:I'm like Ooze and Boyle.
Speaker B:I will never stop running.
Speaker B:I am just touching the survey.
Speaker A:I love it.
Speaker A:I just have to ask because I, I was like, I don't think this woman is slowing down any day soon.
Speaker A:What is.
Speaker B:What is.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:What is a daily activity that really helps you stay like in your thrive and empowered.
Speaker B:Curiosity?
Speaker B:I never stop learning.
Speaker B:I never stop learning.
Speaker B:I think, you know, the world is full of mystery.
Speaker B:The world is full of opportunities.
Speaker B:And until I, I die, I mean in my last breath, I want to keep learning.
Speaker A:I love that.
Speaker A:I love that.
Speaker A:What is a book that you would love to recommend?
Speaker B:I love the Rebel.
Speaker B:There are so many.
Speaker B:I love reading.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:And there are so many books I could tell you about, but the Rubble.
Speaker B:I don't know if you know Albert Camus.
Speaker B:He's a famous writer, Nobel Prize.
Speaker B:And this book reminds me that dignity really begins when we say no to the unacceptable things, you know, and, and when you say no to what is unacceptable and when you say yes to what is possible, then you have a bench, a bunch of opportunities that comes to you.
Speaker A:And it's called the Rebel.
Speaker B:The rubble.
Speaker A:The rubble.
Speaker A:Oh, the rubble.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Yeah, the rubble.
Speaker A:And what is.
Speaker A:I love it.
Speaker A:What is one misconception that people or what is an app?
Speaker A:I'm gonna say before I go there, what is an app that you use on the daily.
Speaker B:Well, you know, I have a pretty busy life and I really need stillness because my time is like crazy.
Speaker B:And I have these app called Insight Timer.
Speaker B:I don't know if you know it.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:You know, it's.
Speaker B:It helps you.
Speaker B:Yeah, you know it.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:It helps you calm down, it helps you slow down.
Speaker B:It helps you think about the Priorities and so on and so forth.
Speaker B:That's the one.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Inside timer.
Speaker A:I know that one.
Speaker A:I know that one.
Speaker A:I. I have it on my phone, too.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And so what is one misconception that the world has of you?
Speaker A:Because I'm saying world, because you work at a global scale.
Speaker A:So what's one thing that they get wrong about you the most?
Speaker B:Well, you know, very often, because I have had the career journey I have had, and because I'm full of energy, people tend to believe that I'm strong and fearless.
Speaker B:And to me, it is a misconception, because the truth is I have dirt like everyone else.
Speaker B:But I choose to move forward with them and not despite them.
Speaker B:You know, I choose to look at my fears and weaknesses and see how I can overcome them.
Speaker B:And that's to me.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:The first thing that comes to my mind, I'm not stronger than anyone, but I'm courageous and I'm determined.
Speaker A:So you exercise courage way more than you exercise power and fierceness.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah, I love that all.
Speaker A:I love that.
Speaker A:Well, courage looks good on you.
Speaker A:Let me just say that.
Speaker A:So there you have it.
Speaker A:As you can imagine, Elizabeth Moreno is one fierce, powerful force that we experience.
Speaker A:But I loved what she said, that what we experience is really her expression of courage and.
Speaker A:And activation of courage and moving in the.
Speaker A:That she occupies irrespective of whatever is happening, but from a place of conviction.
Speaker A:And I truly do believe that through that, I.
Speaker A:That's what I experienced from her.
Speaker A:That's probably what it feels like to live in the skin that she's in, to be most empowered is.
Speaker A:Is courage, is courage.
Speaker A:I believe she spoke about, you know, never compromising your values, no matter what.
Speaker A:Doesn't.
Speaker A:It's not about position, title, power, success.
Speaker A:It's really about staying true.
Speaker A:Are you going to be able to look at yourself in the mirror and feel good about how the scent that you left, you know, in this world?
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And so, Elizabeth, as you watch this, because you wouldn't have seen this, but now you're hearing it and seeing it on, is you are a force.
Speaker A:And we are so great in this world because of you.
Speaker A:And I know we talked about what future leadership looks like.
Speaker A:You, I think, present what future leadership looks like, and I think present leadership looks, sounds, and feels like you.
Speaker A:And so thank you for the work that you're doing.
Speaker A:Thank you for leading so boldly and courageously in the spaces that you occupy.
Speaker A:Thank you for sharing your time and energy on this podcast.
Speaker A:And to everyone that's listening, this is where I have to say we're out.
Speaker A:Bye Bye.
Speaker A:There you have it.
Speaker A:I trust that you are feeling more empowered in your skin.
Speaker A:As the late Dr. Maya Angelou said, when you get, you give.
Speaker A:When you learn, you teach.
Speaker A:So it would mean so much for us at Empower to My Skin, Inc.
Speaker A:If you share this episode and tag us or teach an insight that you took from today's episode on your social and tag us, feel free to leave us a review over at itunes and follow us on social media Powered In My Skin.
Speaker A:Finally, remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode.
