In this enlightening episode of Thriving in Intersectionality, host Lola Adeyemo welcomes Dr. Cristina Padilla, a distinguished Latina leadership scholar, consultant, and coach. Dr. Padilla shares her journey as a first-generation Mexican American navigating professional spaces, her approach to culturally relevant leadership development, and valuable insights for Latinas and other professionals of color seeking to advance in their careers.

• How cultural frameworks like "trenzas" (braids of identity) offer alternative perspectives to understand intersectionality
• The impact of being first-generation Mexican American and a child of immigrants on professional identity development
• Navigating career transitions without clear guidance or representation
• The power of creating spaces where Latinx professionals can connect and find community
• Practical strategies for overcoming cultural humility barriers that might hold back career advancement
• The importance of seeking validation, coaching, and multiple mentors throughout your career journey

Embrace Your Cultural Identity
Dr. Padilla shares her personal evolution from hiding her Mexican American identity as a child to finding strength in it as an adult. She discusses the concept of finding a "third space" where bicultural professionals can comfortably navigate multiple identities without feeling pressured to fit neatly into any single category.

Create Your Own Table
"If you can't find the ladder, if you can't find the table, then create your own." Dr. Padilla emphasizes the importance of creating spaces and opportunities when traditional pathways aren't accessible, sharing how this philosophy led to her co-founding Fluence and developing leadership programs specifically for Latina professionals.

Challenge Cultural Humility When Necessary
While humility is a beautiful cultural trait, Dr. Padilla advises professionals from cultures that emphasize modesty to recognize when this value might hinder career advancement. She encourages Latinas and other women of color to brand themselves, take ownership of their accomplishments, and pursue higher positions even when they don't feel completely ready.

Seek Validation and Support
Dr. Padilla's research and coaching experience reveal the importance of validation for Latina professionals who often don't recognize their own readiness for advancement. She recommends pursuing coaching opportunities when available and building relationships with multiple mentors who can provide different perspectives throughout various career stages.

Dr. Cristina Padilla is the Chief Community Officer and Co-Founder of Fluence, a leadership development training and coaching organization. With a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from the University of San Diego, she brings academic rigor to her work developing culturally relevant leadership programs for Latinx populations. Her research focuses on Latina leader identity development, with several peer-reviewed publications to her credit. Dr. Padilla is particularly passionate about her work with the Latina Success Leadership Program for MANA de San Diego, where she serves on the steering committee.

• Fluence: www.fluencepro.com
• LinkedIn: Cristina Padilla, Ph.D.

• LinkedIn: Lola Adeyemo
• Personal Website: www.lolaspeaker.com

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In this episode of Thriving in Intersectionality, host Lola Adeyemo speaks with Craig DeLarge, a digital healthcare strategist and mental health advocate whose remarkable 45-year career spans pharmaceutical giants, academia, and global leadership.

Craig began as a fashion design major before switching to marketing and has subsequently led to an impressive career trajectory through marketing research, advertising, product management, and eventually digital strategy in the pharmaceutical industry at companies like Johnson & Johnson, GlaxoSmithKline, Novo Nordisk, Merck, and Takeda. Parallel to his corporate roles, he maintained a 25-year teaching career across five business schools in the Philadelphia area.

In this conversation, Craig shares invaluable insights on career development across cultural boundaries, the transformative power of international experience, and why it's never too late to pursue new opportunities and advanced education.

• Why it's never too late to pursue new career opportunities and advanced education
• How international experience can transform your perspective and challenge unconscious biases
• The importance of focusing on process and legacy rather than just career outcomes
• How personal challenges can evolve into professional purpose and advocacy
• Understanding intersectionality as a source of both challenges and unique strengths

Age is Just a Number in Career Development
Craig completed his first international assignment at 49 and obtained his second graduate degree at 53. His message to younger professionals: "Don't give up... It's not too late if you're called to it, if you surround yourself with the right community, and if you have a vision for yourself and how you want to impact the world."

International Experience Transforms Perspective
His three years in Singapore challenged his "American Imperial bias" and connected him with the global African diaspora in unexpected ways. For cross-cultural success, Craig advises: maintain a sense of humor about yourself, build community, and be willing to critique your own biases.

Focus on Process, Not Just Outcomes
"Make sure that whatever outcome you want, you're not forgetting to have fun and to be engaging meaningfully in the process... You have more control over the process of your career than the outcome of your career."

Personal Challenges Drive Professional Purpose

A family tragedy involving mental health 19 years ago transformed Craig's career focus, leading to his current work combining digital health expertise with mental health advocacy. This demonstrates how our personal journeys can inform and enrich our professional contributions.

Craig DeLarge's career includes executive roles at Johnson & Johnson, GlaxoSmithKline, Novo Nordisk, Merck, and Takeda, alongside 25 years as a university professor teaching marketing, communications, leadership, and business ethics. His educational journey includes degrees from Philadelphia University, University of Westminster (UK), and King's College London. Craig's intersectional identity as an African American male from the South raised in the North, along with his roles as husband, father, and grandfather, have shaped his unique perspective on career development and leadership.

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In this insightful solo episode of Thriving in Intersectionality, host Lola Adeyemo challenges the traditional one-to-one mentorship model and introduces a powerful alternative: creating your personal board of directors. Drawing from her experience serving on multiple nonprofit boards and navigating her own career as an immigrant woman of color in STEM, Lola shares a strategic approach to assembling mentors who can address different aspects of your professional development and intersectional identity.

• Why traditional mentorship models often set both mentors and mentees up for disappointment
• How to identify gaps in your current mentorship circle
• Strategies for assembling your personal board of directors across various industries and hierarchy levels
• Practical approaches to maintaining meaningful relationships with multiple mentors
• Setting appropriate boundaries and knowing when to evolve or end mentoring relationships
• Ways to create mutual value in mentoring relationships

Lola explains how the conventional one-to-one mentorship model places unrealistic expectations on individual mentors, especially those from underrepresented groups who already face significant pressure in leadership positions. For professionals with multiple intersectional identities, finding a single mentor who understands all aspects of their experience is nearly impossible. This creates a gap between expectations and reality that can leave both parties frustrated.

Drawing from her experience serving on nonprofit boards, Lola introduces a more effective alternative: creating a personal board of directors. This approach distributes the mentorship responsibility across several individuals with complementary skills, experiences, and perspectives. Just as organizations intentionally select board members to fill specific needs, professionals should strategically identify mentors who can address different aspects of their development.

• Take inventory of your identity and career aspirations (e.g., woman in STEM, parent, aspiring leader)
• Identify gaps in your current support network
• Look for mentors across different experience levels, not just executives
• Be specific about what you need from each potential board member

• Create value for your board members (mentorship should be mutually beneficial)
• Structure different formats for interactions (15-minute check-ins, co-attending events)
• Establish clear boundaries for each relationship
• Regularly assess if the relationship is still providing value for both parties
• Document feedback and keep doors open for future reconnection

Lola emphasizes that distributing mentorship across a "board" of individuals allows professionals to receive more targeted guidance while respecting everyone's time and expertise. This approach recognizes that no single person can fulfill all mentorship needs, especially for those with multiple intersectional identities navigating complex professional environments.

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