WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.299 Hello and welcome to And you, How Did You Make It? 00:00:02.399 --> 00:00:04.820 the podcast in which we explore each step that 00:00:04.820 --> 00:00:07.559 has built a career path of various professionals 00:00:07.559 --> 00:00:09.919 through the discovery of their habits, passions, 00:00:10.019 --> 00:00:13.220 interests over the last few decades. I'm Yusra, 00:00:13.359 --> 00:00:16.660 your host, and today we meet Mayara. Mayara has 00:00:16.660 --> 00:00:20.079 so far lived in Brazil and in France, Paris to 00:00:20.079 --> 00:00:22.899 be exact, where she currently talks to us from. 00:00:23.199 --> 00:00:26.559 She goes into so much details on how she made 00:00:26.559 --> 00:00:30.559 it to where she is now. covering impactful conversations 00:00:30.559 --> 00:00:34.399 she had in middle school and high school. Every 00:00:34.399 --> 00:00:36.320 single experience and learning come attached 00:00:36.320 --> 00:00:38.899 with brilliant advice that she either learned 00:00:38.899 --> 00:00:41.320 at the time or on which she actually reflects 00:00:41.320 --> 00:00:43.979 on throughout our conversation. Her openness 00:00:43.979 --> 00:00:46.420 might change your perspective on how to overcome 00:00:46.420 --> 00:00:49.520 personal and professional challenges and will 00:00:49.520 --> 00:00:51.939 invite you to start building a strong ecosystem 00:00:51.939 --> 00:00:55.500 she also nurtured and built for herself throughout 00:00:55.500 --> 00:00:59.710 her life. As a high achiever, Mayra, who identifies 00:00:59.710 --> 00:01:02.649 probably as a nerd, takes you on her scientific 00:01:02.649 --> 00:01:05.469 journey and will probably inspire you as much 00:01:05.469 --> 00:01:10.170 as she inspires me. Let's learn from her. Hi 00:01:10.170 --> 00:01:13.030 Mayra and welcome to the show. I'm so happy to 00:01:13.030 --> 00:01:15.709 have you with us today. We had the chance to 00:01:15.709 --> 00:01:17.909 cross paths over there five years ago and I cannot 00:01:17.909 --> 00:01:20.609 wait to share your story. I'll let you introduce 00:01:20.609 --> 00:01:24.319 yourself. Awesome. Thank you so much for the 00:01:24.319 --> 00:01:27.140 invitation. I believe having those conversations 00:01:27.140 --> 00:01:31.840 can unlock a lot of very important thoughts that 00:01:31.840 --> 00:01:35.859 we have and inspire brainstormings. So I think 00:01:35.859 --> 00:01:38.420 what you're doing here with this podcast is very 00:01:38.420 --> 00:01:40.420 important. I'm very thrilled to be here with 00:01:40.420 --> 00:01:44.159 you today. So how do I present myself? It's always 00:01:44.159 --> 00:01:47.140 a very tricky question, right? It throws you 00:01:47.140 --> 00:01:50.500 back then and thinking about your origins. So 00:01:50.500 --> 00:01:54.739 I am Brazilian. I was born in Brazil and I spent 00:01:54.739 --> 00:01:58.340 most of my life there and certainly my best years 00:01:58.340 --> 00:02:01.939 in terms of infancy and adolescence. And it's 00:02:01.939 --> 00:02:05.620 been seven years that I now live in France. It 00:02:05.620 --> 00:02:08.139 has been a nice experience changing cultures 00:02:08.139 --> 00:02:10.719 and navigating those two different realities. 00:02:11.120 --> 00:02:14.919 It has made me certainly a better person in general. 00:02:16.080 --> 00:02:20.590 And I decided to study. So this is also a very 00:02:20.590 --> 00:02:23.210 strong part of who I am. I'm a pharmacist. And 00:02:23.210 --> 00:02:26.770 I have always been passionate about science since 00:02:26.770 --> 00:02:28.830 I was very young. I'm sure we're going to talk 00:02:28.830 --> 00:02:31.229 about it at some point. But science has moved 00:02:31.229 --> 00:02:34.669 me. I identify very strongly as a scientist. 00:02:35.469 --> 00:02:38.550 And I'm curious. I'm just curious. I love learning 00:02:38.550 --> 00:02:41.629 about everything and anything. I love asking 00:02:41.629 --> 00:02:46.430 questions. I have worked most of my professional 00:02:46.430 --> 00:02:49.610 life in... In the pharmaceutical industry, but 00:02:49.610 --> 00:02:52.710 that don't necessarily define me. I changed areas 00:02:52.710 --> 00:02:55.830 immensely inside of the industry. What I was 00:02:55.830 --> 00:02:59.110 always moved about was this curiosity of learning 00:02:59.110 --> 00:03:01.810 more, understanding more, particularly about 00:03:01.810 --> 00:03:07.090 how the body works. And as well, opening up opportunities 00:03:07.090 --> 00:03:10.129 for me to feel that I'm always learning, that 00:03:10.129 --> 00:03:12.810 I'm always evolving. That's what moved all the 00:03:12.810 --> 00:03:16.229 different professional opportunities I have had. 00:03:17.340 --> 00:03:20.280 There is one thing that as well is always there 00:03:20.280 --> 00:03:23.539 is this focus on people. I like working with 00:03:23.539 --> 00:03:27.860 people, for people to have a purpose, either 00:03:27.860 --> 00:03:31.120 if it's about health or supporting other people's 00:03:31.120 --> 00:03:33.580 development. I think this has always been present 00:03:33.580 --> 00:03:36.460 in my personal and professional life. And I think 00:03:36.460 --> 00:03:39.659 it defines me very nicely as well. It's lovely 00:03:39.659 --> 00:03:42.860 to hear Mayra. And I cannot wait to talk more 00:03:42.860 --> 00:03:46.240 about how everything started. When and how it 00:03:46.240 --> 00:03:49.800 sparked your interest and where your interest 00:03:49.800 --> 00:03:52.340 in science and everything around it after all. 00:03:53.319 --> 00:03:56.300 But first, can you share with us your definition 00:03:56.300 --> 00:04:03.000 of success? That's a tough one. For me, success 00:04:03.000 --> 00:04:07.259 is to have that feeling that I'm evolving. My 00:04:07.259 --> 00:04:11.360 definition of what's... life's challenge is about. 00:04:11.500 --> 00:04:14.319 It's about always becoming a better version of 00:04:14.319 --> 00:04:18.319 yourself. And this is something that is very 00:04:18.319 --> 00:04:21.740 personal. Only you can define what a better version 00:04:21.740 --> 00:04:25.860 of yourself means. And learning how to find that 00:04:25.860 --> 00:04:28.120 for yourself, what this best version means and 00:04:28.120 --> 00:04:32.560 strive for it. For me, it's success on itself. 00:04:33.319 --> 00:04:36.339 There are two sentences that I absolutely love. 00:04:36.519 --> 00:04:41.300 One is a very famous one. that some people here 00:04:41.300 --> 00:04:43.339 hearing us today might have already heard it. 00:04:43.399 --> 00:04:46.639 It's from Ralph Emerson. He's an American philosopher. 00:04:47.540 --> 00:04:50.860 And he says that life is a journey, not a destination. 00:04:52.000 --> 00:04:54.839 Very famous sentence, but honestly, I think it's 00:04:54.839 --> 00:04:58.100 so true. It's not about arriving in a certain 00:04:58.100 --> 00:05:02.139 place, but it is about taking joy of trying to 00:05:02.139 --> 00:05:04.560 get there. Even if you never make it, that's 00:05:04.560 --> 00:05:07.300 not important. It's all the experiences you live 00:05:07.300 --> 00:05:09.860 through. trying to become who you want to become 00:05:09.860 --> 00:05:12.180 and make of your life what you want it to be. 00:05:13.000 --> 00:05:16.040 And there's a second sentence that I love, but 00:05:16.040 --> 00:05:20.579 it's probably not that famous, from Irvin Yalon. 00:05:20.779 --> 00:05:25.360 He is also an American writer. And he says that 00:05:25.360 --> 00:05:29.740 not to take possession of your life plan is to 00:05:29.740 --> 00:05:34.040 let your existence be an accident. A little bit... 00:05:34.360 --> 00:05:37.420 harder as a sentence. But in essence, what he 00:05:37.420 --> 00:05:39.600 means is that you have to be purposeful with 00:05:39.600 --> 00:05:42.920 what you want. If you just think that wishing 00:05:42.920 --> 00:05:47.540 something will make it become true, unfortunately, 00:05:47.639 --> 00:05:49.860 that's not how the world works. You have to put 00:05:49.860 --> 00:05:54.199 hard work and focus on building what you want 00:05:54.199 --> 00:05:57.160 for yourself. And this sentence has influenced 00:05:57.160 --> 00:06:01.100 me a lot since I was very, very young. So back 00:06:01.100 --> 00:06:05.189 to your question. For me, success is always trying 00:06:05.189 --> 00:06:07.990 to understand what you want, because that's not 00:06:07.990 --> 00:06:10.970 very easy either, right? So searching and understanding 00:06:10.970 --> 00:06:13.629 what you want. And once you know what you want, 00:06:13.769 --> 00:06:17.370 to really have concrete actions to build that 00:06:17.370 --> 00:06:20.949 future reality for yourself, not to get stuck 00:06:20.949 --> 00:06:24.430 on the wishful thinking. It's a great definition. 00:06:24.569 --> 00:06:28.430 And I love, love how you already started sharing 00:06:28.430 --> 00:06:33.470 advice barely 10 minutes in the episode. I couldn't 00:06:33.470 --> 00:06:36.990 agree more, is difficult. It's extremely difficult 00:06:36.990 --> 00:06:40.569 to find what you want to do in life. But as soon 00:06:40.569 --> 00:06:45.149 as you do, creating those steps will help you 00:06:45.149 --> 00:06:48.750 to gradually get closer to where you want to 00:06:48.750 --> 00:06:51.790 go. And yes, you will have to put a lot of effort 00:06:51.790 --> 00:06:55.949 and a lot of work into it. But every single path 00:06:55.949 --> 00:06:59.189 is different in some way. So what better than 00:06:59.189 --> 00:07:01.730 putting your work in something you find? meaning 00:07:01.730 --> 00:07:06.230 in. Mayara, can you tell us everything about 00:07:06.230 --> 00:07:08.230 your middle school years, your passion, habits, 00:07:08.569 --> 00:07:11.129 interests, and what kind of students you were? 00:07:12.089 --> 00:07:15.550 Yeah, I think I was a very dedicated student 00:07:15.550 --> 00:07:19.790 always. I never missed class. I would always 00:07:19.790 --> 00:07:23.689 do my homework. I had very demanding parents 00:07:23.689 --> 00:07:27.189 with very high expectations of myself. So I am 00:07:27.189 --> 00:07:29.689 a single child, meaning I don't have brothers 00:07:29.689 --> 00:07:32.439 and sisters. So all the dreams and expectations 00:07:32.439 --> 00:07:37.019 of my parents were on me. And I worked very hard 00:07:37.019 --> 00:07:42.139 to try to meet those expectations, even when 00:07:42.139 --> 00:07:45.019 I was very young in middle school. I have two 00:07:45.019 --> 00:07:48.399 funny stories to share about that, that I think 00:07:48.399 --> 00:07:52.379 were very formative when I was in this moment 00:07:52.379 --> 00:07:56.899 of middle school. I remember once there were... 00:07:59.329 --> 00:08:02.149 pretty agitated week. There were the birthday 00:08:02.149 --> 00:08:05.449 of some of my relatives. And because of all that 00:08:05.449 --> 00:08:08.930 agitation, a lot of things happening, I forgot 00:08:08.930 --> 00:08:12.850 to do my homework. And I woke up one day really, 00:08:13.149 --> 00:08:16.250 I think I even dreamt about not doing my homework. 00:08:16.389 --> 00:08:19.529 So I woke up very agitated that I didn't do the 00:08:19.529 --> 00:08:21.870 thing that I was supposed to do and be desperate 00:08:21.870 --> 00:08:24.569 of how am I going to show up at school and tell 00:08:24.569 --> 00:08:26.269 my teacher that I haven't done what I had to 00:08:26.269 --> 00:08:29.240 do. And I remember waking up my mother saying, 00:08:29.519 --> 00:08:32.399 what do I do? What do I do? How am I going to 00:08:32.399 --> 00:08:35.840 school and tell my teacher that I haven't done 00:08:35.840 --> 00:08:40.080 it? And I asked my mom to write a note in my 00:08:40.080 --> 00:08:42.759 notebook for my teacher saying, oh, she had a 00:08:42.759 --> 00:08:45.820 very agitated week. She forgot to do her homework, 00:08:45.919 --> 00:08:47.960 but she will do it. She committed to catching 00:08:47.960 --> 00:08:51.320 up and not letting that happen again. And I think 00:08:51.320 --> 00:08:55.419 that is a story that conveys very well how much 00:08:55.419 --> 00:08:59.070 I felt the pressure. to be perfect in a way, 00:08:59.110 --> 00:09:01.590 right, of making sure that everything was always 00:09:01.590 --> 00:09:05.970 done. A second example that is very nicely as 00:09:05.970 --> 00:09:11.370 well from my middle school is I always had good 00:09:11.370 --> 00:09:14.750 grades and they never, I want to be clear here 00:09:14.750 --> 00:09:18.230 that I was not one of those students that would 00:09:18.230 --> 00:09:21.529 learn by osmosis, meaning they just sit there 00:09:21.529 --> 00:09:24.649 in a class and then they would very quickly and 00:09:24.649 --> 00:09:27.360 easily figure everything out. with no need to 00:09:27.360 --> 00:09:30.320 study when they went back home. That was not 00:09:30.320 --> 00:09:33.000 me. I had to study. I had to put in the work 00:09:33.000 --> 00:09:37.259 to succeed in the classes. And I used to do that. 00:09:37.299 --> 00:09:39.720 So I used to have good grades in general. But 00:09:39.720 --> 00:09:43.200 there was one particular subject, and it was 00:09:43.200 --> 00:09:45.919 Portuguese. So Portuguese is my mother tongue. 00:09:46.000 --> 00:09:49.240 So as any country, you have the classes of your 00:09:49.240 --> 00:09:54.679 mother tongue, right? And I passed with the minimum 00:09:54.679 --> 00:09:57.860 grade. I almost didn't, but I did. I did pass 00:09:57.860 --> 00:10:01.320 it. But my mom was so unhappy with the fact that 00:10:01.320 --> 00:10:04.120 I passed with the minimal grade that she called 00:10:04.120 --> 00:10:07.379 the school to ask the school to allow me to retake 00:10:07.379 --> 00:10:11.080 the class, even though I had passed it, because 00:10:11.080 --> 00:10:13.899 it was only with the minimal grade. So I think 00:10:13.899 --> 00:10:17.200 that reflects a lot my life when I was in middle 00:10:17.200 --> 00:10:20.639 school. A lot of hard work. I was a good student, 00:10:20.659 --> 00:10:24.649 but as a result of hard work. And my favorite 00:10:24.649 --> 00:10:30.990 subject back then was math. I had a classmate 00:10:30.990 --> 00:10:33.649 that was also very good at math, as good as I 00:10:33.649 --> 00:10:37.429 was. So there was a little friendly intellectual 00:10:37.429 --> 00:10:40.309 competition between the two of us of who would 00:10:40.309 --> 00:10:43.250 get the best grades in every single test. And 00:10:43.250 --> 00:10:46.809 that was so motivating for me. It was so nice 00:10:46.809 --> 00:10:50.169 to be able to compete. But compete in a way that 00:10:50.169 --> 00:10:52.750 we were happy for each other. You know, it was 00:10:52.750 --> 00:10:58.110 not about crushing each other. It was about being 00:10:58.110 --> 00:11:01.850 able to push each other to get to the best results. 00:11:02.049 --> 00:11:05.710 And we even studied together. There was no tentative 00:11:05.710 --> 00:11:08.529 of sabotaging or anything like that. No, we were 00:11:08.529 --> 00:11:10.970 really helping each other. But there was intellectual 00:11:10.970 --> 00:11:14.090 competition in math that was very, very cool. 00:11:15.019 --> 00:11:17.740 And then in contrast, my least favorite subject 00:11:17.740 --> 00:11:21.519 was certainly physical education. I was always 00:11:21.519 --> 00:11:25.919 a nerd myself. I loved my books and my notebooks 00:11:25.919 --> 00:11:29.340 and papers, but not necessarily to run around 00:11:29.340 --> 00:11:34.360 or play soccer. For those of you who are a little 00:11:34.360 --> 00:11:36.860 bit aware about Brazil, soccer is a big thing 00:11:36.860 --> 00:11:39.320 in Brazil. So not playing soccer as a Brazilian 00:11:39.320 --> 00:11:44.610 was quite funny. So I think that a little bit 00:11:44.610 --> 00:11:48.129 defines my middle school years. I had a huge 00:11:48.129 --> 00:11:52.149 passion for Japanese culture and everything connected 00:11:52.149 --> 00:12:00.610 to mangas, animes, even Japanese music. The city 00:12:00.610 --> 00:12:02.649 that I used to live in, Brazil, has the biggest 00:12:02.649 --> 00:12:06.919 Japanese immigration of the whole country. in 00:12:06.919 --> 00:12:09.820 a very multicultural environment that is influenced 00:12:09.820 --> 00:12:12.740 by the Japanese culture. So I was very privileged 00:12:12.740 --> 00:12:15.580 to grow up in that environment and have very 00:12:15.580 --> 00:12:18.419 early contact with cultures that are very different 00:12:18.419 --> 00:12:21.340 from my own. And I would love this. And I also 00:12:21.340 --> 00:12:25.100 loved music. I was largely influenced by my uncle 00:12:25.100 --> 00:12:28.779 to love music, appreciate it, to start studying 00:12:28.779 --> 00:12:32.440 even the drums. I started playing drums in middle 00:12:32.440 --> 00:12:37.049 school. I was always very social, but... but 00:12:37.049 --> 00:12:42.649 always a bit shy as well. So I think that kind 00:12:42.649 --> 00:12:47.110 of sums up my personality during those very formative 00:12:47.110 --> 00:12:52.110 years. I was social, but shy. Very good at school, 00:12:52.149 --> 00:12:56.309 but needing to put in the work, which is great. 00:12:56.909 --> 00:13:01.399 Yes, putting the work is so important. Yes, you 00:13:01.399 --> 00:13:04.379 might be surrounded by students who don't need 00:13:04.379 --> 00:13:08.580 to put that much work into it, but you also might 00:13:08.580 --> 00:13:12.460 be surrounded by other ones who are just not 00:13:12.460 --> 00:13:15.399 telling you that they are putting the work in 00:13:15.399 --> 00:13:19.340 because you're not asking, because maybe they 00:13:19.340 --> 00:13:23.480 don't want to share that. So if you feel like 00:13:23.480 --> 00:13:26.039 sitting in class and actively listening does 00:13:26.039 --> 00:13:29.139 not bring you all the knowledge needed to succeed 00:13:29.139 --> 00:13:32.860 in class, Go for it. Study hard. Put the work 00:13:32.860 --> 00:13:37.759 in. Invest in yourself. Maya, I do have two questions 00:13:37.759 --> 00:13:40.820 on what you mentioned. Would you say that thanks 00:13:40.820 --> 00:13:44.259 to your parents' active involvement, you were 00:13:44.259 --> 00:13:47.240 able to chase those grades? Do you think that 00:13:47.240 --> 00:13:51.379 you would still have gone for those if they were 00:13:51.379 --> 00:13:56.460 not that involved? That's an excellent question. 00:13:57.480 --> 00:14:00.179 I think when someone invests on you and you can 00:14:00.179 --> 00:14:04.779 feel that investment and that expectation, you 00:14:04.779 --> 00:14:07.519 need a little bit of that. You need a little 00:14:07.519 --> 00:14:10.820 bit of that as well to understand that you can 00:14:10.820 --> 00:14:13.399 do more, that there is more that you can extract 00:14:13.399 --> 00:14:16.120 from yourself. Sometimes you don't have that 00:14:16.120 --> 00:14:19.019 visibility of how far we can go or how much we 00:14:19.019 --> 00:14:21.419 can give if you don't have someone believing 00:14:21.419 --> 00:14:24.259 on you and putting even a little bit of pressure. 00:14:26.350 --> 00:14:29.110 A certain amount of pressure is extremely healthy 00:14:29.110 --> 00:14:31.690 and as well a very valid way of demonstrating 00:14:31.690 --> 00:14:35.009 care and demonstrating love and belief on your 00:14:35.009 --> 00:14:37.870 potential. It has to be a healthy amount, though. 00:14:37.929 --> 00:14:41.230 If the pressure you're receiving is actually 00:14:41.230 --> 00:14:44.330 making you feel bad about yourself, consistently 00:14:44.330 --> 00:14:48.169 bad, and it's actually hurting your self -belief 00:14:48.169 --> 00:14:50.730 instead of lifting you up, then you also have 00:14:50.730 --> 00:14:54.730 to look for help and manifest that you're not. 00:14:55.299 --> 00:14:57.940 not necessarily feeling happy about the pressure 00:14:57.940 --> 00:15:01.600 you're receiving. I had that as well. When we 00:15:01.600 --> 00:15:03.759 talk later about the high school years, there 00:15:03.759 --> 00:15:06.159 was a moment where the pressure became unhealthy 00:15:06.159 --> 00:15:10.120 and I was privileged to be able to raise my hand 00:15:10.120 --> 00:15:13.960 and get support when that got unhealthy. So I 00:15:13.960 --> 00:15:16.580 think it's a balance. A little bit of pressure, 00:15:16.659 --> 00:15:19.779 certainly good. If the pressure is having a negative 00:15:19.779 --> 00:15:22.580 effect of how you feel about yourself, then this 00:15:22.580 --> 00:15:26.299 is where you have to raise your hand. Hi, parents. 00:15:26.580 --> 00:15:30.100 Hope you're taking note there. Try to find a 00:15:30.100 --> 00:15:33.360 balance between supporting and listening when 00:15:33.360 --> 00:15:36.879 it gets maybe too much. Okay, I do have my second 00:15:36.879 --> 00:15:41.059 question there. My question is on math. Do you 00:15:41.059 --> 00:15:45.580 know why you liked it? Ah, I do know why I liked 00:15:45.580 --> 00:15:51.039 it. At that point in time, I was fascinated by 00:15:51.039 --> 00:15:55.190 the fact that math was not about... so much about 00:15:55.190 --> 00:16:01.389 interpretation. The way you do the calculation, 00:16:01.570 --> 00:16:04.269 you will always get the same results. And you 00:16:04.269 --> 00:16:06.549 can learn different ways to make calculations 00:16:06.549 --> 00:16:08.590 in different methodologies. You could be more 00:16:08.590 --> 00:16:12.549 of a spatial mathematical mind, or you can be 00:16:12.549 --> 00:16:16.029 more about really making the counts using mathematical 00:16:16.029 --> 00:16:19.190 symbols. But the facts are the facts, and you're 00:16:19.190 --> 00:16:22.309 going to get to the same results. And back then, 00:16:22.429 --> 00:16:25.789 I would find comforting to have something that, 00:16:25.830 --> 00:16:29.409 regardless of how I was going to do the calculation, 00:16:29.610 --> 00:16:33.529 I was always going to get the same results. That's 00:16:33.529 --> 00:16:36.750 super insightful. That's true that math can have 00:16:36.750 --> 00:16:41.409 this kind of power to empower you. You know how 00:16:41.409 --> 00:16:44.429 native languages classes like Portuguese for 00:16:44.429 --> 00:16:47.929 my era and French for myself are trying to push 00:16:47.929 --> 00:16:51.679 you to dig into the writer's orders? Thinking 00:16:51.679 --> 00:16:55.299 process or, you know, the direction that they 00:16:55.299 --> 00:16:58.220 are trying to take and making you think about 00:16:58.220 --> 00:17:02.679 this. Well, math challenges you to think slightly 00:17:02.679 --> 00:17:06.599 differently. Actually, with math, there is only 00:17:06.599 --> 00:17:11.759 one right answer. No, you understood me 100%. 00:17:11.759 --> 00:17:15.720 I liked the logic. It's just logic. And then 00:17:15.720 --> 00:17:18.809 when you go to the native language classes. The 00:17:18.809 --> 00:17:22.809 way you analyze sentences or texts, that's not 00:17:22.809 --> 00:17:26.630 necessarily logic. There is some logic to it, 00:17:26.650 --> 00:17:29.369 of course, but completely random. As a kid, I 00:17:29.369 --> 00:17:32.809 used to find that frustrating. Absolutely. Well, 00:17:32.910 --> 00:17:35.589 this is great to know. And for you who are listening 00:17:35.589 --> 00:17:39.269 to us, it's okay to feel more comfortable in 00:17:39.269 --> 00:17:42.789 one rather than another. And it could also mean 00:17:42.789 --> 00:17:46.990 that it might not be for you now, but might come 00:17:46.990 --> 00:17:49.529 later. in your student life. So keep working 00:17:49.529 --> 00:17:53.250 hard on both, embracing your strength in one 00:17:53.250 --> 00:17:58.109 or another, or hopefully on both. But this leads 00:17:58.109 --> 00:18:00.670 me to my last question on your middle school 00:18:00.670 --> 00:18:04.470 years, Mayra. What advice did you receive when 00:18:04.470 --> 00:18:08.730 you were still there? I had a great story about 00:18:08.730 --> 00:18:13.400 this. It's the story of a vocational test. So 00:18:13.400 --> 00:18:16.400 a vocational test is something you take to try 00:18:16.400 --> 00:18:18.799 to help you figure out what you should do in 00:18:18.799 --> 00:18:22.980 college. And normally towards the end years of 00:18:22.980 --> 00:18:27.000 the middle school, you start already thinking 00:18:27.000 --> 00:18:30.740 and certainly getting the question from parents, 00:18:30.839 --> 00:18:33.640 from friends, if you have already figured out 00:18:33.640 --> 00:18:36.579 what you want to be when you grow up. So it starts 00:18:36.579 --> 00:18:40.710 that pressure about... going from your early 00:18:40.710 --> 00:18:42.789 daydreams, because normally when you're very 00:18:42.789 --> 00:18:45.190 young, you're like, oh, I want to be a firefighter 00:18:45.190 --> 00:18:48.289 or I want to be an astronaut. And getting it 00:18:48.289 --> 00:18:52.250 to a little bit more of a realistic answer, or 00:18:52.250 --> 00:18:55.190 at least the answer people expect from you of, 00:18:55.289 --> 00:18:58.950 I want to be an engineer or I want to be a doctor. 00:19:00.250 --> 00:19:03.089 And I was very fortunate to be studying in a 00:19:03.089 --> 00:19:08.569 school that offered a whole class that was called 00:19:09.650 --> 00:19:14.329 professional orientation. So the whole last year 00:19:14.329 --> 00:19:18.009 of my middle school, we got in touch with professionals 00:19:18.009 --> 00:19:24.390 of different areas. So we had engineers or lawyers 00:19:24.390 --> 00:19:28.910 coming to the school to tell us about their professions, 00:19:29.210 --> 00:19:32.329 how they would spend their days, what was a typical 00:19:32.329 --> 00:19:34.809 day for someone with their profession, what were 00:19:34.809 --> 00:19:37.359 the career possibilities. That was extremely 00:19:37.359 --> 00:19:40.359 rich. It was really, really rich. I had the chance 00:19:40.359 --> 00:19:44.299 to discover professions that I might not necessarily 00:19:44.299 --> 00:19:47.279 thought about because no one from my family had 00:19:47.279 --> 00:19:50.819 those professions and explore what they couldn't. 00:19:51.160 --> 00:19:54.000 And the very end of this one year of discovery 00:19:54.000 --> 00:19:59.680 was this famous vocational path. So going back 00:19:59.680 --> 00:20:03.039 to what I told you about little Mayara, little 00:20:03.039 --> 00:20:07.400 Mayara loved logic. So the prospect of having 00:20:07.400 --> 00:20:10.220 a test that I was going to answer some questions 00:20:10.220 --> 00:20:13.099 and the test was going to tell me what was going 00:20:13.099 --> 00:20:16.140 to be my profession of the future was awesome. 00:20:16.220 --> 00:20:20.019 I said, wow, I found the thing for me. Suddenly, 00:20:20.140 --> 00:20:22.059 I don't need to think about what I want. This 00:20:22.059 --> 00:20:25.579 test is going to tell me. So I took the test 00:20:25.579 --> 00:20:29.119 and it was the very last day of school that they 00:20:29.119 --> 00:20:33.279 were giving the test results back. And in Brazil... 00:20:33.470 --> 00:20:37.450 Normally, you follow the order of your name, 00:20:37.589 --> 00:20:39.869 not your family name, but really your name. And 00:20:39.869 --> 00:20:43.609 since Mayara is my name in alphabetical order, 00:20:43.829 --> 00:20:46.990 I'm quite in the end of receiving the results. 00:20:47.250 --> 00:20:50.769 So I started seeing my friends opening up their 00:20:50.769 --> 00:20:54.369 results and sharing what was written there. So 00:20:54.369 --> 00:20:57.390 suddenly someone will say, wow, veterinarian, 00:20:57.390 --> 00:21:00.880 that's so cool. And then... Another person opening 00:21:00.880 --> 00:21:03.839 up and saying, oh, teacher. Wow, I haven't thought 00:21:03.839 --> 00:21:07.039 about being a teacher. That's so cool. So there 00:21:07.039 --> 00:21:11.460 was this build up of expectations that when I 00:21:11.460 --> 00:21:14.160 got my results, despite the fact that the results 00:21:14.160 --> 00:21:16.700 was supposed to be a little book describing about 00:21:16.700 --> 00:21:20.000 preferences, I went straight to the last page 00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:22.599 because the last page was the one that was supposed 00:21:22.599 --> 00:21:25.720 to give me the answer of what was going to be 00:21:25.720 --> 00:21:29.750 my profession of the future. And for my surprise, 00:21:29.970 --> 00:21:36.009 it was written inconclusive. And I was so shocked. 00:21:36.170 --> 00:21:40.890 I was very shocked. And my message from that 00:21:40.890 --> 00:21:46.210 inconclusive was, wow, maybe I'm not good enough 00:21:46.210 --> 00:21:49.750 for anything. So the test couldn't find something 00:21:49.750 --> 00:21:51.950 that I'm good enough to be, and therefore it's 00:21:51.950 --> 00:21:54.990 showing back as inconclusive. I was so ashamed 00:21:54.990 --> 00:21:59.789 that I closed the... The test, I shoved it in 00:21:59.789 --> 00:22:03.569 my backpack and I started to change the subject 00:22:03.569 --> 00:22:05.750 a little bit with my friends so that I wouldn't 00:22:05.750 --> 00:22:09.109 tell them that I got this inconclusive. And when 00:22:09.109 --> 00:22:11.430 the class was over, everyone started leaving 00:22:11.430 --> 00:22:14.970 and I went to see the teacher. I said, listen, 00:22:15.049 --> 00:22:17.609 I got an inconclusive and I don't want to deal 00:22:17.609 --> 00:22:22.569 with this. And this was a very formative moment 00:22:22.569 --> 00:22:25.710 for me because that teacher took the time to 00:22:25.710 --> 00:22:28.829 sit down with me. And to explain that result 00:22:28.829 --> 00:22:32.630 to me, she opened up, there was a table in that 00:22:32.630 --> 00:22:37.150 test showing my preferences between sciences, 00:22:37.269 --> 00:22:43.410 human areas, such as geography or history, and 00:22:43.410 --> 00:22:47.210 then more inclinations toward health sciences. 00:22:47.569 --> 00:22:51.890 And she showed me that the bars of that chart, 00:22:52.049 --> 00:22:55.119 they were more or less in the same level. Meaning 00:22:55.119 --> 00:22:58.000 that there was not an area that was showing up 00:22:58.000 --> 00:23:02.940 very clearly as a preference. And then she said, 00:23:03.059 --> 00:23:06.440 the interpretation you're making of those results, 00:23:06.599 --> 00:23:09.640 that is, that you're not good for anything, is 00:23:09.640 --> 00:23:12.680 actually the other way around. You can be whatever 00:23:12.680 --> 00:23:19.440 you want. You have such a diversified... array 00:23:19.440 --> 00:23:24.599 of passions and interests that you really can 00:23:24.599 --> 00:23:28.400 be whatever you want. And so she helped convert 00:23:28.400 --> 00:23:31.460 a message that for me was a limiting and sad 00:23:31.460 --> 00:23:36.720 message into a message of empowerment and discovering 00:23:36.720 --> 00:23:39.900 that I had a superpower and the superpower was 00:23:39.900 --> 00:23:43.480 this flexibility of being able to become whatever 00:23:43.480 --> 00:23:49.380 I wanted. You can be whatever you want. Excuse 00:23:49.380 --> 00:23:53.359 me? This is such a powerful sentence to hear 00:23:53.359 --> 00:23:59.279 for a teenager. Teachers. Yes, teachers who are 00:23:59.279 --> 00:24:03.019 like her, please be louder in classrooms. Please, 00:24:03.019 --> 00:24:06.059 please, please be louder in classrooms. And every 00:24:06.059 --> 00:24:10.799 single teenager who is listening to us needs 00:24:10.799 --> 00:24:16.460 to hear that. Mayela, this is so powerful. I'm 00:24:16.460 --> 00:24:19.009 so glad you got it. You got a teacher like her. 00:24:19.109 --> 00:24:24.009 This is incredible. And you know what? What strikes 00:24:24.009 --> 00:24:26.849 me as well, and I want to go back to this exact 00:24:26.849 --> 00:24:31.410 story, is that you had this information. You 00:24:31.410 --> 00:24:33.569 decided to hide it from your classmates, which 00:24:33.569 --> 00:24:38.329 is absolutely fair. But I loved how you went 00:24:38.329 --> 00:24:43.930 to your teacher and tried to understand it. I 00:24:43.930 --> 00:24:46.250 do understand why you did that because it highlights 00:24:46.250 --> 00:24:49.589 your curiosity and by trying to understand what 00:24:49.589 --> 00:24:52.289 was happening to you, even if you were facing 00:24:52.289 --> 00:24:56.470 the shame that you were mentioning. But you try 00:24:56.470 --> 00:25:01.609 to lift the ambiguity instead of spiraling. And 00:25:01.609 --> 00:25:05.450 there is a great takeaway from this. If you, 00:25:05.529 --> 00:25:11.269 yes you, you who are listening to us now, if 00:25:11.269 --> 00:25:14.450 you are facing a challenge, don't shut down. 00:25:14.910 --> 00:25:19.230 Try to understand it. And if the teacher in the 00:25:19.230 --> 00:25:23.789 classroom is not helping you, try your best to 00:25:23.789 --> 00:25:27.490 find another person who you can trust to help 00:25:27.490 --> 00:25:32.250 you make a situation clearer and try to reflect 00:25:32.250 --> 00:25:36.829 on it. Absolutely, absolutely. I think one thing 00:25:36.829 --> 00:25:39.769 that made a ton of difference in all the different 00:25:39.769 --> 00:25:44.119 stages of my life was to have... These little 00:25:44.119 --> 00:25:48.039 pockets of advisors, of adults that I really 00:25:48.039 --> 00:25:52.259 trusted and that, above all, I knew that they 00:25:52.259 --> 00:25:56.059 had my best interest in mind. And whatever they 00:25:56.059 --> 00:25:58.940 were going to tell me was going to be something 00:25:58.940 --> 00:26:02.519 to help me and support me. I always identified 00:26:02.519 --> 00:26:05.559 those key teachers that we feel a sense of connection 00:26:05.559 --> 00:26:08.319 with, even if they are teachers from previous... 00:26:08.640 --> 00:26:11.660 grades that you have the ability to keep contact 00:26:11.660 --> 00:26:16.140 with them. My parents also had friends that were 00:26:16.140 --> 00:26:19.559 also teachers and I used to be very close to 00:26:19.559 --> 00:26:23.059 some of them where I could ask as well some questions 00:26:23.059 --> 00:26:28.059 and some advices. You always have as well this 00:26:28.059 --> 00:26:30.900 person in your family, be it your parents or 00:26:30.900 --> 00:26:34.799 an aunt or an uncle that you're a bit closer 00:26:34.799 --> 00:26:37.740 to that you can also... be part of this circle 00:26:37.740 --> 00:26:40.940 of advisors that you can ask those questions. 00:26:41.500 --> 00:26:48.960 I always processed my doubts or my fears by speaking. 00:26:49.079 --> 00:26:53.059 Not everybody processes the same way, but for 00:26:53.059 --> 00:26:58.420 the ones that have a little bit more of an extrovert 00:26:58.420 --> 00:27:02.269 personality and therefore like to speak. Having 00:27:02.269 --> 00:27:04.829 this trusted circle of advisors that you can 00:27:04.829 --> 00:27:08.809 manifest what you think can be so crazily powerful. 00:27:09.130 --> 00:27:11.970 It's also powerful for the introverts, but then 00:27:11.970 --> 00:27:15.109 there's the barrier of having to trust probably 00:27:15.109 --> 00:27:19.329 even more to be able to open up and explain how 00:27:19.329 --> 00:27:21.470 you're feeling and what are the doubts that are 00:27:21.470 --> 00:27:23.690 maybe crippling in your head. But you said something 00:27:23.690 --> 00:27:26.809 that I want to emphasize. The most important 00:27:26.809 --> 00:27:31.109 thing of it all is... Do not just shut down about 00:27:31.109 --> 00:27:34.509 it and keep it for yourself because then you 00:27:34.509 --> 00:27:38.390 are losing an opportunity to reflect and to learn 00:27:38.390 --> 00:27:42.609 from any experience you're going through. So 00:27:42.609 --> 00:27:45.930 you need to remember three things. Ask questions, 00:27:46.130 --> 00:27:50.150 lead by curiosity, and we are all doing this 00:27:50.150 --> 00:27:53.650 for the first time. So asking the questions will 00:27:53.650 --> 00:27:58.140 only bring you at least some clarity. And if 00:27:58.140 --> 00:28:01.720 you don't have those trusted advisors, we hope 00:28:01.720 --> 00:28:04.400 that you can find comfort within this podcast 00:28:04.400 --> 00:28:07.900 and within those episodes where we will try to 00:28:07.900 --> 00:28:11.380 deep dive into those questions. And you will 00:28:11.380 --> 00:28:14.359 realize that growing up, everyone is lost. Everyone 00:28:14.359 --> 00:28:19.000 is asking questions. Now moving into the next 00:28:19.000 --> 00:28:21.660 part of your life, Mayra, which is high school. 00:28:21.920 --> 00:28:24.880 What type of student were you? What were your 00:28:24.880 --> 00:28:28.119 habits, passions, interests? And were you still 00:28:28.119 --> 00:28:31.000 interested in math? Were you still driven towards 00:28:31.000 --> 00:28:36.180 it? Well, high school was, it's such an important 00:28:36.180 --> 00:28:39.880 moment of life. And I say that for myself, but 00:28:39.880 --> 00:28:42.519 I guess for most people around, it's a moment 00:28:42.519 --> 00:28:45.500 that you're figuring out so much about yourself. 00:28:46.019 --> 00:28:49.279 And it was totally the case for me. It was a 00:28:49.279 --> 00:28:52.279 moment of a lot of reflection, a lot of maturing. 00:28:52.990 --> 00:28:55.309 a lot of experimentation as well to figure out 00:28:55.309 --> 00:28:57.809 things that I liked and things that I not necessarily 00:28:57.809 --> 00:29:04.029 liked. And one interesting thing is that conclusion 00:29:04.029 --> 00:29:07.690 that I had on the last year of middle school, 00:29:07.769 --> 00:29:13.349 which was maybe I have a broader range of interests 00:29:13.349 --> 00:29:16.190 than I initially thought, really manifested itself 00:29:16.190 --> 00:29:19.069 in high school. Because in high school, my interests 00:29:19.069 --> 00:29:23.730 for the subjects changed. And suddenly I fell 00:29:23.730 --> 00:29:26.849 in love with politics, which is a part of geography, 00:29:27.109 --> 00:29:32.930 and literature. So I didn't like the Portuguese 00:29:32.930 --> 00:29:36.190 classes when I was in middle school. But then 00:29:36.190 --> 00:29:38.809 suddenly when I got to high school, I had a fantastic 00:29:38.809 --> 00:29:42.130 literature teacher that helped me fall in love 00:29:42.130 --> 00:29:46.750 with books and stories and narratives and the 00:29:46.750 --> 00:29:50.150 interpretations those could have. And at the 00:29:50.150 --> 00:29:53.269 same time... I started to struggle with physics, 00:29:53.509 --> 00:29:57.769 which one can say is close to math, right? And 00:29:57.769 --> 00:29:59.990 close to that logic that I used to love when 00:29:59.990 --> 00:30:04.490 I was a bit younger. So the balance between those 00:30:04.490 --> 00:30:08.789 STEAM subjects, so those subjects that are connected 00:30:08.789 --> 00:30:12.369 to math, to technology, to logic, I started to 00:30:12.369 --> 00:30:14.549 struggle on those. And the humanities that I 00:30:14.549 --> 00:30:17.329 used to struggle in the past, I started to fall 00:30:17.329 --> 00:30:21.859 in love with. So it was... First, very confusing 00:30:21.859 --> 00:30:24.319 for me. It was like, what happened to me? Did 00:30:24.319 --> 00:30:28.180 the part of me broke? That used to perform very 00:30:28.180 --> 00:30:34.039 well in those more straightforward or logic subjects. 00:30:34.839 --> 00:30:38.980 But it was just the beginning of a pattern that 00:30:38.980 --> 00:30:41.339 then I would see for my whole life, which is 00:30:41.339 --> 00:30:45.539 my interests and my passions would fluctuate 00:30:45.539 --> 00:30:49.150 depending on... The people that were around me, 00:30:49.210 --> 00:30:52.910 the context, the moment I was leaving. So different 00:30:52.910 --> 00:30:56.190 areas of my personality and different interests 00:30:56.190 --> 00:31:02.289 would surface as a reaction of my own maturing 00:31:02.289 --> 00:31:05.549 path and as well the people around me. Every 00:31:05.549 --> 00:31:09.289 time there was an awesome teacher, super passionate 00:31:09.289 --> 00:31:12.890 about the subject, I would get the tendency to 00:31:12.890 --> 00:31:15.630 fall in love for the subject too and suddenly 00:31:15.630 --> 00:31:19.390 find myself. liking it more than I did before. 00:31:19.589 --> 00:31:23.509 So I was very lucky to have had several of those 00:31:23.509 --> 00:31:26.650 very passionate teachers that would love the 00:31:26.650 --> 00:31:29.829 subject, but would also love teaching and know 00:31:29.829 --> 00:31:33.509 how to reach out to me and to make me understand 00:31:33.509 --> 00:31:37.509 how cool that subject could be. And I allowed 00:31:37.509 --> 00:31:40.609 myself to as well pursue them that passion to 00:31:40.609 --> 00:31:44.079 say, if this person loves it so much. There's 00:31:44.079 --> 00:31:46.220 something there maybe. Let me see what is in 00:31:46.220 --> 00:31:51.640 there for me. And to explore those areas. I continued 00:31:51.640 --> 00:31:56.240 being a super applied student. I was preparing 00:31:56.240 --> 00:31:59.619 myself for university. So, for example, there 00:31:59.619 --> 00:32:02.680 was one year, the last year of high school, that 00:32:02.680 --> 00:32:06.259 I was really having a crazy schedule. I was doing 00:32:06.259 --> 00:32:08.559 the normal high school classes in the morning. 00:32:09.440 --> 00:32:13.160 In the afternoon, I was doing a prep. preparatory 00:32:13.160 --> 00:32:18.220 course for university. And in the evenings, I 00:32:18.220 --> 00:32:22.240 was taking additional classes to boost some areas 00:32:22.240 --> 00:32:26.460 that I wasn't performing as good as I could to 00:32:26.460 --> 00:32:30.779 really be competitive for the university entry 00:32:30.779 --> 00:32:34.779 of university exams. So it was a very insane 00:32:34.779 --> 00:32:38.240 year. And that was the moment that I refer earlier 00:32:38.240 --> 00:32:41.680 when we were talking that The pressure of this 00:32:41.680 --> 00:32:44.119 very tight schedule, plus the pressure that I 00:32:44.119 --> 00:32:47.880 would constantly receive from my parents. My 00:32:47.880 --> 00:32:52.119 parents, in Brazil, the grades go from 0 to 10. 00:32:52.259 --> 00:32:53.940 Each country has a little bit of a different 00:32:53.940 --> 00:32:56.119 way of looking at grades. In Brazil, it's from 00:32:56.119 --> 00:33:00.619 0 to 10. If I would get home with a 9, it wasn't 00:33:00.619 --> 00:33:04.900 a reason for celebration. And for the first time 00:33:04.900 --> 00:33:10.990 in my life, I felt the... weight of that. Suddenly 00:33:10.990 --> 00:33:14.950 that pressure was not only giving me the good 00:33:14.950 --> 00:33:19.430 energy of putting myself into it, but I was also 00:33:19.430 --> 00:33:23.069 having the negative effects of not sleeping, 00:33:23.210 --> 00:33:27.029 feeling nervous about it, not being able to celebrate 00:33:27.029 --> 00:33:30.369 the accomplishments that I was doing on the path. 00:33:30.549 --> 00:33:34.309 And I had the chance to raise my hand and ask 00:33:34.309 --> 00:33:38.619 for help. My parents wouldn't understand what 00:33:38.619 --> 00:33:41.859 was wrong and why I was suffering. But they gave 00:33:41.859 --> 00:33:44.799 me the opportunity to go see a psychologist back 00:33:44.799 --> 00:33:48.640 then. And that was a very transformative experience 00:33:48.640 --> 00:33:53.000 to be able to talk with someone. I could find 00:33:53.000 --> 00:33:55.980 a psychologist that I really trusted and I really 00:33:55.980 --> 00:34:00.019 admired. So I could open myself to her. And she 00:34:00.019 --> 00:34:02.720 helped me navigate that environment. She helped 00:34:02.720 --> 00:34:07.259 me understand my self -worth, my... why I was 00:34:07.259 --> 00:34:10.659 feeling pressured. And she taught me very clever 00:34:10.659 --> 00:34:15.880 mechanisms of how to have those conversations 00:34:15.880 --> 00:34:18.579 with my parents, for example, about how I was 00:34:18.579 --> 00:34:23.719 feeling and how they could help me feeling better. 00:34:24.039 --> 00:34:27.940 And it was very good. It's something that if 00:34:27.940 --> 00:34:31.900 you feel you're going through a situation that 00:34:31.900 --> 00:34:35.070 you don't know how to unlock, You have talked 00:34:35.070 --> 00:34:37.170 to distrusted people that you have around you, 00:34:37.250 --> 00:34:40.489 but you couldn't necessarily get the best advice 00:34:40.489 --> 00:34:44.670 yet to unlock how you feel. Looking for professional 00:34:44.670 --> 00:34:49.690 support is a great idea. Honestly, I wish everyone 00:34:49.690 --> 00:34:52.650 would go through the support of a psychologist 00:34:52.650 --> 00:34:55.909 at some point in their lives, because it's really 00:34:55.909 --> 00:34:59.500 about making you much, much stronger. to face 00:34:59.500 --> 00:35:03.440 any challenges or headwinds you have in your 00:35:03.440 --> 00:35:08.460 life. And well, to finish up, I continue being 00:35:08.460 --> 00:35:11.400 very social, but I also learned how to embrace 00:35:11.400 --> 00:35:14.320 the fact that I was nerd. Because when I was 00:35:14.320 --> 00:35:17.280 younger, I was a little bit shy about the fact 00:35:17.280 --> 00:35:20.260 that I was a bookworm, that I loved books and 00:35:20.260 --> 00:35:23.460 that I loved learning. Because that were not 00:35:23.460 --> 00:35:26.340 the characteristics that made people very popular. 00:35:27.050 --> 00:35:29.449 But during high school, I also learned to earn 00:35:29.449 --> 00:35:32.210 this and to find it very cool that I was a nerd 00:35:32.210 --> 00:35:36.650 and to see the beauty on it. And it was nice. 00:35:36.769 --> 00:35:40.610 It was nice. Today, I'm a very proud nerd. And 00:35:40.610 --> 00:35:45.570 that made me a happier person, for sure. Thank 00:35:45.570 --> 00:35:49.110 you, Mara, for being so open. And this is very 00:35:49.110 --> 00:35:52.309 interesting. There are so many takeaways from 00:35:52.309 --> 00:35:57.840 what you just shared. Some teachers will be able 00:35:57.840 --> 00:36:00.860 to transmit the passion they have for the subject 00:36:00.860 --> 00:36:05.519 they are teaching. Others won't. But don't forget 00:36:05.519 --> 00:36:10.519 one thing. Your commitment to each class is needed 00:36:10.519 --> 00:36:14.960 regardless of how they deliver it. I do hope 00:36:14.960 --> 00:36:17.179 you get as lucky as Mayara to get teachers who 00:36:17.179 --> 00:36:20.280 are just bringing this fascination towards the 00:36:20.280 --> 00:36:22.960 subject. But if you don't, you will have to hang 00:36:22.960 --> 00:36:25.940 in there. you will soon be able to determine 00:36:25.940 --> 00:36:30.800 what you like doing more. But to manage to do 00:36:30.800 --> 00:36:35.159 that, you have to sit down and understand the 00:36:35.159 --> 00:36:39.559 class and where it wants to take you. Completely 00:36:39.559 --> 00:36:42.559 agree. And I can give a real example for myself. 00:36:43.760 --> 00:36:47.900 I had that case with history. History is a subject 00:36:47.900 --> 00:36:51.300 that during middle school and high school, I 00:36:51.300 --> 00:36:54.110 never necessarily found. a teacher that made 00:36:54.110 --> 00:36:56.570 me fall in love for it. So I went through the 00:36:56.570 --> 00:37:00.489 class a little bit without so much care. But 00:37:00.489 --> 00:37:03.210 after I finished the studies, eventually that 00:37:03.210 --> 00:37:06.230 passion came. And today I find myself as someone 00:37:06.230 --> 00:37:11.690 that loves history and honestly regrets not having 00:37:11.690 --> 00:37:16.469 had put more efforts into that subject when I 00:37:16.469 --> 00:37:19.670 wasn't in school. Because today I can see how... 00:37:20.369 --> 00:37:24.710 great it is and how interesting it is. So completely 00:37:24.710 --> 00:37:27.969 agree with your point. Every single subject has 00:37:27.969 --> 00:37:31.570 a reason to be. They were chosen to be put in 00:37:31.570 --> 00:37:35.230 front of us to help us experiment what are all 00:37:35.230 --> 00:37:38.050 the possibilities of knowledge that the world 00:37:38.050 --> 00:37:43.210 has in front of us. And so there is value and 00:37:43.210 --> 00:37:45.909 there is potential into exploring each one of 00:37:45.909 --> 00:37:50.840 those. So do hang on. It's going to get better. 00:37:51.960 --> 00:37:54.760 And Mayra, to go back to what you shared earlier, 00:37:55.039 --> 00:37:59.260 it was an intense schedule. And yes, calling 00:37:59.260 --> 00:38:02.119 for help is crucial. Your studies are going to 00:38:02.119 --> 00:38:06.500 be so long. And it's a whole marathon. It's not 00:38:06.500 --> 00:38:10.340 a race. If you don't ask for support now, you 00:38:10.340 --> 00:38:13.460 might burn out. And burning out might be a concept 00:38:13.460 --> 00:38:17.250 which is not close to home now. But it's the 00:38:17.250 --> 00:38:19.469 idea that you're taking, you're taking, you're 00:38:19.469 --> 00:38:24.170 taking, that at some point, drowning, if you 00:38:24.170 --> 00:38:27.750 reach that point where you cannot handle working 00:38:27.750 --> 00:38:31.170 for even an hour because how exhausted you are, 00:38:31.250 --> 00:38:34.269 it's okay to feel overwhelmed and trying to find 00:38:34.269 --> 00:38:37.090 a better way to continue being dedicated and 00:38:37.090 --> 00:38:42.349 finding a better approach. Yeah, totally. And 00:38:42.349 --> 00:38:45.449 no one can really know what you're feeling. about 00:38:45.449 --> 00:38:49.090 things. Only you know what you're feeling. Only 00:38:49.090 --> 00:38:52.590 you know what you're going through. So sometimes 00:38:52.590 --> 00:38:56.510 people around you will realize that you're going 00:38:56.510 --> 00:38:58.409 through something and you're suffering and they 00:38:58.409 --> 00:39:01.090 will proactively reach out to you offering help. 00:39:01.269 --> 00:39:04.050 But sometimes this will not happen because they 00:39:04.050 --> 00:39:07.909 have no idea how are you really feeling and how 00:39:07.909 --> 00:39:12.510 bad the situation really is. So there is a moment 00:39:12.510 --> 00:39:14.510 where you have to take the responsibility to 00:39:14.510 --> 00:39:17.230 inform people that you're not well, because they 00:39:17.230 --> 00:39:19.989 might not notice, not because they don't care 00:39:19.989 --> 00:39:22.829 about you, but because really no one really knows 00:39:22.829 --> 00:39:26.010 how you feel about things. And that was exactly 00:39:26.010 --> 00:39:28.690 the case. I was lucky enough to have parents 00:39:28.690 --> 00:39:32.409 that really loved me, but they had no idea that 00:39:32.409 --> 00:39:34.969 I was not coping well with the pressure they 00:39:34.969 --> 00:39:42.099 were putting on me. So I think... And one other 00:39:42.099 --> 00:39:44.980 message, I think sometimes we think it's about 00:39:44.980 --> 00:39:48.280 not being able to cope it by myself. I don't 00:39:48.280 --> 00:39:53.139 see it that way at all. Everyone said how brave 00:39:53.139 --> 00:39:55.840 I was being of raising my hand and asking for 00:39:55.840 --> 00:39:59.019 help. And I saw how much that's made a difference, 00:39:59.079 --> 00:40:02.099 not only in that particular moment of my life, 00:40:02.179 --> 00:40:05.019 but how much I really learned how to be stronger 00:40:05.019 --> 00:40:09.239 in general and had a long lasting effect of that 00:40:09.239 --> 00:40:13.860 support. So I honestly couldn't recommend more 00:40:13.860 --> 00:40:17.639 for you to raise your hand and be transparent 00:40:17.639 --> 00:40:22.539 with how you're going through things. Thank you 00:40:22.539 --> 00:40:25.599 so much, Mayra. And by any chance, do you remember 00:40:25.599 --> 00:40:29.280 any of the mechanisms you can use to have this 00:40:29.280 --> 00:40:32.960 conversation with your parents? Yes, definitely. 00:40:33.019 --> 00:40:38.989 I remember tons of them. I remember... And that 00:40:38.989 --> 00:40:42.150 moment of high school is also a moment that you 00:40:42.150 --> 00:40:44.909 are starting to experiment with a little bit 00:40:44.909 --> 00:40:49.730 more of freedom. You're being able to move around 00:40:49.730 --> 00:40:51.949 the city maybe a little bit more than you were 00:40:51.949 --> 00:40:55.110 before or arrive home a little bit later. So 00:40:55.110 --> 00:40:58.210 you start testing as well those limits with your 00:40:58.210 --> 00:41:01.969 parents. And one great advice that I got from 00:41:01.969 --> 00:41:05.820 my psychologist back then was she told me. You 00:41:05.820 --> 00:41:08.920 are their only child and therefore every step 00:41:08.920 --> 00:41:11.599 you're going through with your life is the first 00:41:11.599 --> 00:41:14.619 time they're dealing with it too. They're also 00:41:14.619 --> 00:41:18.900 learning how to be parents. There's not a book 00:41:18.900 --> 00:41:21.280 on how to be a great parent. So they're also 00:41:21.280 --> 00:41:24.019 experimenting with you as much you're experimenting 00:41:24.019 --> 00:41:26.840 with them. So they also don't know how to do 00:41:26.840 --> 00:41:31.179 most of their tasks. So try to understand what 00:41:31.179 --> 00:41:35.889 is their rationale behind some things. At that 00:41:35.889 --> 00:41:38.030 point in time in my life, I was very frustrated 00:41:38.030 --> 00:41:40.690 with all the no's I was hearing from my parents. 00:41:40.909 --> 00:41:43.889 No, you can't go to that party or you can't go 00:41:43.889 --> 00:41:49.750 to that trip. And I was just going to get frustrated 00:41:49.750 --> 00:41:52.309 and shut down and not want to discuss and to 00:41:52.309 --> 00:41:56.050 talk to them. And my psychologist told me, try 00:41:56.050 --> 00:42:00.469 to understand what is the real concern by telling 00:42:00.469 --> 00:42:03.710 you no. So instead of shutting down, ask questions. 00:42:05.639 --> 00:42:09.119 So I started asking them, what are you worried 00:42:09.119 --> 00:42:11.679 about? Because if you're telling me not to go 00:42:11.679 --> 00:42:14.860 on that trip, it's because you're probably worried 00:42:14.860 --> 00:42:16.679 about something. Because I'm pretty sure you're 00:42:16.679 --> 00:42:19.840 trying to protect me with that decision. So as 00:42:19.840 --> 00:42:22.360 well, trusting the good intention was also one 00:42:22.360 --> 00:42:25.079 advice she gave me. Trust there is good intention 00:42:25.079 --> 00:42:27.679 on those decisions. So I said, I trust there 00:42:27.679 --> 00:42:29.840 is a good intention on why you're not letting 00:42:29.840 --> 00:42:32.519 me go. Can you help me understand what it is 00:42:32.519 --> 00:42:34.880 and what are you afraid of? And depending on 00:42:34.880 --> 00:42:39.019 what was the concern, I couldn't cover concerns 00:42:39.019 --> 00:42:41.719 from my parents that I had no idea they had. 00:42:41.920 --> 00:42:44.940 And I could as well help reassure them that those 00:42:44.940 --> 00:42:48.539 concerns were not going to be real. So there 00:42:48.539 --> 00:42:52.480 was a moment, for example, where they said, the 00:42:52.480 --> 00:42:54.840 place you want to go, this beach you want to 00:42:54.840 --> 00:42:57.360 go with your friends, is a place where we know 00:42:57.360 --> 00:43:01.360 there is a lot of drug abuse. So we don't want 00:43:01.360 --> 00:43:05.960 you being there. And then I asked, are you guys 00:43:05.960 --> 00:43:09.079 worried that I am going to do drugs or are you 00:43:09.079 --> 00:43:12.500 guys worried that the place itself is unsafe 00:43:12.500 --> 00:43:15.079 because there are people there that use drugs? 00:43:15.860 --> 00:43:19.900 And they said, well, we trust you that you're 00:43:19.900 --> 00:43:22.059 not going to do drugs, but we don't trust the 00:43:22.059 --> 00:43:24.559 others. So there is the safety of the place. 00:43:25.199 --> 00:43:29.199 And then I answered back saying. If we were not 00:43:29.199 --> 00:43:31.380 going to this particular beach, if we looked 00:43:31.380 --> 00:43:33.900 for another beach, would then this be an option? 00:43:34.219 --> 00:43:36.300 And they said, yes, that would be an option. 00:43:36.619 --> 00:43:39.780 So you saw, because I could ask those questions 00:43:39.780 --> 00:43:42.559 and understand a little bit more, trusting the 00:43:42.559 --> 00:43:45.320 good intention, what they were trying to protect 00:43:45.320 --> 00:43:48.679 me from, I was much better positioned to negotiate 00:43:48.679 --> 00:43:51.559 with them how I could then unlock that situation 00:43:51.559 --> 00:43:54.840 and transform that negative answer eventually 00:43:54.840 --> 00:43:58.139 to a positive answer. It didn't work all the 00:43:58.139 --> 00:44:01.159 time. Let me put it out there. Sometimes the 00:44:01.159 --> 00:44:04.480 no continued being a no. But I got some yeses 00:44:04.480 --> 00:44:08.780 out of it. And it also provided me with a better 00:44:08.780 --> 00:44:12.119 understanding that I never had of what were the 00:44:12.119 --> 00:44:16.159 concerns and the worries my parents had about 00:44:16.159 --> 00:44:22.000 me. Good intention. It's not you against them. 00:44:22.440 --> 00:44:24.500 They are trying their best to understand the 00:44:24.500 --> 00:44:27.679 situation and to protect you from potential harm. 00:44:27.780 --> 00:44:31.360 And it might be difficult to understand it at 00:44:31.360 --> 00:44:35.039 first. It might not be phrased in a way that 00:44:35.039 --> 00:44:37.280 you understand it as being for your best interest. 00:44:37.639 --> 00:44:41.119 But try to think about where they're coming from 00:44:41.119 --> 00:44:44.500 with their guidance and interdictions. And as 00:44:44.500 --> 00:44:46.679 well, this fact of they are also potentially 00:44:46.679 --> 00:44:50.820 learning how to be parents. So if you see that 00:44:50.820 --> 00:44:53.500 they have done something, that was very unfair 00:44:53.500 --> 00:44:57.599 and that tended not to be the right choice in 00:44:57.599 --> 00:44:59.719 your perspective, that they made a choice that 00:44:59.719 --> 00:45:04.219 was not the best. Well, you know, it's tough. 00:45:04.360 --> 00:45:06.599 They make mistakes as well. They are also humans. 00:45:06.719 --> 00:45:10.260 So learning how to see your parents through these 00:45:10.260 --> 00:45:12.860 more generous lenses of the fact that they are 00:45:12.860 --> 00:45:15.139 also human, they are also learning, and sometimes 00:45:15.139 --> 00:45:17.559 they make mistakes, can also be very helpful. 00:45:18.820 --> 00:45:22.239 Agreed. I do have a last question on your high 00:45:22.239 --> 00:45:25.659 school years, Mayra. Were you taking any classes 00:45:25.659 --> 00:45:28.639 outside of regular classes and which rather? 00:45:29.760 --> 00:45:33.519 Yes, I do remember. There were one on physics 00:45:33.519 --> 00:45:35.840 because that's the subject that suddenly high 00:45:35.840 --> 00:45:38.800 school is not doing so well. And the other one 00:45:38.800 --> 00:45:45.280 was on how to write texts because one very important 00:45:45.280 --> 00:45:49.369 part of the uni exams. was to be able to produce 00:45:49.369 --> 00:45:55.349 reports and produce narratives. And they were 00:45:55.349 --> 00:45:58.230 so very different, right? Between physics and 00:45:58.230 --> 00:46:01.090 between learning how to write and to storytell, 00:46:01.190 --> 00:46:04.849 those are very different subjects. Two great 00:46:04.849 --> 00:46:08.070 teachers that I remember and hold dear to these 00:46:08.070 --> 00:46:12.550 days, still have contact with them. And I ended 00:46:12.550 --> 00:46:16.880 up in different parts. With physics... Let's 00:46:16.880 --> 00:46:20.900 say I learned to aim it. I learned I'm not a 00:46:20.900 --> 00:46:24.139 great physicist today. If you give me one of 00:46:24.139 --> 00:46:26.739 those problems that I would solve in high school 00:46:26.739 --> 00:46:29.559 for the exams today, I would probably not be 00:46:29.559 --> 00:46:33.760 able to do it. So I got better in a circumstantial 00:46:33.760 --> 00:46:36.840 level to be able to address the need I had in 00:46:36.840 --> 00:46:40.500 that moment. But it's not something that I became 00:46:40.500 --> 00:46:44.400 particularly good at. For learning how to write, 00:46:44.679 --> 00:46:47.920 it's a completely different story. I found by 00:46:47.920 --> 00:46:53.559 doing those classes a lifelong passion. So today 00:46:53.559 --> 00:46:57.239 I love to write. I don't necessarily write novels, 00:46:57.300 --> 00:47:01.260 but I love to write it for myself. I write a 00:47:01.260 --> 00:47:03.860 lot in LinkedIn, for example, which is a social 00:47:03.860 --> 00:47:07.480 media, a professional social media. Articulate 00:47:07.480 --> 00:47:10.780 my ideas and my thoughts into stories. And to 00:47:10.780 --> 00:47:13.440 narratives is something that I got better for 00:47:13.440 --> 00:47:16.940 my whole life after those classes. And I discovered 00:47:16.940 --> 00:47:20.039 a passion that I not necessarily had until that 00:47:20.039 --> 00:47:24.320 point in time. And how were you able to improve 00:47:24.320 --> 00:47:28.260 your written skills? By reading. I already loved 00:47:28.260 --> 00:47:32.159 how to read, but I was not necessarily interested 00:47:32.159 --> 00:47:36.679 in the science behind how things are written. 00:47:37.440 --> 00:47:40.539 So I would love to read. But I never necessarily 00:47:40.539 --> 00:47:45.219 reflected what led that author to say that sentence, 00:47:45.420 --> 00:47:49.079 what he was trying to tell me. And suddenly that 00:47:49.079 --> 00:47:52.019 teacher showed me this world of what is behind 00:47:52.019 --> 00:47:55.840 the curtains. She helped me to see that every 00:47:55.840 --> 00:48:02.139 sentence a writer puts on paper had very carefully 00:48:02.139 --> 00:48:07.039 chosen words that meant something specific. It 00:48:07.039 --> 00:48:10.530 was not... randomly chosen. There is the science 00:48:10.530 --> 00:48:13.869 behind it and a lot of meaning that can be hidden 00:48:13.869 --> 00:48:16.489 behind the choice of one word versus another. 00:48:17.389 --> 00:48:22.010 And suddenly I found that so clever, so intellectually 00:48:22.010 --> 00:48:25.809 stimulating, trying to pick the words myself 00:48:25.809 --> 00:48:28.710 when I write, depending on what I wanted to mean 00:48:28.710 --> 00:48:32.429 and how impactful I want to be. She also taught 00:48:32.429 --> 00:48:38.550 me such as how to insert a hook in a text, for 00:48:38.550 --> 00:48:42.769 example, for the reader to be curious about what 00:48:42.769 --> 00:48:47.269 is going to follow or how to be very descriptive 00:48:47.269 --> 00:48:51.730 with the environment, say how it smells and how's 00:48:51.730 --> 00:48:54.949 the light, so that suddenly the reader can be 00:48:54.949 --> 00:48:57.809 transported to the environment you're trying 00:48:57.809 --> 00:49:02.679 to describe. I found that fascinating. I found 00:49:02.679 --> 00:49:10.480 like so stimulating in terms of intellectually 00:49:10.480 --> 00:49:13.300 stimulating that that's what made me fall in 00:49:13.300 --> 00:49:17.280 love with to realize that how more complex and 00:49:17.280 --> 00:49:20.480 interesting writing could be. It was not just 00:49:20.480 --> 00:49:23.199 the words on paper. It's about constructing a 00:49:23.199 --> 00:49:27.599 narrative. And did you need to prepare any high 00:49:27.599 --> 00:49:30.780 school diploma like we do in France? Did you 00:49:30.780 --> 00:49:33.099 know what you wanted to do after high school 00:49:33.099 --> 00:49:36.940 at that moment? And if you did, how did you find 00:49:36.940 --> 00:49:41.139 out? It's similar but different. Similar in the 00:49:41.139 --> 00:49:43.780 sense that as soon as you finish your high school, 00:49:43.920 --> 00:49:46.639 it is considered finished and you already get 00:49:46.639 --> 00:49:50.920 your diploma. But if you want to do higher educations, 00:49:51.019 --> 00:49:53.380 then there is an exam that you have to pass. 00:49:53.579 --> 00:49:56.719 And it's also like in France, a unified exam 00:49:56.719 --> 00:50:00.170 that everyone does the same exam. But it's only 00:50:00.170 --> 00:50:02.769 if you really want to accomplish a higher education. 00:50:02.909 --> 00:50:06.050 If you don't, you don't need to do that. And 00:50:06.050 --> 00:50:10.510 it is in that moment, that exam, that you already 00:50:10.510 --> 00:50:14.369 need to have chosen what you want to do. Because 00:50:14.369 --> 00:50:17.030 then you have to put it in the form when you 00:50:17.030 --> 00:50:20.039 apply for it, what you want to do. in high school 00:50:20.039 --> 00:50:22.880 studies. So normally the last year of your high 00:50:22.880 --> 00:50:26.400 school, it's really dedicated to figure it out 00:50:26.400 --> 00:50:29.480 because by the end of that year, you're going 00:50:29.480 --> 00:50:32.920 to have to know if you want to go straight to 00:50:32.920 --> 00:50:35.559 university. You can also take a gap year. You 00:50:35.559 --> 00:50:38.800 can also do other things and then decide to come 00:50:38.800 --> 00:50:41.500 back to university and then do this exam later. 00:50:42.170 --> 00:50:44.730 But the path that I have chosen was to go to 00:50:44.730 --> 00:50:47.909 university straight from high school. And therefore, 00:50:48.010 --> 00:50:49.889 I needed to do my exam by the end of the year. 00:50:50.389 --> 00:50:54.050 So this last year was the year where I explored 00:50:54.050 --> 00:50:59.750 what could be the possibilities. I ended up being 00:50:59.750 --> 00:51:04.170 divisive between three areas that were very different. 00:51:04.329 --> 00:51:07.150 Oh, what a surprise. It has been a bit the theme 00:51:07.150 --> 00:51:11.230 of my podcast, I guess. I was between being a 00:51:11.230 --> 00:51:17.690 pharmacist, being a chemical engineer, and being 00:51:17.690 --> 00:51:22.329 a journalist. With that recent discovered passion 00:51:22.329 --> 00:51:26.510 of writing, then came this idea of, can I be 00:51:26.510 --> 00:51:32.610 a journalist? Can I write as a profession? So 00:51:32.610 --> 00:51:36.349 I went about trying to learn what could be the 00:51:36.349 --> 00:51:39.940 different... and job opportunities that each 00:51:39.940 --> 00:51:44.719 one of those careers could go for because I felt 00:51:44.719 --> 00:51:46.940 I'm not going to be able to choose based on my 00:51:46.940 --> 00:51:49.320 passion. I really would love to do the three 00:51:49.320 --> 00:51:51.980 of them. So passion is not going to be a driver. 00:51:52.099 --> 00:51:54.980 It's normally the biggest driver. You have to 00:51:54.980 --> 00:51:57.340 listen to your heart. But I already did that 00:51:57.340 --> 00:51:59.119 and I still had three things on the table. So 00:51:59.119 --> 00:52:03.219 I had to find some other criteria that could 00:52:03.219 --> 00:52:05.139 help me figure out beating the three of them. 00:52:05.539 --> 00:52:10.739 And then... It was a very, let's say, practical 00:52:10.739 --> 00:52:14.980 criteria that I ended up finding. I tried to 00:52:14.980 --> 00:52:17.980 understand very practically, what can I do with 00:52:17.980 --> 00:52:21.539 that diploma? What kinds of roles I can have? 00:52:21.599 --> 00:52:24.840 What kind of jobs I can have? And I saw that 00:52:24.840 --> 00:52:27.840 for the three of them, the career that offered 00:52:27.840 --> 00:52:32.519 the larger spectrum of opportunities was to be 00:52:32.519 --> 00:52:41.530 a pharmacist. And there was this idea of something 00:52:41.530 --> 00:52:44.550 that I really didn't know until I started to 00:52:44.550 --> 00:52:48.070 research and ask him tons of questions. So if 00:52:48.070 --> 00:52:52.070 there is an advice for you, you have to ask tons 00:52:52.070 --> 00:52:55.030 of questions to a lot of people. Every person 00:52:55.030 --> 00:52:57.570 is going to give you a different answer. And 00:52:57.570 --> 00:53:00.010 it's not about their particular answer. It's 00:53:00.010 --> 00:53:04.679 about you. capitalizing on all those different 00:53:04.679 --> 00:53:08.219 answers and then figuring out for you what does 00:53:08.219 --> 00:53:11.280 it mean? What can it mean? And asking people 00:53:11.280 --> 00:53:15.659 about what a pharmacist can do, I was very surprised 00:53:15.659 --> 00:53:20.179 with what was the breadth of the possibilities. 00:53:20.760 --> 00:53:23.639 Because I could work in a pharmacy, for example. 00:53:23.800 --> 00:53:26.320 So when you go to a pharmacy to buy anything, 00:53:26.860 --> 00:53:28.739 you're going to see that there is a pharmacist 00:53:28.739 --> 00:53:31.119 there trying to guide you. through what is the 00:53:31.119 --> 00:53:34.940 best choice of medicine for you in that moment 00:53:34.940 --> 00:53:37.599 of purchase. So you can do that. So you can be 00:53:37.599 --> 00:53:40.199 in direct contact with people going to a pharmacy. 00:53:40.800 --> 00:53:45.280 You can work in a hospital, for example, helping 00:53:45.280 --> 00:53:47.820 people that are hospitalized to understand what 00:53:47.820 --> 00:53:49.760 is the best treatment options that they have 00:53:49.760 --> 00:53:52.179 and to follow through with their treatment. So 00:53:52.179 --> 00:53:56.960 very close to patients that are in need of a 00:53:56.960 --> 00:54:02.199 treatment. You can work in a lab. And there are 00:54:02.199 --> 00:54:04.639 two types of labs. There is the lab that does 00:54:04.639 --> 00:54:07.920 exams on people. So when you go to some place 00:54:07.920 --> 00:54:11.199 to collect blood, for example, to have a blood 00:54:11.199 --> 00:54:15.780 test, the person who will analyze that test might 00:54:15.780 --> 00:54:18.940 be a pharmacist, for example. So it can be these 00:54:18.940 --> 00:54:21.360 kinds of pharmacists that analyze tests and analyze 00:54:21.360 --> 00:54:25.360 results. Or you can work on a lab producing science. 00:54:26.059 --> 00:54:29.340 And trying to come up with new molecules, new 00:54:29.340 --> 00:54:32.340 treatments, new understanding about diseases 00:54:32.340 --> 00:54:36.980 that can change the practice of medicine and 00:54:36.980 --> 00:54:40.619 the disease paths. And then, last but not the 00:54:40.619 --> 00:54:42.300 least, you can also work on the pharmaceutical 00:54:42.300 --> 00:54:46.760 industry in several different roles. I was very 00:54:46.760 --> 00:54:49.940 surprised with how different it was. And that's 00:54:49.940 --> 00:54:54.199 what moved me. Because I said... I have learned 00:54:54.199 --> 00:54:57.219 enough about myself until this point to know 00:54:57.219 --> 00:55:03.300 that I change and that my own interests evolve 00:55:03.300 --> 00:55:06.420 because my personality evolves, but as well because 00:55:06.420 --> 00:55:09.300 my surroundings evolve. So what between those 00:55:09.300 --> 00:55:12.139 three careers, journalist, chemical engineering, 00:55:12.340 --> 00:55:15.780 or pharmacist, can allow me to continue changing 00:55:15.780 --> 00:55:20.059 and enable that change? And I felt that it was 00:55:20.059 --> 00:55:22.949 pharmacy. for me because I knew that I could 00:55:22.949 --> 00:55:25.150 then have all this back of roles I could pick 00:55:25.150 --> 00:55:29.349 from and therefore I could I'm sure find happiness 00:55:29.349 --> 00:55:33.130 with that diploma that I was going to have and 00:55:33.130 --> 00:55:35.789 I knew that there had great job opportunities 00:55:35.789 --> 00:55:39.389 and career prospects that also made the choice 00:55:39.389 --> 00:55:43.550 seem like the right one back then this is so 00:55:43.550 --> 00:55:49.440 interesting I love I love love love how you had 00:55:49.440 --> 00:55:52.300 this kind of introspection exercise and be like, 00:55:52.420 --> 00:55:56.599 okay, this is who I am. I'm someone who's very 00:55:56.599 --> 00:55:59.579 curious. I might be super interested about something 00:55:59.579 --> 00:56:02.960 now, but I've seen that I've changed my mind 00:56:02.960 --> 00:56:05.500 a couple of times on different things. So because 00:56:05.500 --> 00:56:08.739 this is who I am and that I have three options 00:56:08.739 --> 00:56:12.219 in front of me, I have to choose also something 00:56:12.219 --> 00:56:15.559 that matches my personality and my aspiration 00:56:15.559 --> 00:56:18.750 is that... I have the flexibility to move from 00:56:18.750 --> 00:56:21.829 one thing to another. So how can I empower myself 00:56:21.829 --> 00:56:26.230 to still live my truest version? So I love this 00:56:26.230 --> 00:56:30.429 approach. And I do have, however, a question 00:56:30.429 --> 00:56:35.829 prior to identifying all those three. So was 00:56:35.829 --> 00:56:37.969 it thanks to the presentation you had a couple 00:56:37.969 --> 00:56:41.210 of years ago of the different career paths? That 00:56:41.210 --> 00:56:45.820 helped, but that was the last year of... middle 00:56:45.820 --> 00:56:48.420 school so I still had the high school to go through 00:56:48.420 --> 00:56:51.940 and to think and to continue asking people and 00:56:51.940 --> 00:56:56.099 interviewing people I for example I identified 00:56:56.099 --> 00:56:59.780 people I knew that were pharmacists that were 00:56:59.780 --> 00:57:02.760 chemical engineers that were journalists to ask 00:57:02.760 --> 00:57:08.039 them about how was their ride how was their experience 00:57:08.039 --> 00:57:11.400 with the university but as well later their experience 00:57:11.400 --> 00:57:15.400 in life to better understand what that means 00:57:15.400 --> 00:57:20.480 and if I also I felt that I identified three 00:57:20.480 --> 00:57:23.119 interests as well in the three different areas 00:57:23.119 --> 00:57:28.960 that I loved so the pharmacist would match very 00:57:28.960 --> 00:57:32.480 nicely with a curiosity I had since I was very 00:57:32.480 --> 00:57:37.619 very young that I wanted to know how a pill for 00:57:37.619 --> 00:57:40.820 your headache would know That it has to go to 00:57:40.820 --> 00:57:42.960 your head because it's your head that hurts. 00:57:43.800 --> 00:57:48.440 I used to find that magical. I would see people 00:57:48.440 --> 00:57:50.000 taking the pill and I was like, how does the 00:57:50.000 --> 00:57:53.539 pill know? It's crazy. So I had that curiosity 00:57:53.539 --> 00:57:56.679 that always existed on me that matched very nicely 00:57:56.679 --> 00:57:59.880 with pharmacists and with a career in science 00:57:59.880 --> 00:58:03.800 in general. But then my passion for logic and 00:58:03.800 --> 00:58:07.500 structure. said, can I marry this scientific 00:58:07.500 --> 00:58:10.780 side with engineering? And that's what gave the 00:58:10.780 --> 00:58:15.039 chemical engineering path. And then the journalist 00:58:15.039 --> 00:58:18.320 was just like, wow, I found this love that I 00:58:18.320 --> 00:58:21.519 have for writing now. And my mother is a journalist 00:58:21.519 --> 00:58:23.599 as well. So that was also an influence there. 00:58:25.000 --> 00:58:29.159 Should I explore this as well? And I think one 00:58:29.159 --> 00:58:36.050 thing that I have learned as well is to be, to 00:58:36.050 --> 00:58:38.570 explore before trying to make a decision really 00:58:38.570 --> 00:58:42.469 because I think we put a lot of pressure on us 00:58:42.469 --> 00:58:45.210 on making a decision as quickly as possible and 00:58:45.210 --> 00:58:48.690 as early as possible because let's be frank most 00:58:48.690 --> 00:58:52.309 of us feel uncomfortable with not knowing what 00:58:52.309 --> 00:58:56.489 to do so this uncertainty of not knowing sometimes 00:58:56.489 --> 00:58:58.429 pushes us to make the decision as quickly as 00:58:58.429 --> 00:59:03.130 possible but learning how to embrace that uncertainty 00:59:04.030 --> 00:59:06.949 for a period and say, I will not know until I 00:59:06.949 --> 00:59:10.530 know. And I will take my time to not knowing 00:59:10.530 --> 00:59:12.630 and exploring and asking questions and telling 00:59:12.630 --> 00:59:15.010 people I don't know yet. Stop asking. Give me 00:59:15.010 --> 00:59:19.289 my time. Help me figure this out instead of asking 00:59:19.289 --> 00:59:23.349 if I already know. And then pushing this decision 00:59:23.349 --> 00:59:27.269 as late as possible so that you can allow yourself 00:59:27.269 --> 00:59:30.650 the time to explore. And it's fine. It should 00:59:30.650 --> 00:59:33.719 be fine. Most of the pressure to figure. Things 00:59:33.719 --> 00:59:36.199 out come from ourselves and trying to get rid 00:59:36.199 --> 00:59:38.980 of the uncertainty. But embrace that uncertainty 00:59:38.980 --> 00:59:42.320 of that moment. Make yourself curious. Ask tons 00:59:42.320 --> 00:59:45.079 of questions. If you don't know anybody in the 00:59:45.079 --> 00:59:47.659 areas you think you might be interested, ask 00:59:47.659 --> 00:59:51.780 people who you can talk to. Because that helped 00:59:51.780 --> 00:59:55.860 me immensely. Yeah, absolutely. You're so right. 00:59:55.980 --> 00:59:58.820 And I think if you can't still find someone, 00:59:59.039 --> 01:00:03.349 we are in the age of... having access to so much 01:00:03.349 --> 01:00:06.889 information online. So if you don't know someone, 01:00:06.989 --> 01:00:10.090 you can read about that role, about that job, 01:00:10.170 --> 01:00:14.389 about everything. So don't think about what you're 01:00:14.389 --> 01:00:17.710 missing. Think about how can I find that information 01:00:17.710 --> 01:00:22.550 somewhere? Because we have access and you shouldn't 01:00:22.550 --> 01:00:25.849 put barriers to yourself into like, okay, I don't 01:00:25.849 --> 01:00:29.150 have anyone around me who can guide me. You should 01:00:29.150 --> 01:00:32.090 be like, okay, I don't have anyone. How can I 01:00:32.090 --> 01:00:36.349 find that? And I think the first exercise that 01:00:36.349 --> 01:00:40.489 I think we should learn from Mayara now is who 01:00:40.489 --> 01:00:44.570 am I? Am I a curious being? Am I someone who 01:00:44.570 --> 01:00:47.250 needs a routine instead? I don't want to have 01:00:47.250 --> 01:00:51.190 changes in my path. Or do I want something that 01:00:51.190 --> 01:00:54.789 is a little bit more adventurous, like trying 01:00:54.789 --> 01:00:58.820 to sit down and understand who you are? and then 01:00:58.820 --> 01:01:01.659 go for that information can also be an approach. 01:01:02.159 --> 01:01:04.659 Think about the fact that there is no right or 01:01:04.659 --> 01:01:08.820 wrong way to make that decision. It just takes 01:01:08.820 --> 01:01:11.119 time. And exactly what Mayara just said, we are 01:01:11.119 --> 01:01:15.739 all lost. Completely agree with you, 100%. And 01:01:15.739 --> 01:01:18.320 I like one thing that you said, to remove the 01:01:18.320 --> 01:01:21.920 pressure of that decision. Yes, it's an important 01:01:21.920 --> 01:01:25.699 decision, I'm not going to lie, but it's not 01:01:25.699 --> 01:01:29.269 a dead end. Nothing tells you that you cannot 01:01:29.269 --> 01:01:32.250 change your mind even later and say, I want to 01:01:32.250 --> 01:01:35.489 do different studies. I changed my mind. Or to 01:01:35.489 --> 01:01:39.989 work on a field that is different from the studies 01:01:39.989 --> 01:01:42.429 that you got and the diploma that you got. This 01:01:42.429 --> 01:01:45.030 is more and more possible in the world that we 01:01:45.030 --> 01:01:49.650 live today versus the past. So try to as well 01:01:49.650 --> 01:01:52.739 take this decision. With seriousness less, but 01:01:52.739 --> 01:01:55.940 with lightness as well. It is just to remove 01:01:55.940 --> 01:01:58.820 the extreme pressure that we normally put ourselves 01:01:58.820 --> 01:02:02.519 or other people put on us in that moment. There 01:02:02.519 --> 01:02:05.079 are still going to be plenty of opportunities 01:02:05.079 --> 01:02:09.400 to change your mind later in your life too. Thank 01:02:09.400 --> 01:02:11.320 you so much, Mayra. I think this is very insightful 01:02:11.320 --> 01:02:13.480 and this is a great thing to remember as well. 01:02:13.639 --> 01:02:17.480 Just for the idea that every choice you make 01:02:17.480 --> 01:02:23.440 is not set in stone. It's all about, again, taking 01:02:23.440 --> 01:02:27.119 all the advice you've shared so far and ask questions, 01:02:27.300 --> 01:02:32.300 do your research, talk to the people. Your environment 01:02:32.300 --> 01:02:34.659 will change so much, so the people around you 01:02:34.659 --> 01:02:37.280 have a different set of knowledge. So if you 01:02:37.280 --> 01:02:40.420 also ask them, if they know someone in that field, 01:02:40.519 --> 01:02:44.639 it can also help you understand a whole new area, 01:02:44.780 --> 01:02:48.489 a whole new job. whole opportunities out there 01:02:48.489 --> 01:02:52.469 so exactly the most important is to be curious 01:02:52.469 --> 01:02:56.429 and ask the questions so now that you choose 01:02:56.429 --> 01:02:58.869 pharma can you tell us a little bit more about 01:02:58.869 --> 01:03:02.730 those studies and if someone is listening to 01:03:02.730 --> 01:03:05.610 us like in considering doing the same thing do 01:03:05.610 --> 01:03:07.349 you think there is a kind of personality and 01:03:07.349 --> 01:03:13.190 habits they need to to succeed there well first 01:03:13.190 --> 01:03:16.000 of all To say that I don't regret for a second 01:03:16.000 --> 01:03:19.300 having studied pharmaceutical sciences. So I'm 01:03:19.300 --> 01:03:22.559 happy to say that it's a wonderful field with 01:03:22.559 --> 01:03:28.579 a lot of career opportunities. You can work very 01:03:28.579 --> 01:03:30.960 closely with patients. So if you're a person 01:03:30.960 --> 01:03:36.780 that gets motivated by this real support in a 01:03:36.780 --> 01:03:40.159 moment of health challenges, to also consider 01:03:40.159 --> 01:03:43.599 pharmaceutical studies. Normally we think about 01:03:43.599 --> 01:03:47.099 doctors or nurses, but the pharmacists are also 01:03:47.099 --> 01:03:50.860 there in that moment. Or if you're also someone 01:03:50.860 --> 01:03:58.559 that really loves precision, then normally we 01:03:58.559 --> 01:04:01.659 think mathematics or think physics, but there's 01:04:01.659 --> 01:04:05.860 also that in pharmacists, being a researcher, 01:04:06.000 --> 01:04:10.429 for example. There is really a broad array of 01:04:10.429 --> 01:04:13.690 personalities you can have to feed in the pharmaceutical 01:04:13.690 --> 01:04:18.550 sciences area. But there is one thing that is 01:04:18.550 --> 01:04:23.329 key and it's curiosity. As any field in science, 01:04:23.429 --> 01:04:27.369 science evolves a lot. What we consider completely 01:04:27.369 --> 01:04:31.170 non and obvious today will be challenged and 01:04:31.170 --> 01:04:33.730 will evolve tomorrow because that's the nature 01:04:33.730 --> 01:04:37.030 of science. Something is true until it's proven 01:04:37.030 --> 01:04:41.940 that it's not. and new science arrives. And we 01:04:41.940 --> 01:04:44.780 are lucky to live in a moment in the world where 01:04:44.780 --> 01:04:46.940 there is a lot of research being produced. There 01:04:46.940 --> 01:04:49.539 is a lot of knowledge being produced. So there's 01:04:49.539 --> 01:04:53.000 also this need for a pharmacist to keep up to 01:04:53.000 --> 01:04:57.960 speed with the emergence of science and being 01:04:57.960 --> 01:05:01.980 open to challenge your own concepts. If you're 01:05:01.980 --> 01:05:05.460 a very dogmatic individual, if you like truths 01:05:05.460 --> 01:05:08.820 that will last for your whole life, Probably 01:05:08.820 --> 01:05:12.039 not the best area because every single concept 01:05:12.039 --> 01:05:14.219 that you build will eventually be challenged 01:05:14.219 --> 01:05:17.179 and some of them will be debunked. So you're 01:05:17.179 --> 01:05:19.820 going to have to be open to accept that the world 01:05:19.820 --> 01:05:22.840 we live in, we don't necessarily 100 % comprehend 01:05:22.840 --> 01:05:27.719 and be part of the movement to drive more understanding 01:05:27.719 --> 01:05:32.739 of the nature of our existence and the magical 01:05:32.739 --> 01:05:37.139 elements that make our body work. That's where 01:05:37.139 --> 01:05:40.920 I think there is a lot of passion to be sick 01:05:40.920 --> 01:05:44.260 into the pharmaceutical environment. And if you're 01:05:44.260 --> 01:05:46.579 someone like me that likes to keep possibilities 01:05:46.579 --> 01:05:49.940 open and have a lot of flexibility, it can also 01:05:49.940 --> 01:05:52.960 be something very nice to consider. And can you 01:05:52.960 --> 01:05:55.940 tell us about your studies? What was it like 01:05:55.940 --> 01:06:00.369 to study pharma? I entered the university very 01:06:00.369 --> 01:06:03.869 young. I was 17 when I started university. And 01:06:03.869 --> 01:06:07.130 I think that was hard for me because most people 01:06:07.130 --> 01:06:10.610 around me were a bit older. Sometimes they did 01:06:10.610 --> 01:06:13.250 preparatory courses to be able to be accepted 01:06:13.250 --> 01:06:17.349 in university. So they very often had one, two, 01:06:17.409 --> 01:06:21.570 three, even four years more than me. And I wasn't 01:06:21.570 --> 01:06:25.050 even legally an adult yet. In Brazil, you're 01:06:25.050 --> 01:06:27.829 legally an adult with 18. So it's close, but 01:06:27.829 --> 01:06:30.070 not necessarily that. There are a lot of things 01:06:30.070 --> 01:06:33.309 that I couldn't do versus other people in university. 01:06:33.849 --> 01:06:39.630 So there was this moment of feeling really like 01:06:39.630 --> 01:06:42.929 a kid surrounded by adults. I felt that everyone 01:06:42.929 --> 01:06:45.590 around me were adults and I was the only kid 01:06:45.590 --> 01:06:48.780 there. So there was this very real feeling for 01:06:48.780 --> 01:06:51.340 me that in the beginning was a bit challenging, 01:06:51.679 --> 01:06:56.420 but it also built a sense of how privileged I 01:06:56.420 --> 01:06:58.860 was to be able to be accepted in university at 01:06:58.860 --> 01:07:01.880 such a young age. So I decided to try to reframe 01:07:01.880 --> 01:07:05.840 that challenge into an opportunity and something 01:07:05.840 --> 01:07:08.619 positive. So instead of feeling, oh, I'm the 01:07:08.619 --> 01:07:10.679 only young person here, it's going to be tough, 01:07:10.860 --> 01:07:14.900 trying to see this as... look how amazing it 01:07:14.900 --> 01:07:17.380 is that I have this opportunity of being here 01:07:17.380 --> 01:07:22.079 so young and advancing my studies in such a nice 01:07:22.079 --> 01:07:25.559 fashion. So I think that was the first struggle. 01:07:26.300 --> 01:07:29.820 And then that struggle derived the fact that 01:07:29.820 --> 01:07:33.380 I felt that they were better prepared to handle 01:07:33.380 --> 01:07:37.019 some of the pressures of university than necessarily 01:07:37.019 --> 01:07:41.449 I was. I went with the university with a... thinking 01:07:41.449 --> 01:07:43.590 that it was going to be a continuation of high 01:07:43.590 --> 01:07:46.949 school, that it was going to feel like high school, 01:07:47.010 --> 01:07:49.010 but it didn't feel like high school at all. It 01:07:49.010 --> 01:07:52.010 was a completely different environment. No one's 01:07:52.010 --> 01:07:54.929 checking if you did your homework or if you even 01:07:54.929 --> 01:07:56.969 understood what's being discussed in class. The 01:07:56.969 --> 01:08:00.150 accountability over if you're learning or not 01:08:00.150 --> 01:08:04.670 completely shifts from the teacher to you. And 01:08:04.670 --> 01:08:09.130 you have to be mature enough to accept and own. 01:08:09.630 --> 01:08:13.429 that accountability. That now, if you don't take 01:08:13.429 --> 01:08:17.090 care of your own studies and if you don't work 01:08:17.090 --> 01:08:20.069 to make sure that you learn, no one will be checking 01:08:20.069 --> 01:08:25.729 on you. There's a lot of freedom, but the freedom 01:08:25.729 --> 01:08:28.069 comes with the responsibility of understanding 01:08:28.069 --> 01:08:31.010 that it's on you to make sure that you have learned. 01:08:31.170 --> 01:08:34.130 I struggled with that in the beginning, particularly 01:08:34.130 --> 01:08:39.109 the first six months. But then I think I was... 01:08:39.310 --> 01:08:41.689 With hard work and with commitment, I was able 01:08:41.689 --> 01:08:44.229 to then understand this new environment I was 01:08:44.229 --> 01:08:47.250 in with a lot of help as well from colleagues, 01:08:47.430 --> 01:08:50.770 from friends, from those old teachers that I 01:08:50.770 --> 01:08:53.010 built relationships with in high school. I went 01:08:53.010 --> 01:08:58.090 back to some of them and then I could then finally 01:08:58.090 --> 01:09:00.670 figure out how different it was, the environment 01:09:00.670 --> 01:09:04.550 I was, and how different it demanded me to be. 01:09:05.800 --> 01:09:08.539 You are indeed the only one responsible for your 01:09:08.539 --> 01:09:12.119 success at uni. No one will call you out on not 01:09:12.119 --> 01:09:18.079 studying. It's you and you. So go for it. Give 01:09:18.079 --> 01:09:23.239 everything you have. So talking about your career 01:09:23.239 --> 01:09:27.220 days. So you started working in Brazil and then 01:09:27.220 --> 01:09:30.319 moved to another country. As someone who moves 01:09:30.319 --> 01:09:33.199 countries as well and surrounded by people who 01:09:33.199 --> 01:09:35.729 move countries themselves. We tend to forget 01:09:35.729 --> 01:09:39.250 how big of a step it is and how bold and courageous 01:09:39.250 --> 01:09:44.869 you kind of need to be to go for it. My question 01:09:44.869 --> 01:09:48.569 to you, Maya, is how did you build the courage 01:09:48.569 --> 01:09:54.710 to move across the Atlantic? Wow, that's a wonderful 01:09:54.710 --> 01:09:57.109 question. I agree with you that we tend to forget 01:09:57.109 --> 01:10:00.390 how courageous you need to be to make a move 01:10:00.390 --> 01:10:04.890 like that because you're leaving behind. Your 01:10:04.890 --> 01:10:08.289 whole notion of how society is organized, your 01:10:08.289 --> 01:10:14.449 culture. There are things that are in autopilots 01:10:14.449 --> 01:10:16.970 when you're in your own country that you then 01:10:16.970 --> 01:10:20.329 have to turn off that autopilot in the new country. 01:10:20.569 --> 01:10:24.050 And that's very tiresome to have to think things 01:10:24.050 --> 01:10:26.770 that you have never thought before because you 01:10:26.770 --> 01:10:29.729 had the chance to be an autopilot for some of 01:10:29.729 --> 01:10:35.270 those. We can talk about it a bit more. The move 01:10:35.270 --> 01:10:38.109 to France for me happened in a very privileged 01:10:38.109 --> 01:10:41.890 situation because I already worked for the company 01:10:41.890 --> 01:10:44.869 I currently work for back in Brazil. So I was 01:10:44.869 --> 01:10:48.149 already an employee for them there. And I had 01:10:48.149 --> 01:10:51.050 offered the chance to do this internal transfer 01:10:51.050 --> 01:10:55.489 to France. And let me tell you why it's a privileged 01:10:55.489 --> 01:10:59.369 opportunity for two reasons. First, because when 01:10:59.369 --> 01:11:03.109 you have a company that is behind you, they orchestrate 01:11:03.109 --> 01:11:07.229 your move. in administrative terms, which is 01:11:07.229 --> 01:11:11.390 a lot of work in terms of visa, physically moving 01:11:11.390 --> 01:11:14.909 your stuff from one place to another. Only having 01:11:14.909 --> 01:11:19.470 someone helping with that was already an immense 01:11:19.470 --> 01:11:23.489 privilege. But there is a second aspect as well. 01:11:24.050 --> 01:11:26.250 When you're moving countries, there's so much 01:11:26.250 --> 01:11:29.750 around you that is changing. So your environment 01:11:29.750 --> 01:11:34.300 is changing. Your apartment or the place you 01:11:34.300 --> 01:11:36.840 live in changes. The people around you change. 01:11:37.020 --> 01:11:39.479 Suddenly you don't have necessarily all your 01:11:39.479 --> 01:11:43.420 family and your friends around you anymore. Even 01:11:43.420 --> 01:11:47.359 the simplest things get complex. I will give 01:11:47.359 --> 01:11:50.539 a silly example. I remember going to the supermarket 01:11:50.539 --> 01:11:55.199 when I arrived in France, looking at the brands 01:11:55.199 --> 01:11:58.939 of soap that were available. And not recognizing 01:11:58.939 --> 01:12:01.500 any because all the brands were different from 01:12:01.500 --> 01:12:06.420 Brazil. And suddenly I was like, wow, I don't 01:12:06.420 --> 01:12:10.960 even know how to choose soap. It's something 01:12:10.960 --> 01:12:15.020 so basic and I don't know how to do it. So that's 01:12:15.020 --> 01:12:17.699 what I meant with turning off the autopilot, 01:12:17.819 --> 01:12:20.460 right? Going to the supermarket, I knew the brands 01:12:20.460 --> 01:12:23.800 I wanted. So buying stuff was just a no -brainer 01:12:23.800 --> 01:12:27.090 type of exercise for me in Brazil. And suddenly 01:12:27.090 --> 01:12:29.590 it wasn't anymore. I had to think things through 01:12:29.590 --> 01:12:33.569 and I struggled to read the labels and understand 01:12:33.569 --> 01:12:36.729 what things were for and what was better than 01:12:36.729 --> 01:12:40.989 other and the costs associated. So even the simplest 01:12:40.989 --> 01:12:44.970 things become complex. And being able to do an 01:12:44.970 --> 01:12:47.710 internal transfer, at least there is something 01:12:47.710 --> 01:12:51.590 that is stable. And it's a little bit your work 01:12:51.590 --> 01:12:54.810 environment, because normally you know at least 01:12:54.810 --> 01:12:57.270 a couple of colleagues in the place that you 01:12:57.270 --> 01:13:01.810 work. The corporate culture of that company can 01:13:01.810 --> 01:13:04.829 be a little bit similar from the two countries. 01:13:04.909 --> 01:13:06.909 And it was the case for me. The corporate culture 01:13:06.909 --> 01:13:09.630 was a little bit the same. The teams I would 01:13:09.630 --> 01:13:12.909 work with were a little bit the same. So to have 01:13:12.909 --> 01:13:16.569 that one aspect of stability when everything 01:13:16.569 --> 01:13:21.279 else around you is changing. It was quite a privilege 01:13:21.279 --> 01:13:24.520 to have and very anchoring for me to be able 01:13:24.520 --> 01:13:28.239 to get the courage to say, yes, let me try to 01:13:28.239 --> 01:13:32.020 have this opportunity a thousand of miles away 01:13:32.020 --> 01:13:36.140 from my home. And what advice would you tell 01:13:36.140 --> 01:13:38.500 someone who's thinking about taking this big 01:13:38.500 --> 01:13:44.859 step but still has doubts or as simple as fear? 01:13:46.140 --> 01:13:50.560 Do it. It's going to be a transformative experience 01:13:50.560 --> 01:13:54.699 and it's not going to be easy, but it will make 01:13:54.699 --> 01:13:57.859 you such a different person and you're going 01:13:57.859 --> 01:14:01.739 to learn immensely about yourself. There's nothing 01:14:01.739 --> 01:14:04.140 I have learned more in this move than things 01:14:04.140 --> 01:14:08.000 about myself, things I took for granted that 01:14:08.000 --> 01:14:11.119 now I can see much, much clearer. There is this 01:14:11.119 --> 01:14:15.119 very silly sentence that some people say that 01:14:15.710 --> 01:14:19.210 The animal that knows the least about water is 01:14:19.210 --> 01:14:22.890 the fish because it's surrounded by water and 01:14:22.890 --> 01:14:24.770 therefore it doesn't necessarily know what it 01:14:24.770 --> 01:14:29.909 means not to have water. It is the same about 01:14:29.909 --> 01:14:33.529 identity as well. When you are included in your 01:14:33.529 --> 01:14:37.149 own identity, your country identity, you don't 01:14:37.149 --> 01:14:40.029 know what it is. So back then, so seven, eight 01:14:40.029 --> 01:14:42.789 years ago, if you would ask me what it means 01:14:42.789 --> 01:14:46.029 to be a Brazilian, I wouldn't know. Because I 01:14:46.029 --> 01:14:51.409 was there and that was all I knew. But today, 01:14:51.510 --> 01:14:54.989 being able to leave a different society that 01:14:54.989 --> 01:14:57.689 is organized different, that has different values, 01:14:57.869 --> 01:15:01.350 then I'm much more capable of looking back, tell 01:15:01.350 --> 01:15:04.310 you what it means to be a Brazilian and appreciate 01:15:04.310 --> 01:15:07.510 it as well. And as well, learn to appreciate 01:15:07.510 --> 01:15:11.569 a new way of organizing itself, of having a society 01:15:11.569 --> 01:15:14.340 based on different values. And being able to 01:15:14.340 --> 01:15:16.819 see what is good and what's not so good of the 01:15:16.819 --> 01:15:19.500 different ways of having a country or having 01:15:19.500 --> 01:15:25.119 a society organized. So I can see a clear difference 01:15:25.119 --> 01:15:29.159 between people who have had the chance to make 01:15:29.159 --> 01:15:33.960 this move and live somewhere else from other 01:15:33.960 --> 01:15:37.680 people in terms of how mature they get to understand 01:15:37.680 --> 01:15:42.460 and appreciate differences. I love the reflection 01:15:42.460 --> 01:15:46.199 you have here, Mayara. And even if you are geographically 01:15:46.199 --> 01:15:49.239 away from home, you're closer than ever. If you 01:15:49.239 --> 01:15:51.840 sit down with someone who asks you a question 01:15:51.840 --> 01:15:54.239 about your culture, you can tell them everything 01:15:54.239 --> 01:15:56.739 about it because you are able to reflect on it 01:15:56.739 --> 01:16:00.239 and its beauty. It makes you a richer person 01:16:00.239 --> 01:16:03.319 because you have now both cultures, for you, 01:16:03.359 --> 01:16:05.479 Mayara, and for everyone who's surrounding me. 01:16:05.600 --> 01:16:08.239 And you're able now to take everything that you 01:16:08.239 --> 01:16:11.909 need from one or the other. And now going back 01:16:11.909 --> 01:16:15.369 to your work experience, what have you liked 01:16:15.369 --> 01:16:18.609 so far from your early work and what learning 01:16:18.609 --> 01:16:23.550 do you have from each opportunity? So I try to 01:16:23.550 --> 01:16:27.350 drive a lot of change in my own scope. So in 01:16:27.350 --> 01:16:30.109 the very beginning of my career, I changed jobs 01:16:30.109 --> 01:16:35.210 a lot to be able to really accumulate new experiences. 01:16:36.159 --> 01:16:39.560 working with new people that had different personalities. 01:16:40.279 --> 01:16:43.720 And by doing that, accelerates my development. 01:16:44.859 --> 01:16:49.100 So in that sense of, in the beginning, particularly 01:16:49.100 --> 01:16:51.399 in the beginning of your career, it's going to 01:16:51.399 --> 01:16:54.100 be true as well for the late stages, but particularly 01:16:54.100 --> 01:16:56.779 when you're starting, there's no wrong move. 01:16:57.319 --> 01:17:01.199 You can really allow yourself to do crazy different 01:17:01.199 --> 01:17:04.380 things, work in marketing one day and in finance 01:17:04.380 --> 01:17:07.199 in another, and then become a salesperson and 01:17:07.199 --> 01:17:10.680 then go back to telemarketing. And no one's going 01:17:10.680 --> 01:17:15.180 to blink an eye. And it is such an interesting 01:17:15.180 --> 01:17:18.720 way of putting yourself through different experiences 01:17:18.720 --> 01:17:22.439 and accumulating that accelerated development. 01:17:23.060 --> 01:17:28.369 I did that. It was great for me. Each one of 01:17:28.369 --> 01:17:30.409 those different opportunities helped me grow, 01:17:30.649 --> 01:17:34.109 helped me realize how to work with different 01:17:34.109 --> 01:17:37.250 personalities, different types of businesses 01:17:37.250 --> 01:17:40.510 as well that have different challenges and different 01:17:40.510 --> 01:17:45.510 cultures. So today I feel much more prepared 01:17:45.510 --> 01:17:48.949 to deal with diversity and the diversity of the 01:17:48.949 --> 01:17:53.329 world because I allowed myself from very own 01:17:53.329 --> 01:17:56.529 to experiment and maximize this experimentation. 01:17:58.859 --> 01:18:03.300 I think a big advice we could share now is try 01:18:03.300 --> 01:18:07.680 to join a sector where you can change if change 01:18:07.680 --> 01:18:10.359 might be something you would be looking for. 01:18:10.899 --> 01:18:14.199 And I think the world has changed so much in 01:18:14.199 --> 01:18:17.279 that aspect, because if we talk about sometimes 01:18:17.279 --> 01:18:19.779 with our parents, but grandparents and the people 01:18:19.779 --> 01:18:23.359 around us, we would find a lot of examples of 01:18:23.359 --> 01:18:26.859 someone who has done one single thing their whole 01:18:26.859 --> 01:18:30.609 lives. or have worked for the same company for 01:18:30.609 --> 01:18:34.750 20, 30, 40 years. This is still possible and 01:18:34.750 --> 01:18:38.329 there's nothing wrong with it. But more and more 01:18:38.329 --> 01:18:41.829 people are allowing themselves to experiment 01:18:41.829 --> 01:18:47.670 and change jobs, change departments, change companies. 01:18:48.810 --> 01:18:51.930 And more and more we are becoming a world where 01:18:51.930 --> 01:18:54.390 what matters are your skills and the experiences 01:18:54.390 --> 01:18:57.300 you have had. not necessarily the job titles 01:18:57.300 --> 01:19:02.500 or the departments. And so all of this infrastructure 01:19:02.500 --> 01:19:06.060 is organizing itself to enable us more and more 01:19:06.060 --> 01:19:08.539 to make those changes and to feel good about 01:19:08.539 --> 01:19:11.239 those changes. So it's a wonderful moment to 01:19:11.239 --> 01:19:15.720 start a professional life. New jobs will be created 01:19:15.720 --> 01:19:18.760 in the next five, 10 years. So no one will be 01:19:18.760 --> 01:19:21.539 ready for those, but being able to develop a 01:19:21.539 --> 01:19:25.130 certain set of skills. which will open those 01:19:25.130 --> 01:19:27.750 doors in the future. So as soon as those exist 01:19:27.750 --> 01:19:30.949 and those are of interest for you, you'll be 01:19:30.949 --> 01:19:34.189 just able to grab them and go for them. It's 01:19:34.189 --> 01:19:36.210 absolutely aligned on everything you just said. 01:19:36.270 --> 01:19:40.170 And it takes us to how does your day -to -day 01:19:40.170 --> 01:19:44.069 look like now? So not surprisingly, I changed 01:19:44.069 --> 01:19:47.699 a lot and I experiment on different things. In 01:19:47.699 --> 01:19:50.579 the beginning of my career, I was in a sector 01:19:50.579 --> 01:19:54.720 that is called regulatory affairs. What it means, 01:19:54.819 --> 01:19:58.840 it is that it's the people that interpret the 01:19:58.840 --> 01:20:01.560 scientific studies that are done about a new 01:20:01.560 --> 01:20:05.840 product. And they analyze if the science the 01:20:05.840 --> 01:20:09.800 company is producing is enough to prove that 01:20:09.800 --> 01:20:14.220 that new pharmaceutical product is safe and effective 01:20:14.220 --> 01:20:18.899 for patients. And so by that description, you 01:20:18.899 --> 01:20:22.140 can already start grasping that it's a little 01:20:22.140 --> 01:20:27.260 academic in nature. You have to like to study, 01:20:27.319 --> 01:20:30.479 you have to like to learn, to problem solve. 01:20:31.079 --> 01:20:35.039 It's quite structured as a piece of work. So 01:20:35.039 --> 01:20:39.180 if you are someone that likes structure and following 01:20:39.180 --> 01:20:42.899 a certain path of logic, it can be a quite interesting 01:20:42.899 --> 01:20:48.550 area to explore. But then, today I work with 01:20:48.550 --> 01:20:52.130 digital transformation. And when I say that, 01:20:52.210 --> 01:20:54.890 there are some people that immediately think 01:20:54.890 --> 01:20:58.170 about technology, artificial intelligence, GNI, 01:20:58.390 --> 01:21:02.850 chativity. They're not wrong. But the core of 01:21:02.850 --> 01:21:06.949 what I work is actually with people. How we as 01:21:06.949 --> 01:21:10.289 individuals can get ready to embrace those new 01:21:10.289 --> 01:21:14.680 tools, embrace that new reality. So what is the 01:21:14.680 --> 01:21:17.060 future of our skills? What are the future of 01:21:17.060 --> 01:21:19.960 the jobs? What are the future of ways of working 01:21:19.960 --> 01:21:23.199 and of our culture and our behaviors? That's 01:21:23.199 --> 01:21:27.640 what I work with. By that description, you can 01:21:27.640 --> 01:21:31.880 already start to grasp that it is very much more 01:21:31.880 --> 01:21:34.979 unpredictable than analyzing scientific studies. 01:21:36.039 --> 01:21:39.579 It's fast evolving. And that's what it makes 01:21:39.579 --> 01:21:42.630 very exciting. Not only because technology is 01:21:42.630 --> 01:21:47.029 evolving insanely fast, but as well because every 01:21:47.029 --> 01:21:51.649 time you're working with people, it's already 01:21:51.649 --> 01:21:55.369 implicit that it's going to be about being creative 01:21:55.369 --> 01:21:57.810 and being adaptable. Because you never really 01:21:57.810 --> 01:22:01.750 know how people are going to react to a certain 01:22:01.750 --> 01:22:07.750 change or to a certain emerging trend. So all 01:22:07.750 --> 01:22:11.119 of that shows. how everything is possible. Because 01:22:11.119 --> 01:22:16.600 I started in a career where structure and problem 01:22:16.600 --> 01:22:21.619 solving, being academic was very important. And 01:22:21.619 --> 01:22:24.140 now I am in a field that is about creativity 01:22:24.140 --> 01:22:28.960 and adaptability and working with how to help 01:22:28.960 --> 01:22:32.840 people manage change. There is one thing that 01:22:32.840 --> 01:22:35.079 connects it, and I think that is an important 01:22:35.079 --> 01:22:38.539 message as well. Not only that you can change 01:22:38.539 --> 01:22:40.340 and you can adapt and you can evolve and you 01:22:40.340 --> 01:22:43.140 can find different fields that nurture different 01:22:43.140 --> 01:22:46.439 parts of your interests, but as well that you 01:22:46.439 --> 01:22:49.539 have to have something that connects it. That 01:22:49.539 --> 01:22:55.680 is the element, the red thread that guides your 01:22:55.680 --> 01:22:59.510 decisions going forward. For me, it was this 01:22:59.510 --> 01:23:02.930 strong sense of purpose that the pharmaceutical 01:23:02.930 --> 01:23:07.109 industry brings me that what I'm doing is ultimately 01:23:07.109 --> 01:23:10.229 to support medicines getting in the hands of 01:23:10.229 --> 01:23:14.590 patients. Was it analyzing scientific dossiers 01:23:14.590 --> 01:23:17.949 or is it now helping people inside of the company 01:23:17.949 --> 01:23:20.770 getting prepared for the usage of new technology? 01:23:21.069 --> 01:23:24.470 Both of them were enabling that mission and that 01:23:24.470 --> 01:23:31.189 purpose of supporting health. So if you have 01:23:31.189 --> 01:23:34.689 found something that resonates with you and it 01:23:34.689 --> 01:23:36.350 doesn't need to be very clear in the beginning, 01:23:36.449 --> 01:23:40.069 you will also figure it out as you go. But eventually 01:23:40.069 --> 01:23:43.430 finding what makes you get out of bed in the 01:23:43.430 --> 01:23:46.329 morning and how can you make it real through 01:23:46.329 --> 01:23:51.770 your career moves. Yes, absolutely. The purpose 01:23:51.770 --> 01:23:54.109 is something you should definitely be looking 01:23:54.109 --> 01:23:58.149 into. But you know what? It doesn't need to be 01:23:58.149 --> 01:24:00.789 within your job. You can have it on the side 01:24:00.789 --> 01:24:04.189 through volunteering or as simple as a passion 01:24:04.189 --> 01:24:08.949 project or activities on the side. You will be 01:24:08.949 --> 01:24:11.630 able to find something eventually, but you have 01:24:11.630 --> 01:24:15.350 to start looking for it. And if you are curious 01:24:15.350 --> 01:24:19.649 about the regulatory affairs world that Mayra 01:24:19.649 --> 01:24:22.810 just mentioned, this job exists in so many sectors. 01:24:23.010 --> 01:24:25.109 It doesn't need to be in the pharmaceutical field. 01:24:25.609 --> 01:24:28.890 It exists in the public, private sector. If you 01:24:28.890 --> 01:24:31.649 just type it online, you'll see that that job 01:24:31.649 --> 01:24:36.789 exists everywhere. And Mayra, we are reaching 01:24:36.789 --> 01:24:40.529 the last two questions and I would love to discuss 01:24:40.529 --> 01:24:44.689 mentorship. Did you have a mentor? And if you 01:24:44.689 --> 01:24:49.409 did, what did they teach you? I had so many, 01:24:49.569 --> 01:24:54.369 so, so many. I was very lucky. And sometimes, 01:24:54.810 --> 01:24:58.909 I had people who formally acted as mentors or 01:24:58.909 --> 01:25:02.770 sponsors, but I also had people who just inspired 01:25:02.770 --> 01:25:06.970 me and I admired them. And because of that, I 01:25:06.970 --> 01:25:10.630 could get motivated and learn from them. So I 01:25:10.630 --> 01:25:12.689 think you can have all of those three. You can 01:25:12.689 --> 01:25:17.029 have formal mentors, formal sponsors, and also 01:25:17.029 --> 01:25:19.890 just people you admire and that inspire you. 01:25:19.970 --> 01:25:23.569 And all the three of them can have impacts on 01:25:23.569 --> 01:25:27.479 your path. And just a parenthesis before I dig 01:25:27.479 --> 01:25:30.439 a bit deeper, the difference between mentors 01:25:30.439 --> 01:25:34.359 and sponsors, in case that's not so clear. So 01:25:34.359 --> 01:25:38.260 a mentor is someone who probably has faced the 01:25:38.260 --> 01:25:40.800 same challenges that you're looking into facing 01:25:40.800 --> 01:25:45.060 and therefore can help you understand what kind 01:25:45.060 --> 01:25:48.199 of actions you can make. So if you're trying 01:25:48.199 --> 01:25:51.079 to learn, for example, how to be a better public 01:25:51.079 --> 01:25:54.000 speaker, a mentor normally is someone you already... 01:25:54.690 --> 01:25:57.250 Consider it as a good public speaker and therefore 01:25:57.250 --> 01:26:00.970 can help you unlock that learning. A sponsor 01:26:00.970 --> 01:26:04.270 is slightly different. A sponsor is someone who 01:26:04.270 --> 01:26:08.050 will mention your name in a room full of opportunities. 01:26:08.850 --> 01:26:13.369 So someone that will help you get new opportunities 01:26:13.369 --> 01:26:15.430 when you're not there, when you're not in the 01:26:15.430 --> 01:26:18.409 room. So someone that knows your work, knows 01:26:18.409 --> 01:26:22.130 your worth, and is ready to vouch for you. We 01:26:22.130 --> 01:26:24.689 do have mentors that can act as sponsors as well, 01:26:24.729 --> 01:26:27.050 but it's important to understand that difference 01:26:27.050 --> 01:26:30.369 so that you can collect both in your life. Great 01:26:30.369 --> 01:26:36.510 mentors, but as well, great sponsors. And I had, 01:26:36.630 --> 01:26:39.250 when you asked me, like, do you think about something 01:26:39.250 --> 01:26:41.289 particularly that changed the course of your 01:26:41.289 --> 01:26:45.029 path? I immediately, I felt about three different 01:26:45.029 --> 01:26:48.670 leaders, two female leaders and one male leader. 01:26:49.239 --> 01:26:53.899 That really changed my course and had a strong 01:26:53.899 --> 01:26:56.859 impact in me and in my career. And the three 01:26:56.859 --> 01:27:01.279 of them for the same reason. Because they believed 01:27:01.279 --> 01:27:05.819 in me. They saw my potential. They showed me 01:27:05.819 --> 01:27:09.720 I was ready for bigger things, even when I wasn't 01:27:09.720 --> 01:27:14.600 sure. And they empowered me and made me feel 01:27:14.600 --> 01:27:18.960 trusted and supported to take those steps. So 01:27:18.960 --> 01:27:23.020 it's a mix between believing in me and sometimes 01:27:23.020 --> 01:27:25.739 believing in me more than I believed in myself 01:27:25.739 --> 01:27:31.340 at a certain point. And as well, empowering me 01:27:31.340 --> 01:27:34.800 to then make the best usage of that trust and 01:27:34.800 --> 01:27:38.340 that opportunity. So I think the three of them 01:27:38.340 --> 01:27:41.560 have done the same in different moments of my 01:27:41.560 --> 01:27:44.800 career. And I couldn't be where I am without 01:27:44.800 --> 01:27:50.140 them. Wow. It's so inspiring and also so important 01:27:50.140 --> 01:27:55.300 we realize how it's not a one woman or one man 01:27:55.300 --> 01:28:00.199 job. It's the result of your environment and 01:28:00.199 --> 01:28:05.140 how sometimes people can proactively reach out 01:28:05.140 --> 01:28:07.399 to you and see the potential that you have or 01:28:07.399 --> 01:28:10.920 you just have been working very, very rigorously 01:28:10.920 --> 01:28:14.600 and demonstrated so many behavioral skills that 01:28:14.600 --> 01:28:18.770 are talking for you. If you're not being proactive, 01:28:19.109 --> 01:28:23.109 but I do have some questions there. Do you remember 01:28:23.109 --> 01:28:30.010 how they empowered you? Yes. All of them at some 01:28:30.010 --> 01:28:33.590 point saw that I was going to say no to an opportunity 01:28:33.590 --> 01:28:36.489 because I felt I was not ready and came talk 01:28:36.489 --> 01:28:40.310 to me and say, you are ready. Tell me a little 01:28:40.310 --> 01:28:43.689 bit more about why you think you're not. And 01:28:43.689 --> 01:28:47.220 then I would describe all my insecurities. and 01:28:47.220 --> 01:28:51.880 all my fears. And they would always say, what 01:28:51.880 --> 01:28:56.039 is the worst thing that can happen? And I would 01:28:56.039 --> 01:28:59.439 describe this very apocalyptic scenario where 01:28:59.439 --> 01:29:05.479 I fail miserably and all my life's lost. And 01:29:05.479 --> 01:29:09.199 they would always come back to me and say, first, 01:29:09.380 --> 01:29:12.500 how likely it is that you're really going to 01:29:12.500 --> 01:29:18.289 fail that miserably. Second, We are in this together. 01:29:19.890 --> 01:29:23.409 You're not doing it by yourself. If we are giving 01:29:23.409 --> 01:29:25.470 you that chance, it's because we believe in your 01:29:25.470 --> 01:29:27.369 potential and we believe that you can make it. 01:29:27.569 --> 01:29:29.649 And we're going to be in this path together. 01:29:30.050 --> 01:29:32.470 So in different ways, each one of them with their 01:29:32.470 --> 01:29:34.930 own style. The message was always the same. It's 01:29:34.930 --> 01:29:39.430 that message of support. We are doing this together. 01:29:39.550 --> 01:29:43.560 And this message of, I believe. in your potential 01:29:43.560 --> 01:29:46.819 even more than I could really believe in myself. 01:29:48.460 --> 01:29:50.979 It's so interesting. And do you think that now 01:29:50.979 --> 01:29:56.560 after hearing them and seeing that you were indeed 01:29:56.560 --> 01:29:59.880 successful in your next opportunity, do you still 01:29:59.880 --> 01:30:04.199 have this self -talk about if something else 01:30:04.199 --> 01:30:08.300 comes my way, I will need someone to empower 01:30:08.300 --> 01:30:15.140 me again? Yes and no. I think some, I don't know 01:30:15.140 --> 01:30:18.539 if you ever have ever heard about imposter syndrome. 01:30:19.460 --> 01:30:21.739 You can read a lot about it in the internet. 01:30:21.760 --> 01:30:23.779 If you just type imposter syndrome, there is 01:30:23.779 --> 01:30:27.260 a lot of resources that will pop up. But basically 01:30:27.260 --> 01:30:31.199 it is when you think that you are an imposter, 01:30:31.279 --> 01:30:34.899 that you don't necessarily deserve the things 01:30:34.899 --> 01:30:38.460 that happen to you. And that one day people will 01:30:38.460 --> 01:30:40.800 find out that you're not as good as they think. 01:30:41.289 --> 01:30:46.130 You are, and then you're going to fail. That's 01:30:46.130 --> 01:30:50.789 basically what is behind. And funny enough, this 01:30:50.789 --> 01:30:54.710 feeling, this feeling of inadequacy or not being 01:30:54.710 --> 01:30:58.630 enough is much more common in high performers 01:30:58.630 --> 01:31:03.149 and high achievers. So the better you are, actually, 01:31:03.250 --> 01:31:05.770 the better your performance and the better your 01:31:05.770 --> 01:31:10.460 potential is, the more you tend to feel. At some 01:31:10.460 --> 01:31:13.000 point, people will find out that you're not as 01:31:13.000 --> 01:31:16.939 good as they think you are. So it's funny to 01:31:16.939 --> 01:31:20.359 have that very strong, proven correlation of 01:31:20.359 --> 01:31:24.319 performance and this feeling of not being good 01:31:24.319 --> 01:31:31.039 enough. And I think this is where some days I 01:31:31.039 --> 01:31:34.000 still struggle with it. And it is a long life 01:31:34.000 --> 01:31:38.760 battle of saying, yes, I can do it. So today 01:31:38.760 --> 01:31:41.920 I feel more ready than I have ever been in my 01:31:41.920 --> 01:31:44.840 past to accept those challenges and to feel ready 01:31:44.840 --> 01:31:48.000 for those challenges. But I still stumble on 01:31:48.000 --> 01:31:51.359 it sometimes. I remember when I was promoted 01:31:51.359 --> 01:31:54.239 to a director level position for the first time. 01:31:54.560 --> 01:31:58.199 I called my best friends at work to celebrate 01:31:58.199 --> 01:32:02.069 with them that I had had this promotion. And 01:32:02.069 --> 01:32:04.670 they said, oh, but what is going to be your title? 01:32:04.850 --> 01:32:08.390 And I told them, oh, it's director of blah, blah, 01:32:08.390 --> 01:32:13.210 blah. But, you know, I don't know why the HR 01:32:13.210 --> 01:32:18.029 calls this position director. I minimized that 01:32:18.029 --> 01:32:20.710 in front of them, the fact that it was a director 01:32:20.710 --> 01:32:25.069 position. And they caught this. They caught that 01:32:25.069 --> 01:32:29.000 I was. I didn't feel ready and therefore I was 01:32:29.000 --> 01:32:31.159 telling them not to mind so much the fact that 01:32:31.159 --> 01:32:34.159 it was a director position. And one of them, 01:32:34.199 --> 01:32:38.880 and that's why it is absolutely great to surround 01:32:38.880 --> 01:32:41.359 yourself with people that believe in you and 01:32:41.359 --> 01:32:44.260 that can be there for you in those moments. She 01:32:44.260 --> 01:32:48.460 called me later and said, Mayara, this is imposter 01:32:48.460 --> 01:32:52.819 syndrome. You got a director level position because 01:32:52.819 --> 01:32:56.479 you are a director. Congratulations. feel happy 01:32:56.479 --> 01:33:00.060 and proud about it so I was very lucky to have 01:33:00.060 --> 01:33:02.140 that friend at that moment that would call me 01:33:02.140 --> 01:33:05.159 up on it but it's just the proof to say that 01:33:05.159 --> 01:33:07.800 it's not because you have achieved a lot in your 01:33:07.800 --> 01:33:11.319 career that at some point you just feel ready 01:33:11.319 --> 01:33:14.359 for everything it's absolutely normal to have 01:33:14.359 --> 01:33:17.220 doubts to have moments where you're not 100 % 01:33:17.220 --> 01:33:20.220 sure and then to surround yourself with this 01:33:20.220 --> 01:33:22.880 environment of other people that believe in you 01:33:23.180 --> 01:33:25.359 And that can be there for you in this journey 01:33:25.359 --> 01:33:28.000 so that you can be courageous about your career 01:33:28.000 --> 01:33:31.560 moves. Thank you so much. And it's so lovely 01:33:31.560 --> 01:33:33.420 to hear that you are surrounded by the right 01:33:33.420 --> 01:33:36.819 people. And it takes time sometimes to find them. 01:33:36.920 --> 01:33:39.840 But when you do find them, cherish them because 01:33:39.840 --> 01:33:43.220 you will need this boost. And as you said, it's 01:33:43.220 --> 01:33:47.020 a lifetime of thinking those things, even if 01:33:47.020 --> 01:33:50.939 you work on them, etc. It's difficult. It's difficult 01:33:50.939 --> 01:33:53.739 because, as you said, Your role are changing, 01:33:53.899 --> 01:33:56.619 your responsibilities are changing. So it means 01:33:56.619 --> 01:33:58.760 that you also have to rethink your position. 01:33:58.800 --> 01:34:03.140 So absolutely positive self -talk, surrounding 01:34:03.140 --> 01:34:05.560 yourself by the right people is definitely a 01:34:05.560 --> 01:34:08.760 life changer. And it leads us to our last question. 01:34:09.770 --> 01:34:12.449 You have shared a lot of advice with everyone. 01:34:12.909 --> 01:34:16.310 It feels like it's very repetitive, but I want 01:34:16.310 --> 01:34:20.210 to finish on this because I know that you probably 01:34:20.210 --> 01:34:22.630 will just emphasize this on the great advice 01:34:22.630 --> 01:34:25.510 you've shared so far. So last question. Do you 01:34:25.510 --> 01:34:29.229 have any final advice for our listeners? I do 01:34:29.229 --> 01:34:31.090 have one. I think you should have to pick only 01:34:31.090 --> 01:34:34.930 one advice. That's the mindset I try to think 01:34:34.930 --> 01:34:38.729 about your question. And for me, it is to find... 01:34:39.039 --> 01:34:43.159 The right balance between staying humble and 01:34:43.159 --> 01:34:46.960 curious and as well believing in yourself and 01:34:46.960 --> 01:34:50.060 knowing your worth. And there is a reason why 01:34:50.060 --> 01:34:54.039 I say it's a balance. Because if you stay humble 01:34:54.039 --> 01:34:58.500 and curious, but only that, then you can end 01:34:58.500 --> 01:35:01.640 up diminishing yourself and having, therefore, 01:35:01.899 --> 01:35:05.119 imposter syndrome or not necessarily going for 01:35:05.119 --> 01:35:07.500 opportunities because you're going to feel so 01:35:07.500 --> 01:35:09.039 humble. that you're going to feel that you're 01:35:09.039 --> 01:35:13.439 not ready or not worth. And at the same time, 01:35:13.439 --> 01:35:15.880 if you believe in yourself and know your worth 01:35:15.880 --> 01:35:20.779 too much, but this is not in equilibrium with 01:35:20.779 --> 01:35:24.060 staying humble and curious, then this is where 01:35:24.060 --> 01:35:27.760 you might indeed reach out to opportunities that 01:35:27.760 --> 01:35:30.739 you're not ready for. And you can come across 01:35:30.739 --> 01:35:37.460 as being very full for yourself. being even understood 01:35:37.460 --> 01:35:42.500 as someone, well, not humble is the right word. 01:35:43.000 --> 01:35:48.479 So the sweet spot there is where you can have 01:35:48.479 --> 01:35:52.260 the strength to grow limitless. If you can balance 01:35:52.260 --> 01:35:55.520 those two characteristics of being humble, being 01:35:55.520 --> 01:35:58.859 curious, asking questions, always pursuing to 01:35:58.859 --> 01:36:01.720 learn and putting yourself in the shoes of eternal 01:36:01.720 --> 01:36:04.760 learning, lifelong learning. But at the same 01:36:04.760 --> 01:36:07.659 time, believing in yourself and in your potential 01:36:07.659 --> 01:36:11.319 and knowing your worth, then you're going to 01:36:11.319 --> 01:36:15.840 be unstoppable. Those are great advice to finish 01:36:15.840 --> 01:36:18.560 this episode. Thank you so much, Mayra, for everything 01:36:18.560 --> 01:36:21.239 that you shared, for every thought that you put 01:36:21.239 --> 01:36:24.140 behind the questions and every insight that you 01:36:24.140 --> 01:36:27.619 took the time to deeply explain to the people 01:36:27.619 --> 01:36:29.979 who are listening to us. I'm so grateful for 01:36:29.979 --> 01:36:33.220 your time. I really hope that you will inspire 01:36:33.220 --> 01:36:37.600 people as much as you just inspired me. Thank 01:36:37.600 --> 01:36:40.720 you. Those are great advice to finish this episode. 01:36:40.739 --> 01:36:43.300 Thank you so much, Mayra, for everything that 01:36:43.300 --> 01:36:45.859 you shared, for every thought that you put behind 01:36:45.859 --> 01:36:48.979 the questions and every insights that you took 01:36:48.979 --> 01:36:52.039 the time to deeply explain to the people who 01:36:52.039 --> 01:36:54.420 are listening to us. I'm so grateful for your 01:36:54.420 --> 01:36:57.500 time. And I really hope that you will inspire 01:36:57.500 --> 01:37:01.439 people as much as you just inspired me. Thank 01:37:01.439 --> 01:37:03.899 you so much. We talked a little bit about purpose. 01:37:03.979 --> 01:37:06.159 And I think the work that you're doing here has 01:37:06.159 --> 01:37:08.439 a lot of purpose. And that's what drove me to 01:37:08.439 --> 01:37:10.899 be here with you today. So I strongly appreciate 01:37:10.899 --> 01:37:14.119 that you decided to do this and put your energy 01:37:14.119 --> 01:37:16.079 and your passion into this beautiful project. 01:37:16.260 --> 01:37:19.420 Congratulations. Thank you so much, Maya. I highly 01:37:19.420 --> 01:37:22.939 appreciate it. And thank you, everyone, for listening. 01:37:23.539 --> 01:37:27.340 Please do reach out on X. and threads and instagram 01:37:27.340 --> 01:37:31.439 and tiktok if you have any questions if you want 01:37:31.439 --> 01:37:34.680 me to deep dive on more elements next time i 01:37:34.680 --> 01:37:39.119 have an amazing guest and if you just have any 01:37:39.119 --> 01:37:41.279 other suggestions looking forward to hearing 01:37:41.279 --> 01:37:42.420 from you see you soon