Marisa: Life moves fast and leadership moves faster. Career, expectations, constant change. And the truth is, ⁓ is the most precious thing that we have. ⁓ podcast is about making sure life ⁓ leadership, we are actually building matter. Welcome to Uplift Unleash Podcast. I'm Marisa Mann, the founder of Uplift All. Today, we wanted to start this podcast in a very simple way. I'm joined by my two wonderful co-founders, Scynthea Ratliff and Henry Oyuela Uplift All really started through conversations the three of us just like this, about life, leadership, and the realization that so many are navigating big questions about purpose, growth, and alignment, very much like we have as we step through our career. This podcast was created for leaders navigating real life pressures of modern life and leadership. The people carrying responsibility for teams, organizations, and families while quietly asking deeper questions about alignment, purpose, and what truly matters. Here we have honest conversations about growth, leadership, So we thought the best place to begin our podcast is to ⁓ sharing a little bit about who we are and what brought us each to this mission. So I'm gonna ask each of you, tell us a little bit about who you are, what in your life or career brought you to the mission of Uplift All? Scynthea, do you wanna start?

Scynthea Ratliff: Hello My name is Scynthea Ratliff and I chose to build Uplift All because I know what it feels like to build a meaningful career ⁓ without clear understanding of how to navigate the path ahead of me. As my career advanced responsibilities grew and expectations of me shifted, but success meant more than just delivering results.

Marisa: personal evolution and choices that shape the life that we are living. you are navigating this change, trying to seek more clarity and lead more intentionally, you are in the right place. Let's begin.

Scynthea Ratliff: It meant learning how to read the room, understanding how decisions are made and how to influence others and outcomes. Uplift All was created to offer what many of us did not have along the way. Practical frameworks for navigating transitions, tools to strengthen our self-advocacy, clarity to own our narrative, and a community that understands the realities that we carry. Uplift All is personal for me. it comes from years of carrying more than was visible and navigating rooms that were not always designed with someone like me in mind. So with Uplift All, my goal is simple. It's to ensure that capable people do not have to navigate life and transitions alone. Without the tools to help them move forward with intention, clarity, and on their own terms. Now I'll turn it over to you, Henry.

Henry Oyuela: ⁓ I'm gonna start with telling a little bit about myself and then I think people will connect dots as to why I decided to go on this journey with ⁓ let's I grew up in Humboldt Park west side of Chicago. my parents are Honduran immigrants. I have two siblings. shout out to them if they're from a very young age, I was surrounded by the values of hard work. responsibility, resilience, perseverance. My parents ran a small auto parts store 17 years. I grew up in that store. They started it when I was seven years old and I watched them sacrifice lot to create opportunities for our family. My weekdays were waking up early to do chores, going to school, coming home to help with the store ⁓ and I was doing homework and if I lucky, I got maybe an hour of TV before I started the next day again. ⁓ believe that hardship is very familiar to immigrant families, first generation. They know it very well. ⁓ And have that same that I developed growing up in an environment like that. I eventually became the first person in family to graduate from a four-year university. I earned a degree in computer engineering. after years of working hard and giving it everything ⁓ I had, my career led me to ⁓ leadership in technology consulting. from the outside, they would say that I was successful. internally, there were many moments where I felt I was ⁓ navigating everything alone. I remember feeling like imposter wondering if might call me out at some point and say I didn't belong Over time I realized something important. Many leaders are experiencing the exact same thing. They may appear successful on the outside but internally they're asking deeper questions about purpose, belonging, alignment within their lives and when you add everything happening in the world today Things haven't gotten easier. It's gotten harder. have geopolitical tensions, ⁓ pressures, rapidly technologies ⁓ forcing people transition and ask questions about their career, and an increase competition. ⁓ So it creates environment where many professionals feel like the ground beneath them ⁓ is constantly shifting. It's a really challenging time, I feel for a lot of the next generation that's coming into the workforce. many people are trying to navigate these major transitions while adapting to a world that is evolving quickly. uplift all to me ⁓ really emerged from that realization. We saw gap, leaders navigating ⁓ complexity without the space to pause, reflect, grow and authentically with others who are familiar with that journey, with struggle, with those tensions. this work is deeply personal. creating the kind of community and tools that help. people lead and live in alignment with themselves. I believe the sooner you discover that, the better life you live ⁓ when we form relationships we surround ourselves with people who lift us up, us, us, share the same common values. when we find ourselves in toxic relationships, that tear us down, that make us doubt ourselves, that slowly erode our confidence our relationships with our work is no different. Yet many people stay in environments that drain them because they feel like they don't have another option, or they're unsure how to transition towards something that aligns more with their values and their beliefs, more closely to who they are. I hope is that through our community, we'll have people find ⁓ the of who they are, of what they want, where they want to go, ⁓ and them with the confidence to be able to make... better decisions for their lives and ultimately create a better world we can take our experience and share it with others It's deeply rooted into what I believe in. But curious about your as well, Marisa. I think it'd be great for audience to hear.

Marisa: First I want to say how humbled I am to have the grace and glory to be able to work alongside both of you. Every I hear your story, I learn something new, something unique that inspires me even more and more every day. Thank you, Henry and Scynthea, for sharing. ⁓ My parents immigrated here in the 70s ⁓ they needed more medical staff in the States. my parents were both professionals. My mom a nurse. My dad was an accountant. I saw firsthand ⁓ how hard was, ⁓ the trauma, difficulties ⁓ to establish in the land of opportunity. They only had one goal. The goal was to provide a better life for their children. What a humbling honorable goal that many of us all have is we want to leave the world in a better place for generations to come. think of the sacrifice my parents made and how hard it was for them to succeed in this world that was not built for them. in the same ways, it wasn't built for me either. English naturally wasn't first language because my parents spoke Thai and barely spoke English when they came here. My name is Marisa the Catholic nuns who were gracious enough to teach my parents English named me. I'm very blessed by that. the path that I walked has a lot of scars, yet a lot of learnings from it. I've persevered. Henry, you talk about resilience. Scynthea, talked about places not built for us. I'm not a victim that's what I learned, was that we tell the narrative within our stories we have more power inside of us it didn't matter what you put on the resume, how big that corporation was, the biggest accomplishments you made as high performers and very capable people that you are, something still was left missing, I couldn't answer, who am I? ⁓ working countless hours, delivering to ⁓ organizations, which I'm deeply of, but at the same time, what cost I will never regret ⁓ the decisions I made along the way. ⁓ We always look forward in our but that built within me a search something more, support. that sense of belonging, somewhere, some group ⁓ understand that there is a path behind us, the path that we walked, the path that our ancestors walked ⁓ make us who we are. How of us camouflage to try to fit in, to exemplify what's out there, but might not align with our values and there's some sort of tension or conflict inside of us that frankly starts showing up through health. the cost was too high. wanted to be there for future generations, for my children, for when they have children. that moment to pause, even though you're on the hamster wheel and you don't think you can afford it right now because you have to work hard and achieve the next thing. uplift all is created because no one else would create it. And we said, we're to do it. We have the mission to serve you and to build this alongside you. the world is accelerating faster than ever. Geopolitical, economical, even careers. Technology is evolving constantly. ⁓ Life is happening all around us. the question is. How do leaders stay connected to what truly matters?

Henry Oyuela: It reminds me of this NPR. episode, they were talking about. vacation time throughout the countries. ⁓ interesting is United States actually, doesn't require paid vacation by law. on average, Americans receive around 10 days of paid vacation after a year of work. while many European countries, ⁓ 20 to 30 days. Americans don't have vacation times available, a significant number of people don't take it at all. there was this concept of unlimited PTO I remember when that was applied, the actual time people were taking was actually less I think part of the challenge today is We live in a world We live in a world that rewards performance and speed. The technology is not helping with that because the faster the technology is, the faster the expectation on the speed. Growing up, I often felt valued when I was meeting expectations And then you go to a job and now you're being performance reviews and now measuring you based on that. And so you have all these productivity metrics. that rewards performance and speed. The technology is not helping because the faster the technology is, the faster the expectation on speed. we've all experienced in different ways throughout our lives. Growing up, I felt valued when I was meeting expectations when going to school. And then you go to a and now you're being performance reviews and productivity metrics. but They're not really measuring They're not measuring what people bring you and I, Marisa, when we work together, ⁓ one of the things that we always put in reviews was culture, that multiplier effect, how did someone make those around them better as a result of who they are? It wasn't just about performance. It was about who they are that mattered. those experiences shape our beliefs about what matters, how did someone make those around them better as a result of who they are? It wasn't just about performance. It was about who they are and how they mattered. And those experiences shape our beliefs about what matters, Beliefs ultimately drive our actions. Beliefs ultimately drive our actions. Leaders today are constantly moving from decision to decision, meeting to meeting, crisis to crisis. when they stay in that rhythm long enough, you start living reactively instead of intentionally. They get up into performance reviews and metrics. staying connected to what matters, I believe, requires You take a step back and you ask deeper questions, philosophical questions. ⁓ Am I living alignment with my along the way, you lose who you are. Where am I investing my time and energy? people get caught up in work. They're invested in work ⁓ and all these other aspects of their lives, get neglected. they aren't centered, aligned, they have leadership positions, and their model is then amplified to those that serve them. what kind of life am I actually building? what are you leading towards? everyone's in the grind, trying to accomplish whatever OKR or objective is for the month, and they don't ask themselves, what actually am I doing? What's the purpose? Why am I doing this? we talked about this together, looking at the different aspects of life and reflecting on where things might be, ⁓ out of balance for within those. Where do we feel like energized and aligned? ⁓ the first time we started talking about these aspects, it was kind of like a balance sheet, ⁓ where certain things are in red and black, take and paying attention to those things so that you can align them, you can feel healthier, more energized and inspired rather than leading yourselves to complete burnout. some people are in burnout, they don't even realize it. They can feel it. They haven't actually realized it. we can help people step back and see the whole picture of their lives, not just their careers, imagine how powerful that would be. especially these people that are in leadership positions. It's not just that person that we're actually impacting. It's the other people that they as well. you step back a significant portion of our lives is shaped by our relationship with work. That is reality. if we zoom out historically, you can see how much the economic landscape for households has changed In the 1950s, It was far more common for a single income to support a family. Now, over time, economics, social changes, ⁓ led to dual income households. And became the norm. Now, if you look at today, many families don't just rely on two incomes. They're also doing a side hustle in addition to that. imagine all that pressure. people are feeling all of this makes it harder for people to slow down, reflect, and stay aligned. It ⁓ doesn't escape me. are so caught up into ⁓ the hamster wheel that life begins to move fast. without intention, ⁓ reflection, it's easy to lose of truly where going. we can make that more efficient for them. And we can introduce, as Scynthea said, these frameworks, to explore, and we can help find that purpose, meaningful relationships, ⁓ build a sustainable life and avoid burnout. leaders stay connected truly who they are, their purpose, and lead better lives ultimately. Scyn and I'm pass it to you

Scynthea Ratliff: your point, think mine is very personal as well. for a long time in my career, ⁓ I measured progress success by how much I could handle. If you were to describe my younger self, she was clear on what she needed to do to progress her career. I would say she was the fireman of technology. if it was on fire, she to it. while others ran from it. larger the initiative, the greater the complexity and pressure, I to step in. ⁓ leaders just volunteer me because they knew I wanted to do it. ⁓ as I mastered one area of my career, I would move ⁓ to another from the outside, that like success. ⁓ It looks great, you know? But when you talk about decades of building a career, it takes a toll. at some point, you are sacrificing something. if you're not careful, momentum alone no longer means alignment. we can lose ourselves in the demands that we put upon ourselves and from others. when you ask, What do to stay ⁓ connected? To me personally, I'm ambitious person, it became an inflection point for me, Just, like you, Henry, I had to stop. staying connected requires intention. Just because you're connected today, doesn't mean that what you want to do and who you want to become is ⁓ the a year from now. ⁓ It requires that take some time and do some inner thinking. it requires a willingness to step back and ask yourself a different question. Not what am I capable of doing, but whether or not ⁓ what I am doing aligns to what truly to me. We all carry obligations in our lives and careers, responsibilities that we expected to meet. The challenge is recognizing when those obligations begin to pull us from the values and beliefs that ground us. we have to ask ourselves an honest question. Am I honoring what matters most? We all carry obligations in our lives and careers, responsibilities that we expected to meet. The challenge is recognizing when those obligations begin to pull us from the values and beliefs that ground us. we have to ask ourselves an honest question. Am I honoring what matters most? Or am I slowly sacrificing it in order to keep up with what's expected of me? Or am I slowly sacrificing it in order to keep up with what's expected of me? when you spend years or decades delivering at these levels, I think we all reach an inflection point. I'll turn it over to you, Marisa.

Henry Oyuela: Right. Yes.

Marisa: There's so many leaders ⁓ that are experiencing right now. Henry, you mentioned energize and drain. It's like what energizes you, what drains you. Scynthea, as you're talking about this journey that you were on, I think about, when I'm gone from world, which by the way, when we're gone, we leave everything, including our physical body, what do I want to known for?

Henry Oyuela: Mm.

Marisa: What matters most is the impact that you have and the lives that you touch along the journey, what is it that matters to you? for every person, it's a very personal definition ⁓ ⁓ you wouldn't build a house without an architect. This is architecting life. could be more important? How you spend the most precious things. Scynthea mentioned, right, the time you lose, you will never get back. to architect and make decisions, we are all decision fatigue by the end of the day, We have a lot of decisions to be made and the responsibilities and roles that we have. ⁓ crafting the life that want to lead, defining what that means to you as you go through life's challenges is one of the most precious things that can happen. especially in an age where it's accelerating faster than ever, being fed what's important to you through social media, through texts, ⁓ chains, whoever you're connected with and quieting that noise. Like I feel like the meditation or ⁓ ways in which you quiet that noise down to listen to your own voice has never been more important than today's world.

Henry Oyuela: very true. if you don't stop take stock and figure out intention ⁓ if you make that decision? It will definitely be made for you and it's being made for because you don't do the work. It's hard It's hard we have to acknowledge that But it's required like you have to do it because otherwise others will drive for you

Marisa: Can I layer in that it's not required because we tell you It's required because you're putting someone else in the driver's seat for your life. ⁓ we want you in the driver's seat. want you crafting where you wanna go next.

Henry Oyuela: right.

Scynthea Ratliff: Well, I have a question. What do you think leaders today are carrying that people rarely talk about openly?

Marisa: I have limiting beliefs. Sometimes I think my options are few versus vast. it just depends on your upbringing, your background as well. when I was growing up, my parents gave me two options, become an engineer or become a doctor. Doctor yes or no was the question first and then go become an engineer. And I started down that path. my parents didn't know what to do with their lives, they always had very few options put in front of me. sometimes that'll creep in, a limiting belief, Leaders are carrying limiting beliefs that they often don't call out ⁓ or know. And that lends that imposter syndrome that I think both of you had mentioned, because that's that voice that's inside of your head that says, you don't have options, but you actually have more power than you. ever even realize. That's what I think there are two things that people aren't talking about right now is you have limiting beliefs inside of you that we need to uncover explore on why you believe and what options you have. the second one is that imposter syndrome. Why is it that someone's saying that it's not possible ⁓ or someone is yourself, your head? what's that imposter syndrome really mean? ⁓

Henry Oyuela: Yeah, I second that. I think it's isolation with that imposter syndrome. outside, it seems like you got it figured out because you're in the position. You got the title. Everyone's looking at you. OK, this guy has it figured out. the reality is that many leaders feel like they have to hold everything together and else around them, their teams, organizations, ⁓ and your family that pressure ⁓ your confidence, you compose yourself. I speak from experience. ⁓ I went through that. I can share that I was given my first executive position, I actually wanted to turn it down. what Marisa was talking about, those limiting beliefs kicked in, amplified. I felt like I wasn't going to be able to deliver. I going to fail I was going to fail those people that would have to report to me. I pulled the HR leader I don't think I'm the guy. I really think that there's someone else more qualified. luckily, he talk me out of it. it was that's your crazy talking. Cause you can do this, You have it. We wouldn't have made the decision otherwise. So I stuck with it. took some ⁓ growing get that imposter syndrome that Marisa was talking about. ⁓ realized is ⁓ those limiting beliefs that I carried, they weren't facts. ⁓ mind was protecting me from the challenge that was in front of me. ⁓ was ⁓ creating this narrative. you're gonna fail. You're gonna fail. Don't do it, sees risk.

Marisa: I'm smiling because I did turn a role when first presented because of those very things. The fear felt like it was the fear of God ⁓ Not knowing what that truly meant and not having that support. we want to that

Henry Oyuela: Yeah.

Marisa: feeling what do I do now? how do I negotiate? how do I go about positioning myself? ⁓ having the resources to be able to discuss these that forth in a way that helps to uplift you. you're very lucky, that you are surrounded by people who were supportive and sponsoring not everyone has that built in. we create a community that has that so that you ⁓ do feel supported? ⁓ Scynthea, would love to what your thoughts are. What's not ⁓ being talked about?

Scynthea Ratliff: the weight of navigating systems that are not designed us in mind, As a leader, the work you do itself is only one part of what you're managing. ⁓ You're constantly interpreting the environment around you and trying to understand the power dynamics in the room. how to ⁓ these systems while still remaining true to yourself not totally losing yourself in trying to ⁓ be they ⁓ or want you to be ⁓ or you think they want you to be. That creates that is acknowledged. it's a part of the ⁓ beliefs around imposter syndrome or worrying about what other people think. isolation can compound itself, especially when there's no one in the room that understands the weight, there's no one to talk to it. the constant awareness of how you show up you say how you say it. how to position yourself in what can be at times complexed ⁓ charged environments, is ⁓ something I really talked about.

Marisa: Scynthea, the picture that I get in my head and it reminds me of the time when my kids like after work I come out of my office used to be upstairs and come out of my room and they told me what color I was. They said my color is red. I was fuming. Because microaggressions throughout the day, that is definitely something that is not talked about, is that levers of power and how do you handle ⁓ microaggressions when people, they're jealous of what you bring to the table, because you're such a high performer, you are one that drives and executes on results. Those are some things that we always think about and we talk about when we're building our community, That's why you built the sanctuary, Scynthea, for us to be able to talk about things that are happening ⁓ and not bury it. I used to bury it and I my kids wouldn't be able to see it. They saw I was mad, ⁓ at the end of a day because I was holding in to not be mad on the calls or ⁓ the discussions that I was in pulling it together, being as professional as camouflaging in to the environment that I was a part of. you, Scynthea. That was very ⁓

Henry Oyuela: with everything that's happening with technology, we're currently going through convergence of technologies blockchain or AI. quantum as well. and even roles, jobs are being questioned. What do you believe leaders must protect about their humanity into the day ⁓ in and day work that do ⁓ and the people they work with.

Scynthea Ratliff: technology is ⁓ gonna continue to accelerate. Systems will faster, more automated, and more efficient. But what ⁓ technology cannot replace, and I care what you say, is human connection, ⁓ judgment, and perspective. My career has been lived at the intersection of technology, delivery, strategy, and transformation. Often in highly regulated where decisions real consequences. in those settings, progress is not just about technology. It's about what is responsible, what is ethical, ⁓ what protects and serves people over the long term. I'm talking about customers. employees and shareholders. What leaders must protect is the ability to interpret complexity through a human lens, the ability to understand context and to recognize when something may be efficient, but not wise, ⁓ and to make decisions that for people. and not just systems. I think that the real opportunity for organizations ⁓ is to look at the landscape of and services that they sell, to understand how they can leverage both people ⁓ and technology to improve their services or ⁓ and delight the customers in ways that haven't been able to do in the past. That's where advancement comes in. it is not just about cutting costs and ⁓ reducing your workforce. How do you take market share your competitors? ⁓ By using the people you have, advancing their skills along with advancing technology. I'll let you have it Henry.

Henry Oyuela: I've grown up in technology. I've seen multiple waves of innovation and how it's affected everyone. This one's obviously life-changing. when mobile came in, the biggest change, to simplify it, was instant gratification. that expectation that I hit a button, ⁓ instant gratification, and it's into everything in our lives. We want everything instantly, And AI is changing that as well, now there's a larger co-dependence with technology and questions that even as leaders have this responsibility, the ability to determine how that technology is implemented. The technology is there for helping you with your jobs day in and day out, but it doesn't define the purpose of why it's built. that's where some responsibility, there are say some ethics come into play on how these solutions are being built and how to that how the technology is being adopted the way that it's being used maintains humanity built within it. it ⁓ actually helps. not just for the bottom line of an organization, but larger impacts our society. if everyone sees these technologies and adopt skills for how to use it, responsibly. I have faith in humanity. there's a lot of problems that we need to fix. ⁓ I speak to my kids and they're like, ⁓ I don't want to use AI. it's a bad thing necessarily because ⁓ it's education. They to learn how to use it. their hesitation with it is how it impacts humanity. how we we begin to use that technology Marisa what do you think

Marisa: we to remain human centered It's not just the people that are you because we're talking about generations to come The world is trying to figure this out the that are being asked ⁓ are worldwide ⁓ When we try to answer those things, it's not just as Scynthea, mentioned, it's not about reducing costs, making more revenue and managing risks. It's about what's the impact it's going to have. How are we using the data? How is privacy being protected? are really thinking about what what biases in system ⁓ and what voices need be included in this technology? So Henry, I know that continue to carry the torch with your children as I will with mine, cause they do say the same things. that technology is an enabler. ⁓ enable it and help to shape it. how are going to make that impact? We want to be included in this equation and not outside of it.

Henry Oyuela: That's right.

Marisa: I'd rather us be the creators, help create what the possibilities are for humanity in front of us. we're all learning, ⁓ asking some real questions and trying to make sure that they shape their governing policies. We're all influencers in this equation, this big puzzle that trying to put together. I'd like to continue to carry that torch I'm hoping everyone else does too, that is still even a more exciting time for us to be in this world and for technology to continue to evolve. I'd love ask you final question. uplift all succeeds in the way that we hope and envision, What will be the difference in the lives of the leaders who become a part of the community?

Scynthea Ratliff: What I hope that ⁓ All will achieve to our members of our community is that it would give people greater agency over their lives so that they can build ⁓ sense of balance and fulfillment both personally and professionally. what I envision is that Uplift All is more than a platform. It is a network of professionals who continue to achieve their goals ⁓ and committed to uplifting others. along the way.

Marisa: I love that force multiplier effect. Henry, what are you thinking?

Henry Oyuela: Yeah. three words that to mind is like clarity, community, and leadership. Clarity for those who join the community that ⁓ they know what they want and they know how to move and align themselves intention. community is for you not to that alone, to actually have people that are going through the same thing and learn from each other. leadership is that once they've acquired that ⁓ clarity have that community, that they lead those around them and be model for how to work in this new world, that would be my want for ⁓ All

Scynthea Ratliff: How about you, Marisa?

Marisa: there are so many things that we talk about that we want to solve, like passions that we have that we want to enable, empower, and support. I love the force multiplier effect if we lift up ⁓ the people here, the best partners, continuing to expound on our frameworks, ⁓ the aspects life. continue to shape it and make it meaningful for our community. I am... inspired by the mission Uplift All has. ⁓ this community will continue to strengthen its reach in belonging, as well as bringing the best network possible for our ⁓ members. thank you Henry and Scynthea, for being vulnerable and sharing your path today and letting us in to the window of your worlds and you've gone through is truly inspiring to me. ⁓ I am honored to be beside both you. Thank you. ⁓ Thank you, listeners, for joining us. ⁓

Henry Oyuela: back at you.

Scynthea Ratliff: Thank you.

Marisa: on the Uplift Unleashed podcast. If this conversation resonated with you, share it with someone who might need it as well. next time, take a moment to reflect, what matters most, and keep uplifting others as you rise to connect, ⁓ belong, and grow. This is Uplift Unleash Podcast.