A CONFIDENCE COACH BREAKING BARRIERS

DR. JASMINE ESCALERA IS HELPING WOMEN OF COLOR AND STUDENTS TO REACH THEIR TRUE POTENTIAL.

LA DRA. JASMINE ESCALERA AYUDA A LAS MUJERES Y ESTUDIANTES A ALCANZAR SU VERDADERO POTENCIAL. ENSEÑA CÓMO FLORECER EN EL TRABAJO.

By | Por: JENNIFER HERNÁNDEZ | AL DÍA News Staff Writer

Dr. Jasmine Escalera is a first-generation Latina career and confidence coach for women of color who grew up in the projects of Brooklyn, New York. She graduated from Pace University with a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Yale University.

“I didn’t have the knowledge, support, and guidance of how to truly be able to create a career that felt good for me and to come into a space where I could be authentically myself,” explained Dr. Escalera. “Truly own my culture, who I was, and my accomplishments and greatness.”

Dr. Escalera worked in nonprofit management and leadership, focusing on helping nonprofit organizations with children’s mental health and social development, assisting in establishing different project designs and clinical projects that would bring more resources to communities and communities of color, like Jasmine Escalera Coaching, where she teaches how to flourish in the workplace.

Her experience in STEM ignited a passion for coaching other women of color who experience toxic work environments, inferiority complex, and sense of hopelessness. She realized this is not

La doctora Jasmine Escalera es una mujer latina de primera generación, que creció en los barrios pobres de Brooklyn, Nueva York. Es licenciada en Bioquímica por la Universidad de Pace y doctora en Farmacología por la Universidad de Yale.

“No tenía los conocimientos, el apoyo ni la orientación necesarios para crear una carrera que me hiciera sentir bien, ni para llegar a un espacio en el que pudiera ser auténticamente yo misma. Ser verdaderamente dueña de mi cultura, de quién era y de mis logros y grandeza”, explica.

La doctora Escalera ha trabajado en gestión y liderazgo, con el objetivo de ayudar a las organizaciones sin ánimo de lucro en proyectos de salud mental y desarrollo social de los niños. Como Jasmine Escalera Coaching, ha asistido el diseño de proyectos destinados a atraer más recursos a las comunidades, sobre todo las de color, y enseña cómo florecer en el lugar de trabajo. solely found in STEM fields, but unanimously across the board.

Su experiencia en STEM encendió su pasión por entrenar a otras mujeres de color que experimentan entornos de trabajo tóxicos, complejo de inferioridad y sensación de desesperanza. Se dio cuenta de que esto no ocurre únicamente en los campos STEM, sino de forma unánime en todos los ámbitos.

As a Latina, a woman of color working in white-dominated workspaces, Dr. Escalera did a lot of code-switching and conforming to fit in. She embarked on a spiritual journey to reconnect with her culture and community—bringing elements of that into her career.

She explains that recognizing the stigma around mental health in the Latino community and wanting to teach children the importance of seeking assistance because physical wounds require treatment the same way mental health issues require aid.

Even though she learned about impostor syndrome later in her career, she experienced the need for validation and the thought of being a fraud. She also developed panic attacks from being in a toxic work environment.

Although she doesn’t regret pursuing a career in STEM, she wishes she would have listened to herself more instead of allowing external validation to dictate her ability to pivot.

Dr. Escalera realized that “everybody just wanted me to be happy, and it didn’t matter what I was doing, as long as I was happy doing it.”

Therefore, focusing on her morning mindset and morning rituals are important. Sitting in the sun and journaling, taking her dog for a walk, and taking in the sunshine are simple moments where she can be present and mindful of herself.

Dr. Escalera explains that coaching unearths the “many beliefs and value systems” passed down by parents, which can impact career change, the ability to negotiate, and the individual’s confidence level.

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“What companies and organizations do not realize is that as women of color, we are not just supporting ourselves, we are upholding whole families and communities,” Dr. Escalera explained.

She stresses how difficult it is for women of color to resign, knowing too well the financial hardship they will face with that decision. Therefore, she advises those considering leaving their current place of employment to make sure their exit strategy is thorough—considering how this change can impact their mental stability and how it can trigger trauma.

“Be ready for that because it can be difficult to go through,” she assures.

Coaching College Students

Although Dr. Escalera mainly coaches professionals, she has done workshops for students as an opportunity to give them the support she never had.

“I don’t think that colleges and universities do get us ready for what we are going to experience,” explained Dr. Escalera, because students might not be prepared to handle potential toxicity in the workplace.

College students should think about mentorship and mentors who will help them navigate the different phases of their careers.

“It’s important to have mentors. Multiple mentors, not just one, but mentors in different fields. Mentors who can guide you at different stages of [the] career you’re in.”

She advises students to cultivate a professional community, put themselves out there and network; but to always “listen to your internal guidance system.” z

Como latina y mujer de color que trabaja en entornos dominados por blancos, la doctora Escalera tuvo que cambiar muchos códigos y adaptarse para encajar. Así, emprendió un viaje espiritual para reconectarse con su cultura y su comunidad y trasladó elementos de todo ello a su carrera.

Explica la importancia de reconocer el estigma que rodea a la salud mental en la comunidad latina, además de enseñar a los niños el valor de buscar ayuda. Así como las heridas físicas requieren tratamiento, los problemas de salud mental requieren terapia.

Aunque más adelante en su carrera aprendió sobre el síndrome del impostor, experimentó la necesidad de validación y la idea de ser un fraude. También sufrió ataques de pánico por estar en un entorno laboral tóxico.

Aunque no se arrepiente de haber seguido una carrera en STEM, desearía haberse escuchado más a sí misma, en lugar de permitir que la validación externa dictara su capacidad para pivotar.

La doctora. Escalera se dio cuenta de que “todo el mundo quería que fuera feliz, y no importaba lo que estuviera haciendo, siempre y cuando fuera feliz haciéndolo”.

Por ello, hace énfasis en la importancia de sus rituales matutinos: “Escribir un diario, sacar a pasear al perro y disfrutar del sol son momentos sencillos en los que puede estar presente y ser consciente del propio ser”.

Explica que el coaching desentierra las “muchas creencias y sistemas de valores” transmitidos por los padres, que pueden influir en el cambio profesional, la capacidad de negociación y el nivel de confianza de la persona. “De lo que no se dan cuenta las empresas y las organiza- ciones es de que, como mujeres de color, no solo nos mantenemos a nosotras mismas, sino a familias y comunidades enteras”, señala.

Subraya lo difícil que es para las mujeres de color renunciar, sabiendo muy bien las dificultades económicas a las que se enfrentarán con esa decisión. Por lo tanto, aconseja a las que están considerando dejar su empleo que se aseguren de que su estrategia de salida es completa, teniendo en cuenta cómo este cambio puede afectar su estabilidad mental y cómo puede desencadenar un trauma. “Hay que estar preparada para ello porque puede ser una situación difícil”, asegura.

Coaching Para Universitarios

Aunque entrena principalmente a profesionales, la doctora Escalera ha realizado talleres para estudiantes, como una oportunidad para darles el apoyo que ella nunca tuvo: “No creo que los colegios y las universidades nos preparen para lo que vamos a vivir”, los estudiantes pueden no estar preparados para manejar la posible toxicidad en el lugar de trabajo.

Los estudiantes universitarios deben pensar en mentores que les ayuden a navegar por las diferentes fases de su carrera: “Es importante tener mentores, múltiples mentores, no solo uno, sino de diferentes campos. Personas que puedan guiarte en las distintas fases de la carrera en la que te encuentres”.

Aconseja a los estudiantes que cultiven una comunidad profesional, que se expongan y establezcan redes, pero que siempre “escuchen a su sistema interno de orientación”. z agement, prevention and lifestyle plans, urgent care, and treatment for other specific health conditions.

This care is provided through community health workers, known as promotores de salud in the Latino community. These health workers connect patients to local resources, coordinating their treatment plans with a team of medical staff.

Eyeing Expansion

As Zócalo Health continues expanding, they maintain their commitment to staff who understand Latinos on a cultural level, such as with its recent hiring of Dr. Sarah Lopez, MD, MBA as its Chief Medical Officer.

“As the landscape for healthcare delivery has changed with technology, our community continues to get left behind. The one-size-fits-all model for healthcare doesn’t work for everyone. I owe it to my parents and my family to do better. Zócalo Health is focused on giving our people a community built around their healthcare needs,” Cardenas said.

Patients in California and Texas can purchase memberships and schedule appointments through the Zócalo Health website, with the founders planning on expanding to other states in the future. z told reporters at Capitol Hill after being named vice ranking member.

“Of course, [Republicans are] going to be calling hearings on horrible things, but our job is to protect the people and protect the vulnerable communities that they seek to attack… it gives us an opportunity and a platform to de-legitimize a lot of the disinformation that they’ve been advancing.”

She also has the support of Raskin, who boosted his new second-in-command along with the entire Democratic membership of the committee.

“Now they join the Democrats on the Oversight and Accountability Committee — the ‘Truth Squad’ — to conduct thorough and fact-based oversight to en-