Home: Miami, FL. Birthplace: Guadalajara, Jalisco, México. Profession: Leadership advisory for VC, tech and climate. Organization: Egon Zehnder. Alma mater: Tec de Monterrey (Bachelors in International Business); ESCP Business School Campus Paris; Columbia Business School (MBA). Languages spoken: Spanish, English and French.
Current project: After 13+ years building out global investment, tech and impact ecosystems, I am shifting my energy towards a big personal passion: conscious leadership for a more sustainable future.
What makes you happy? Dance, music, reading, traveling, chocolate and yoga. And as of late, Formula 1. Recent travel or adventure: Full jungle immersion in Costa Rica. Last book read: Regeneration: Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation, by Paul Hawken. Recently viewed and recommended: Drive to Survive – has hopelessly hooked me on Formula 1. Recent unique acquisition: A Vespa Primavera 150, a dream come true cruising the streets of Miami!
Personality profile: Outgoing introvert, endless optimist. Happy, spiritual, determined, stubborn. Moral compass: Will my future self be proud of this? How do you define a perfect friendship? Trusting, selfless, committed, giving and forgiving. No expectations. What natural talent have you neglected? Dancing. It was a huge part of my identity for twenty years and makes me so happy. What is your favorite place (or way) to spend money? Traveling the world. What is at the top of your bucket list? Patagonia. How do you relieve stress? Yoga, meditation, breathwork. What ingredient is essential to your perfect vacation? Go with the flow, no overplanning, no stress.
How do you make decisions? If easily reversed, then quickly. If less easily reversed, then more time thinking it through. If truly difficult, I learned from my partner to ask: Am I acting out of love, or am I acting out of fear?
What was your first paying job? Selling my grandma’s baked goods on her home sidewalk. What was your favorite college course? Finance and Negotiations. What book have you repeatedly read? Autobiography of a Yogi, by Paramahansa Yogananda; The Unbearable Lightness of Being, by Milan Kundera. Besides your parents, who has had the greatest influence on your life? My mentors. What’s the best advice you received growing up? Life is like a bike, you have to keep moving forward, or you’ll fall (from my dad). What’s the best advice you received in your career? Always ask. You’d be surprised how many doors open for you if you only have the courage to ask. What is your go-to source of news and information? The Economist. What world event has had the greatest influence on your life? Covid. It brought me back to silence and helped me to focus on my health and to find my inner balance. It taught me to be with myself, in charge of myself.
What change are you working on to effect in your profession or field?
I believe that many of the issues we face today could be solved, or at least softened, if we had more self-aware, conscious leaders. From my new role, I hope to influence leadership to address climate change, diversity and inclusion, income inequality and other pressing issues, at scale.
What is your big idea? Conscious leadership for a sustainable future. What message do you want to send out into the world? Be kind. Everyone is going through something, and everyone is trying to find happiness. What mega-trend most excites you? The massive influx of talent, capital and resources devoted to address climate change and climate change-related issues.
What title would you choose for the movie about your life? Dancing Through Life. Who would you like to spend an evening with, in heaven? Leonardo da Vinci; John Lennon. As a kid, what did you first want to be when you grew up? A businesswoman that traveled the world. How would you choose to spend tomorrow, if you knew it was your last day on earth? A hike in the mountains followed by a picnic on the beach with my partner, parents and closest friends. What advice would you give your younger self? Be present, life goes by quickly. Or, as Lennon said, “life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans”. What period in your life would you do differently, if you could? None. I have come to understand that everything that I have lived through, my worst mistakes, my darkest moments, were meant to happen to get me to where I am today.
Personal mission: To help people connect with their true essence and find their inner source of inspiration, love, peace, strength and joy. Personal motto: This, too, shall pass. Desired epitaph: She lived, she loved, she laughed. Desired postmortem: “I am a better person because I met Ana Paula”.
