This one’s for the dreamers
There are 3 people I want you to meet today.
They're living their big dreams and they're so inspiring, I want to sing their praises from the rooftops!
If you could use a sprinkle of possibility and magic in your day, keep reading...
✨Dreamer 1: Bryan Pangilinan
Bryan Pangilinan and I met in 2010 when he and his now husband were my carpool buddies from the East Bay into San Francisco (lower tolls in the carpool lane!). After more than 25 years of working in fundraising, in 2019, Bryan had the courage to quit his job, follow his heart, and compose a musical. He partnered with an all-Filipino American creative team, cast and crew to create Larry The Musical about the life and legacy of Larry Itliong, a Filipino American labor rights organizer who worked alongside Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta.
Last week, I flew to San Francisco to see Bryan and his musical. I was completely blown away by the play (especially the music he wrote, oh my goodness!) and the true story of the Fillipino American fight for farm workers' rights that much of American history has ignored. To see the end result of five years of time, love, and energy that Bryan and his team so lovingly poured into the musical was incredible. We don't know exactly what's next for Larry the Musical, but I'm confident it'll be showing again very soon! Curious to learn more about the play? Here's a great article.
Bryan and I at the Larry intermission.
✨Dreamer 2: Dr. Priya Nalkur
The second Dreamer I want to highlight is Dr. Priya Nalkur. Priya and I met in early 2021, when she was looking to hire someone to conduct 360 assessments for one of her corporate clients. From our very first call, I could tell that Priya's leadership style was very unique. Her enthusiasm, sense of humor, and her fierce commitment to inclusivity was undeniable. Priya founded The Roundtable Insitute to help leaders build justice-centered teams and workplaces with heart and I'm so honored to be a Leadership Coach and Facilitator with Roundtable.
Earlier this week, Priya's book Stumbling Towards Inclusion: Finding Grace in Imperfect Leadership was released. Check it out here. In it, Priya folds concepts, tools and resources into her stories and teachings, informed by her identity and experience as a woman of color, dual national, divorceé, mother, Psychologist, and Founder and President of a global research and coaching firm. This is NOT your average leadership book! I highly encourage you to check out Priya's book, take her inclusivity readiness assessment, and if you're a coach, consider registering for her next JEDI for Coaches course starting in May.
I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of Priya's book!
✨ Dreamer 3: Carlyn Morris
If you're a loyal listener of the Outgrow the Grind podcast, Carlyn's name will ring a bell. She was my guest 2 years ago on an episode called "Ignite Your Inner Resources" (listen here). Carlyn is a former client of mine who, after 25 years of great success in advertising, got to the point where she could no longer ignore her calling to combine her commitment to equity with her passion for outdoor adventures. In 2020, she founded Back to Wild Adventures, an outdoor company that empowers all women in the outdoors and in doing so, helps build their confidence! Carlyn provides the guidance and the gear for all sorts of adventures, ranging from hiking and watercolor painting to forest bathing to hiking and photography.
Carlyn won 2nd in SpeakerSlam's Brand Builder Competition a few days ago. Congratulations, Carlyn!
Carlyn and I last summer at the Atlanta Botanical Garden.
I hope these 3 brave dreamers were inspiring to you! ✨
What dream is in you, longing to be lived?
And what's one [very teeny tiny] step you could take in the next week towards that dream?
Reply in the comments below if you feel like sharing it!
Wishing you a beautiful weekend,
Stacy
PS. "We are the music makers and we are the dreamers of dreams" is from the poem "Ode" by Arthur O' Shaughnessy, later made famous by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!
