Welcome to the Balance Feature! Each month Believe in Balance features an individual or organization striving to make a difference in the lives of the communities and the people they serve.
Today, I’m excited to introduce you to Tiana Uribe. Tiana was one of the panelists on my Leading with Purpose panel at the WomanUP! conference in San Diego last month.
Tiana, like all the women on my panel, is a powerhouse wife, mom, business owner, and Founder of a non-profit called, The Wildflower Initiative.
A self-described introvert, this lady is thoughtful, intentional and focused on delivering on her dream.
She possesses a sense of clarity about her purpose that draws you in and makes you want to know more about it and her.
Underneath it all is a woman who deeply cares about her family, her community, and is stepping up to make it better.
Meet Tiana Uribe….
What is your purpose, how did you find it, and why is it important?
My purpose is to make my vision come to fruition while inspiring others. After the passing of a dear friend, I founded a non-profit focused on empowering women and children through literacy in her memory. In doing the work, I have found my purpose. To challenge myself and others to grow, to contribute, and to think about themselves and others. It took me 40 years to find my purpose.
Tiana and her daughter
Tell us about your non-profit and how it aligns with your values.
The Wildflower Initiative is the non-profit I founded, and it is a vital component to my business. For every referral, we donate a portion of our commission to placing our literacy and educational programs in the community. Paying it forward is a win-win for everyone. I love the quote from Maya Angelou, “Once you know better, do better”. Being self-aware and providing resources to inspire, empower, and elevate others is meaningful work for me.
How do you set the example in your organization? Can you give me some real examples.
I’m a boots on the ground kind of leader. I walk the talk and try to lead by example. When I ask others to contribute time, money, and energy into the non-profit, I’m the first one to donate and show up. I’m an avid reader and very data-driven, numbers and facts matter to me but I also recognize people are inspired by the heart so I try to combine both.
When my Board told me I was out of my mind crazy trying to throw a fundraising event together within a month, I listened and used it as an opportunity to set the date further out with more time to prepare, challenging an increase in our fundraising goal.
What things do you do to ensure you’re living your purpose every day and especially that it is living within your organization?
I hold myself to a high standard and I’m constantly striving for high performance. I expect a lot out of myself and my team. I spend a lot of time reading and surrounding myself with driven people I respect, value, and love. We are each other’s mirrors. Self-care is vital. You can look at the numbers and the data every day, however, I’m inspired by what I’m doing to improve lives. That helps me to gauge living my purpose.
Some people might say that these values, the ones you’ve spoken about are “soft skills”. How has leading with these core values impacted your bottom line?
Developing self-awareness took me 40 years and the result was finding my purpose in life and founding The Wildflower Initiative. For me, it was the loss of a beloved and dear friend that transpired an epic journey of self-discovery and realizing how fleeting time is and that we all have this one precious life.
Turning inward helped me to understand that the burn out I was feeling in my business was in large part because I needed to incorporate a greater purpose. It was a complete game-changer. Creating meaningful connections and showing up as my authentic self has shifted the paradigm of leading with purpose. The results of these efforts have been personally rewarding and elevated both my business and the non-profit along with the community at large.
Who are you helping to find their purpose?
The Wildflower Initiative places libraries and reading spaces into homeless and transitional shelters through our Jenny’s Jungle Program. The program serves as a catalyst to inspire, educate, increase literacy skills, provide comfort, and a lifestyle that we hope recipients take with them as they transfer out of shelter life and into self-sufficiency.
The Department of Justice and San Diego County District Attorney’s office reports that the majority of domestic violence and human trafficking survivors are women and children. This is the demographic that continues to speak with us and one we align with and are mindful of as we grow our programs to include financial literacy and scholarships. We hope our initiatives will help others to find their purpose and realize their full potential.
How can our readers find you?
People can find me on social media and via email.
tiana.uribe@trufinancialservices.com
Next month I’ll introduce you to the last of my panelists, Melissa Sofia. Make sure to subscribe to my weekly email to be the first to know when it’s published.
Until then, I’d love to know how you live and lead with purpose? Leave me a comment below.
Of course, if you enjoyed this post, I’d love it if you’d share it with your world.
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