When Linda Medina-Lopez walks into a room, she's never just there for one conversation. As the Executive Director of Con Mi Madre, the Austin-based dual-generation nonprofit empowering Latina students and their mothers from sixth grade through college graduation, Linda carries the vision, the responsibility, and the future of an entire mission with her, every single day.
In this week's 501(c) Drop, BetterUnite Co-founder Leya Simmons sat down with Linda for a candid, energizing conversation about leadership, fundraising, storytelling, and what it really takes to build a nonprofit career rooted in purpose and partnership.
Before becoming an ED, Linda spent five years as a first-grade bilingual teacher, an experience that shaped everything that came after. She poured herself into her students, partnered with IBM for tutoring, organized fundraising trips to San Antonio, and built a classroom that went well beyond curriculum.
But she also began to notice something bigger: her students needed more than what one classroom could offer.
"I realized we could be doing so much in partnership with businesses and organizations to help support these students day in and day out."
That realization launched Linda into community building, business development, and a 20-year nonprofit career that has since taken her through the College Board, Austin ISD, the Pflugerville Education Foundation, and now Con Mi Madre.
Con Mi Madre, founded in 1992 by the Junior League of Austin and incorporated as an independent nonprofit in 2008, supports Latina daughters and their mothers through an 11-year journey of workshops, college field trips, mental health conversations, leadership development, and culturally relevant programming.
The acronym says it all: MADRE = Mothers and Daughters Raising Expectations.
Linda shared a story about a board member whose family has had 11 members go through Con Mi Madre, generation after generation. That's the model in action: not just one student lifted, but entire family lines reimagining what's possible.
"We're planting the seeds now for the future generations. Their grandkids and great grandkids will be able to look back at this moment."
When Leya asked what separates inauthentic relationship-building from the real thing, Linda didn't hesitate. The difference, she said, is whether you're being transactional or relational, and donors can feel it instantly.
Linda's relationship-building playbook is simple but disciplined:
She told the story of running into someone she remembered from her Austin ISD days more than 15 years earlier. One hello at a chamber luncheon turned into coffee, then a sponsorship, then a meaningful multi-year gift.
"If I hadn't said hi, none of that would have happened. Every grant, every sponsorship, every donation has steps that got us there. It doesn't happen overnight."
Storytelling is Linda's strongest fundraising muscle, but she's deliberate about how it gets used. Con Mi Madre recently brought in a storytelling workshop for staff to sharpen elevator pitches and one-minute hooks, but the real lesson Linda emphasizes is ethical storytelling.
"We're not the savior. We're walking alongside with them. If our families heard the story, would they feel honored? Or would they be upset?"
That single barometer changes everything. It pushes nonprofits to lead with strength, resilience, and dignity, instead of falling into the flat, sad, charity-case framing that dominates so much of the sector.
Linda's fundraising philosophy is unapologetic: be bold, just ask.
She's pitched ideas no one had asked her organization before. She's heard a lot of nos. And she's learned to brush each one off and find the takeaway: a fiscal year timeline, a future budget cycle, a new conversation door.
"If you don't ask, you will not receive. You have to have thick skin in this role, but every no teaches you something for the next yes."
She also reminded leaders that no donor relationship is permanent. Diversifying funding, re-engaging lapsed donors, and consistently building new connections are non-negotiables, especially in a fast-growing region like Austin.
As a Latina ED leading a Latina-serving organization in a sector that still has real representation gaps at the executive level, Linda is intentional about showing up fully.
She shared a moment that stopped Leya in her tracks: Linda used AI to generate an image of her sixth-grade self hugging her current self. That photo is now her cover image, and a daily reminder of who she's leading for.
"Your voice, your background, is just as valuable. Sometimes you might be the only one in the room who looks like you, and that's exactly why your voice matters."
Linda left the conversation with three reminders every executive director, fundraiser, and mission-driven leader should write down:
She closed with a story about her young son telling her, "It's okay, Mommy. You have to take care of you so you could take care of us." If a third grader can name it, leaders can practice it.
Transcript Recording:
Leya Simmons (00:01)
Hello and welcome to the 501c drop. I'm Leah Simmons and I am the CEO and co-founder of Better Unite as well as your host today and every Tuesday for the 501c drop. ⁓ Today's conversation is one that I have really been looking forward to. So if you are here in Austin, Texas where I live, the name Linda Medina Lopez probably has a familiar ring to you. It might already mean something to you. She is
Right now, the executive director of Con Mi Madre, a dual generation organization empowering Latina students and their mothers from sixth grade and all the way through college, through graduation, let's say. Wrap around support, they've got real access and the outcomes are outstanding. I'm gonna let Linda pipe in here and add some context to us because there is also quite a rich history to Con Mi Madre as well.
And we're going to spend a lot of time today talking about what makes their model different, but also what makes their model work so well. And, before Carmima Dre, Linda led the Flugerville, which is an area just north of Austin, the Flugerville Education Foundation, where she doubled the operating budget, built new scholarships, new partnerships and new initiatives from the ground up. And then before that, she was at the college board, expanding access to SAT, PSAT,
AP and college planning resources for students and families all across Texas. And way before any of that, Linda was also a first grade teacher. And again, we're going to come back to this because I think that origin story matters so much. Linda is a builder of communities outside of her day job. found it. I just can't even get through all of this, Linda, before I can say hi to you, but hang on one second. She founded the Young Hispanic Professional Association of Austin in 2006.
co-founded the El Paso in Austin network the year after, and she has served on more boards and councils than I can count. That's literally what it says here in my intro. The UT System Chancellor's Centurion Advisory Council, Leadership Austin, the City of Austin Commission for Women, South by Southwest EDU, Austin Community Foundation's Hispanic Impact Fund, and the list keeps going.
Linda has been honored as Austin Women Magazine's Changemaker in Education, TAMACC Woman of Distinction, a Girl Scouts Woman of Distinction, and she's been named one of Austin's most influential Latinos. And one quick note before we dive in, Conmi Madre's signature fundraiser, Corazon,
The Corazon Awards is coming up on Tuesday. We just talked about this literally two weeks from today, Tuesday, May 19th, right here in Austin. I've already put the link to register or donate in our chat. as you're ⁓ coming in, please go ahead and take a look at that. Finally, Linda, welcome.
Linda Medina-Lopez (03:08)
Thank you, Aliyah. Thank you so much for the opportunity to be on this national platform and to share a little bit more about me, my passion, and the work that I get to do every single day. It's an honor.
Leya Simmons (03:10)
you
I just,
absolutely, I love that so much. ⁓ Thank you for joining us and taking some time out of what I know is an exceedingly busy schedule. as a fellow mom, we've entered the area of May, which is like, know, Christmas again for some of us as well. And you've got your gala fundraiser, or it's not a gala, it's a luncheon, right? Luncheon fundraiser coming up so soon.
Linda Medina-Lopez (03:35)
Thanks.
Evening.
It's a gala in the evening, yes.
Leya Simmons (03:45)
Gaila, I'm
so sorry. I just can't say, I mean, this is a testament to how hard you work that you're like, yeah, sure, let's throw this into. Why not? Okay, let's go ahead and dive in because I'm really excited about a lot of these questions and you and I spoke about this, ⁓ I heard it's a couple of weeks ago now. So I really am excited and thrilled to have other folks hear your story.
Linda Medina-Lopez (03:54)
Why not?
Leya Simmons (04:07)
For those who have not yet met you, and I mentioned you are clearly in what I talked about, a woman about Austin and El Paso and Pflugerville. So a lot of folks here around these parts know you, but for our ⁓ statewide and national attendees here on the call, take us back to that first grade classroom. What was the moment that told you the work you wanted to do was bigger than just one classroom?
Linda Medina-Lopez (04:34)
Absolutely. I was a teacher for a total of five years in what half a semester in El Paso ISD and the rest of the years here in Austin and Austin ISD and I loved my classroom. I poured myself inside and out, know, just staying after school, teaching after school, coming on the weekends, you know, just really going all in and I loved it. I was teacher of the year or just went above and beyond, created opportunities for my students to go to.
San Antonio on a field trip, partnered with IBM to bring in tutors. I love my classroom. But what I started noticing about a year or two before I decided to leave the classroom was that really my students needed more resources. It was a first grade bilingual classroom and these students of mine were just so amazing. I'm still in contact with many of them today.
Leya Simmons (05:20)
Mm-hmm.
That's awesome.
Linda Medina-Lopez (05:28)
Yes, and they were just, they wanted to continue their education and they had big dreams to become an engineer or a teacher. They would tell me at first grade what their big mission in life would be. And I realized that the campus, ⁓ there was so much that the school could do. So I needed to step out of the classroom.
Leya Simmons (05:33)
Mm-hmm.
Linda Medina-Lopez (05:53)
in the community partnering with organizations, with individuals for donations, for partnerships, for fundraisers. I remember we had several big sales to fundraise to go to our field trip in San Antonio. And I said, you know what? We could be doing so much in partnership with businesses and organizations to help support these students day in and day out. And so not just my students, but all students. And so
Leya Simmons (06:18)
and
Yeah.
Linda Medina-Lopez (06:23)
Because I had just moved to the Austin area, I wanted to build community. And that's why when you mentioned the Young Hispanic Professional Austin Association, that came out of need. I wanted to belong to something like it. And so I founded that one in 2006. And in 2007, I'll pass on Austin Network. But those two organizations really helped me develop a new skill set that I didn't even know that I had. Because I had gone to...
Leya Simmons (06:48)
Mmm.
Linda Medina-Lopez (06:51)
You know, I had received my degree in teaching. I had just received my master's at Concordia University here in Austin, a master's in literacy. So I was going to be in education for a long time, but really, you know, seeing the needs of my students, creating these two organizations allowed me to see that we could be doing so much more for education. And that's when I was like, hey,
I think I'm good at business. I didn't know it at the time. I think I'm good at business development and marketing and community relations. And I really started to stretch myself, putting myself in new roles, volunteer roles specifically to help me see that side of me that I can see at that moment. But like I said, after like two years,
I said it's time. I think it's time for me to step out of the classroom so that I can help the campuses. And so I've had a wonderful career, know, 20 plus years in the field of education. As you can see on my LinkedIn and my bio, just a variety of roles from, you know, being a classroom teacher, working with students and parents, working in community relations at Austin ISD, working at
the college board and higher ed and ensuring that every student had the access and the opportunity to go to college. ⁓ And so putting all of my skillset together really positioned me to lead ⁓ nonprofit organizations the last five years. And so, you know, I look back at my career and I said, you know what, I took a risk, but when I see the work,
that I have done over the years. I'm just so grateful and I've seen the impact and I'm still, some of the impact I might not be able to see, but in the short time, the last 20 plus years, I've seen some really amazing stories. And I want to just plug in ⁓ a really, really unique story, Leah, that...
Leya Simmons (08:45)
⁓
yes.
Linda Medina-Lopez (08:45)
When I
joined, mi madre, I joined in November of 2025, and we have a monthly session called Entre Madres. So we get to have workshops with our moms, get to know each other, have them get to know each other, and really give them a really good ⁓ speaker and workshop and all that. And I remember, you know, I'm there greeting all the moms, you know, making sure that I'm, you know, I make eye contact, introduce myself, and just learn more about them. And as soon as I was...
I turned the corner, I saw one of the moms and she just yelled out, Ms. Medina. And I was like, I looked at her, I was like, oh my gosh. She is the mother of one of my former students. I just got goosebumps now because I'm like, I know I just got goosebumps because it's a full story for me, full circle for me that once in the classroom. And of course this is a younger sister. my student already graduated from
Leya Simmons (09:28)
⁓ I did too.
Yeah.
Linda Medina-Lopez (09:44)
from college and so this is the younger sister where the mom is still all in an education and we connected heart to heart. She shared with me that her husband had left the home and so she was not gonna allow that instance to really ⁓ impact.
the girls future. So she's like, I stayed with Con Mi Madre. One of my girls already went through the entire program. I'm going to stay for my, for my youngest daughter. We're going to get through this. And Con Mi Madre has given me just the opportunities to really keep going. And so for me, my gosh, like that was everything. you know, when I left the classroom, I didn't expect to see it, you know, one of my moms, know, one of my teacher, student moms, you know, in the program. So I've had instances like that where I'm like,
Leya Simmons (10:28)
Yeah.
Linda Medina-Lopez (10:34)
This is exactly where I need to be. So I am just so grateful and thankful.
Leya Simmons (10:36)
⁓
I cannot think of a better, for lack of a better word, Godwink than that to say you are exactly what you said, where you need to be exactly at the right place, exactly right now. And to think too that you were building these communities back in 2006 before we had our loneliness epidemics. I mean, how much more valuable those are today as well, as valuable as they were then, that need has just, I mean, I would say exploded between then and now.
Linda Medina-Lopez (11:08)
yeah, our families need us now more than ever, absolutely.
Leya Simmons (11:11)
Well, okay, so.
I want to talk about Con Mi Madre and your, this beautiful dual generation setup that you have. It, Con Mi Madre serves both Latina daughters and their mothers in this dual generation model for, I just want to give you some space to describe that for us, for those that have never heard and don't really know what that means. And I'd also look, cause you did this for me, I'd love to hear what it looks like on the ground. So if you could describe that and.
how you kind of manage serving two generations together at the same time and why that matters more, I would say, than serving them separately.
Linda Medina-Lopez (11:54)
Absolutely. And you mentioned this in the intro, so I'll go ahead and talk about it very briefly and tie in very well with the story, Leah. The Con Mi Madre was founded in 1992 by the Junior League of Austin. Back then, it was called the Hispanic Mother-Daughter Program. They saw a They saw a statistic that showed that a Latina girl would be more than likely not to attend college. And so they wanted to close that gap.
And so that's when they decided to create what's called the Hispanic Mother Dorm, a daughter program, just like they have codes for kids for many, many years. It was one of their signature programming. And so ⁓ they have served many families over the years. And it wasn't until 2008 that they decided to have Con Mi Madre become an independent nonprofit organization. hence the name was born Con Mi Madre. It stands for a mother's, madre.
Leya Simmons (12:31)
Mm-hmm.
Linda Medina-Lopez (12:51)
the acronym is Mothers and Daughters Raising Expectations. And so since the founding of the independent nonprofit in 2008, ⁓ we have continued to serve both the student and their mothers at the same time. What that means to us, it's a dual generational organization that provides services for both, right? And so we're allowing them
to have good, healthy conversations about mental health, leadership, ⁓ going to college. We take them to college field trips together so that they can navigate and ask those questions. Like, you know, tell me more about, you know, tuition and the financial aid and the schedules. And so ⁓ when they're on our program for 11 years, they enter from sixth grade and they finish ⁓
when they're in college, senior year in college. So they're in our program for 11 years. It's an 11 year journey. Imagine how many workshops, how many speakers that they could see themselves in, how many field trips, conferences, opportunities. We're just talking a wealth of resources and we would not be able to do this without the support of the community. ⁓
Leya Simmons (13:54)
for.
Linda Medina-Lopez (14:13)
because they're the ones that sponsor, that donate, that volunteer, that speak at these events and we're just forever grateful. For us and for me, it's not just about that one student. It's everything for me, for that one student. However,
In this case, we're impacting the lives of the mother, right? Mother-daughter program, but then the generations to come years after years beyond them. So we're making an impact now. We're planting the seeds now for the future generations of that student, of that mother-daughter training, right? They're grandkids and they're great grandkids, right? They will be able to look at this moment.
⁓ I do have an amazing board member. Shout out to Karen. I have to share her, briefly her story. ⁓ She started the program of Con Mi Madre first and then her sisters came along and then our cousins came along. 11 of her family members have gone through Con Mi Madre. Think about, right, think about the generational impact in their cousins and those generations and that's what we're all about. We're here to
Leya Simmons (15:10)
I have two bumps again.
Linda Medina-Lopez (15:21)
guide them in their journey every step of the way. Our curriculum is grade level specific. We have grade level discussions about mental health, about test taking strategies, about bullying, about everything that you can think of under the sun, right? But we want to make sure that our curriculum is very ⁓ diverse and very ⁓ relevant, culturally relevant to our families. And again, we do this together with
Leya Simmons (15:24)
Mm.
Bye.
Linda Medina-Lopez (15:50)
the daughters and the moms. so these conversations that they're a part of goes way beyond the program. They can have these healthy conversations at home without fear. I feel like they can, I mean, their bond is strengthened. It is like at another level. You should come and see some of our girls. Leah, one of these days since you're here local, I mean,
Leya Simmons (16:02)
Mm-hmm.
would love that.
I've actually, was in my head thinking, how can I?
Linda Medina-Lopez (16:17)
We
had our Mother's Day brunch this past weekend and I shared with them how, ⁓ you know, not only does it matter, you know, the words that we, that the moms speak to the girls, but also that the words that the girls speak to their moms. I shared a little story about how me growing up in El Paso, my mom wanted to become a real estate agent and she had failed that.
Test three times already. She was about to give up. She was like, I'm done. I don't think I can do this. She was talking to her mentor and I was, happened to be in the, in the room. I was only 12 years old and I heard her say, I'm giving up. I don't think I could take the test any longer. And she told me that I turned around. I looked at her in the eyes and I told her, but mom with faith.
And Will, you can accomplish anything. Me, at 12 years old, I said that. And she said that that moment changed everything for her. Like the other day she brought it up and we both teared up. She said that was everything for me. Yeah. She's been a successful real estate agent in the El Paso area these last 34 years. And just amazing. So I shared briefly that testimony because the words matter so much, not just from the mom to the daughter, but the daughter to the mom.
Leya Simmons (17:17)
Very good. ⁓
Linda Medina-Lopez (17:35)
And then I had them do an activity to look at each other and share three things that they love about each other. And they took turns. I saw some eyes that got a little bit watery. I saw some smiles, some hugs, and that is what we're all about. We're changing lives. We're changing lives.
Leya Simmons (17:51)
Yeah, it's such an incredible
testimony, your own. I remembered from our conversation, and that's actually one of my questions, that I knew you had a strong tie to the work of Con Mi Madre, even though you weren't an actual program participant. And you and I spoke about that. Also, my mother went to medical school when I was in fifth grade and had delivered ⁓ meals for Meals on Wheels.
Linda Medina-Lopez (18:11)
Right?
Leya Simmons (18:17)
And so I credit my interest in nonprofit as well as my, you know, kind of sticking to a career through motherhood and all of those things to what I witnessed from my mom, just so much of it is watching the actions of the parents as much as the words as well. I, the value of having the parent come along for those sessions and meetings and everything else is just profound. I think that it's clearly a system that's very much working today.
Linda Medina-Lopez (18:47)
Thank you.
Leya Simmons (18:47)
I just love
that. So you now as the executive director, this is your first time as an executive director, is that correct? Second time. Okay, so you've done a lot of other jobs as well within all of your nonprofits and business development as you mentioned. ⁓ What is impacting you the most right now or skill sets or?
Linda Medina-Lopez (18:53)
Second time, ⁓
Leya Simmons (19:10)
⁓ Maybe what you noticed, it's different being an executive director that's very informed by all of the hats you've worn along the way.
Linda Medina-Lopez (19:18)
Yeah, I think what stands out for me the most is that I think about the organization 24 seven. I carry the vision, the passion and the responsibility of leading an organization and the work that we do. Everything from our 12 staff members to our 10 amazing board members.
Leya Simmons (19:28)
Thank
Yeah.
Linda Medina-Lopez (19:45)
the families that we serve in the greater Austin area, to our current funding, to the future of the organization. so everywhere I go, every room I walk into, that's top of mind for me as I'm having these bold conversations with potential donors or members in the community that have supported in the past. I want to re-engage them or potential partnerships. And what I've learned
Leya Simmons (19:52)
Mm-hmm.
Linda Medina-Lopez (20:15)
For many years, I've known this, but now it's like, you know, I'm double armed. I'm double armed ⁓ because ⁓ being in the nonprofit sector, especially as an executive director, you wear many hats, as you mentioned, right? ⁓ And so I don't want to leave any rock unturned.
for anything that we do from our programs to our funding to the conversations to the what ifs, the initiatives. And so I just, my philosophy is you just have to go for it. You just have to do it. You have to do the ask. ⁓ When it comes to fundraising, right? ⁓ You have to have thick skin to be in this role because we rely on the community, right? ⁓
you know, whether it's grants or sponsorships, individual donations, ⁓ attending events, you name it. And so, you know, I have this philosophy that if you don't ask, you will not receive. ⁓ And so ⁓ I, of course, being in business development before and in fundraising, there will be a lot of nos, a lot of nos. And it hurts me for a second. I'm not going to lie. But then I just myself off and I just like, okay, all right.
They said, no, it's okay. What was my takeaway? Now they learned a little bit more about the organization. Now I learned about their fiscal year budget. ⁓ It ends at the end of June, end of October. It starts in January. Every corporation, every business, they have their different timelines. ⁓ And then now it's like, okay, well, maybe they could build this into next year's budget. And so ⁓ you just have to have that thick skin and know that there can be a lot of nos.
Leya Simmons (21:39)
Absolutely.
Linda Medina-Lopez (22:01)
a lot of yeses and a lot of hope. And for me to be able to fundraise for Cuand Mi Madre is just a true gift because I know that I get to serve these families and these students for a better tomorrow.
Leya Simmons (22:17)
That's just great. And that is so true of fundraising and development work that when you get to that place, I mean, the worst they can say is no. And even like you described, they say no and you learn something. the, ⁓ you know, being fueled by that, that passion that, like you said, like that, I get to do this, this is actually a privilege. It's an incredible reframe. I'm so grateful to you for mentioning that here on our 501 C drop. That's something I think we can, you know, I mean, I would bet
Linda Medina-Lopez (22:25)
huh. Absolutely.
Leya Simmons (22:46)
you as well as I when in my fundraising days, there are days when you have to remind yourself of that a little more aggressively than on other days where that just comes very naturally after maybe too many nos all in a row. But it truly is such a privilege for these organizations to get to be a voice for them, just like you said. So you're out there just obviously penultimate community builder.
Linda Medina-Lopez (22:58)
you.
Leya Simmons (23:13)
And I think you and I discussed the authentic relationships secret sauce of con mi madre and then frankly also the work that you do with ⁓ as an executive director, what you just described, in our sector, in the nonprofit sector, there's a lot of us that talk about or a lot of folks will talk about building relationships, but what...
What would you say is like a difference or a key difference between the inauthentic and the authentic relationship? Like what really defines that for you?
Linda Medina-Lopez (23:46)
Right, for me, it's all about the relationship. ⁓ How do you nurture that relationship ⁓ so that whether it's a sponsorship, an individual donor or a corporate sponsorship, ⁓ there are stages to ⁓ this fundraising ⁓ pipeline. And if you miss out on one,
Leya Simmons (23:50)
Mm-hmm.
Linda Medina-Lopez (24:16)
opportunity, like for example, if you don't follow up or you're not authentic when you're talking to them, if you seem more transactional than relational, they're going to feel it. They're going to see it. They're going to say no. ⁓ And so to me is, being very authentic can, and for me, I also try to.
you know, do a little research on anyone that I'm, if I can, if I know who I'm going to see or who I'm meeting with, I like to do some pre-work ahead of time. I'm checking out their website, they're giving pillars, checking out to see who they have funded in the before, who have they supported before. It just gives me an idea because when I get to, if I get to have a conversation and meeting with, with a potential donor or investor,
Leya Simmons (24:54)
Mm-hmm.
Linda Medina-Lopez (25:04)
I like to let them talk first so that could see alignment ⁓ and then I could see what they're really passionate about because I've already had within the last two weeks, already had like maybe like, gosh, I'm losing count.
Leya Simmons (25:09)
Yeah.
Linda Medina-Lopez (25:20)
maybe like six or seven really good, really good conversations. And I mean, there's so much we can do and you know, and there are some things that are going to pull out their hearts and others are like, you know, no, we'd rather stick to, we want to be a speaker or presenter or we don't just want to give a check Linda. They've, I've already had several companies told me this. I don't just want to give a check. I want to be engaged. We want to engage our employees. We want to come to you. What do you need? I was talking to,
actually I was not talking to you, was working on a project, a proposal yesterday where they said, what's on your wishlist? What's on your wishlist? What can we do for you? Like literally they gave me a spreadsheet and they gave me a sample of another organization that they did some amazing things with. And I'm not kidding, it had like, I don't know, like 50 things on the wishlist. And I was like, okay.
Leya Simmons (25:59)
⁓ that's a good question.
Linda Medina-Lopez (26:19)
So I was like, all right. So I shared it with my leadership team. I was like, Hey, I started the spreadsheet. Here's some ideas and I added some of this and that please add to it. And then they're going to go back to the team and to decide collectively what they can, can do and cannot. But for a company to say what's on your wishlist, I'm like, Oh my gosh, like, thank you. Thank you. And so there's just.
An opportunity for every single partner to work with on me, mother from a speaker to volunteers to an investor or giving circle, attending our court. saw in two weeks, there's just plenty of opportunities. It's just really what tugs at their heart and would inspire them. And at the end of the day, you know, what they would like to accomplish as a company. So for me is really being authentic, a following up.
Leya Simmons (26:46)
I'm
Linda Medina-Lopez (27:09)
Continuing those conversations, of course, you know add in a little bit of you know personal touch to to your relationship about you know, like like how we connected right about talking about our moms and our upbringing and our you know children So adding a little bit like hey, you know, how's your family tonight? You know, saw on LinkedIn. I love LinkedIn by the way I you know, they'll I'll tell them hey
Leya Simmons (27:15)
First one.
Connect with Linda
on LinkedIn. I'll put your LinkedIn in the chat here.
Linda Medina-Lopez (27:34)
Yes.
I love it because I not only get to see what they're doing, but then they get to see what I'm doing too. And then the next time I see them, they're like, my gosh, I saw that, you know, you were here or Hey, I didn't know that this or that. And so it really allows you kind of break the ice a little bit more. And I use that's why I use I love LinkedIn because I'm like, I feel like I have done this many times and people that know me, they're like, okay, Linda, but I'm like, Hey, it works.
If I recognize someone say we hadn't met like even when we met for the first time Leah, I saw you I'm like, hey, how are you? Like I knew you know what you look like and it really allowed us to communicate. Right? It allows us meet immediately or even when we go to yeah even when we go when I go to other events and I'm like, you know what? I know that so and so let me just go up there and say hi to him or her give him my business card and they're like
Leya Simmons (28:12)
I'm not gonna lie, I did the same exact thing for you on LinkedIn. Great.
Linda Medina-Lopez (28:30)
they're most of the time they're surprised. like, hey, hi, how are you? my gosh, thanks so much for saying hi. And then we chat a little bit, make that connection. ⁓ And a lot of things happen because of those small conversations. It really takes that. I don't see it as a.
as a risk. know some people that they're a little bit, I can be shy at times, believe me, I can be shy at times, but other people like, no, I don't want to go. I don't want to network. I don't want to go. was like, okay, that's fine. But I have a job to do. And so I, whenever I'm at an event, luncheon, a reception, I will try to, you know, of course make new connections and say hi to some that, you know, are
partners or say thank you to some of them. And so really, really being authentic and showing your true self, both on social media and off. That's very important to me. You'll get the same person from me all the time.
Leya Simmons (29:24)
that is
I honestly one of my core values or my core value is authenticity. That's the word that I chose for it because I just love and I love this about you too. And I love your LinkedIn post for this as well since I've been following you that you are who you are over here and you are who you are, you know, over here, like just be the same exactly. And so that's exactly what you've.
described and you do so well, but I mean, for you, like you said, it comes naturally, but I also hear that you put in the work around it. It's not just a...
Linda Medina-Lopez (29:54)
I roll up
my sleeves, absolutely.
Leya Simmons (29:55)
Yeah, exactly. You're not
just like, I was born this way. I can do this really easily. What kind of person? I'm exactly in the same boat. Do you have an example of a that you can think of and it's okay if you can't, of like maybe a donor or a sponsorship or a partnership that started very small, but that has grown into something much more significant as you nurtured it along the way?
Linda Medina-Lopez (29:59)
no.
Yeah, I know. Let's see, I can think of one in particular. I remember this ⁓ gentleman ⁓ from many years ago in my Austin ISD days. And I remember, I wasn't working with him directly, but he was working on a project with someone. I remember his face. I mean, this was like 15 years ago. ⁓ And that was it. I just remember his face. And I hadn't heard from him in years.
And I remember going to a chamber luncheon and I saw him sitting down and I was like, you know what? I'm just going to say hi to him again. I'm just going to, you know, just do my thing. And I was like, Hey, hi, how are you? I'm Linda. And, you know, I remember you from my district days. We didn't really get to work together, but I remember you. Oh yeah. Yeah. How are you? Turns out that, um, he has a family, family business and, um, we started talking. They were located in the region where I was at. Um, and.
From then on, we had coffee, learned a little more about the organization, sponsored some things, and then really grew into a much bigger gift over the years because of just building that relationship, connecting with him and his wife and his family. And so just over the years, that relationship has really strengthened. And I'm like,
Leya Simmons (31:24)
Wow.
Linda Medina-Lopez (31:35)
If I hadn't said hi, if I would have been like, okay, nevermind. You know, like, my gosh, I think about every moment that I've had where, there was a grant or grant opportunity or, or donation. It's like there that I had to take some steps to get there. It doesn't happen overnight. ⁓ or I mean, every once in a while we'll get, you know, someone, ⁓
Mail us a check and my gosh, like we're so grateful but for everything else, like we have to put in the work, I have to put in the work. ⁓ And again, you know, it takes these small steps. Sometimes it takes a couple of years, but it's just all about nurturing the relationship, following up. If you see them in person, go say hi. ⁓ And you know, those moments really matter, really, really matter.
Leya Simmons (32:26)
So for the development directors that are listening and executive directors that are doing a bulk of the fundraising like you are, you mentioned you've got a staff of 10. I imagine that there's not a ton of people in your development department. how do you, okay, there you go. it's you. So it's just you. And you know what? I've been in that situation as well. So, and it's place that a lot of really solid nonprofits are as well. And so I'm curious, what do you, you know,
Linda Medina-Lopez (32:39)
Zero. It's just.
Bye.
Leya Simmons (32:55)
How do you, you you've got 40 donors or 40 contacts that you, you know, could and, you know, ideally would shepherd.
steward all along the way, how do you make the decision to, well, I guess I would say let's use a nice round number. You've got 100 donors and you know that maybe 40 of them have bigger capacity or they've got this kind of growth, they've given you growth signals. How do you decide where you're going to put that relational energy? Because you are just one person.
Linda Medina-Lopez (33:27)
Yeah, no, absolutely. I mean, I'm in a unique situation because I just joined five months ago. It feels like I've been here a year, but I've only been here for five months and really learning who the donors are, the relationships, the history. And so I want to make sure that first, those that have been supporting the organization for many years know that I'm here, know that I know.
Leya Simmons (33:35)
course.
Linda Medina-Lopez (33:53)
that they've supported the organization that they exist and I thank them ⁓ so that, you know, ⁓ we nurtured those that have been here for a long time. ⁓ And then of course, I'll continue to build on ⁓ new donors, new partners. ⁓
Leya Simmons (34:04)
Mm-hmm.
Linda Medina-Lopez (34:13)
you know, we need to start somewhere, whether it's a coffee or a Zoom and really understand, you know, just again, they're giving pillars and where they're at in terms of, you know, what ways they would like to engage. ⁓ And then, of course, you know, also think about those that have rolled off, right? How can we reconnect with them? How can we bring them back?
Leya Simmons (34:33)
Re-engage, absolutely.
Linda Medina-Lopez (34:36)
And of course, part of the donor journey is sometimes for an organization, for any organization that I've been a part of, ⁓ there's a lifetime for that donor. They might not be there for a long time. So I don't want to rely on a specific donor that they're going to give this amount year after year. I don't want to take that for granted. And we can't assume that they're going to be able to do it forever. And so yes, I want to continue to.
to nurture that relationship, but at the same time, I need to develop new relationships, right? ⁓ Because at any given time, and it's happened where it's like, hey, you know, I've had a partner, a long time partner here, that's it. You know what? We're just so grateful for the work that we've done for many years.
We're going to diversify our funding and we're going to, you know, we'll come back, you know, in a couple of years, but we funded the organization for the last 10 years. That's like, okay, no, worries. Absolutely. And so we understand that sometimes a donor journey, just like any relationship will come to, you know, a pause or an end. And then we need to keep.
keep on going. But you know, that doesn't mean that I'm going to stop inviting them to come to Corazon or any events and you know, they might, you know, after a couple of years, I might come back. And so, you know, we want to make sure that they know that the doors are always open and they can, you know, connect with us at any given time. And so yeah, there's, yeah, there's multiple journeys from, you know, the existing to the new ones, to those that we've lost and those that we haven't even
reached just yet. And I will say being in the greater Austin area, mean, every time I drive down any street, I feel like there's new companies moving in, new people moving in, like left and right. It's like, how are we going to get the word out? How are we going to amplify our mission in the community for new individuals, new companies that have just moved in here? And so that's why right now I am, I said yes to this opportunity too. want to amplify the work that we do.
Leya Simmons (36:15)
100%.
Linda Medina-Lopez (36:34)
⁓ because it could potentially lead to someone that maybe had never heard about the organization and they're like, my gosh, we love what they're doing. Let me support them. So when we do, you know, any type of, you know, fundraising initiative, ⁓ and they see our name, they're like, they're right there with us. So we're so thankful for all of our partners. ⁓ just, you know, old and new and just so thankful because for the last 34 years, we've been able to do what we do. So thank you all so much.
Leya Simmons (36:51)
of this organization.
I love that. And here you are giving gratitude even in this moment where we're talking about this. It's wonderful. And you know, I would be remiss if I didn't say, and I know that you are using these kinds of things, but you talk about donor journeys and you know, now some of that can be supported by, and I apologize for being such a technologist, but I can't help it. That's there's wonderful.
Linda Medina-Lopez (37:07)
Absolutely, absolutely.
No, we're looking into it. We're looking into it. I know. As my leadership
team, we're looking into this.
Leya Simmons (37:28)
It's exactly so. There's one I've talked to Linda about this that there's some wonderful automations and workflows that we can do, but which are not taking the human out of the loop,
Within and within better unite but within other tools as well in a moves management suite you can you know really You know remind yourself have the right email go at the right time the text message So anyway technology is really following what you do But it ends up being able to lead the effort and also to you know sometimes disperse it among board members and volunteers and committees or even for in your case maybe staff clients as well, so ⁓
Linda Medina-Lopez (37:53)
Absolutely.
Leya Simmons (38:08)
I love that piece, but what I really want to talk about, because it's much more interesting to me, the storytelling that you do, I find really fascinating. Just listening to the way that you speak about the work that you all do with such passion and such, like it's so rich and colorful.
I find, as you can imagine, go to a lot of events and I hear and see a lot of the work of nonprofits, which are all doing incredible work, but sometimes the story can start to feel a bit sad and flat and like the poor nonprofit people or it's a charity case. Honestly, I don't love that word charity for that reason that it feels a little more like giving without return, which.
In my eyes, nonprofits ⁓ provide a great return for everybody in the community, all of them. how do you go about keeping that richness and that colorfulness to the stories that you tell without being either flat or even at worst exploitative of the folks that you are working with and seeing?
Linda Medina-Lopez (39:13)
Sure. You know, one of the things that we've been working on here at Con Mi Madre with our staff members is, you know, really ⁓ allowing them to share more stories of our families, right? I'm sure those testimonials ⁓ of strength, of resilience, of, you know, just share their story, right? We know, you know, everyone...
Leya Simmons (39:25)
Yeah.
Linda Medina-Lopez (39:36)
has encountered different barriers, but it's like, we're not the savior, right? We're walking alongside with them. And so at the end of the day, ⁓ the stories that we share, if they were to hear the story.
Leya Simmons (39:47)
Mm-hmm.
Linda Medina-Lopez (39:49)
Would they feel good about it? Or would they feel happy about it? And so always keep ⁓ our families in mind ⁓ because yes, we're not going to exploit, we're not going to just share any sensitive information. It's just that these are the things we've been able to do to allow them to navigate and grow and provide those resources that they needed at that time.
because every family is different. They're all navigating totally different things. We have thousands of alumni now that have graduated from the program. They're just doing amazing things now in the greater Austin community, those that I've heard of. I know I still have ways to go to learn more about our alumni, but the short list that I have.
They're just leaving the community in very amazing ways and they all have a unique special story. So at the end of the day, I want to make sure that we are respectful, we honor our families. ⁓ And if they were to hear it, see it in print, see it on TV, would they be honored or would they be upset? I always keep... Yeah.
Leya Simmons (40:55)
That is a very good barometer, actually, I
think, and a wonderful one to just kind of always keep top of mind.
Linda Medina-Lopez (41:03)
Yeah. And recently I had an amazing friend do a workshop for us on storytelling. ⁓ Kudos to Holly, you know who you are. ⁓ She was just amazing. She really helped us, you know, find just some really good elements and the, you know, yeah, the pitches and just all the things. And so, you know, some of our staff had participated in a workshop like that. So it really allowed them to stretch.
And it's like, hey, you only have one minute to talk, less than one minute to talk to a future mom or daughter at a recruitment event, or you're at a school and someone tells you, what is going to are you ready? Are you ready to do it in like a few seconds, right? Because they're going to go to the next booth. so, so yeah, we were just really working hard on ensuring that not just our families have the resources, but also our staff have the resources and the needs. And so we're creating a really good.
⁓ robust professional development program here within our team so that they can continue to grow and stretch. ⁓ when the day comes, they leave our organization, they're a better staff person. And so ⁓ I'm a lifelong learner. I've always used that word as a teacher. And so, ⁓ yeah, I just want to continue to do better and provide that.
Leya Simmons (42:21)
You're doing,
I just love that you're really investing in the storytelling and the brand and then, I mean, bringing in an outside consultant to have a workshop for, did you say it was staff and board? Do you do that same work with the board as well to get the, no.
Linda Medina-Lopez (42:25)
Absolutely.
That's a great idea. Since we have monthly staff meetings, at every staff meeting we have a topic and a professional come and speak to us. But maybe I should open it up to the board and if they're available to come and join us. I know they already do lot of work in the committees and the fundraising and the board meetings, but hey, we're offering this if you want to join us. Why not? So yeah.
Leya Simmons (43:03)
They might love
the opportunity to get that like elevator pitch one minute, you know, blurb down pat. So that, yeah.
Linda Medina-Lopez (43:06)
And we practiced it. They practice
and we even, I remember we were even timing it. Okay, you have one minute, go. But for me also, I tell them when I'm walking into these rooms, lunch and a reception and meeting.
Leya Simmons (43:15)
That's awesome and scary. It makes my palms sweat.
Linda Medina-Lopez (43:26)
Tell me more about coming mother. I gotta be quick. I gotta be quick on my toes. And sometimes they're like, tell me a story. Do you have any, a success story? And so yeah, I gotta be ready with my toolbox.
Leya Simmons (43:37)
I that's incredible. That's incredible. Okay, so you've already described some of this to us, but I clearly you are a master networker at this point having built the muscle and practiced it over years and years and you have really spent a lifetime in a full career creating community but also really creating the partnerships that can support the communities that you've created. I, know, strategic partnerships and the nonprofit circles gets thrown around. It's a buzzword to some
extent, but what is a partnership with Con Mi Madre that either they have built before you got there or that you are building or have built? And, you know, if there's one that you would point to and say, this one is strategic, ⁓ what do you mean by strategic? And what made it really work versus some of those others that just kind of fizzled and didn't really flesh out into the partnerships you'd hoped?
Linda Medina-Lopez (44:35)
I think I'm thinking back at some of them that have been around for a long time. I think one, they value the mission. They know the work that we're doing day in and day out. Yes. Yeah. We're aligned with the business or even with the individual. have some major donors, individual donors.
Leya Simmons (44:48)
Hmm.
⁓ you used the word alignment earlier. I loved that. Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Linda Medina-Lopez (45:04)
⁓
And I think, you know, for us is continuing to showcase the work, the stories. What are we doing with the money that they donate to us, right? And so we send out our newsletters on social media. We like to tell stories and highlight. ⁓ And so honestly, ⁓ I think when they see
when they see the families and the girls, when they go to an event and they see them in action, they're like, my gosh, this is what I'm funding. This is what I'm doing. And even for me personally, even as the executive director, ⁓ I'm hustling, I'm going to meeting to meeting, I'm rolling up my sleeves, I'm going to events. And then sometimes I need to go see the girls, right? I need to like, even Saturday's Mother's Day brunch, the girls and the moms, again, it reminds me of like just...
all of the women and the girls changing lives and I need to be reminded, you know, day in and day out. And even my former workplace, I was working in the school district, you know, I'd be in the office and like, I need to go to a campus. need to go, I need to go see, yeah, I need to go see the students and it would fool me again. And so, you know, ⁓ I think that also our funders and our partners can also relate to that when they see the
Leya Simmons (46:15)
⁓ yeah, hit in.
Yeah.
Linda Medina-Lopez (46:28)
our annual impact reports, when they get invited to graduation or an event where they can connect with our students and our moms, ⁓ when they see the data, right? The impact that they're making with the sponsorships, the donations, the investments that they make, that's when they're like, you know, they do it from the heart, but they're reminded like, yay.
we're putting in the work. so I just have too many, you know, in my short time here, there's just so many amazing partnerships that we've had for many years. And we're going to continue to do that. And my goal as executive director here at Con Mi Madre is continue to amplify the work that we do, elevate the stories of our families, and really reimagine Con Mi Madre for the next five to 10 years by
creating new initiatives, strengthening our programs. We've done an amazing job over the last 34 years. We're gonna be doing some more amazing things for the next 34 years. And so we're really looking ahead. We're looking at a growth plan, expansion. And so, if we don't keep our partners in tune with us and in touch with us with everything that we're doing, I don't wanna lose anybody. I wanna keep them.
Leya Simmons (47:48)
Well, and they feel like they're missing
out or they just don't know, right? Yeah. Right.
Linda Medina-Lopez (47:51)
Like you just don't know and they're busy too, right? They're busy.
They have many organizations that they're funding or you know, there's just, you know, so many things going on. And so, ⁓ so yeah, I'm really excited about what's ahead for Kwon Mimather.
Leya Simmons (48:05)
So one thing that we don't talk about, or I don't even know if we've ever talked about this on the 501 C drop, but that I would love to ask you, the feeling, how it feels for you in your...
current position as executive directors sitting in the seat. You're a Latina ED leading a Latina serving organization in a sector, the nonprofit sector that really honestly still has some representation problems or gaps at especially at the executive level. That's just we can point to data that says this. What does it mean for you?
when you're building culture, when you're hiring, ⁓ what would you tell a younger Linda to think about who was considering walking this path towards the executive director, towards a C-suite job?
Linda Medina-Lopez (49:01)
Yeah, know. Absolutely. ⁓ I mean, you said it. Representation matters ⁓ to a younger Linda is, you know, I would tell her that, your voice, your ⁓
your background is just as valuable. sometimes you might be the only one that looks like you to represent many others. And so, you know, for me, you know, here I come in my day, you know, I have lived experiences that really allow me to ⁓ help navigate, you know, ⁓
the journey with the families and giving some feedback to our programming and let's strengthen this or we could do this or you know what, I remember this really helped me along my journey. really just thinking about me as a sixth grader and actually, just what two months ago we had, ⁓
Leya Simmons (49:48)
Hmm.
Linda Medina-Lopez (50:05)
I'm Bufa Austin, right? The 24 hour giving campaign here in the greater Austin area. And I told Chad GPT to, I was like, here's the picture of me as a sixth grader. Here's a picture of me now. I want them to hug. And so they hugged. I know I was so cute. It was like the hug. It's actually my, my, um, like, see if you can see it. Yeah. It's my little cover photo. you see it? Yeah, that's me and me. And so.
Leya Simmons (50:24)
my gosh, that's you and you!
Linda Medina-Lopez (50:29)
So that just reminds me of the work that I'm doing now is for the girls. It's for the little Linda, she was in sixth grade right here. ⁓ And so yeah, just making sure that ⁓ our voices are heard for those that are not in the room. And so I always see myself as being an advocate.
Leya Simmons (50:33)
Hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Linda Medina-Lopez (50:52)
And ⁓ yes, sometimes, like I mentioned, I might be the only one in the room that looks like me, but that's okay. That's all we need to continue to ⁓ lead conversations. so I'm all about, even when my...
I'm still all about mentoring and being accessible to other leaders if they have questions on anything. I'm always here as a resource. And I look to others too, right? I'm a mentor too. look to others that have been in the profession a lot longer that can also help me guide in some of the conversations and the decisions that I'm making. ⁓ And so I'm thankful for those that came before me and I'm doing the work now and I'm
that one day when I'm not here, ⁓ the legacy that I've been able to pass down to our mothers and daughters and to my boys. Shout out to my two boys, third graders. They're amazing. And so that's going to be my legacy, continuing to showcase the voices that need to be heard.
Leya Simmons (51:53)
Mm-hmm.
That's another thing we have in common. The world needs more boys raised by women leading organizations. I've got three as well, so good for us. And ⁓ my final question for you is, which is how I always end, if everybody listening today, especially those executive directors and development directors ⁓ and Latina leaders as well, or frankly, would say all women leaders, let's just say all leaders, if they were to leave here and remember one thing that you said, what would that thing be?
Linda Medina-Lopez (52:06)
Hahaha.
Leya Simmons (52:29)
But I will add that I think everybody listening today and listening in the recording as well should go to chat GBT or your AI of choice and have your current self hug your sixth grade self. is perfect. That is such a good idea. Like I'm literally going to leave this call and do exactly that. But
Linda Medina-Lopez (52:49)
it
for my husband, I did it for my kids, they're like can you do it for me? Hold you and me as a baby? Sure. And so everyone loved it. So anyway.
Leya Simmons (52:51)
It's so good!
Amazing. What would
you say? What's the one thing you want everyone listening to leave with?
Linda Medina-Lopez (53:01)
Right, so for me is just, you know, reminding you that there's only one you. You are amazing. And there'll never be another you. That's the first thing. Two, be bold. Just go for it. Just ask. I've done some crazy asks, like, that crazy asks in my, in my no yes, please do yes. Help me to do that. I have, I have been, you know,
giving some really bold, innovative ideas to some potential partners. And I'm like, ooh, no one has ever asked that. we hadn't thought about that. And I was like, well, you know, it might be a little bit crazy, but you know, what do you think? And so they're having conversations about three potential partners are having, I guess, internal conversations about what I'm proposing. And so one is be bold.
and roll up your sleeves and get the work done because it never ends but at the same time of course
I did share earlier, I think about Con Mi Madre 24 seven, all things. But I also do find time to take care of me and find times to slow down. Even though some of my friends are like, we don't believe you, you're always active and post. I was like, yeah, I'm posting whatever I wanna highlight, right? Whether it's a community event or I went here with my family to a soccer game or whatever. But I do find time to rest to,
get a lymphatic drainage massage or getting a money. ⁓ it's amazing. It's like. It helps you to detox. Yeah, drink a lot of water and it helps you detox. Yes. And so I've been doing that since the pandemic and it has changed. Yeah, it has changed me in so many ways. So, you know, of course we're hustling and we're bustling and we're doing all the amazing things. And ⁓ don't forget about yourself. Right.
Leya Simmons (54:34)
Okay, that's the second time in 24 hours someone has mentioned that to me, so I think that's universe telling me that that's what I need for Mother's Day.
Linda Medina-Lopez (55:01)
I'll always take care of you. ⁓ remember, you know, two months ago I had a very minor surgery ⁓ procedure and ⁓ of course they gave me medication and I slept for like, from the time I got home, like after dinner, ⁓ I got from 6 p.m. till 6 a.m. I slept. Like that was it. That was my night at night. And I remember the following day I was driving my boys to school and I said to them,
Hey, you know what? I'm so sorry about last night. Mommy was just really sleepy because of that minor procedure. And so I'm just sorry that I didn't get to hang out with you. And one of my boys, oh my gosh, both of them are amazing. what one of my boys said was, he was like, it's okay, You have to take care of you so you could take care of us. And I was just like, oh my gosh.
Where did you hear that from? like, no, it came from my heart. was like, oh my God, like, okay. I was like, I'm doing something right. Absolutely. And I was like, thank you. so, yeah, so that, so that, you know, we need to take care of ourselves so we can take care of our family members so that we can get to do the work that we get to do every day through our careers and, um, and other, you know, special interests that we have. And so don't forget about that.
Leya Simmons (56:01)
Good job, mama. That's literally what I think when I hear that. That's incredible.
Love that. Those were just the most wonderful reminders, Linda. Thank you so much for joining me today. This was just a beautiful conversation filled with.
Linda Medina-Lopez (56:26)
Absolutely.
Leya Simmons (56:33)
like inspiration and hope and, you know, some very, very good reminders for all of us, but especially those executive directors and development directors. Everybody listening, if you are watching this right now, the chat has both Linda's LinkedIn in it, as well as the site for the Corazon Awards. those will be attached as well if you're watching the recording to the YouTube and the blog post. And if you are past May 19th,
Tuesday, May 19th. What time is it? Tell me about it. 6 p.m. Right here in Austin. If it's past then, you can still go to that site and donate to Con Mi Madre. I hope everybody listening does that as well. Linda, is there any other thing that you want to share about the organization or the Corazon Awards with us before we leave?
Linda Medina-Lopez (57:19)
No, I think we covered everything. Yeah, I did. Thank you for the opportunity. It was amazing.
Leya Simmons (57:21)
We covered it. Good. All right.
Pleasure, my pleasure.
Absolutely. Everybody go support Convymadre and the amazing work that Linda and her team are doing. Thank you so much for joining me today. I truly appreciate it, Linda. And I've got my last few slides that I want to share with you. ⁓ Please email any questions that you have, either DM Linda on LinkedIn. I'm gonna go ahead and say that for you, Linda, but I know you're active there. Or send your questions to support at betterunite.com and we will get back to you with her answer or connect you.
And just a quick note about next week, Tuesday, May 12th, I will be joined by Erin Peshoff, one of my favorite consultants out there. She's hilarious and amazing and full of energy, just like Linda. She works with Vivia Studios and she is going to talk to us about the Friday problem, why reflection is the work scale. So that same self-care tool of just looking in.
and figuring out what you need and then going and making something bigger. So the pause in order to reset to grow. So I love that topic. Scan the QR code here if you're interested in registering. We will also send out information very soon. And if you are new to Better Unite or you've never seen it before and you have no idea what I was talking about earlier, the Corazon Awards is being run by, powered by Better Unite. It's definitely being run by Linda and her team. Please do not.
just the software supporting their organization. But scan that QR code if you'd like to take a demo or take a look. And if you're, again, watching the recording, listening to the podcast, all of that information is in show notes. Again, Linda, thank you so much for your time today. I just so appreciate you. Absolutely. You too. Bye everyone. Have an incredible day and let's all go do some good.
Linda Medina-Lopez (59:07)
Thank you so much. You have a great day.