Two words that guide my daily decisions are “intentional” and “purposeful.” I’m constantly asking myself, does this particular choice or opportunity fit my overall life purpose and help me to remain intentional? These words guide me as I think about my life goals and where to invest my time each day. One of my goals includes intentionally encouraging younger female leaders in their creative work. Sarah Guevara is one such leader.
Sarah and I met online through a mutual friend. For the past two years as a leadership coach, I have been mentoring Sarah and helping her reach her goals of serving Hispanic refugees in California and championing other women. Since we live across the country from one another, Sarah and I mostly meet on Zoom. During our mentor sessions, we discuss the challenges of juggling motherhood, a business career, and school, as we both pursue our prospective graduate degrees. Mostly, I just listen to her as she shares her victories and life’s challenges, offering empathy and constructive feedback when appropriate.
Once a year, I fly to California to meet in-person with Sarah and some of her business friends, to talk about their projects and their successes. During these sessions, I field questions about how to start a nonprofit, how to grow a creative business, and how to connect with others through hands-on art workshops. These fun gatherings around Sarah’s kitchen table include helping the younger women see how they can adapt some of these ideas to use for their work. I also share examples of my business mistakes and failures, because these hard lessons offer opportunities to grow in humility and resilience.
We also talk about my “art wounds” from the last sixteen years of slugging it out as a creative. These wounds could fill a bucket with tears as I’ve learned that the business world isn’t always a kind place, and the work of an innovator or entrepreneur can be very challenging. But over the years, I continue to work hard by remaining intentional and purposeful about my calling as an artist and mentor. In the end, my art wounds can be turned into lessons to encourage others as they also face unique challenges.
While investing my time and resources in Sarah, I want to continue to remain purposeful. So, I intentionally share my life stories—the good, the bad, and the ugly—to inspire others and to encourage them as they pursue their own dreams. We need all these experiences, the positive and the negative, to develop into strong women and men who can purposefully lead others with a redemptive message of hope and healing. What are some life words that could help direct you and keep you on course? And how can you intentionally apply these words in your life to help others?
Sarah Guevara, founder and CEO of HER Tribal, is a momma raising an army of three beautiful and feisty girls. She is a life and leadership coach and is working towards a Masters of Women’s Leadership from Wagner University.
To learn more about Pamela’s artwork, visit Healing in Arts.
