Gabriela Jaeger: How To Turn A Personal Challenge Into A Leap Of Faith

00:00:02:17 – 00:00:29:23
Gabriela
I think failure is something that, we are all very scared of. Some people more than others. I was really of the ones that are more afraid than others, but, you cannot let the fear of failing stop you from doing something that you believe in.

00:00:30:01 – 00:00:58:22
Claudia
Hello, and welcome back to Shift Happens. My name is Claudia Mahler, and I’m your host. In today’s conversation, I’m talking to Gabriela Jaeger. Originally from Mexico, Gabriela has been living a diplomatic life with her husband, the current consul general of Switzerland to New York. Gabriela shares how she basically realized when living on a past diplomatic post in Mozambique, that she needed to create her own line of profession.

00:00:58:23 – 00:01:27:03
Claudia
Considering her reality moving to a new country every 3 to 5 years, Gabriela talks about the importance of trusting and taking a leap of faith, as this is what she did when the program that she was working on to organize funds for youth, sustainability and societal and betterment projects ran out of money. She took over, got a co-founder, and global changemakers were born.

00:01:27:05 – 00:01:54:00
Claudia
Up until today, her organization that she runs remotely has funded over 500 youth led projects in 190 countries, having impacted a total of 16 million lives.

00:01:54:02 – 00:02:23:11
Claudia
Welcome, Gabriela Yeager. You’re joining me from New York City, and I’m really excited that we are finally getting a chance to speak to each other. It’s funny because, you know, my podcast shift happens. Your program that you co-founded and where you are a program director, Global Changemakers. I’m glad that we are meeting here and discussing change and shifts and pivotal moments.

00:02:23:13 – 00:02:35:06
Claudia
It seems like you are like the super pro for this. And so before we get started, I just want to know, what’s your state of mind?

00:02:35:08 – 00:02:49:23
Gabriela
Well, first of all, I just want to say thank you. I’m a fan of the podcast. I’m a listener, so it’s such a privilege to be now part of it. I’m part of this group of amazing women that you’ve been interviewing in the podcast.

00:02:49:23 – 00:02:52:00
Claudia
Thank you.

00:02:52:02 – 00:03:12:10
Gabriela
My current state of mind is, I’m I’m a little bit concerned, but I wish I could start with something more hopeful. But but, yeah, I mean, we we all see, what’s going on in the world, and, Yeah, I’m a little bit concerned, I have to say.

00:03:12:11 – 00:03:19:19
Claudia
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think we all are. Many, many share this. Not only sentiment.

00:03:19:23 – 00:03:21:07
Gabriela
Yeah.

00:03:21:09 – 00:03:27:16
Claudia
How would you describe your, Or what is perfect happiness for you?

00:03:27:18 – 00:03:51:22
Gabriela
Well, that’s that’s hard. Right? Happiness is. I see happiness as peaks. Right? Sometimes you experience a lot of happiness, but I have to say, I. I like when things are very calm. When nothing much is happening. Yeah. When nothing out of the ordinary. Happy. I think that’s when I’m the happiest.

00:03:52:00 – 00:03:55:16
Claudia
Yes, yes. I can relate to that also. Really?

00:03:55:21 – 00:04:03:23
Gabriela
I think that’s why I like Switzerland so much. Generic, is such a stable, country, so I really like that. Yeah.

00:04:04:01 – 00:04:14:03
Claudia
Yeah. Yeah. No. That’s true. And which living person do you most admire and why?

00:04:14:05 – 00:04:37:08
Gabriela
Well, I, I admire many, many people for, for, for different reasons. And many of the young people that I work with in, in my organization. But, if I go for someone that’s more known, I think I would have to say Jane Goodall. I’m a huge fan of hers. I, I, I, you know, she’s such an inspiration.

00:04:37:10 – 00:05:01:19
Gabriela
And she, she gets me a lot of help. I mean, the work that she has been doing all her life, basically is, is, not only, you know, groundbreaking for women, for the environment, for animals, but also is, is very inspirational, right. Because, things have been difficult. And as she keeps on going, it’s it’s amazing.

00:05:01:21 – 00:05:02:22
Gabriela

00:05:02:23 – 00:05:17:04
Claudia
Yeah. I, I must agree, every time I hear her she has something to give. I mean to truly give from soul to soul. Yeah I agree.

00:05:17:06 – 00:05:42:19
Claudia
So before we hear from you about your work and the organization that you co-founded, Global Changemakers, of course, I’m curious to hear how you changed into becoming a leader for change makers and how that happened. Was this something gradually, or was there really a moment where you said, you know, I have to change something? This is a pivotal moment.

00:05:42:19 – 00:05:46:19
Claudia
I need to shift gears or shift something to something else.

00:05:46:20 – 00:06:10:18
Gabriela
Well, I, I have to say, I mean, I, I, I’ve always been very interested in human rights and, you know, the world and so on and so forth. But you know how life is, it takes you. It just takes you. Right? And sometimes you have to, to make decisions. Somehow, I, I ended up in this work, if not by accident.

00:06:10:18 – 00:06:38:09
Gabriela
It was a series of things that led me to it. I, I’m married to a diplomat. Which means that every so and so years, we have to change countries and, start from scratch. And that’s complicated. And I ended up, when we were in Switzerland, I started working in this, which was it was a program before it became an organization.

00:06:38:11 – 00:07:02:20
Gabriela
And, my mandate there was to create a granting program for young people to do projects for the benefit of the world. And when I started, you know, I tried to do a little bit of benchmarking and due diligence, see what was around. See, you know, it was a big question. How much money do you give them for how long?

00:07:02:22 – 00:07:30:22
Gabriela
To whom? And so on and so forth. And there wasn’t really that much around. And also, you know, my expectation of the projects that we were going to support was, if not low, much more modest than what they ended up being so suddenly, you know, I, we started supporting programs that were doing massive changes with very little funds, and that were led by extremely young people.

00:07:31:00 – 00:07:53:22
Gabriela
Back in the day, we were working with teenagers and because of, the economic crisis in 2008, 2009, it was looking as if they were going to shut down the program. And then I was, I kind of started working remotely because by then I had moved to another country I was in, in Mozambique.

00:07:54:00 – 00:07:55:02
Claudia
Oh, dear. Yeah.

00:07:55:04 – 00:08:33:14
Gabriela
And and this is, you know, when life hits you, right? I was, on the one hand, incredibly inspired by the work that these young people were doing facing the shutdown of the program that I, you know, absolutely loved and that I had seen having incredible impact, but also faced with, reality of being a trading spouse and, knowing that you know, my professional career was very much depending on whatever it is that I was able to put together, you know, in, in different countries and where I have.

00:08:33:18 – 00:08:55:16
Gabriela
Yeah. And you kind of work, or finding a job every time you go to a new country can be complicated because you’re only there for a few years. So, you know, I wouldn’t describe myself as someone that, from a young age, knew that wanted to be a leader and, you know, change the world, then start things.

00:08:55:16 – 00:09:21:05
Gabriela
I’m, you know, a little bit more of an introvert. I, you know, I it just wasn’t something that I thought I would be doing. But suddenly I was faced with this reality. And, I just, you know, took a leap of faith and said, let’s make this happen. Unfortunately, with one of my colleagues, I’m one of the early members, of the organization.

00:09:21:05 – 00:09:29:03
Gabriela
We said, okay, let’s try to do this on our own. To register as a, as an organization and, and see what happens.

00:09:29:05 – 00:09:59:20
Claudia
I’m interested. It’s I mean, it’s not interesting. It’s fascinating. Right? When you look back and then you think about it, you sit basically at the kitchen table, right? You you start with founding an organization. Yeah. And now, I mean, you have to give me some numbers later. Now I’m still like in your personal realm where you are realizing that your situation as a mother, as a diplomatic wife, as someone who knows that, you know, she has to leave home and recreate herself.

00:09:59:20 – 00:10:25:07
Claudia
So, it was probably a also a very fortunate move to bring your deep interest for the youth and the talent and the hope that’s connected with it. And then your reality and bring it together and and work remotely so you are flexible. However, that was what at the time I read 2013, so there was no zoom. And you know, working remote was not as common as it is now.

00:10:25:10 – 00:10:28:10
Claudia
I’m sure it was pretty challenging.

00:10:28:12 – 00:11:07:21
Gabriela
It was, and more than anything, I mean, you know, we do have some we, we had, other ways of communicating remotely, but especially when you’re starting something, you know, people think of organizations as places, right? As, you know, having a corporate headquarters. And regardless of the fact that the program, has had so much impact, then it was hard to convince people that we were actually doing the things when when I explain to them, well, I’m sitting here, my co-founders are in different countries.

00:11:07:23 – 00:11:33:19
Gabriela
The people that we work with are spread all over the world. And, that’s how that’s how we do it. The pandemic definitely had a huge impact in that sense, because we were one of the few organizations that was doing that. So we were, in a sense, prepared. And it also then made the world realize, oh, this is actually possible.

00:11:33:21 – 00:11:59:04
Gabriela
So, it helped a lot in, in, in that sense. But, but you’re absolutely right. It was more than the complications or difficulties of actually doing it. It was more of a sense of, credibility that was hard to get. Sponsor partners, to buy into.

00:11:59:06 – 00:12:00:18
Claudia
But you did it.

00:12:00:20 – 00:12:04:20
Gabriela
Yeah.

00:12:04:22 – 00:12:35:21
Gabriela
Well, you know, one keeps going. It’s sometimes I think of, you know, like the hot potato, situation, you know, you have a hot potato, you have to do something with it. Right. It’s again, you know, sometimes life just, puts you in a situation where you just have to act and, follow your heart and take a leap of faith, even if it’s difficult for, for some people, it was definitely difficult for for me to take that, that leap of faith.

00:12:35:21 – 00:12:42:04
Gabriela
But but, yeah, sometimes you just have to do it right trying things out.

00:12:42:06 – 00:13:04:15
Claudia
And when you now look back at this moment of making a decision to try things out, making a decision to take this leap of faith, jumping in the cold water, you know, struggling with finding support and sponsors and so on. What do you think? It’s like the lesson you really learned from it for yourself personally, but also maybe something that you can generalize?

00:13:04:17 – 00:13:31:04
Gabriela
Well, I think the biggest lesson is you need to try. I, I tend to be, someone that that very much cherishes security. Right. And probably if I had had the opportunity to have something more stable, you know, be with the company or continue a more, traditional path, probably I would have gone, through it.

00:13:31:07 – 00:14:03:01
Gabriela
I just didn’t have it at the time. And, it also, you know, played a huge part that the network that I was working with was was very passionate and they’re very young. And something that I learned is the younger you are, the easier it is to take these leaps of faith. I was already, you know, I was younger, but I, I had already passed that that period of time where you say, okay, let’s just do it.

00:14:03:03 – 00:14:29:19
Gabriela
So it was hard. And I think the biggest lesson that I learned is you need to try, you know, sometimes you fail. I think failure is something that, we are all very scared of. Some people more than others. I was really of the ones that are more afraid than others. But, you cannot let the fear of failing stop you from doing something that you believe in.

00:14:29:21 – 00:14:49:16
Gabriela
So I’m getting a little bit better, realizing that failing is can be a good thing. And you learn from it. It’s still very difficult for me to realize, you know, that something didn’t go the way I wanted to, but, Well, yeah, that’s the biggest lesson we.

00:14:49:16 – 00:15:19:18
Claudia
All we can all relate to that. Yeah. So Global changemakers, you are working with youth all over the world, and I find it such a fascinating and inspiring concept. And it’s so hopeful. Yeah. Because. Right. Our future depends on the youth more than ever especially you know, we here in the Western world, I mean, we are all becoming so old and some eastern countries as well, but it’s just.

00:15:19:20 – 00:15:21:01
Gabriela

00:15:21:03 – 00:15:51:08
Claudia
And, and what I also find, as the mother of two boys, grown young men, I have to say, there’s a lot of, how can I say not discrediting, but a lot of criticism on today’s youth. And there is not this and there’s not that. And maybe it was like, that’s always right. But if I read, for example, what you are able to mobilize, empower youth to embrace and to mobilize, I mean, that’s what we need.

00:15:51:08 – 00:16:05:08
Claudia
That’s what the world needs. So if you could just give a little bit of context of your organization and the programs you do and also put a few numbers on it so that the listeners get an idea and soon will click your website?

00:16:05:10 – 00:16:30:00
Gabriela
Well, I hope I’ll, I’ll be able to say then that, you know, this entire period of time, I’m, I’m very passionate about about what I do. But going back to what you were saying, you know, being a mother, I’m having, I have a teenager having young people in your family does make you realize and have you a little bit in contact with the way they see things.

00:16:30:00 – 00:16:56:23
Gabriela
And you’re right. There’s a lot of criticism of youth. I agree that there has always been. But, you know, this generation is probably, very criticized for being apathetic or for being cynic or for being, you know, not productive, which I you know, in my experience, I tend to work with young people that are incredible. I’m probably a little bit out of the norm.

00:16:56:23 – 00:17:32:04
Gabriela
I’m part of the work that we’re trying to do is to, to encourage the ones that are not active to be active. But they are faced with, with a very difficult reality than what we were faced when we were young. I think, I think they they have grown up in a very different world, in a very competitive world, in a world where having a degree or, you know, having all these checklists that we had that if we completed, you know, kind of made it clear that we were going to go one way.

00:17:32:04 – 00:18:02:10
Gabriela
And for young people right now, it’s not like that. So, going back to what we do, we started out working with young people that were already very active in whatever field. So it could be the environment, it could be education, it could be women’s rights, it could be civic engagement. Really, anything that was bringing positive, impact to their communities or to the world.

00:18:02:12 – 00:18:24:08
Gabriela
And, we had a selection process where we brought the best, for an event that we call the Youth Summit. It’s a very competitive event. We have thousands and thousands who have applications for only 60. And in that week, we basically network, we teach them how to be more impactful in whatever it is that they’re doing.

00:18:24:10 – 00:19:07:11
Gabriela
And more importantly, we give them a group, a family, that they can rely on when they’re struggling because social is not the most common thing to say. I want to change the world. So it has been incredibly impactful, through the small grants that we give them, you know, they develop incredible projects. And over the years, and also because of challenges, because, you know, funding something like this is very expensive because we we do our full sponsor program, which allows us to bring people from all walks of life, you know, from refugee camps to people that are studying at Ivy League.

00:19:07:16 – 00:19:39:21
Gabriela
It’s really, you know, the selection criteria is how much impact you’re doing. So it is a very expensive program. And also every year when we had the selection process, we realized we’re leaving thousands like thousands behind. We can only take 60. So that made us rethink what we were doing. And by then we had already a very strong, robust network full of incredibly talented people.

00:19:39:23 – 00:20:12:11
Gabriela
We were also facing the end of, our sponsorship with, the main sponsor that was, financing this summit. So 2020, before pandemic hit, we were prepared to go online. We had a group of, some of our best people put together online courses, project management, but, you know, project management, not from the corporate perspective, but from the perspective of what it is to be a young person wanting to do something.

00:20:12:11 – 00:20:38:12
Gabriela
This is what you need to know. And the teachers in the course are members of our network. So our people that our audience can really relate to. So, we launched this, just before the pandemic. And through that, we’ve been able to reach literally everywhere. We have young people in 190 countries that have gone through our courses.

00:20:38:14 – 00:21:08:03
Gabriela
If they go through the course, then they can apply for small funds to do their projects. We’ve been able to finance, small initiatives that are having massive, massive impact, in the world. And that, you know, you asked for numbers. We’ve financed, already more than 500 projects, youth led projects, all over the world, which collectively had had an impact of more than 16 million people, which is insane.

00:21:08:05 – 00:21:09:07
Gabriela

00:21:09:09 – 00:21:10:05
Claudia
It’s insane.

00:21:10:10 – 00:21:38:01
Gabriela
The school we started online, we started with, with, facilitation and project management, in English. Then we are, you know, slowly translating discourses to different, languages in Spanish, Portuguese. We released course on menstruation, sexual and Reproductive Health a few years ago in English that has had a massive, massive impact. Yeah.

00:21:38:05 – 00:21:50:22
Gabriela
A couple of years ago, we made the version of that course in Spanish. Then we followed with ecology. Yeah, we’re we’re doing kind of a lot.

00:21:51:00 – 00:22:17:18
Claudia
Yes. Wow. So what are some other examples of projects that they are doing? You mentioned the Sexual Health Project and what is something that is like a reoccurring theme or need or what maybe even unites the young people who, going out to do something for their communities or countries. Is there something that is like a where they all meet?

00:22:17:18 – 00:22:21:09
Claudia
Almost. Yeah, because it’s such a universal need.

00:22:21:11 – 00:22:55:03
Gabriela
Well, definitely. You know, we started thinking, I think the Menstruation and sexual reproductive health course is a perfect example. It came as things do, in a way, as an accident. I was living in Zimbabwe at the time and, we had had, cycling. So there was a terrible humanitarian crisis. And, I was me, you know, we’re not just amongst friends discussing, you know, what different organizations were doing for relief in that crisis.

00:22:55:05 – 00:23:18:21
Gabriela
And someone from I don’t remember if it was UN women or, UNHCR or one of those organizations we’re talking about the distribution of relief packs and how important it was to distribute menstrual pads. And, you know, just in the context of the humanitarian crisis. And then I brought up the fact that this patch last for so long.

00:23:18:21 – 00:23:44:09
Gabriela
Right. Menstruation is something that that, women have every month, that, you know, that perhaps they should be thinking about doing something else, something that was more sustainable and something that was a little bit more long term. And then we started this discussion about the menstrual cup and how difficult it was for some cultures, to introduce, you know, this, this menstrual cup.

00:23:44:09 – 00:24:12:17
Gabriela
And then I brought the example of one of our, changemakers that’s in Malawi who runs, Youth Development Center, a center where, you know, she basically builds the capacity of young people to gain, employable skills. And I mentioned that when I visited her, her focus wasn’t really on women’s rights or on sexual and reproductive health or anything like that, but how?

00:24:12:19 – 00:24:40:18
Gabriela
Menstruation was one of the biggest, obstacles for women, actually to finish school, to go to work, etc. it’s incredible. It’s absolutely ridiculous. And I had been not only a user, but a promoter of the menstrual for many years. And, I always heard the story of it’s culturally, difficult. People don’t accept it and then they need restrooms and then they need clean water.

00:24:40:18 – 00:25:06:13
Gabriela
And I was well, they need that to begin with, right? That that cannot be the reason for us to say no to that. Those are issues that we need to fix. Regardless of any other thing I’d be when I visited this girl I saw a bunch of menstrual cups that she was distributing and I asked her about that as she said it has been a huge hit.

00:25:06:14 – 00:25:40:23
Gabriela
It really. You know, the moment I started talking to young women and women in our center, explained, you know, how it worked and the benefits of class and so on and so forth. They all took it. So it really made me think how sometimes we approach as the Western world or US aid agencies problems. And one of the biggest problems with people taking on innovations or, you know, lessons is who are these coming from, right?

00:25:41:02 – 00:26:10:18
Gabriela
It makes a huge difference when it’s someone from the community to actually talk in their language, explain things, answer questions. Because a lot of times people don’t feel comfortable to ask questions. Do you know, perhaps a male doctor from another country? And they use, you know, workers. So, the connecting point was this is such, an obstacle for young women.

00:26:10:18 – 00:26:34:05
Gabriela
You know, getting pregnant, 15 or getting their period and not being able to go to school. I thought, okay, I’ll just put together a group of, of our girls, or, you know, doctors in their own, in their own personal careers or who have experience working with youth groups or who are psychologists. So I put together a group of, professional, women in our network.

00:26:34:07 – 00:26:46:20
Gabriela
And there was a little bit of a backlash in my organization. So with my team, because they said, this is not what we do. You know, we’re not a health organization. Why are we going into this field?

00:26:46:22 – 00:26:47:19
Claudia

00:26:47:21 – 00:27:20:22
Gabriela
And I was, very determined to do this because I said this is a root cause. Right. This is something that we see not only happening in, in Africa, but it happens in Latin America. And as we started putting together that course, we realized even in Europe there’s such a lack of knowledge of women’s health. So the course started, you know, very much with my idea of let’s bring sustainable menstrual practices to the world.

00:27:21:03 – 00:27:36:05
Gabriela
Yeah. So actually realizing, oh, it’s not just that, you know, it’s not just that girls are not completing their education because they don’t have menstrual products. It’s also that they’re getting pregnant. It’s also that, we.

00:27:36:05 – 00:27:36:21
Claudia
Connected.

00:27:36:23 – 00:28:02:09
Gabriela
Started sharing stories of, you know, someone who’s who’s, who finished a, university degree. And the first time she heard of an ectopic pregnancy was when she was pregnant and almost died. So it kind of like, you know, you start with something, you start scratching, and then boom, all these things, come across. So we started, administration on sexual and reproductive health was the first one.

00:28:02:10 – 00:28:35:05
Gabriela
And then we started, you know, going into what I call well, when it’s called transversal issues. So issues that are recurring and that are really at the forefront of the young people are obviously education, the environment. There are a bunch of others. So we slowly are trying to, you know, put together skill sets, easy, digestible, accessible in different languages from young people for other young people to realize.

00:28:35:07 – 00:29:04:06
Gabriela
Every single thing that we do has an effect on the world. And there are there are, you know, you can be a, full fledged activist or you can be just someone who’s very conscious of of their actions. And that is really what has been, you know, the shift in the last years for the organization. We moved from only working with the very select group to use the select group to try to go and spread.

00:29:04:08 – 00:29:04:23
Claudia

00:29:05:01 – 00:29:05:23
Gabriela
Everywhere.

00:29:06:01 – 00:29:10:08
Claudia
Yeah. And create an even stronger ripple effect right from everything.

00:29:10:11 – 00:29:12:02
Gabriela
Yeah, yeah.

00:29:12:02 – 00:29:29:20
Claudia
It must be so inspiring, I can imagine, to work with these young people. So what is for you the most? Yeah, rewarding, but really also inspirational. Or where you feel like this is, you know, bringing you forward in your work for them.

00:29:29:21 – 00:29:30:14
Gabriela
Well.

00:29:30:16 – 00:29:31:18
Claudia
And with them.

00:29:31:20 – 00:30:14:09
Gabriela
As I said, I, when you asked me what my state of mind is, I’m very concerned about where things are going. And I really think that the only way forward is to open channels of communication to support those that are already doing something, and to try to engage those that are not. You know, going back to something that we already talked about when you’re young, you try, you know, you have the time or you have the will or, you know, life hasn’t beaten you down or, you know, just took you to the path of adulthood and responsibilities and bills and so on and so forth.

00:30:14:11 – 00:30:38:00
Gabriela
So what really inspires me is, you know, seeing these young people many times with the most difficult backgrounds that one come to ask them, you know, I’ve met literal heroes. And that is really what keeps me going, you know, just thinking if we don’t support them, they are really the future, right? And they are the present.

00:30:38:00 – 00:31:00:11
Gabriela
They keep telling me we’re not the future. We’re the present. You know, it’s not for tomorrow. It’s today. Yeah. So that that’s very much, you know, when, when, whenever we have, challenges with funding, which seems to be our biggest challenge. We always find a way and just keep going. You know, we just, continue to do whatever it is that you can because we cannot just sit.

00:31:00:12 – 00:31:03:20
Gabriela
Did the world, crumble in front of us? So.

00:31:03:22 – 00:31:04:09
Claudia

00:31:04:11 – 00:31:18:12
Gabriela
So that’s, you know, really just, the hope that whatever you do will somehow, you know, have an effect or perhaps help in one way or another.

00:31:18:14 – 00:31:20:20
Claudia
Wow. Brava.

00:31:20:22 – 00:31:21:15
Gabriela
What’s this.

00:31:21:17 – 00:31:28:08
Claudia
Yeah. Really. I mean I want to be young again now and and be there and do something. Do heal.

00:31:28:10 – 00:31:30:21
Gabriela
I never know.

00:31:30:23 – 00:31:31:10
Claudia
No, no.

00:31:31:14 – 00:31:34:13
Gabriela
I’m getting more and more comfortable with planes.

00:31:34:15 – 00:32:02:19
Claudia
No you’re right. No I mean you know in regards to what you’re doing and enabling, but yeah. No, I actually also, yes, feel for the young ones even though this is their reality. Right. And so, you know, everybody makes tries to always make the best of wherever they are and what’s going on. But I in comparison, I find it also challenging what our, younglings, whether teenagers or twins, are maneuvering.

00:32:02:21 – 00:32:03:23
Claudia
Yes. And the competition.

00:32:04:03 – 00:32:10:11
Gabriela
They’re, they’re, they’re facing, you know, they’re facing a lot of challenges. Yeah.

00:32:10:16 – 00:32:27:23
Claudia
Yes they do. So speaking of challenges, like moving challenges. You’re in New York now. Do you know when you’re leaving the city? And do you already know where you will go next, or do you have a little bit of calm still?

00:32:28:01 – 00:33:04:16
Gabriela
Well, we do know, that, you know, the tenure ends in two years, so I have two years more in New York. As to where next? No idea yet. The process starts, a year ahead. So we still have some time to, to find out. But that, you know, that gives me a little bit of, ticking clock, because there in New York is such, an incredible place to meet people, to build partnerships, to, to build support.

00:33:04:18 – 00:33:33:16
Gabriela
So to I have a lot to do in the coming two years. And hopefully by the time we move, I don’t know, I keep telling people in my organization it’s time for someone else to take the reins and for me just to sit and see where this goes. So, I don’t know, maybe, hopefully by the end of this tenure, some, some setting will be put together so that I can slowly move to that.

00:33:33:18 – 00:33:59:10
Claudia
Yeah. Well I thank you so much. I wanted to ask, I always ask my guests who are usually very busy. Two questions. One, how do you calm down and how do you create an atmosphere of. Yeah respiration and recuperation. And if you’re not there, what do you do to energize yourself?

00:33:59:12 – 00:34:31:00
Gabriela
So I do yoga and I do lots, and that’s that’s helpful. I’m not a big exercise junkie, so. Yoga. I’m feeling like this. Give me, you know, the right proportion of movement, especially the yoga, you know, is very grounding. So that helps. I also know I’m in the face of loving puzzles and word games, so I do a lot of that and reading.

00:34:31:02 – 00:34:56:12
Gabriela
But I have phases. So when I was, in, in Mozambique, I took up sewing. And then, you know, my daughter makes, fun of me when we were putting the the Christmas tree and a lot of the ornaments were, oh, these are from your sewing phase and these are from your pottery phase. And I kind of like how phases of doing, you know, but I do like, you know, trying different crafts, whenever possible.

00:34:56:12 – 00:35:21:21
Gabriela
That’s very calming. In New York is complicated, as you know, it was just, such a busy CD. You know, I just don’t have the space to the both the room to all my sewing and my whatever creative projects. So I’m into into puzzles right now. And energizing. Yeah. I’m not such an energetic.

00:35:21:21 – 00:35:42:07
Gabriela
But you know what really gives me a lot of energy? The summits, when we get together with, with our young people is just super intense because of course, they are 20 years younger than I am. And sometimes, you know more as every. So maybe it just feels like, okay, now the selection process. Are people born in 2000?

00:35:42:07 – 00:36:10:00
Gabriela
Scott. Yes, like. I know it’s insane. Yeah. But yeah. So they’re very young. And, for many of them, it’s a very first time that they leave their country. And sometimes they leave their village. I cannot tell you the incredible, catalog of stories of what it is to move a young person for the very first time out of the village and everything that can happen in between.

00:36:10:00 – 00:36:35:11
Gabriela
But, so, yeah, they come and they’re super excited and they don’t sleep for a whole week. I’m now getting a little bit better, actually going to sleep because I just cannot, you know, stay awake, but, but definitely those weeks filled me with energy and, with hope and, you know, kind of, like, charge for my batteries to go through the year.

00:36:35:13 – 00:36:38:02
Gabriela

00:36:38:04 – 00:36:50:15
Claudia
Oh, wonderful. So everyone who is interested to find out more about Global Changemaker, it’s, global minus changemakers. Changemakers or changemaker.

00:36:50:17 – 00:36:53:19
Gabriela
Changemakers plural that met.

00:36:53:21 – 00:36:54:05
Claudia
Net.

00:36:54:05 – 00:36:54:21
Gabriela
Net.

00:36:54:23 – 00:36:58:12
Claudia
Yeah. Global minus changemakers dot net.

00:36:58:14 – 00:37:04:10
Gabriela
Yes. Correct. And we’re you know we’re all over social media. So it’s easy enough to find us.

00:37:04:12 – 00:37:23:19
Claudia
Yeah that’s fantastic I thank you so much for your time. And this insight into your important work and the youth that you’ve empowered and activated over the years. And. Yeah, and certainly, continue to follow all of this. Thank you so much, Gabriela.

00:37:23:21 – 00:37:44:09
Gabriela
Now thank you. It has been, you know, a privilege to be part of this. And congratulations on the great podcast. It’s really you know, you are doing an incredible work to put together this amazing group of, of women. They’re just, you know, so full of wisdom and, of support. Yeah. I really love it. Thank you so much.

00:37:44:09 – 00:38:02:16
Claudia
I agree. Yeah, I’m very honored to. All right. Thank you so much. Bye bye. Bye.

00:38:02:18 – 00:38:30:16
Claudia
What resonated so much with me in today’s conversation was when Gabriela talked about that. She really likes a common way of working out and in general, when things just don’t change too much, I can so feel her bliss is a calm and safe life, especially in our day and age.

00:38:30:18 – 00:38:56:07
Claudia
Thank you for listening to Shift Happens. Please follow and subscribe to this podcast. It’s an easy hit for you with a huge impact for me. It helps me grow even further and bring you more conversations with women from around the globe. I am so happy to announce that the iconic Danish shirt brand Brett Soucek supports season four of Shift Happens.

00:38:56:08 – 00:39:25:20
Claudia
I love these shirts crafted in Europe, dedicated to the luxury of dressing with ease and delivering exceptional quality and enduring styles. Use Code Shift happens at checkout for 20% off your first purchase. Valid on full price items only. Shift Happens has been created and is hosted by me. Claudia Mahler editing Andy Boroson, social media

00:39:25:22 – 00:39:28:16
Claudia
Magda Reckendrees.

00:39:28:18 – 00:39:34:06
Claudia
I hope you felt connected and heard by listening to Shift happens.