The Social Enterprise that Empowers Refugee Women

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There are some people that make their
work just another thing they have to do,

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and there are those that make their
work something that they want to do.

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Welcome to Working on Purpose with your
host Elise Cortez. In our program,

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we provide guidance and inspiration from those
people who have found deeper meaning and

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personal connection to their work life.
It's beyond nine to five, it's working

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on purpose. Now here is your
host, Elise Cortez. Back to Working

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on Purpose show. Thanks for tuning
again this week. I'm your host,

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souctor Elise Cortez, joining your live
from Dallas, Texas, which is home

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based for me. You've been tuning
in for a while. You know.

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This program is an inspirational thought leadership
platform that advances the conversation on living and

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working with fashion, inspiration and purposes. But I'm committed to helping create a

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world where capitalism are a force for
good, constantly working to address the immensia

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for a problem society faces, serving
all stakeholders, certain Late's employees among them.

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The Gallup Organization reports that eighty five
percent of the global workforce does not

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want to go to work on Monday
or whenever the shift starts. Let's change

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that together instead make work and enriching
part of life that expresses the legal contribution

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helps us grow into our highest selves, all in service of the organization's purpose.

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Each week in these conversations, I
hope you walk away with something that

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changes the way you think or that
you're can immediately put to use. Much

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of the content we discuss in this
program as a reflection of the work I

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do. So as you listen,
if you catch a glimse off anything I

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can do to help, go to
my website at at least courtest dot com

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and use the contact with the feature
to message me. Let's talk about what's

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going on for you and how I
might be able to help, whether it's

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consulting on visioneering for a greater purpose
among your stakeholders, the vitally inspired leadership

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program, the online catch fire learning
communities, or speaking for your company or

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conference at any rate. I'm glad
we're connected, and thanks for listening now.

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One of the Spook's program It's with
us. Right next to me is

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jin Ya Kwang. She's a social
impact in community development and creative innovator with

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a focus on the intersection of human
centered design, equity, diversity, and

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inclusion. She's the founder of break
Bread Breakboarders and Catering with the Cause Social

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Enterprise, empowering refugee women economically through
the storytelling of cooking, food and culture.

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She was also a Clean interducilminary artist
who has shown new galleries in Dallas,

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Miami, and New York. Her
work examines her Asian identity and diasport

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immigrant experience. She has produced innovative
and interactive experience projects with museums. In

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the DFW of Introplex, we'll be
talking about how she became an accidental entrepreneur,

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what break Bread Breakboarders is out to
accomplish. And here from some of

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the amazing limit of kitchen who help
power and we're actually conducting this program on

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site from her Richardson kitchen here outside
of the Dallas area. Gina, welcome

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to Working on Purpose. Thank you
so much for having me, and you

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are so welcome. I'm so glad
you're here, and I want to share

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with our listeners of course, how
I found you or picked you up as

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I like to say, yes,
so I had the wonderful opportunity listeners to

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experience Gina sharing her Ted x or
Ted talk at SMU called the bridge builder,

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And really what first round me was
her love of her mother that had

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just passed and that she so revers
and loves and it was honoring. She

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shared this beautiful philosophy sentiments, and
she said something on the lines of we

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all die two deaths, one where
we take leave of our physical body and

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two when people stopped talking about us. And I was completely arrested by the

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sutterance and knew I had to have
her on the show and share her with

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all of you. So let's start
with that beautiful sentiment of how you feel

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about your mom? Wow, how
do I account the ways? I really

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just grew up with my mom being
such an incredible model at a role model,

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And we had actually moved to America
because my dad had lost this job

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and so my parents decided to bring
the younger kids to America to how about

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my aunt and uncle at the restaurant
business. And so my mom was a

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chef and she actually really just you
know, went about running the kitchen a

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lot differently than most people. And
she was really conscious about hiring immigrants,

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reputees and you know women to come
and work in our kitchen and really train

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them and with job skills and send
them on to bigger and better opportunities.

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And so when I lost her to
cancer, I really struggled, and so

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I thought, what a better way
to honor her legacy than to build something

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that you know is her work and
continue her work and pay a watch to

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her as as we go. And
so that's that's how brig Brigay Quarters was

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born. Oh my gosh, that
is so beautiful. And of course we

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lost both of my parents almost exactly
your go today. So sorry, I

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can appreciate, but really embrace what
you said about remembering and cond to talk

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about and honoring our parents, because
like you, my parents are both entrepreneurs

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too, and we grew up in
the restaurants, right, tremendous way to

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start out. Yeah, so I
want to hear a bit more about what

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drives you that you're pursuing in your
life. There's a lot going on for

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you. And if I work at
first, let me back up and ask

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just you just say this, if
you were to just to quickly try to

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presence yourself and introduce yourself to someone
to see that you just met at a

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dinner party who knew nothing about you, what would you say? I would

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say, Hi, My name is
Jania, Jania Mom. I am the

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founder of Break Break, break Boarders. This is a social enterprise that stem

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from actually my social practice, artistic
practice, and it is an economic closure

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program empowering refugee women from war torn
countries, and we set them up with

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job skills and send them on to
bicker and better opportunities and honor my mom

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as a chef. And if you
have any questions, please let me know.

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Oh my gosh, that's beautiful.
Okay, So that's I need to

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learn how to do that myself.
Thank you for that. That nice role

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model right there. Thank you.
You're welcome. So I knowing my listeners

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who they're listening for a while,
know that, among other things, I'm

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an identity researcher and I care about
motivation, and of course that's why I

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care about inspiration because it's a form
of motivation definitely. So I want to

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know what drives you to pursue all
that you're doing. I mean, you're

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a single mom. You here,
you are power and break bread, break

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break Boarders, and you've got some
principles that are really important too. So

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what first, what is it that
drives all of that? How do you

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summon the energy. Well, it's
difficult, you know. I mean,

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it is definitely hard to get up
every day and be responsible for so much.

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But I do remember my mom taught
us to be such bridge builders,

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right, and the top three things
that she always talked about is, you

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know, number one, always do
the right thing, and number two just

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remember to always be a good neighbor. And number three is to simply practice

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compassion every day. And you know, when you wake up with those kind

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of you know, gratitude for moments
that you had the ability to do all

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this, they're they're do They seem
like simple practices, but they're very difficult

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to actually execute by, you know. But having that you know in mind

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and just going about it, and
there's something that drives me just because that's

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the way I was taught and that
that's what gets me going every day.

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Well, we only need to dose
with that. Whatever you get, whatever

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you people end out for the rest
of us website. Yeah, it's a

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little little doubt. One of the
things that you said in your Ted talk,

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which I absolutely loved and I thought
was funny and I what I also

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what I also got from it to
Jania was it was so self deprecating and

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authentic. You refer to yourself as
the accidental entrepreneur. I'm kinda like I

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want to understand what you mean by
that. Is that how break Bread Rick

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Borders came to be? But why
an accident? Well, so here's the

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thing, Like, at least I
set out to create this artistic project to

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actually to honor my mom and I
break Bread break Boarders actually was created to

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be a this beautiful community dinner where
we were going to have difficult conversations and

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really break red with the communities and
break down boarders at the same time.

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So, you know, we had
set out to invite, you know,

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people to talk about really over food, what these you know, implicit biases

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that we set around us. You
know. And the ladies that we cooked

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with at the time, one was
from Iraq and the other one was from

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Syria, and you know, and
we we sat down and not only you

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know, ate their beautiful cooking,
and they actually also stood up and shared

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their life stories about you know,
who they were, you know before they

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escaped board torn countries and then you
know what it was like, you know

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for them to travel abroad and you
know, survive in refugee camps and then

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coming here to America and then also
what it's like to cook with break break

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borders. And you know, I
really honestly thought I was just gonna like

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throw these community dinners and have it
be a beautiful experience. And that was

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it. And but next thing,
I know, people came up and said,

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gosh, the food was still amazing. How can I get this at

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my home or I have a conference
coming up, you know, and I'm

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doing this you know workshop, and
you know, like I really would love

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to, you know, get this
catering. Like if people are going to

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get woke and you know, they
might as well eat woke food. And

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I really just thought that's interesting,
you know, and I thought, well,

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gosh, you know, like how
would I even go about doing that?

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But then you know, I thought
about, you know, my parents,

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you know, having a restaurant and
you know, being in the entrepreneurial

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spirit, and also the ladies actually
you know, coming to me and you

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know, being so excited about getting
paid, you know, for the first

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time for cooking, and people coming
up telling them how important they're cooking is

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and you know, maintaining their culture
and their heritage, and you know,

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they sat there and they just told
me, they said, Gina, that's

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really cute that you want to hold
these so held easy, you know,

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community dinners. They're beautiful. But
what we really need is what we need

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jobs and that's how we got started. And we basically created this company to

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create job opportunities and you know,
chances for them, you know, for

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a population that didn't have a voice
before to have one. And that's like

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I totally accidentally stumbled into this,
this entrepreneurship, and it's just by people

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asking me, like, hey,
can you cater And then here we are

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two years later. It's stunningly beautiful. All the things you're addressing. There's

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even more to it later, which
we're going to get to it a third

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segment. But before we go too
much further, I think it's really important

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to listeners who are new to more
of the forward thinking business concepts like conscious

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capitalism, et cetera, and being
intentional and mindful serving all stakeholders, et

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cetera. First help us understand what
is what makes it a social enterprise?

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So it's a business that is not
only an enterprise or entrepreneurship, it is

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actually a business that is doing social
or environmental good and so our business is

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directly impacting the refugee women forfe torn
countries, this population that normally, you

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know that that normally does not have
a chance to really you know, share

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out you know, their rich culture
and their rich heritage. And we're creating

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job opportunities where you know, there's
interaction between you know, not only the

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women that cook with us, but
also the diners that come and dine with

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us, and you know, they're
hearing about stories of food and culture and

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you know, and really being impacted
to practice compassion every day. And that

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is not something you know, a
normal careror. It does. That sets

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us apart. That's what makes us
unique. And in this space, So

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where can we get a meal with
you? If you're not bringing it to

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us, it's a replaced that you
do have a cafe error. I wish

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that. No, not now,
not yet, not right now, listener,

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let's get on that side. For
somebody interested in investing in that,

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then we should chat right absolutely,
absolutely, okay, So you can let

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us out. For what two years, just two years, just I was

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I was at a for a full
time corporate job, being a single mom,

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and then I was running this as
actually as a side household in the

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past couple of years. I recently
have just taken leave to the to the

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corporate position and I'm actually focusing on
bread break orders full time now. Yeah,

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and I definitely want to processes for
listeners. You do have a question

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here from Dan who asks how do
you find time to do all this?

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And so let's honest sleep like at
least not assocated rights overrape. So that's

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the answer, Dan, just don't
sleep. I really want to pressence for

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our listeners. Just really what it's
taken for you to do this, because

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I really respect and admire this,
and I know that it hasn't just been

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like, oh, look, pixigust
this, this is easy, it's a

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great idea. Let's just make it
happen. To pull something like this off,

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it really takes something. And I
almost understand what do we have to

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do to persevere. You are a
single mom, you did have that full

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time job until recently, you were
working to build break bread break orders along

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the way. Talk to us about
when it's taken to really make these things

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starting to fly so much. It
really has been challenging along the way.

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And the thing is, you know, there's so many things that people you

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know, talk about that like,
you know, we don't want to you

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know, romanticize like all the success
and all that. We want to talk

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about all the struggles too. And
that was the thing. It was.

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It was difficult for a time and
time like you know, I would like

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go get my kiddo and then you
know, like my evening would start and

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like after my day job and then
my night job would begin. And it

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was really challenging along the way to
delicate delegate time for that. But the

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thing is, you know, when
you're so passionate about something, you know,

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you really just find the time for
it. And and we didn't get

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here by ourselves either. And the
awesome thing is that our communities along the

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way have really lifted us just every
step of the way. We have not

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advertised at all. Every business that
we have gotten is by word of mouth

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and people saying, gosh, you
know, have you tried break break break

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Borders. You know, it's incredibly
healthy, like mediterranean food, it's really

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it's delicious, and you get to
hear the stories behind it. The women

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who you know are in this business
are you know, in it one hundred

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percent. They work so hard and
you know they want to contribute and you

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know, and people just sharing this
out has been so incredible that you know,

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we haven't had to like average ties
at all because of that. And

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that was actually when you know,
when we first got that boost that you

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know, the Bush Institute actually called
and said, you know, oh,

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you know, you guys are doing
such a great job, like you know,

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please, you know, come and
cater for for us and and things

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like that that just doesn't happen every
day. And it's all been like very

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organic media and just you know,
people jumping in to help out. And

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that's the thing. But we fall
flat on our face every day. There

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are so many things that are tough
about, you know, even just you

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know, capacity building, you know, trying to train you know, someone

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you know, English is not only
their second language and maybe their fourth or

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fifth language because of all their repug
camps that they've been through and and the

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trauma that they've gone through, you
know, dealing with all the PTSD that

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that comes along with with those,
and you know, trying to find you

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know, that common denominator and you
know, using cooking and using food as

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almost a form of therapy, and
that's you know, it's it's been challenging

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but really rewarding at the same time. Oh, it's just it's so inspiring.

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And of course when I heard her
story, there were two things I

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wanted to do. One, I
wanted to share you with the world,

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because I think the work that we're
doing is incredible and so necessary and a

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perfect example of how business, in
your case, social enterprise can start to

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really address some critical social problems,
world problems. Yes, and that is

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a lot of the message that I
wanted to wanted to be able to share

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it. But then also too,
I wanted to support to anyway that I

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could think. Yes, I wanted
to cheer you wanted to Yes, keep

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go and go Quinn. Yeah,
and that's I'm really like, I love

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what you're saying about that. Actually, I've pulled up this really great quote

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from Winston Churchill that I kind of
wanted to share with everybody. And I'm

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actually reading a really great book by
land A Bunch right now, and this

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is kind of like towards the beginning. Uh, just think about this,

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Okay, So Winster Churchill said,
this success is not final, failure is

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not fatal. It is the courage
to continue that counts. And there's something

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about that really resonates with me,
you know, because there were so many

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people that told us, like,
you know, you're doing this as a

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side hustle. You're a single mom, You've got a full time job.

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This cannot last, This won't work. This you have to find you know,

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you know, you've got to like, you know, give up one

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thing to do the other. And
we said no, We kind of bucked

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against all that system and just said, you know, when we believe we

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can, we well. And and
that was the thing that that you know,

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we just said, it's purely out
of my stubbornness. I think I

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think it works. It's a necessary
be stubborn. That's another thing, Dan

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be stubborn. Okay with that,
let's grub our first break. I'm your

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host Elis Cortez who do on the
Year with Virginia Plang, who is a

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social impact, community development and kreta
innovator with the focus on the intersection of

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human center design, equity, diversity
and inclusion. She's the founder of break

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Bread, Break Borders and Catering with
a Cause, Social Enterprise, empowering refugee

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women economically through storytelling, a cooking, food and culture. We're conducting this

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conversation on site life in the kitchen
here in Richardson. We've been talking a

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bit about how this enterprise got started. After the break, Kevin, this

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is for you. We're going to
hear from some of the women who are

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here in the kitchen working who are
partner the cause. Stay with us.

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We'll be right back to that.
Alice Cortez is a speaker and engagement and

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00:18:59.160 --> 00:19:04.119
development cattle. She designs and delivers
professional development, leadership and engagement workshops and

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00:19:04.279 --> 00:19:10.000
can bring her expertise to your organization. She will help ignite meaningful development within

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00:19:10.119 --> 00:19:15.160
your workforce that will increase employee engagement, performance and retention. To learn more

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00:19:15.400 --> 00:19:18.839
or to invite a lease to speak
to your organization, please visit her at

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00:19:18.000 --> 00:19:23.359
www dot Elise Cortez dot com.
She would welcome the opportunity to help get

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00:19:23.400 --> 00:19:34.599
your employees working on purpose. This
is working on Purpose with Elise Cortez.

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00:19:36.079 --> 00:19:41.599
To reach our program today, send
an email to Elise ali Se at Elise

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00:19:41.720 --> 00:19:53.000
Cortez dot com. Now back to
working on Purpose. Thanks for seeing with

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this and welcome back to working on
Purpose. If you're just joining us my

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00:19:56.000 --> 00:20:00.920
guests is Genia Kwang, a social
impact, community development, creator, creative

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innovator with a focus on the intersection
of humans, center design, equity,

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diversity and inclusion. She's the founder
of break Bread Break Borders, a catering

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with the cause Social Enterprise, empowering
refugee women economically through the storytelling of cooking,

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food, and culture. She's also
an acclaimed introducimlinary artist who has shown

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in galleries in Dallas, Miami,
and New York. Her work examines her

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Asian identity and diasporic immigrant experience.
She has produced innovative and interactive experience projects

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with museums and the DFW Metroplex.
I'm your host elis Portez, so for

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this next segment, listeners, you're
in for a treat what we're doing here,

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because since we're in the kitchen here
a break Bread Break Borders, several

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of the women who are part of
the organization wanted to I asked them to

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come and share their experience at being
part of this, and so I've got

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the first woman with us here,
and i want to make sure that you

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all understand as they share their stories. Most of all of these women,

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English is their second, third,
fourth, or maybe fifth language, and

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so please understand that she's working very
hard to relay her message to you,

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00:21:00.759 --> 00:21:03.680
and so you know that's a hard
thing to do, so recognize that.

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So our first guest that we have
your please tells your name and where you're

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from. My name is Mesa.
I'm from Syria, from Syria, from

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Syria, Holmes And how long?
How did you get your home of it

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in in the United States? I
have been here for four years. I

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came here at twenty twenty sixteen.
Yeah, okay, And how did you

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find genior? I saw my friend
that they are in. They are my

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neighbor before their friend, so I
saw them. They speaking a lot about

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some a woman who support him and
she is good with them and they are

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cooking like a family. So I
want to be with them, but I

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wait at my opportunity is come.
So they need more people because they have

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more events an event, and so
I told my friend if they want more,

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so for that I enjoyed with them. It's so beautiful to have you

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and get to know you. Help. I hope our listeners understand what what

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what's what was happening in your country
that made you want to leave anyway?

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Uh, there's no safety, there's
no safety now, okay, not safety.

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This is this is the idea.
When you got it, you have

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to leave anywhere, so there's it's
not safety. Yeah, So glad to

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have you. Thank you. What
makes America great? Thank you, thank

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00:22:23.640 --> 00:22:27.039
you, thank you for invite us
for this absolutely before before you go,

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hold on, I got a couple
more questions. Don't run away just yet.

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We want more of you. So
I want to understand how long have

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you been working Virginia? About six
months? Six months? Yeah? Okay,

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I'm you with them? And what
do you like about this kind of

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work? Working in this organization gathering
people around the table and give them the

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love and we told them the main
idea about us and about our culture and

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that's it, and give them the
laugh about and tell them we may this

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food to make everything is right because
the media maybe tell a lot of things

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bad thing about us, so we
need to correct everything and tell them who

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we are. It's beautiful and I
love your food by the way, thank

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00:23:15.640 --> 00:23:19.079
you, and I happen to be
an excellent eater. Yeah, yeah you

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have. Would you like anything to
say anything else to our listeners? You

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00:23:22.960 --> 00:23:27.440
know, thank you and we thank
our Suborginia or make us famous, and

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we we just want not to success. We want to continue in our work,

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So please invite us for anything you
want to. Thank you. You're

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so welcome, Thanks so much for
sharing with us. Thank you, and

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welcome to the United States and being
here making us better. Thank you,

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Thank you. Our next guest will
be Ranya. Hello, Ranya, I

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00:23:51.000 --> 00:23:55.480
remember meeting you. I think that
were you there and you talk talk talk,

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Yeah, yeah, I remember you
know, I remember those gorgeous eyes.

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Yeah, of course. Okay,
So do do me, do me

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00:24:02.039 --> 00:24:04.200
the kindness of you are saying,
introduce yourself, tell us your name and

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who were you from? What count
you're from? Yes, my name is

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Rania l Ahmad. I am from
Cylia. I have four kids, and

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I came to him with my new
husband and my kids. And how long

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00:24:17.359 --> 00:24:18.240
have you been a un States?
Speak up a little bit so we can

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00:24:18.359 --> 00:24:23.759
hear you more. Okay, I've
been here threes and half okay. And

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00:24:25.000 --> 00:24:29.920
how did you meet Junior? I
meet her through my near birth, my

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00:24:30.279 --> 00:24:36.400
my friends. She told me about
the community with great great porters. I

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00:24:36.960 --> 00:24:47.079
was very h very excited excited.
I'm very excited. Sorry my English.

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00:24:48.279 --> 00:24:52.119
Yeah, I'm very excited to work
with this community. It's it's wonderful because

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00:24:52.160 --> 00:24:56.680
it's support special women and refugee women. Yeah, special women and refugee women.

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So and again, so let me
make sure that you noticed you run

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you. I did tell our listeners
that when you come out and share that

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this you speak many other language,
it looks is just one of them.

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00:25:06.480 --> 00:25:10.519
So don't worry about your munitions.
Okay, we're grateful that you're here sharing.

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00:25:11.759 --> 00:25:17.599
So what you're doing here is so
important as an organization, bringing people

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together and trying to break break break
down barriers and yeah yeah, and she

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00:25:23.799 --> 00:25:29.359
she talked about, you know,
some of the biases, the implicit biases

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that people have. And so I
think the work that you're doing together as

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00:25:32.279 --> 00:25:36.680
organization is so important. What is
it about the organization? And it's work

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00:25:36.839 --> 00:25:45.200
that excites you. Uh. This
community actually teach me how to be brave,

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00:25:47.279 --> 00:25:53.400
how to be uh. It's encouraged
me to work, encourage me to

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meet people, to meet new people, to uh, to to talk Americans

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00:26:00.039 --> 00:26:03.599
and people. Hey, I'm a
refuji, but I don't want to make

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00:26:03.720 --> 00:26:08.160
any problem here. I want to
be I want to have a safe life

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00:26:08.200 --> 00:26:14.480
here with my kids and with you, beautiful and when you think about the

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00:26:14.599 --> 00:26:18.839
experiences that you're really proud of being
part of this organization, what would you

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00:26:18.880 --> 00:26:29.400
say? Excuse me? Just so
yeah, and so one of the things

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00:26:29.480 --> 00:26:34.160
that I'm super proud of Ronye is
actually that she used to actually get really

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00:26:34.240 --> 00:26:40.079
really scared to cook for eight people
for lunch. Yes, and yeah,

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00:26:40.359 --> 00:26:44.119
and she she would like fred over
losing you know, sleep over that.

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00:26:44.279 --> 00:26:47.519
And but now you know, you
ask her to cook for you know,

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00:26:47.640 --> 00:26:51.240
weddings of hundreds of people, she'll
tell you no problem because she's got a

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00:26:51.279 --> 00:26:53.880
sisterhood of people that can help her
to accomplish that. So that's one of

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00:26:53.960 --> 00:26:57.720
the moments that I'm I'm proud of
of her. But she may have others

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00:26:57.799 --> 00:27:02.039
that she wants to just as well. Gate the courters teach me how to

364
00:27:02.160 --> 00:27:04.920
be rave, how to me Oh, that's so beautiful. That makes me

365
00:27:06.079 --> 00:27:08.759
so happy because you know, you
should grow into your full potential, and

366
00:27:08.839 --> 00:27:14.440
I'm so happy that the organization engine
hasn't helped you to do that because we

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00:27:14.559 --> 00:27:18.119
need more of you, We need
more of you in the world. Yeah,

368
00:27:18.440 --> 00:27:22.799
thank you. So she's as scougle
too, and just yeah, did

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00:27:22.880 --> 00:27:26.359
you want to add more? I
have no not just to explain some some

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00:27:26.839 --> 00:27:30.000
questions. Okay, go ahead,
Okay, I don't I didn't have any

371
00:27:30.000 --> 00:27:33.279
other questions for you. Would you
like to offer anything else to our listeners?

372
00:27:33.319 --> 00:27:37.920
Do you know this show is listened
to by people all over the world

373
00:27:37.519 --> 00:27:41.839
and they hump to be inspired and
to learn. Is there anything else you

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00:27:41.839 --> 00:27:44.920
would want to share with him?
Yeah? Just I want us to talk

375
00:27:45.039 --> 00:27:51.839
the American presto. That's we got
very hard experience, very hard stripped from

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00:27:52.200 --> 00:27:56.160
from my country, from my home
until I arrived past to American It's not

377
00:27:56.319 --> 00:28:02.759
easy to be here. Then,
I want to told them. I want

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00:28:02.880 --> 00:28:11.559
everybody hears about the great broths and
about about the refugees. The refugees people

379
00:28:11.279 --> 00:28:17.240
they want to let life here just
they want to be safe, They want

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00:28:17.319 --> 00:28:22.839
to have a good future for their
kids and their families. They don't want

381
00:28:22.880 --> 00:28:29.279
to to make any problems with the
American people. And I'm very proud because

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00:28:29.400 --> 00:28:33.079
I'm here and I am very happy, and the American people wilcome to me

383
00:28:33.279 --> 00:28:37.400
and they told me always you are
very welcoming in American. How beautiful.

384
00:28:37.440 --> 00:28:41.640
I'm very happy, happy, Virtue. Thank you, thank you. I

385
00:28:41.720 --> 00:28:47.799
look forward to seeing you grow more. Thank you. Okay and moxis school.

386
00:28:48.640 --> 00:28:52.240
Hello. Hello, so we have
to stay very close to me so

387
00:28:52.519 --> 00:28:56.279
we can see you when here in
the small screen. Okay, So if

388
00:28:56.319 --> 00:29:00.279
you would an again, listeners,
Remember she is speaking from her second,

389
00:29:00.359 --> 00:29:03.480
third, or maybe fourth or fifth
language, so understand when I asked her

390
00:29:03.559 --> 00:29:06.440
question, she might take some time
to answer, so it gives us.

391
00:29:06.519 --> 00:29:08.200
Please tell us your name and where
you're from. Well, my name is

392
00:29:08.240 --> 00:29:14.519
Kurlu. I'm from Syria, Kluda
from Syria. Okay, and how long

393
00:29:14.599 --> 00:29:18.119
have you been in the United States. We arrived in two thousand and sixteen,

394
00:29:18.400 --> 00:29:22.640
twenty sixteen, okay. And did
you meet Jinia too the same apartment?

395
00:29:23.480 --> 00:29:27.400
Okay, okay. So what I
want to understand is what do you

396
00:29:27.559 --> 00:29:30.759
like about getting to work with break
bread, pork, break borders? Why

397
00:29:30.839 --> 00:29:37.880
is the word interesting? Important?
Meeting people and let them understand what we

398
00:29:37.039 --> 00:29:45.119
are and break the borders with our
food, and it's very Uh. I've

399
00:29:45.119 --> 00:29:48.400
become very happy when I see the
people and how they love our food.

400
00:29:48.519 --> 00:29:53.279
And I love it too. I
love Middle Eastern food, and as I

401
00:29:53.400 --> 00:29:56.880
said before, I'm an excellent eater, so I'm good at it. So

402
00:29:57.200 --> 00:30:00.039
and I do know I grew up
in the restaurant this too. And I

403
00:30:00.160 --> 00:30:06.559
do know that there's something about bringing
people together and feeding them that's magical.

404
00:30:07.559 --> 00:30:11.319
And then tell us more about when
we bring When you bring people together and

405
00:30:11.400 --> 00:30:15.519
you bring them maybe a different food
or cuisine that they're not used to eat,

406
00:30:15.559 --> 00:30:18.960
it, is there something about that
that's important or magical? Yeah,

407
00:30:19.079 --> 00:30:23.559
the reaction. Let's see the reaction
of the people on the faces of the

408
00:30:23.640 --> 00:30:27.640
people and they there's the food.
If they like it or they doesn't like

409
00:30:27.799 --> 00:30:30.920
it. Yeah, you can't tell
Yeah, absolutely, yeah, right,

410
00:30:30.960 --> 00:30:33.720
I know it's exactly between Oh,
that one wasn't a favorite, but that

411
00:30:33.960 --> 00:30:40.400
one was okay, awesome and if
you could. So, this show is

412
00:30:40.440 --> 00:30:44.400
listening to two by people all over
the world. What else would you like

413
00:30:44.480 --> 00:30:48.160
to share with our listeners to help
them understand your experience or who you are

414
00:30:48.400 --> 00:30:52.119
or what break read. We are
trying so hard to fit in this community

415
00:30:53.039 --> 00:30:57.640
and we want to be accepted.
We are trying hard to be accepted by

416
00:30:57.720 --> 00:31:03.640
the people. That's it. I
only want them to accept us and listen

417
00:31:03.720 --> 00:31:07.720
to us. We're not bad people. We just had bad circumstances that lead

418
00:31:07.839 --> 00:31:11.880
us to arrive here. And you're
here in the United States, working and

419
00:31:12.000 --> 00:31:17.200
contributing and making a difference. It's
beautiful. Thank you so very much.

420
00:31:17.240 --> 00:31:21.039
Thank you. Before your girl,
can you tell everybody about your heritage from

421
00:31:21.160 --> 00:31:26.640
Chechnia and coming from there too.
So yeah, so we're What's what Jinia

422
00:31:26.680 --> 00:31:29.680
has asked her to talk about,
is her heritage before she came to Syria.

423
00:31:30.079 --> 00:31:34.839
Yeah, my grandfather came from Chechnya
in Russia. He arrived to say,

424
00:31:36.119 --> 00:31:44.119
in nineteen ten. And so we
are like it's in our family that

425
00:31:44.240 --> 00:31:48.160
we move from one place or another. We also have some food, We

426
00:31:48.279 --> 00:31:53.839
share some of our Chechen food also
with them. So it was really challenging

427
00:31:55.039 --> 00:32:00.559
for colude grandparents to be disliked displaced
from Chechnya, and then they moved to

428
00:32:00.640 --> 00:32:04.880
Assyria and they were displaced from there
again, and you know, for her

429
00:32:04.920 --> 00:32:07.400
whole family to be here in America. She's told as many occasions that she

430
00:32:07.519 --> 00:32:12.119
feels like she's won the lottery.
Yeah, yeah, that's beautiful. Yeah,

431
00:32:12.359 --> 00:32:15.839
that's beautiful. We're almost at a
type of the segment did we want

432
00:32:15.039 --> 00:32:21.720
yes, please, yes, okay, thank you please come, that's okay,

433
00:32:21.839 --> 00:32:24.960
that's okay. So, so Hala
is coming in and she's reminding us

434
00:32:25.039 --> 00:32:29.559
that she doesn't speak English very well, so please remember that as as she

435
00:32:29.680 --> 00:32:32.839
shares her story. So your name
is tu Hala and you're from where from

436
00:32:32.880 --> 00:32:37.799
Syria? Okay? And what is
it that you like about being part of

437
00:32:37.880 --> 00:32:46.279
break Bread break Porters? Why is
this important to you? Keep it?

438
00:32:49.240 --> 00:32:55.720
She's getting closing. It's okay,
she's in terms of you know, she's

439
00:32:55.920 --> 00:33:02.200
so yeah, go ahead and a
friend and we'd love to do that,

440
00:33:02.720 --> 00:33:07.240
like, yeah, so what she's
what they're this is so beautiful. We're

441
00:33:07.319 --> 00:33:12.480
rendering this conversation together as a community
here in the kitchen among four of us.

442
00:33:13.359 --> 00:33:15.319
And what they're saying is that she
likes to do this work together.

443
00:33:15.480 --> 00:33:21.599
There's something about this being together in
a community that's importantly as a family,

444
00:33:21.720 --> 00:33:27.759
that's important. Yes, and this
show is listening to by people all over

445
00:33:27.880 --> 00:33:37.119
the world. Is there a message
or something you'd like to share? You

446
00:33:37.200 --> 00:33:40.279
know, you don't mean it.
We're doing a translation. Go ahead,

447
00:33:42.000 --> 00:33:45.160
you have to taste beautiful food.
You have to taste our beautiful food.

448
00:33:45.440 --> 00:33:51.400
Yes, it's a healthy food,
gets healthy food, and that's one of

449
00:33:51.400 --> 00:33:54.880
the reasons I love it. Okay, wonderful, Thank you so much for

450
00:33:55.000 --> 00:33:59.559
joining us. Thank you, And
with that listeners, Let's go on to

451
00:33:59.599 --> 00:34:02.440
our last spak. I'm doctor Elis
Cortez, your host. We run the

452
00:34:02.799 --> 00:34:07.079
with Jin Yu Kwang and her team. Gina is a social impact, community

453
00:34:07.119 --> 00:34:12.039
development, and creative innovator with a
focus on the intersection of human centered design,

454
00:34:12.159 --> 00:34:15.039
equity, diversity and inclusion. She's
the founder of break Bread break Boarders,

455
00:34:15.360 --> 00:34:22.360
catering with this cause social enterprise,
empowering refugee women economically to the storytelling

456
00:34:22.440 --> 00:34:25.239
of cooking, food and culture.
We're conducting this conversation live on site in

457
00:34:25.360 --> 00:34:29.360
Richardson in her in her kitchen.
After the break we're going to hear more

458
00:34:29.400 --> 00:34:31.440
about all the other things that Gina's
up to and how she stitched a beautiful

459
00:34:31.480 --> 00:34:35.760
life together from disparate parts. Stay
with us, We'll be right back.

460
00:34:45.719 --> 00:34:51.960
Elis Cortez is a speaker and engagement
and development catalyst. She designs and delivers

461
00:34:52.039 --> 00:34:57.719
professional development, leadership and engagement workshops
and can bring her expertise to your organization.

462
00:34:58.000 --> 00:35:02.000
She will help ignite meaningful development within
your workforce that will increase employee engagement,

463
00:35:02.159 --> 00:35:07.000
performance and retention. To learn more
or to invite a lease to speak

464
00:35:07.039 --> 00:35:12.119
to your organization, please visit her
at www. Dot Elise Cortez dot com.

465
00:35:12.480 --> 00:35:15.880
She would welcome the opportunity to help
get your employees working on purpose.

466
00:35:22.000 --> 00:35:27.960
This is working on Purpose with Elise
Cortez. To reach our program today,

467
00:35:28.239 --> 00:35:35.039
send an email to Elise ali se
at Elise Cortez dot com. Now back

468
00:35:35.119 --> 00:35:44.920
to working on purpose. Thanks for
sting with this and welcome back to working

469
00:35:45.000 --> 00:35:47.119
on purpose. If you're just tuning
in, My guess is Genia hug As,

470
00:35:47.159 --> 00:35:51.960
social impact, community development and creative
innovator with a focus on the intersection

471
00:35:52.039 --> 00:35:55.280
of human centered design, equity,
diversity, and inclusion. She's the founder

472
00:35:55.320 --> 00:36:00.599
of Break Bread, Break Borders,
catering with the Cause Social enterprise empower refugee

473
00:36:00.639 --> 00:36:04.800
women economically through the story of telling
a cooking, food and culture. She's

474
00:36:04.840 --> 00:36:07.400
also in a clean interdisciplinary artist who
has shown in galleries in Dallas, in

475
00:36:07.440 --> 00:36:10.960
Miami, and New York. Her
work examines her Asian identity and diaspora in

476
00:36:12.039 --> 00:36:15.239
the Great Experience. She has produced
innovative and interacting experience projects and museums in

477
00:36:15.280 --> 00:36:20.159
the DFW complex. I'm your host, doctor Alice Cortez. So for this

478
00:36:20.320 --> 00:36:22.679
last segment, here listeners who are
going to cuddle back up here with Janie

479
00:36:22.800 --> 00:36:25.559
since we heard from her team,
and what I wanted her to share for

480
00:36:25.679 --> 00:36:30.719
this part is really she's got this
amazing ability to fuse all of her different

481
00:36:30.760 --> 00:36:36.559
interests into one entity or identity,
which I think is fabulous. So that's

482
00:36:36.599 --> 00:36:38.760
what I want to focus on next. And we had a few conversations in

483
00:36:38.800 --> 00:36:42.480
the chat room, people just still
astounded about how you do everything that you

484
00:36:42.559 --> 00:36:46.599
do and still managed to read as
well, Yes, yes, so you

485
00:36:46.800 --> 00:36:52.199
have married what appeared to be very
different aspects into her essential identity and combine

486
00:36:52.199 --> 00:36:54.440
them in a way in a life
and a creative offering that I think is

487
00:36:54.519 --> 00:36:59.679
just stunning. And as our listeners
heard to say, you describe yourself as

488
00:36:59.719 --> 00:37:04.000
a social impact, community development creator, creative innovator with the focus on the

489
00:37:04.039 --> 00:37:07.880
intersection if you set are designed equity, diversity, inclusion. So I want

490
00:37:07.960 --> 00:37:12.119
to if you will say more now
that we've heard from some people about break

491
00:37:12.159 --> 00:37:15.880
red bread borders, how does all
that help help you express it through break

492
00:37:15.920 --> 00:37:22.079
Red break borders as a social impact? You know, it translates into metrics

493
00:37:22.199 --> 00:37:27.000
that cannot be measured, right,
there are so many things that you know,

494
00:37:27.119 --> 00:37:31.400
we talk about, you know growth
and you know economic growth is supposed

495
00:37:31.440 --> 00:37:37.960
to equate to success, and that
is not always necessarily true. The case

496
00:37:37.599 --> 00:37:43.519
is about economic inclusion in the way
that you know that everybody is able to

497
00:37:43.599 --> 00:37:45.960
participate. And so in this way, if you really think about it,

498
00:37:46.159 --> 00:37:52.159
you know, women actually you know, invest ninety percent of our income into

499
00:37:52.239 --> 00:37:57.559
the communities, versus men really invest
probably about only like thirty to thirty to

500
00:37:57.719 --> 00:38:00.119
forty percent, you know, of
their income into the community. And so

501
00:38:00.239 --> 00:38:05.079
when you invest in women, you
win. You know, they not only

502
00:38:05.320 --> 00:38:07.400
you know, pour it back into
their families, they pour it back into

503
00:38:07.960 --> 00:38:12.239
you know, the community. And
also, you know, if you really

504
00:38:12.320 --> 00:38:15.400
think about this, there's a whole
multiplier effect that's happening. You know,

505
00:38:15.719 --> 00:38:20.960
when we work with these women,
they're working, you know, to pour

506
00:38:21.159 --> 00:38:24.239
all this back into the families,
into the communities, and also the people

507
00:38:24.320 --> 00:38:28.840
that we're speaking to, you know, at the events, you know that

508
00:38:29.199 --> 00:38:35.119
it could be you know, twenty
women that we help and then eighty families

509
00:38:35.199 --> 00:38:37.719
that we you know, reach out
to, and then you know, getting

510
00:38:37.840 --> 00:38:43.800
to speak to you know, probably
about eight to ten thousand people that who

511
00:38:43.960 --> 00:38:46.679
dine with us, and then they
go home and like you did, you

512
00:38:46.760 --> 00:38:52.000
know, go and share the stories
of bread bread, break boarders with other

513
00:38:52.079 --> 00:38:55.400
people. That could be sixty thousand
people that we've reached, you know,

514
00:38:55.920 --> 00:39:04.840
by just that the storytelling aspect,
you know, of sharing these incredible resilient

515
00:39:05.039 --> 00:39:08.440
women, their stories of you know, survival, their stories of success and

516
00:39:08.639 --> 00:39:12.760
all those things, you know,
come about in a way that you know,

517
00:39:13.360 --> 00:39:15.719
that is what translates into social impact
for us. It's not just the

518
00:39:15.800 --> 00:39:21.159
food, it's it's it's the culture
inheritance that really embed in our memories that

519
00:39:21.559 --> 00:39:23.199
you know, make us and go
out and do more, and you know,

520
00:39:23.639 --> 00:39:27.480
and and really think about, you
know, what is our purpose here,

521
00:39:27.719 --> 00:39:30.280
right and what is that leg you
see that we're leaving behind, and

522
00:39:30.519 --> 00:39:35.280
you know, and thinking about really
like you know what, what what that

523
00:39:35.440 --> 00:39:39.039
sounds like, you know for the
greater good of the community. Oh my

524
00:39:39.159 --> 00:39:43.400
gosh, that really just moves me
to tears. It's so beautiful. And

525
00:39:43.519 --> 00:39:45.599
that's the reason I do the work
that I do. How many people get

526
00:39:45.679 --> 00:39:52.320
present to and discover, articulate and
really mightily strive to live their purpose because

527
00:39:52.360 --> 00:39:54.719
when they do, the world's a
better place. You're making the world a

528
00:39:54.760 --> 00:39:59.119
better place. And I'm so grateful
for that. And I can't wait to

529
00:39:59.199 --> 00:40:02.960
trying to food later about absolutely so
among us. So here's this is,

530
00:40:04.119 --> 00:40:07.159
you know, the social enterprise offering
that you've done, and along with the

531
00:40:07.239 --> 00:40:09.000
fact that you leave the storytelling,
the food, and the culture into that,

532
00:40:09.079 --> 00:40:13.119
that's so beautiful because I love those
things. Now I want to talk

533
00:40:13.199 --> 00:40:19.199
that you're an acclaimed in an interdiilar
interdicilinary artist. You've shown galleries in Dallas,

534
00:40:19.280 --> 00:40:22.880
Miami, and New York. Your
work examines your Asian identity and diasporic

535
00:40:22.920 --> 00:40:27.760
immigrant experience. You produce innovative and
interactive experience projects with museums in the FW

536
00:40:27.960 --> 00:40:30.960
area. So and you focus I
think on social justice, food security,

537
00:40:31.000 --> 00:40:35.400
and human rights issues in K through
twelve and higher. So I want to

538
00:40:35.480 --> 00:40:40.079
understand how your artistic expression fits into
all this. And you told me before

539
00:40:40.159 --> 00:40:45.719
how it wove in, and I
can't duplicated you do it sure. So

540
00:40:46.280 --> 00:40:51.880
you know, artists have a job
in the community, which is, you

541
00:40:51.960 --> 00:40:55.800
know, telling the truth. And
so when we experience something, we can't

542
00:40:55.920 --> 00:41:00.480
just hold the truth then not hold
other spaces more people to hear that truth,

543
00:41:00.559 --> 00:41:05.480
and so we share it out to
the community. We're the first investors

544
00:41:06.320 --> 00:41:09.880
into the community in the sense,
you know, we really really bear our

545
00:41:10.119 --> 00:41:14.320
mind, body, and soul to
the world in a lot of ways.

546
00:41:14.760 --> 00:41:17.239
You know, when I was showing
my photography, you know, it really

547
00:41:17.440 --> 00:41:22.719
was incredible to you know, have
people collect my artwork and you know,

548
00:41:22.920 --> 00:41:25.440
and have it be in spaces,
you know, private spaces in their homes,

549
00:41:25.519 --> 00:41:29.039
on their you know, office walls
and things like that. You know,

550
00:41:29.119 --> 00:41:32.639
but at some point, it is
it is decorating a space, you

551
00:41:32.719 --> 00:41:38.320
know, it is not moving forward
as ours as a community space, as

552
00:41:38.840 --> 00:41:45.519
us together as a family, moving
forward. And so I really wondered out

553
00:41:45.599 --> 00:41:49.719
loud, you know what that you
know, would look like if if we

554
00:41:49.840 --> 00:41:53.599
weren't to do this work together.
And that's how brick Red Break Borders came

555
00:41:53.679 --> 00:41:59.239
about. It is, you know, we really rallied the community in a

556
00:41:59.320 --> 00:42:04.320
way that we ask the community,
you know, what it wants and what

557
00:42:04.440 --> 00:42:07.880
it needs. And you know,
as a social practice artists, when the

558
00:42:07.960 --> 00:42:12.800
community asks for fire, I don't
bring them water. And that's the thing

559
00:42:12.960 --> 00:42:17.400
that that really, you know,
is powerful in that exchange that we have,

560
00:42:17.639 --> 00:42:22.679
that constant loop. You know,
we talk to our community about about

561
00:42:22.760 --> 00:42:28.440
our needs together and we bring you
know, these kinds of social change about

562
00:42:28.639 --> 00:42:34.519
together and it's it's it's with the
people, for the people, by the

563
00:42:34.599 --> 00:42:38.119
people, and that that that's what
makes us different. What I really want

564
00:42:38.159 --> 00:42:42.079
to call it to our listeners,
Jani know, is just how incredibly and

565
00:42:42.440 --> 00:42:49.639
mindful, conscious, thoughtful, generous
and kind and just creative your whole approach

566
00:42:49.719 --> 00:42:52.719
to life and workers. Thank you. It's really it's really enlightened to think.

567
00:42:52.760 --> 00:42:55.480
That's another reason I wanted to have
you on the show is that you're

568
00:42:55.519 --> 00:43:00.840
an example of what people could be
when we really are thoughtful about who we

569
00:43:00.880 --> 00:43:04.559
are and what we're doing to our
communities into the world. It's beautiful.

570
00:43:04.599 --> 00:43:07.599
Thank you, But we already are. I think a lot of times,

571
00:43:07.719 --> 00:43:09.880
you know, we wait for someone
else to kind of come along, and

572
00:43:10.119 --> 00:43:13.960
you know, and to be honest, what break Break break Boarders is doing

573
00:43:14.119 --> 00:43:16.920
is nothing new. Under this on. There are many many other businesses doing

574
00:43:16.960 --> 00:43:21.519
this throughout the world, but I
just didn't see one in my own backyard.

575
00:43:21.760 --> 00:43:23.239
And I thought, you know,
and I asked our communities. Our

576
00:43:23.320 --> 00:43:28.159
communities needed it, needed this safe
space, you know, to share the

577
00:43:28.280 --> 00:43:31.239
love, to share the food and
the culture and to be able to you

578
00:43:31.320 --> 00:43:36.239
know, be ourselves. And so
I, you know, wanted to honor

579
00:43:36.320 --> 00:43:39.719
my mom and in this love exchange
that you know, I was able to,

580
00:43:40.079 --> 00:43:43.960
you know, loot the community together
and you know, to do this

581
00:43:44.119 --> 00:43:47.159
together. And without all of you, we wouldn't be here today. And

582
00:43:47.280 --> 00:43:51.320
that's the thing. It's like,
thank you so much for holding space for

583
00:43:51.519 --> 00:43:54.199
us in this way, and thank
you for helping us grow. And we

584
00:43:54.400 --> 00:43:59.280
look forward to growing even more.
I know that you will. We have

585
00:43:59.360 --> 00:44:01.159
a little bit more time left.
And there's a couple other there's two other

586
00:44:01.239 --> 00:44:05.039
terms that I want to present further
for our listeners teachings. I think they

587
00:44:05.079 --> 00:44:07.199
might be newer for them as they
were for me. You mentioned earlier this

588
00:44:07.360 --> 00:44:12.960
idea that you're being a social practice
artist, say more about what is it?

589
00:44:13.480 --> 00:44:15.519
What is that term mean? A
social practiced artist. So, a

590
00:44:15.639 --> 00:44:21.960
social practice artist, you know,
goes about making art that is conscious to

591
00:44:22.320 --> 00:44:29.039
making environmental and social change, and
it's being lightful, like you said,

592
00:44:29.119 --> 00:44:31.840
and very cognizant of you know,
what the community wants and needs are and

593
00:44:32.679 --> 00:44:38.360
really keeping our ears to the ground
and responding to that. And so that's

594
00:44:38.400 --> 00:44:44.760
how very social practice artists and so
BBBB is like, you know, our

595
00:44:44.840 --> 00:44:50.960
gift to the community as as a
social practice art project along those lines,

596
00:44:50.960 --> 00:44:52.280
if I have this right, correct, and me if I don't. In

597
00:44:52.400 --> 00:44:55.760
one of our conversations after I met
you after your TED talk, you had

598
00:44:55.800 --> 00:44:59.679
said something about part of what you've
done early in your life, as you've

599
00:44:59.719 --> 00:45:02.400
been decorating people's homes and you were
doing it very intentionally, et cetera,

600
00:45:02.800 --> 00:45:07.039
but you felt that it was still
limited in it, and as an expression

601
00:45:07.159 --> 00:45:10.880
for you, yes, I think
you know anything that is you know,

602
00:45:13.480 --> 00:45:19.679
but I think with anyone that the
material aspects of things, you know,

603
00:45:19.960 --> 00:45:23.440
they're they're definitely things that that move
us forward in one way or another.

604
00:45:24.079 --> 00:45:31.079
But but something about concept policy,
you know, things that you know cannot

605
00:45:31.199 --> 00:45:37.119
be held tangible can really push us
forward in a way that you know that

606
00:45:39.000 --> 00:45:43.400
nothing else can, you know.
And so a lot of what we do

607
00:45:43.599 --> 00:45:47.760
here is also about, you know, changing minds and changing mindsets, and

608
00:45:49.320 --> 00:45:52.159
you know, those are the things
that we kind of want to move beyond.

609
00:45:52.360 --> 00:45:57.400
You know, a photograph that's decorating
the wall, which there's nothing wrong

610
00:45:57.480 --> 00:46:00.679
with that, it's not the space
that we're in now. You know,

611
00:46:00.800 --> 00:46:06.000
we're in this space where we're social
justice warriors and we want to make sure

612
00:46:06.119 --> 00:46:09.639
that the population that we're serving that
didn't have a voice before now has a

613
00:46:09.760 --> 00:46:15.519
voice, and that we're able to
amplify amplify that voice and going forward,

614
00:46:15.800 --> 00:46:20.400
that's what we want to do with
our community. And thank you for helping

615
00:46:20.519 --> 00:46:23.159
us to absolutely well happy to do
it and well worth the effort to do

616
00:46:23.280 --> 00:46:25.880
it. And along those lines are
you're starting to hint to it. But

617
00:46:25.920 --> 00:46:30.280
the other the other term I wanted
you to talk more about what you've already

618
00:46:30.480 --> 00:46:35.440
said for about is this idea of
inclusive economy? Yes, so you you're

619
00:46:35.480 --> 00:46:40.199
really reaching into this group of refugee
women to literally offer an opportunity to them,

620
00:46:40.280 --> 00:46:45.679
embrace them into your blosom, into
your organization, and give them a

621
00:46:45.719 --> 00:46:47.960
place, a way to be able
to take care of their arms. Yes,

622
00:46:49.280 --> 00:46:52.199
when you think about it, and
this applies to everyone, you know,

623
00:46:52.119 --> 00:46:59.519
when everyone has a living wage and
and really you know the problems that

624
00:46:59.679 --> 00:47:05.599
you think think about our you know, not about sort of like how am

625
00:47:05.599 --> 00:47:09.400
I going to get my next meal
and being going hungry or you know,

626
00:47:09.480 --> 00:47:14.280
putting a roof over your head,
it's about you know, gosh, you

627
00:47:14.360 --> 00:47:16.760
know, where are the kids going
to get to school? And you know

628
00:47:17.639 --> 00:47:22.599
what am I doing after work tomorrow? Those are two very different issues and

629
00:47:22.880 --> 00:47:29.039
you know, we want to be
inclusive in our economy in the setup that

630
00:47:29.199 --> 00:47:34.559
we're we're taking care of, you
know, different populations and have access to

631
00:47:35.639 --> 00:47:42.400
two things that really can economically empower
everyone. So we can remove those barriers

632
00:47:42.519 --> 00:47:45.719
that you know, prevent success from
from happening. And so it's embracing those

633
00:47:46.079 --> 00:47:52.119
those kind of issues that that we
can better look at ourselves and and and

634
00:47:52.840 --> 00:47:57.599
you know, invite everybody to the
table. Again, I sit here just

635
00:47:57.840 --> 00:48:01.840
listening to China, and all I
can be present too is just the incredible

636
00:48:01.920 --> 00:48:07.679
power of the human spirit, your
skirty in particular, to really reach out

637
00:48:07.719 --> 00:48:09.559
into the world and make it and
make a difference. And so here we

638
00:48:09.599 --> 00:48:13.480
are close to the very end of
the show. I always had to give

639
00:48:13.519 --> 00:48:15.039
my guests the last word, if
you will, So you know, the

640
00:48:15.159 --> 00:48:19.960
show is about leaving with passion the
purpose he's listened to across the glow.

641
00:48:20.239 --> 00:48:23.239
What would you like labor listeners with
guys, you make a difference. You

642
00:48:23.639 --> 00:48:30.000
have a voice, use your voice. It matters. And if I can

643
00:48:30.079 --> 00:48:37.280
do this, anybody can make it
sound like that. But I suspect hers

644
00:48:37.360 --> 00:48:40.280
much more to it. So Jenya, thank you for being such a beautiful

645
00:48:40.320 --> 00:48:44.000
force in the world. Thank you. I'm so glad our paths across.

646
00:48:44.079 --> 00:48:46.519
I think I came in to listen
to the S and U Ted Talks just

647
00:48:46.719 --> 00:48:51.480
to find you. Thank you.
I was so thankful that you came along.

648
00:48:51.599 --> 00:48:53.519
And there have been so many incredible
things that you know, happened since

649
00:48:53.599 --> 00:49:00.719
we met, Like I was actually
just accepted to the PLS Presidential Leadership scholars

650
00:49:00.840 --> 00:49:06.239
Program, where you know, working
with fifty nine other cohorts, working with

651
00:49:06.360 --> 00:49:10.199
four different presidential foundations to continue to
make this kind of lasting social impact.

652
00:49:10.280 --> 00:49:14.280
And so I'm really thankful to be
here. Thank you. It's amazing.

653
00:49:14.320 --> 00:49:16.280
Congratulations by the way, thank you. And then with that, we're at

654
00:49:16.280 --> 00:49:19.639
the end of the end of the
show. If you want to learn more

655
00:49:19.639 --> 00:49:22.320
about Gina Wang and break Bread Break
Borders, the best way todduced to reach

656
00:49:22.360 --> 00:49:24.880
out to her is center an email, and the way you do that is

657
00:49:24.920 --> 00:49:31.880
send it to Gina. It's Ji
n y A at break Bread Break Borders

658
00:49:32.280 --> 00:49:36.239
dot com. Last week, if
you missed the live show, you can

659
00:49:36.239 --> 00:49:39.280
always schedule be recorded podcast we were
on the Earth. Doctor Ellen heathline Burn

660
00:49:39.559 --> 00:49:44.119
the co founder of her new Standard, The Playbook for Women Leaders, which

661
00:49:44.159 --> 00:49:46.880
is a leadership consultancy focused on developing
women leaders. We talked about why and

662
00:49:46.960 --> 00:49:52.320
how women can distinguish their contribution as
leaders and learn some ways women can immediately

663
00:49:52.320 --> 00:49:54.840
apply her teachings to step into their
role as leaders. Next week will be

664
00:49:54.920 --> 00:49:59.840
on the Earth doctor Rogers Sisodia,
a Conscious Capitalist leader and co author of

665
00:50:00.039 --> 00:50:04.360
the healing organization Awaking the Conscious of
Business to help save the world. We'll

666
00:50:04.400 --> 00:50:07.760
be talking about the key concept of
this book and is working the Conscious Capitalist

667
00:50:07.880 --> 00:50:09.360
movement to see you there. Remember
their work is at least a third of

668
00:50:09.360 --> 00:50:19.199
our life, so let's work on
purpose. We hope you've enjoyed this week's

669
00:50:19.239 --> 00:50:23.199
program. Be sure to tune in
to Working on Purpose featuring your host Alice

670
00:50:23.280 --> 00:50:29.679
Cortez, each week on the Voice
America Empowerment Channel. This week, find

671
00:50:29.760 --> 00:50:30.760
your life's purpose at work.