Welcome to episode 52 of the Today is the Day Changemakers Podcast.
This week my guest is Tomas Alvarez III. Tomas is an award winning social entrepreneur and former nonprofit executive with 15+ years of experience leading social impact initiatives. He is the managing partner and strategy lead at Idea2Form. Tomas is a visionary thinker, cultural broker, and a transformational leader who has been recognized as an Ashoka Fellow, CNN Hero, NBC Latino Top 20 Innovator and Aspen Institute Scholar. His work has been featured by CNN, Forbes, the New York Times, amongst many other media outlets.
Unfortunately, Tomas lost his mom at a young age and he shares the ways in which he continues to share her message and legacy through his work. He also talks about how he sees his Dad as a hero being only 26 years old and a widower who encouraged him and his sister to reach for the stars.
Tomas' career started in one direction as his father helped him choose what he should do when it came to his love for the arts. His Dad helped him choose graphic communications. However, that was just a starting point for Tomas. Listen in to hear how Tomas went on to became a social worker, started an organization dedicated to allowing kids to share their creativity through hip-hop dance, and then moved on to start an incredible social impact organization called Idea2Form. Our journey is not always linear.
Tomas also asks these questions for all of us to ponder, "what are the things that light you up? What are the things that bring joy and satisfaction that will allow you to be of service to others?" There is so much you get out of being in service of others. It is the reason why people stay in the non-profit sector. Knowing that you go to work everyday and have a positive impact that can help to bring about systemic change is truly fulfilling.
Something important that comes up during our conversation is giving ourselves permission to prioritize and understand the value of our work. Remember its not a sprint. It is a marathon. Tomas goes on to share that self-care and keeping our cup full is not being selfish. It is imperative!
Listen in to hear Tomas share his answer to 'if I knew then, what I know now'.
There are so many lessons learned and inspiring stories that Tomas shares about his journey. I am grateful to have the opportunity to share them.
Next week join me for a week of conversations with entrepreneurs from around the world. Every day from Monday, December 13 through Friday, December 17 an entrepreneur will share their journey of taking a business idea and bringing it into reality. You don't want to miss the messages shared in their stories.
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