In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, I’m excited to share this episode of the Impostor Syndrome Files where we look at the power of knowing who you are and surrounding yourself with supportive people. My guest, Enna Jimenez, shares her personal story of rising through the ranks in IT and the challenges she faced along the way. She also reveals the ways in which she found her voice and learned to believe in herself. Enna and I discuss the ways in which we can all support those around us as well.
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About My Guest
Enna Jimenez is an Award-Winning Change Champion who has over 30 years in multiple industries with expertise in Leadership, Technology and Transformation Management. Currently, Enna is the Head of the Quality Assurance team at IDEMIA, an augmented identity security organization. She is a Coach and Mentor and has a huge passion for Diversity and Inclusion, talent engagement and community organizations. The March edition of Hispanic Executive magazine featured Enna as one of the 2021 Leading Latinas. In March 2021, Enna received the Emerging Leaders in Technology and Engineering (E.L.I.T.E.) Award from NSBE Boston Professionals. Dr. Lynn Wooten, President of Simmons University appointed Enna as the Presidential Adviser for Alumni Engagement. In addition, Enna has joined the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Women’s Advisory Board and the ALPFA National Board of Directors. Enna is one of 92 Hispanics featured in the first edition book Hispanic Stars Rising: A New Face of Power. The Multicultural Symposium Series Black History Empowerment Recognition Breakfast recognized Enna as one of the Black and Brown Innovators of Action Honorees in March 2020. In 2019, the National Diversity Council selected Enna as one of the 2019 National Latino Leader Award winners and she received a Citation from MA Governor Charlie Baker on Leadership and Excellence.
To connect with Enna, visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ennajimenez/
To learn more about her new book, Extraordinary Latinas, visit: https://www.ennajimenez.com
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Transcript:
Kim Meninger Good morning, Enna. I’m really excited to have you here today. And I’d love to kick us off by inviting you to introduce yourself.
Enna Jimenez Good morning, Kim, thank you so much for inviting me to your podcast. It’s an honor to be here, so I’m Enna Jimenez. I’ve been in technology now for 30 years, primarily in the IT space with a focus on quality assurance. I’ve worked in a number of different industries, really just honing in on my craft and my career, and then kind of moving up that career ladder. I’ve worked in financial services, banking, advertising, education. And so that has allowed me to have quite a vast and breadth amount of exposure to how different companies both small, medium and large function, both from a cultural perspective, working with businesses, our consumers, right and technology specifically. So it’s been great career, I will share that I’m Latina, born in Puerto Rico, and my parents are from the Dominican Republic. I live in Boston, Massachusetts, and this is where I’ve been. So you know, Boston is home, although I travel often to both Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, and excited to be on your podcast.
Kim Meninger So excited to have you here. And I’d love to hear a little bit more about you if you’re open to sharing just your own personal journey and how impostor syndrome may have shown up for you, as you were moving, making your way up the corporate ladder, so to speak.
Enna Jimenez Yes, no, absolutely. Um, look, we’ve all encountered impostor syndrome, there is the moment of feeling like, I don’t know if I’m good enough for that. Or, you know, should I apply to that job? Or should I take on that extra project? We all have those moments of doubts, and it’s really about how do you push yourself, you know, past that, so that you can, you know, sort of reap the benefits of what’s out there. And things that you would, you would kind of prevent yourself from, from doing because you’re like, I’m not good enough, right? It’s just like pushing yourself through that. So yes, I have absolutely encountered that many times, too many to count. I vividly remember several occasions at a role many years ago, where, you know, there was a whole bunch of different projects happening. And I kind of wanted to be on a particular project, just because it was getting a lot of visibility within the company. And this was, I was, I wasn’t a manager yet. But I was kind of working my way towards the lead role. And it was about how do I push myself to put, put, to position myself so that I could take on this lead role right, I had to talk to my manager, that the developers needed to be comfortable with me enough that they would trust me to be able to be the lead on that project. Now, I’m talking about being a lead from a QA perspective, right? As you know, in software development, we work on projects, just to kind of give a little background for those that may not know, right, so we work in project teams. There’s a project manager, there’s a development manager, QA manager, there are QA leads, business analyst, and QA is quality assurance. And so I was just a tester in a team. But I really wanted to be a QA lead. I wanted that opportunity to lead that project from, from the QA testing phase. And, yeah, it was, I kind of, I remember this because it was kind of the first few times where I was like, pushing myself outside of my comfort zone. It wasn’t someone tapping on my should saying, “Hey, Enna, do this.” But I needed to raise my hand and say, I can, can I do this, right? And, and it was just me sitting there looking at everyone else, and sort of acknowledging I’m as good as them. So why am I hesitating? I am knowledgeable, I’m educated. I’ve studied I you know, I mean, it’s like, I have all this experience. Why am I hesitating? And I, I can’t really tell you what was that driver or that thing that pushed me to do it. But, but I think it was just realizing, and sort of viewing me almost from like, outside of me, like an out of body experience where you’re like, Enna, hello, knock on the door, knock on the head, right? It’s like, what are you doing? You can do this, just go and speak up and say that you can do it. And of course, I did. And I got the role and I was able to be the QA lead in the project, and it was successful. And honestly, some of those team members that I worked with on those projects, I am still friends with today. And so it’s because they helped me, right? They, they nurtured me in a way just to kind of help me grow within my professional experience. And so that was fundamental, a big change in my life. And from then on, I still continue to encountered impostor syndrome. But I didn’t let it prevent me, right, those little voices in your head, I was like, No, I’m going forward. And I just have to verbalize that I say, Enna, go, just do it.
Kim Meninger I love that I think that’s such a great point that it’s gonna be there, right? It’s going to be there whenever we’re doing something that feels scary or new. And that, that isn’t necessarily going to change. But it’s the reaction that we have toward it, or how we manage it that’s really important. And so the fact that you said, not gonna let it prevent me is the key, right? Because I think so much of the calculations that we’re making in our mind about whether to do something is often to avoid pain, right? Like, I don’t want to have this conversation because it’s going to make me uncomfortable, or I’m afraid of rejection, or whatever the case may be before I go forward and ask my boss for that raise or ask my boss for that promotion. But the longer-term pain of not asking for it, right? That’s what we’re neglecting in our analysis. And I think that’s part of the story as well.
Enna Jimenez No, absolutely, Kim, and it doesn’t go away. I think that’s, some people think, Oh, my God, okay, I’m going to encounter this, and I’m going to get past it and great, I’m not going to experience this again, look, we will experience this forever. I mean, it’s, it’s unfortunate to say that, but it is true. And it’s about how you handle it. I’ll kind of fast forward a few years later, and I was going to go for this promotion. And I was at this organization, I had done everything I needed to do right. Prime, I was primed for this promotion. And so here I am drafting my email, kind of, you know, a nice little document with the facts. And I’m presenting how the team should look and just making sure I have everything tight. And I and I remember I was working during the weekend, had this email set. But I was hesitating. Now, Kim, I knew I could do the work. I knew I had proven myself. I had support from other senior leaders who were, who I had already spoken to. Right? So everything was laid out for me. But I had to do this email to the CTO. And I had to send this email and I hesitated because of impostor syndrome. Because you’re like, “Can I really do this? Should I really do this?” Shouldn’t someone be coming to me and just simply say, hey, Enna here you go, right? Because that’s what we think, that someone should just recognize that, and you don’t have to ask for it. And I, and I remember sitting down like hesitating to hit that send button. I called my brother who’s in IT as well. And I, you know, the family is everything to me. And I have, I have many brothers and sisters, and we all rely on each other. And thankfully, right that morning, I called my brother and I told him my dilemma is like, “Look, I’m doing this” and he kind of knows what I, what I do at work and whatnot and so he was like, “Hit send, hit, hit, hit the send button right now, hit it.” And he just like, he’s yelling to me on the phone, “Hit the send button,” and I’m like, “Oh my god, am I gonna do this?” And he’s just yelling at me on the phone, hit send, hit send. And then I just hit send. And I was like, oh my god I did, I hit send. And he’s cracking up at me because he’s like, “Seriously? I look up to you as my role model and this is what you’re doing?” It was funny, and I can laugh about it right now. But at that moment, I absolutely debated whether I would do that or not. You know, great story is that, yes, I did do it. And I got the promotion. It was perfect. Right. But, but had I not done that, had I not had him pushing me to do that, I wouldn’t have done it. And the question is why? Why did I need him yelling in my ear for me to do something that I knew very, very, very well, deep in my core, that I was completely ready, more than ready, to be able to do that. And we all experience that. Right? Every single one of us has experienced that situation. So yeah, it’s, it’s something that we will forever continue to experience and we just have to be strong, to be able to push forward and have those people around us to help us with those decisions.
Kim Meninger That’s a great point, having that network of resources that you can tap into in those moments of hesitation, right because like you said, I know. I know inside but I just need a little bit more of a push right?
Enna Jimenez Oh my goodness. Absolutely. And the network is so important Kim, right. I mean, it’s, it’s important to be able to build that network. And I often get asked, Enna, what did you do to build the network? I said, I don’t know. I’m just, I’m a people’s person. I love talking to people. And so I, you know, I build relationships. And I, you know, I think it’s important to note that you should never go out to build a relationship because you’re looking to get something in return. And that’s very important. I go out to build a relationship because I want to see what I can give to that other person. That is, I’m like, “Who can I help? How can I help?” I have exposure to all these things around me. Let me see how I can provide some assistance to other people, that’s why I build relationships. And it just so happens that in doing that, I’ve been able to, it has been reciprocated, and people have been able to help me. And I’ve been able to just build lifelong friendships, right. So you go from a relationship to a friendship. But it’s very important that differentiation because sometimes, you know, when someone is coming to you when they just want something. And honestly, I’ve gotten those conversations, I’ve gotten those emails, those calls. And it’s not, it’s not that I don’t try to help, but you’re a little bit more turned off. Yes. You know?
Kim Meninger Yeah. When it feels like there’s an agenda or an ulterior motive, it just doesn’t, you’re not as motivated. Right? And you’re absolutely right, that’s definitely been my experience as well is just always be of service, and you will always have your needs met, right? And then and it’s not manipulative, it’s real. It’s a genuine wanting to help other people. And then, like you said, it comes back to you ten-fold.
Enna Jimenez It does, even when you least expect it. I vividly remember so many occasions, as you know, Kim, I’m part of ALPFA. For those in your audience that don’t know, ALPFA is the Association of Latino Professionals for America. It’s a national organization, I’m super passionate about it. But early on in my career, not in my career, early on in my time in ALPFA, like I said, I would just meet people. I mean look, for me, it was about go walking into a room where I can see people that look like me, Latino professionals in corporate, like hundreds and hundreds of them. Like, I had not seen that before until I joined this organization. And so, it felt like, you know, my family away from home, right? But people were noticing what I was doing and how I was helping others. And I didn’t realize that. And it was just one day when we were awarding this one gentleman with an award in the Boston chapter. And he pulled me aside later, and he was like, Enna, do you know that I’ve been watching you for years? I was like, “Me?” Then of course, you’re like, what do you mean you’ve watching me, me? And he’s like, “I have been watching your career, I’ve been watching how you’ve been nurturing and, and pouring into so many other people. And now it’s time for us to pour into you. And that was so, so pivotal in my life, because he took me on as a mentee. And he became my sponsor. And he was out there moving and shaking and doing stuff for me and opening doors that, that I had no idea that he was doing those things. And so it’s nice when you hear that, right/ It’s nice when someone can at least share that. And I’m sure that many people do that for us THAT we don’t always know. But it’s nice to know that all that stuff that you’re doing that you’RE just doing selflessly, that someone else is watching saying, okay, she’s done a lot for so many people. Let’s, let’s, let’s pour into her. Let’s give her some love. And it was very, it was very, very rewarding.
Kim Meninger I love that story. And I love what you’re saying too, about stepping into a room and feeling like you’re surrounded by people that look like you. I think one of the classic influences of impostor syndrome or triggers of impostor syndrome is feeling different from the people around you. And I think that’s why impostor syndrome tech tends to affect women more often in traditionally male-dominated fields, people of color, people who feel underrepresented in their environments. How has your experience been as a woman of color? Has this been a big part of your journey?
Enna Jimenez It has, it absolutely has, Kim. Look, I’ve been in technology for 30 years. When I first came into this, you know, I graduated from Simmons University. And when I first, you know, came into this world of software developers, it was primarily white, white men and women, right? That’s what I was surrounded by. And so to be a black, Latina woman in a room where it was just primarily men and white men, it can be pretty daunting. It can be pretty like, oh my god. Should I speak up? Should I just go in a little corner? And there were moments, there were meetings that absolutely I was the person in the corner, just listening, taking my notes and just saying, okay, they’re gonna, they’re going to let me know when I should speak up. Because I didn’t feel like I had, it was my place to be able to speak up. I felt like someone needed to say call on me, say, Enna, we’re ready now for you to speak. And I did that for many years at the beginning of my career. I absolutely did. And so there was a time though, and I’ve been trying to, try to find, figure out when exactly this happened, because I talk about this. And I haven’t really been able to figure it out. But I want to say it was probably five or six years after I graduated from college where I was, I kind of said to myself, okay, I need to stop being this way. I need to just walk into the room and own it. I need to let me be me and walk into every room, every interview, wherever and just say, this is who I am. And once I started doing that, oh my god, just everything changed for me. I started being, people started coming to me saying, oh my God, we need someone like you on our team. Enna, absolutely we want to have, Enna. I have been in companies where business leaders and development managers were like, We need Enna in our group. And they will fight for me to be their QA lead on project. And I was like, “What is happening here?” How did I go from I, feeling like I need someone to give me permission to speak, to now owning the room, to then being the person that people are requesting to be in the room with them because I would, they would know that I would speak up and say what’s really happening in projects. So that’s the evolution that I went through, right? And it’s a beautiful thing, and I can’t quite hone in, on, on what changed and what made that happen. But I walk into rooms, and I say to myself, I am a QA engineer. I’m a QA manager, Vice President of quality assurance, and I have this title in this role because I’ve earned it. I’ve worked really hard. I busted my butt. I’ve worked all kinds of crazy hours delivering projects. And I bring all of that with me. And with that, I walk into a room first. And after that walks in, then I walk in and say I’m a black Latina woman — deal with it.
Kim Meninger I love that. And obviously, it’s worked for you, Enna, right:? I mean, you’ve been on this career journey that’s been very successful. Have you encountered any backlash? Have you had to deal with people who don’t like that you’re speaking up and don’t think that you should be in that room?
Enna Jimenez Yes, yes. Yes. Yes. And, you know, it’s funny because a lot of it has been from women. A lot of it has been from women. And it’s something that, and I’ve talked about this with other women, and they’re like, yes, it has been another woman that has tried to pull, you know, keep you in your place. Um, yes, it has happened. I’m not saying that it hasn’t been men. Absolutely. I’ve got my fair share stories of men in my career that it’s like, really? Seriously? This is what, this is what we’re going to do, right? Um, but, but surprisingly enough, it also came from women. So yes, it definitely has happened. I think that it’s, it’s sad when we try to prevent each other from growing. I think it’s sad when we, when we are in a place where it’s just about jealousy. It’s like, Well, how about we both grow together? Let’s let’s, let’s all go up. Right? It’s not about you or me. It’s about you and me. That’s what it should be about. And, and we mistake that for this jealousy. Oh, well, if she gets the opportunity then I am never going to get it. No. One of us needs to get it because there’s only one person but we can all work together and then I lift you up or you lift me up and, and that’s how we all continue to grow. So yeah, Kim, it’s, it’s, it’s sad, you know, that that happens, but it’s reality. It happened many years ago. It happens today. It continues to happen in the future. I mean, it will, it will definitely continue to happen in the future. And you just have to be strong enough to let people know, I’m not here to fight with you. I am here to work with you. Right? Let’s, let’s go together on this, let’s collaborate, let’s be allies. That’s really what we need to be doing. And so I try to, you know, break that down by me and my bubbly self. I can be funny through situations like oh, my God, and I try to get to know people at a personal level, just so that I can break those walls down a little bit. And I’ve been successful in many times and getting someone to get to know me. And other times I haven’t, and I say, you know what, it is what it is and I just got to let it be, right. Yeah, remember that? So yeah,
Kim Meninger No, no, no, this is so great. And I’m just thinking about what you’re saying. And it’s hard sometimes when you’re in the situation, to zoom out enough to be able to recognize, this isn’t about me, right? I think, when you talk about women, in particular, who are not supportive of other women, even, you know, men, people who are confident people who are secure in themselves, don’t need to flex their muscles in front of other people, they don’t need to prove themselves, they don’t need to adopt those kinds of exclusive, exclusionary behaviors. So the minute you see that, it’s hard, obviously, because there are often power differentials involved, and you are in an environment that might feel toxic from time to time. And certainly that comes with its own set of choices. But I do think it’s helpful to remind ourselves, what I’m seeing right now is an expression of that person’s insecurity, this is not about my value, this is not about my self-worth, right, this is this person’s own issues. That’s what I love about what you’re saying is, essentially, what I’m hearing you say is, I’m going to stay true to myself, regardless of what these people around me, and they’re gonna be times when that’s harder to do than others. But at the end of the day, we can’t control what other people do, we can only control how we respond to it.
Enna Jimenez Yes, no, absolutely. And, you know, and I just think that it’s, it’s work, it takes work, and you don’t always recognize it, and you do internalize it, and I have come home crying. And I have spent night, you know, up and awake because I’m so, you know, just stressed out. And I’m like, what did, what did I do wrong? Where did I fail? Oh my god, did I say something and offended someone, and I didn’t realize it? We do that because we’re, it’s in our human nature to feel like we did something wrong. And, and you will go through those days where you’re just, you know, self-damaging yourself, because you’re really, really internalizing this and then you have to kind of, and this is where your mentors and your network comes into play when you can have that conversation with someone else. And you can say, “Can I run this by you? This happened, this was the, the interaction. This is what this person said. This is what I said, you know, this is the setting. Did I come off wrong? Was that offensive? How, what would you think as an outsider looking in?” Granted, they’re hearing my version of it, but you know, I try to provide the picture as clear as I can be, as I can do, right? I’m just to be able to get that input, that feedback from someone else to say, ”Well, maybe, maybe depending on the tone that you would have said that maybe it could have been offensive,” or, “Absolutely not. You’re right they’re wrong”. So you need that to help balance you and to help, help you keep, keep yourself afloat because it can be hard. And when we have women, and you probably have women in your audience that have a, you know, a bit of low self-esteem. And when you have low self-esteem, and something like this happens to you, that is the worst that can happen. Because now you’re like, well, I already did not have confidence in myself. Now I’m feeling like I did wrong like I did this person wrong. And I’m not even going to go talk to a friend because I’m so embarrassed that this happened. I caused this. So now you’re not reaching out to someone else who’s going to be able to help you course correct. So you can just imagine what the whirlwind is going through in that person’s head. Right? And my advice to women who are in that situation is, just, it’s okay to speak up. It’s okay to share with your network. It’s okay. Because every single one of us have experienced that one way or another. And don’t be ashamed and don’t be embarrassed. And that by having those conversations, you will realize that no, you’re not wrong. No, it’s not about you. It’s about the other person’s self-confidence and then you get that input and hopefully, that will help you kind of get out of that, that whirlwind that, that you’re in, right? Yeah.
Kim Meninger Yeah, I think that’s such great advice. Because I know personally, having struggled with anxiety for so much of my life that if I, if I stay in my own head, it’s a really dark place. And I feel like things feel so much more serious and so much more powerful when you don’t say them out loud. And then the minute you say them out loud, and you get that feedback, like you’re saying, with people saying, No, you’re not crazy, right? No, that was perfectly fine, no this is about them, you start to take a breath, and you realize, oh, there’s another way to think about this, right? It’s not as bad as I thought it was, it’s just such a relief. So carrying the weight of all of that around with you, and trying to do it on your own, is just so painful.
Enna Jimenez It is, it’s very exhausting. And you know, especially when it comes to, you know, work situations, right. I, for some reason, I have found that some of my best friends now, best friends, but yes, some of my best friends and my good friends have been people that are in HR. And, and you know, when you walk into a company, and someone is there, you walk in, and you say, Oh my god, okay, there’s HR, and this is whole great group of people there, but you can’t go talk to human resources, because they’re the wrong people to talk to right. And so, I personally have found that the human resource employees are the best people to talk to a) because they have to keep confidentiality, right? And b) because they’re also going to be able to give you good advice, they understand the climate of the organization, they understand who some of the people are, and they’re going to be able to help you navigate some of those situations. So it’s one of those things where people are, you know, my friends and people that I, that I mentor, I say, get to know your HR department, it doesn’t have to be your head of HR, but it can be anyone in that, in that group, you know, your diversity and inclusion leaders, get to know them, because they’re going to be held to be able to help you navigate a number of situations within, within your company.
Kim Meninger That’s a really good point, too. I think that’s a great idea. And I’m curious, too, because you are so service-oriented and so willing to help others. Do you have any thoughts or advice on how to potentially spot other women who are struggling with this who maybe aren’t comfortable sharing it? And I think it’s a sensitive issue, right? So you don’t want to go up to somebody and say, Hey, I think you’re struggling with impostor syndrome, right? If they haven’t been the ones to name it. But is there something we, we as women can do to recognize when another woman is struggling and to intervene in an appropriate way?
Enna Jimenez Yes, I mean, I think that we observe a lot, we see a lot, and we have to be able to check in on each other. I do that all the time. If I’m in a meeting, and I see, you know, an interaction between two individuals. And honestly, even whether it’s male or female, I do it to all of them. But if I see an interaction that I said, Hmm, that does not feel good. I don’t feel good about that interaction, and it has nothing to do with me. But that just felt like tension there, you know, I will reach out to that person aside whether it’s coming out of the room, I’ll be like, Hey, are you good? Are you okay? Want to talk? You know, or I’ll ping them right? We use Teams or, you know, here at my current job. But so, you know, I text them and just kind of check in and us as women who are very well aware of what happened, what is happening and what these, sort of, what’s the word? Not, not guides, but..
Kim Meninger I know, I know, I can’t think of the word either. I know what you’re saying, like, a landmark, almost like.
Enna Jimenez Exactly, y.eah, like the landmarks, like with the signs like the sign Yes. We know what these signs look like, right? It’s up to us to intervene, it’s up to us to make sure that we don’t just turn our back on our fellow colleagues, right? We must, we must jump in, we must prevent some of these things from happening. So in, in my presence, and I’ve been in meetings where a gentleman is yelling to a woman, and I’m like, Hey, stop. I don’t know what’s going on here. But when I’m in this conversation, this is not about to happen. Okay, so we need to be respectful of each other. We can agree to disagree, but there is no disrespecting allowed, not in my presence. And I have stopped those things from happening. But we need more of us to be able to speak up and stop those situations rather than letting and go on and on and on. And, and I’ve heard of situations where people will come back and tell me Oh my god, Enna. Did you, did you hear about what happened at such and such meeting because, you know, these, these two people were just going at it and no one said anything, people just let them go. And I’m like, seriously, no one stopped it? No one stopped this from occurring? Where were the people in the room that should have stopped it – male or female? Right? But my advice is to women, when you see this happening, speak up. It doesn’t matter that it has nothing to do, to do with you. You should speak up for your fellow colleagues.
Kim Meninger I completely agree with you. And there’s, as cliche as it sounds, right? There’s strength in numbers. And you’re absolutely right. When those kinds of interactions happen in our presence, everybody feels uncomfortable. The vast majority of people know that’s not right. But everyone’s afraid. But if we all committed to Hey, we don’t tolerate that kind of behavior here. Then it’s, we’re not the ones that are afraid. Hopefully, it’s the bad actors who become afraid. They learn that it’s not appropriate.
Enna Jimenez Exactly. So true, Kim. And so it’s up to us to prevent that from happening. I’m a big believer in that.
Kim Meninger And so, at this point in your career, right? Do you still experience impostor syndrome? Do you still find yourself experiencing self-doubt?
Enna Jimenez Absolutely. Absolutely. I won’t say every day. But, but I absolutely still do. I still question, Am I in the right place? Am I in the right company? And my company’s gonna hear this. But, but absolutely, I still question it. I still ask myself, am I doing the right thing? Am I providing a value add? I’m, as you said, I’m very mission-driven. So for me, I need to make sure that I’m making an impact to someone, at least one person. I need for me, that is just the most rewarding thing and I thrive on that right. And so yes, yes, I absolutely still do. I still rely on my posse, I still rely on, on my you know, cohort of friends that are mentors, sponsors. And they know who they are. And they’re the ones that keep me grounded, that keep me going and help push me forward, to kind of say, Enna, get over it. Yeah. And for those that can’t see what I just did, I just kind of whacked myself in the head. Because that’s the reaction that I get when they like, say when they look at me and say, seriously, Enna, are we still having this conversation? Really? Do you not know who you are yet? But, but I still do. I still do. And it’s certainly not as much as before. Not to that level. I am very comfortable in my skin. I know who I am. I know what value I bring. I know what I’m worth. And I fight for that. It’s funny because my boss I think, a year or so ago, during one of our meetings, he said, Enna, I have never seen someone fight for their career as much as you have. And I’m like, and I, it was a compliment, right? It was a complete compliment from it. But then I still think about that, because I’m like, huh, he’s right. And this is a white male, right? But I have been fighting for my career, all my life. And the question is why? Why have I had the need to fight for my career all my life? That is the question, the fact that I still have to do that. The fact that I still feel like I have not broken the glass ceiling, the fact that I’m still not at that top-most level that I know I can and should be at, right? Why, why am I still not there? Why am I still sort of hanging on trying to climb that ladder? Feeling like I’m close, but I’m not quite there. Why is that still happening, right? And no matter what I do, no matter what I say, no matter how many nights I go of not sleeping and working late and giving up my family time to put my effort into all of this. I still have to fight for my career. That is still where I am today.
Kim Meninger And I think that’s a really powerful and unfortunate kind of statement about the moment that we’re in, right that despite the progress, despite the fact that like you said 30 years ago may have looked different than it does today. There are still these invisible barriers. They’re still challenges. We’re not there yet. It’s unfortunately, there are no easy answers. But I love that you’re continuing the fight.
Enna Jimenez Yes, and I will. And I will. And I’ll continue it for myself and I will continue it for others, because I have to do whatever I can to break down these barriers to break down this ceiling, so that my daughter, my sons right, all of them, their kids, you know, my future grandkids will have the opportunities. And it will be just slightly easier, slightly because it won’t be completely easier. But it will be just slightly easier than it was for me. And that is my why.
Kim Meninger Oh, what a powerful place for us to stop today. Enna, this has been such a pleasure. I have so enjoyed talking with you. I’m so grateful to you for sharing your inspirational story with us. And I know everyone listening is going to benefit from what you shared.
Enna Jimenez Thank you, Kim. It is an honor and a pleasure to be with you. And certainly, I hope that your, your audience will enjoy this conversation. I surely have and if they ever would like to reach out to me, the easiest way is to reach out to me on LinkedIn. Just Enna Jimenez on LinkedIn. And yeah, again, I’m very excited to be here with you. Thank you for the opportunity.
Kim Meninger And I’m glad you mentioned that too. I will put that link into the show notes. So anybody who wants to connect with Enna, go visit the show notes and you’ll be able to find the link there.
Enna Jimenez And, Kim, I’d be remiss if I did not mention I have a book coming out. It’s launching September 15. It’s called Extraordinary Latinas. I’m one of 12 Latina women who are sharing our story. Very passionate, you’re going to cry you’re going to laugh. It’s, it’s going to be beautiful. And so I hope that your audience will take a look and buy my book.
Kim Meninger I will put that in the show notes as well. I’m so glad that you mentioned that. Thank you and thanks again, Enna.
Enna Jimenez And thank you, Kim.