1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:01,000 Karla Yepez: Ready when you…. 2 00:00:04,090 --> 00:00:16,520 Melinda Lee: Welcome, dear listeners, to the Speak in Flow podcast, where we dive into unique stories to inspire you to take your team to the next level, even when the stakes are high and the pressure is on. 3 00:00:16,520 --> 00:00:35,399 Melinda Lee: I have an amazing trailblazer leader in the HR industry. She is Carla Yepes. She's the HR Director for Trio Manufacturing, which is aerospace manufacturing. I'm so glad she's here. Hi, Carla! 4 00:00:35,680 --> 00:00:37,469 Karla Yepez: Hi, Melinda, how are you? 5 00:00:37,470 --> 00:00:51,610 Melinda Lee: I am great! I can't wait to dive into your amazing, inspiring story. Before we begin, can you share with us more about what is great, what is great in the world of Trio Manufacturing? 6 00:00:51,610 --> 00:01:04,119 Karla Yepez: Oh, Melinda, I… I'm biased because I work here, but I am not because I work here. TRIO is a world-class leader in the position manufacturing world. 7 00:01:04,180 --> 00:01:17,960 Karla Yepez: We are a proud partner in fortifying the U.S. defense sector, delivering the high-quality components essential to the readiness of our nation's armed forces. And that brings me immense pride and joy to be a part of. 8 00:01:18,490 --> 00:01:32,959 Melinda Lee: Oh my gosh, that gave me chills. And you're such… you know, they really believe in you, the founders believed in you, and you have come so far in the HR world. You do so much for them, you do their safety, you do… 9 00:01:32,960 --> 00:01:44,580 Melinda Lee: HR, you do a lot, but before we even dive into your story at Trio, I actually wanted to share… have you share with the audience, like, the beginning. It wasn't always like this. 10 00:01:44,580 --> 00:01:46,879 Melinda Lee: Can you tell us what that was like? 11 00:01:47,190 --> 00:01:59,769 Karla Yepez: Well, I come from very humble beginnings. It was very interesting times growing up. I come from a broken family of divorce, you know, separated, family, 12 00:01:59,820 --> 00:02:09,549 Karla Yepez: when I was 7, divorced, my parents, and I was alone a lot. I was alone a lot of the time, exposing me to quite a few, negative 13 00:02:09,710 --> 00:02:14,880 Karla Yepez: Experiences, but they're… it's what helped me be… become resilient. 14 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:19,170 Karla Yepez: And in my perspective. … So, … 15 00:02:19,720 --> 00:02:22,269 Karla Yepez: during that time, I learned that I was… 16 00:02:22,490 --> 00:02:34,360 Karla Yepez: That I was gonna… that I… I was gonna be alone, and it's okay. It's okay. I learned a lot during that time. I learned a lot about myself, learned a lot about my, and how… how much I could deal with. 17 00:02:34,360 --> 00:02:42,599 Karla Yepez: And I learned a lot about my parents, too. It was… and my other family members that helped take care of me when, my parents were not able to. 18 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:51,270 Melinda Lee: And you're primarily the only Hispanic in this area, correct? Like, rare to have that. And you look different from people. 19 00:02:51,510 --> 00:02:53,440 Karla Yepez: Yes, exactly, and that… 20 00:02:53,530 --> 00:02:59,840 Karla Yepez: at that, time, in that city where I was in, it was, there was… 21 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:14,500 Karla Yepez: the community was majority, they were Caucasian, so I was bullied a lot because I was… I was Mexican, and I looked different, and I had… I don't look at… right now, because I have… my hair is straight right now, but I have curly hair. 22 00:03:14,500 --> 00:03:27,420 Karla Yepez: You know, I was tanned, I was so different, and I couldn't speak the language properly or fluently, so I was bullied a lot. But, like I said, those are the… those circumstances helped me really 23 00:03:27,950 --> 00:03:31,339 Karla Yepez: become resilient. Like, they didn't break me on the project. 24 00:03:31,340 --> 00:03:35,999 Melinda Lee: What did you do, yeah, to protect yourself? Like, what did you do to build courage? 25 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:37,880 Karla Yepez: I honestly, … 26 00:03:38,170 --> 00:03:48,369 Karla Yepez: I started reading to learn the language. I became determined to learn English. I became, like… it was like an anger inside of me that I had 27 00:03:48,370 --> 00:04:03,120 Karla Yepez: to learn English. I was no longer in the safety network of my home and my parents, where they all speak Spanish, and they understood me. This is chow time, and I… it became, like, an obsession for me. I became 28 00:04:03,190 --> 00:04:16,039 Karla Yepez: I started going to the library a lot and, like, checking out the books, and reading out loud really helped me articulate better and understand better, and I would read out loud to both my parents at that time, and 29 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:25,100 Karla Yepez: They were telling me what a good job I was doing, but this was before they, they got separated, and then I kept that going, when they separated, because that was one of the only things that 30 00:04:25,100 --> 00:04:42,949 Karla Yepez: help me feel safe, because I read out loud to them. So during the times that I was alone, my aunt would think it was weird, because I would read out loud by myself. She's like, who are you reading to? I'm like, it became a nostalgic feeling for me. 31 00:04:42,950 --> 00:04:55,560 Melinda Lee: One way to turn this anger into something positive for yourself. It fueled you to learn something new and learn a language, and then now speaking it out loud and saying it became nostalgic. 32 00:04:55,730 --> 00:05:02,659 Karla Yepez: Wow. And then, and then you have to, you know, get jobs, right? Multiple jobs. 33 00:05:03,140 --> 00:05:13,439 Karla Yepez: Yes, after that, I… we didn't grow up with a lot of money. I had other siblings at home. Now I had lived home… at home with a stepfather. 34 00:05:14,100 --> 00:05:27,290 Karla Yepez: My dad, I would see him every so… every weekend. He was always in my life, present, and he… he was actually one of the people that really, pushed me. He would tell me, don't feel sorry for yourself, you're fine, there's nothing wrong with you. 35 00:05:27,290 --> 00:05:35,270 Karla Yepez: You have two legs, two arms, two eyes, you're not disabled, honey. You could get a job, don't worry about it. And you know, he was always very, very direct. 36 00:05:35,270 --> 00:05:46,280 Karla Yepez: And that… I was like, you're right, I'm gonna go get a job, and I told my friend, hey, do you know anybody that's hiring? Oh, yeah, there's a job right there, down in Compton, like, you get… 37 00:05:46,400 --> 00:06:01,040 Karla Yepez: let's just do it for the summer, just let's get some money. I'm like, yeah, I want to buy new clothes, you know, and I was embarrassed to ask my parents for money, because I already knew they were struggling. So, I ended up going, and I worked there, and I worked in the back of the warehouse, and just… 38 00:06:01,190 --> 00:06:13,660 Karla Yepez: putting stamps in clothes and putting them in boxes. But that helped pay for my… for the necessities of my, you know, growing up and wanting to have nice clothes. And I'm not saying, like, expensive clothes, just… 39 00:06:13,660 --> 00:06:31,470 Karla Yepez: decent clothes. And that, and even then, I remember just wanting to learn, like, why… why can't I be a cash waiter? Why do I have to be in the back? And, just even then, trying to learn everything, like, okay, so why is the pond made like this? Oh, because if 40 00:06:31,470 --> 00:06:43,759 Karla Yepez: we put more, the box will break, you know, so we have… it has a certain, amount that you can't exceed, because it's going to break the box. You don't want the box, that's money from my pocket, the owners would tell me. 41 00:06:43,780 --> 00:06:44,760 Karla Yepez: … 42 00:06:44,870 --> 00:06:59,089 Karla Yepez: After that, in high school, I graduated with honors from Paramount High. My alma mater, once a pirate, always a pirate. But it also taught me there, to be, again, resilient. I didn't have 43 00:06:59,210 --> 00:07:15,739 Karla Yepez: family members there. I had a lot of good friends, but I didn't have family members, so I had to become strong and independent even since I was 7. Since I had… I was left out alone, I… not on purpose, but I… I had to be independent, I had to be strong, and nobody… nobody told me to do it. I… 44 00:07:15,800 --> 00:07:22,449 Karla Yepez: just understood that that's how my life was gonna be, and I never looked back, I never looked back on 45 00:07:22,940 --> 00:07:25,190 Karla Yepez: And that helped me… 46 00:07:25,530 --> 00:07:40,850 Karla Yepez: become more ambitious and want to become something more than what… what I was. You know, starting off at Chipotle after high school and, going to a couple… a little college here and there, little trades that I learned. I ended up going, … 47 00:07:40,850 --> 00:07:46,269 Karla Yepez: to work at a moment where I didn't have resources or anything, I was just desperate for money. 48 00:07:46,270 --> 00:07:56,170 Karla Yepez: And I ended up going to Chipotle, just to get a quick job, to help pay the bills for my husband. It was too much for us. We were poor, and we were little, we were… 49 00:07:56,250 --> 00:08:05,440 Karla Yepez: 20? Like, 19 years old. We were kids, and we didn't know better, so I went in and I got a job just to help my husband out with the bills. 50 00:08:05,530 --> 00:08:20,399 Karla Yepez: And, after that, it still wasn't cutting it, so I ended up getting a full-time job at Truck Process, which is a… this is where everything kicked off. Truck Process was a pivotal moment for me in my career, because it's what launched 51 00:08:20,580 --> 00:08:22,910 Karla Yepez: The beginning of my career. 52 00:08:23,290 --> 00:08:24,470 Melinda Lee: Yeah, and what did you do there? 53 00:08:24,790 --> 00:08:28,139 Melinda Lee: I started off just smiling. Filing? 54 00:08:28,140 --> 00:08:31,589 Karla Yepez: Which means, like, nobody wants to follow. 55 00:08:31,590 --> 00:08:32,100 Melinda Lee: Right! 56 00:08:32,100 --> 00:08:51,030 Karla Yepez: It's so tedious, but I found a love for it because I ended up, I didn't just file the file, I would read, I would read who was the vendor, was the customer, certain part numbers, I wanted to know what they meant, I wanted to know what phase the part was in, what is shopping, what is that, what is that? I wanted to know everything. … 57 00:08:51,090 --> 00:09:01,300 Karla Yepez: I guess I was nosy, and I wanted to know more, and the VP actually started noticing me, and she was like, hey, why don't you just come on and help me with certain things, and … 58 00:09:01,480 --> 00:09:21,360 Karla Yepez: started… I started helping her, and then accounting was, … at that moment, that person that was in charge of accounting was, … I want to say she was on salary, so she would come in around 10 and leave around 3, so it was a very limited time. I was there at 6.45 every day, and would leave, like, around 4. But I was there, and when she would leave early. 59 00:09:21,390 --> 00:09:41,819 Karla Yepez: they would ask, oh, can you please send a statement? I was like, what's a statement? But I was like, don't worry, I'll figure it out. Give me one second, let me place you on hold. And my customer service skills from Chipotle actually helped me, try to practice when I would answer the phones, because I maintain that customer service 60 00:09:41,820 --> 00:09:59,929 Karla Yepez: in my head, when they'll teach us at Chipotle, like, oh, smile and greet! Even if they call over the phone, smile, because they're gonna hear your smile. And I kept that in my… I kept that in the back of my mind, so, they enjoyed… the customers enjoyed talking to me, and I… 61 00:10:00,110 --> 00:10:07,880 Karla Yepez: I would place them on hold, and I would ask my buddy Juan, like, how do I get a statement? Oh, this is how you do, I'll take notes and everything. 62 00:10:08,170 --> 00:10:09,490 Karla Yepez: Little by little. 63 00:10:09,730 --> 00:10:18,049 Melinda Lee: Yeah! You could have, like, you know, because of your humble beginnings, because of the challenges, you could have, like. 64 00:10:18,050 --> 00:10:42,870 Melinda Lee: We've been in a pity party, oh, woe is me, you know, like your uncle said, but you're not, right? You, like, made decisions to go out there, do whatever it takes to learn, and to get really curious about whatever it is that you're there doing. Some people might say, oh my gosh, I don't want to file this so below me, or I don't want to do it, but then you got curious. Rather than that, you're learning, and you're learning, and then 65 00:10:42,870 --> 00:10:44,489 Melinda Lee: the VP noticed. 66 00:10:44,490 --> 00:10:46,949 Melinda Lee: That you're learning, you're not just filing. 67 00:10:47,100 --> 00:10:56,800 Karla Yepez: Yeah, yeah, and then she fell… she went to, … she went on FMLA for a couple months, and … one of my machinists 68 00:10:57,090 --> 00:10:58,959 Karla Yepez: He cut his thumb. 69 00:10:59,080 --> 00:11:10,069 Karla Yepez: And I figured it out. He came in, and I was crazy looking for anything that said workers' comp on it. And I found it, I took him, and… 70 00:11:10,220 --> 00:11:15,560 Karla Yepez: there you go! That was literally what kicked off HR in my mind. 71 00:11:15,680 --> 00:11:20,860 Karla Yepez: It was that pivotal moment for me, again, with that little workers' comp incident. 72 00:11:21,140 --> 00:11:28,589 Karla Yepez: And, I was… I started Googling, I started searching things up, I started asking questions, I ask questions for everything. 73 00:11:28,590 --> 00:11:41,590 Karla Yepez: where do I find this? Where do I do this? How do I do that? I'll call the workers' comp, I'll call HealthNet at the time. I called everybody. I wasn't shy, I'm not shy. If I don't know something, I will let you know. 74 00:11:41,590 --> 00:11:42,100 Melinda Lee: Oh, boy. 75 00:11:42,430 --> 00:11:52,529 Karla Yepez: Yeah, so the employees started noticing, like, oh, she's, she's, she's, she's, she's trying to help us, right? And little by little, I started, like, getting the hang of it, you know? 76 00:11:54,260 --> 00:11:59,400 Melinda Lee: And then you, yeah, you extend your hand. You're willing to go above and beyond to help people. 77 00:11:59,840 --> 00:12:00,870 Karla Yepez: Yeah. 78 00:12:00,870 --> 00:12:08,340 Melinda Lee: That's what they love. And then, so then you ended up topping out. You got, like, the masks to where you were. 79 00:12:08,730 --> 00:12:10,399 Melinda Lee: And then what happened after that? 80 00:12:10,400 --> 00:12:17,629 Karla Yepez: And, and then we were, that company was bought out by a huge monster in the aerospace. 81 00:12:17,840 --> 00:12:37,840 Karla Yepez: industry, and I was able to get a glimpse of corporate, which was amazing. It was such a, … it was… it was a beautiful challenge for me, because it exposed me once again to HR again, to doing AR and AP. Exposed me to HR and found my true, true calling, which I realized at that moment that it was 82 00:12:38,060 --> 00:12:45,430 Karla Yepez: being helpful, remembering that, we're in the business of people. We are. We really are. And, 83 00:12:45,810 --> 00:12:50,010 Karla Yepez: People are always going to need our help, and we have to remind them that we are 84 00:12:50,180 --> 00:12:53,909 Karla Yepez: We, at the end of the day, we're people too, so we're gonna help them. 85 00:12:54,020 --> 00:13:08,319 Karla Yepez: Regardless, and they… they wanted to feel like somebody cared about them, not just about how many parts did you deliver, did you plate my part, or did you do this? Did you mask this part, all that stuff. They wanted more, and I started realizing that, and 86 00:13:08,950 --> 00:13:16,340 Karla Yepez: once I, that company I topped out, I… Fast forward to… to, to, TRIO. 87 00:13:16,630 --> 00:13:19,300 Karla Yepez: is where I just… 88 00:13:19,710 --> 00:13:31,829 Karla Yepez: I was given the opportunity of a lifetime at that moment. I didn't know it at that time, but I was really given the opportunity of a lifetime because I had a mentor who believed in me since day one. 89 00:13:31,860 --> 00:13:40,719 Karla Yepez: He believed in me, and he never let up even through the worst time in the time where I hit rock bottom. 90 00:13:40,790 --> 00:13:44,830 Karla Yepez: In my career was when, 91 00:13:45,500 --> 00:14:03,769 Karla Yepez: an employee threatened me and my children. He found my address. I… I suspect that he followed me home, or… or might have sent somebody to… to look for me, but Melinda, that was when I… it was rough bottom for me there. I… I… I didn't know… 92 00:14:04,510 --> 00:14:10,620 Karla Yepez: I didn't know how to handle it. I thought, this is it, I'm done. … 93 00:14:11,120 --> 00:14:20,770 Karla Yepez: I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat. I mean, my kids are everything to me, my children, my husband are my safety, and feeling… 94 00:14:20,910 --> 00:14:29,760 Karla Yepez: feeling that that was compromised was the worst feeling ever. But my owners being… the tough… 95 00:14:29,950 --> 00:14:41,780 Karla Yepez: being relentless, being the mentors that they are and the people that they are, didn't… they didn't leave me alone for a second. They… they hired a security team for me. They, … 96 00:14:42,040 --> 00:14:46,269 Karla Yepez: they mentored me through every single emotion that I had. 97 00:14:46,570 --> 00:14:57,949 Karla Yepez: mind you, this whole time, I'm still managing. I'm here, you see me smiling. I never let up. I kept assisting all my employees. I kept, tutoring them and letting them know, 98 00:14:58,300 --> 00:15:11,219 Karla Yepez: what the next, move is. I was actually, during that time, we were in the middle of purchasing a new… I'm sorry, leasing out the new facility. I was in contact with the City of Parson at that time, because that's where we're moving, and I was still… 99 00:15:11,420 --> 00:15:23,890 Karla Yepez: functioning, but inside, I was deteriorating, and they knew about it, and my supervisor, and they're the ones who… and my husband, that really held… were my support, and just brought me back up. 100 00:15:24,850 --> 00:15:26,120 Karla Yepez: to… 101 00:15:26,430 --> 00:15:34,469 Karla Yepez: To… to just mentally being okay. And I honestly feel like after that incident, I came back better and stronger. I went back…. 102 00:15:34,470 --> 00:15:35,670 Melinda Lee: Oh my goodness! 103 00:15:35,670 --> 00:15:36,970 Karla Yepez: Human Resources. 104 00:15:37,980 --> 00:15:42,989 Karla Yepez: And I went back to school, I felt better than ever. I felt like, you know what? 105 00:15:43,090 --> 00:15:51,279 Karla Yepez: if I could if I could overcome this, just like my mentor said, Brian Hunkins, I can overcome anything. 106 00:15:51,280 --> 00:15:51,920 Melinda Lee: Yeah…. 107 00:15:52,380 --> 00:15:54,340 Karla Yepez: It's just the bottom for you. 108 00:15:54,340 --> 00:16:00,680 Melinda Lee: What was that turning point? Like, what made you, like, just go from bottom? What was the turning point? The aha? 109 00:16:01,910 --> 00:16:07,039 Karla Yepez: I had to take a really hard look in the mirror and remind myself 110 00:16:07,550 --> 00:16:19,130 Karla Yepez: who I am. Like, I… I know, I know I've fought my whole life, Melinda. I've fought my whole life to be where I'm at, fighting stereotypes, fighting… 111 00:16:19,750 --> 00:16:25,709 Karla Yepez: Everything that was meant to destroy me has always made me stronger, and… 112 00:16:26,180 --> 00:16:29,760 Karla Yepez: I remember that I looked in the mirror, and I was like, Carla. 113 00:16:30,280 --> 00:16:34,340 Karla Yepez: Thank God nothing happened to your children, nothing happened to your husband. 114 00:16:34,500 --> 00:16:41,659 Karla Yepez: You're strong, you're resilient, and this is meant for you, and the reason why is because you weren't meant to break. 115 00:16:42,390 --> 00:16:49,940 Karla Yepez: I wasn't made to break, and everything since my humble beginnings, growing up where I grew up and, the… 116 00:16:50,400 --> 00:16:53,660 Karla Yepez: The neighborhood I grew up in and the people I grew up around with. 117 00:16:54,450 --> 00:17:00,990 Karla Yepez: I was not made to break. And I was… I was alone for that time, because… 118 00:17:01,180 --> 00:17:06,220 Karla Yepez: a higher power knew that I was gonna need that during this 119 00:17:06,290 --> 00:17:17,780 Karla Yepez: time, and that's really what got me through. It's like, I've been through worse. You know, I've been through worse. Like, this is the worst because it obviously rock bottom for me was, my children. Right. 120 00:17:17,780 --> 00:17:30,800 Karla Yepez: No, like, my mentor kept repeating to me, if you can get through this, you can get through anything. And I'm like, I've already been through everything. What am I talking about? You know, as long as my children are okay, I took the proper 121 00:17:30,810 --> 00:17:34,939 Karla Yepez: steps to protect myself, you know, for my children. 122 00:17:35,030 --> 00:17:45,370 Karla Yepez: I, I took, the authorities, I brought them into it, and I felt confident in the competence of the police department here. 123 00:17:45,470 --> 00:17:54,869 Karla Yepez: And I just remembered who I am, and I'm not made to break, and I love being in HR, and if somebody's not upset at what I do, I'm not doing it right. 124 00:17:54,870 --> 00:18:11,259 Melinda Lee: You're that powerful! Well, meaning, like, you're there to protect them, and you're there to… and sometimes to protect them means that it does not feel the best, right? And you gotta look at so many different… protecting the organization, the people, the founders. 125 00:18:11,260 --> 00:18:16,139 Melinda Lee: So, so in you making the right decision as a leader to do that. 126 00:18:16,140 --> 00:18:33,580 Karla Yepez: Yeah, and I remember… you hit the nail on the head, Melinda, you're amazing, really, because that's literally what I had to do, is like, I have a duty. I… I… I love doing what I do, and I love what TRIO stands for, and the… 127 00:18:33,580 --> 00:18:40,330 Karla Yepez: opportunities, they just don't give… they give to me, but everybody else within the establishment. … 128 00:18:41,020 --> 00:18:46,900 Karla Yepez: I… I went back, and I'm like, this is… this is… this is what I'm here for. I'm here to help throughout the whole time. 129 00:18:47,120 --> 00:18:58,959 Karla Yepez: the smiles that people would give me when I would help them. I would help them find the solution to their problems, whether it's downloading something for them, their cards are helping them on the phone with benefits. 130 00:18:59,100 --> 00:19:02,779 Karla Yepez: the smiles and the thank yous I would get, … 131 00:19:03,210 --> 00:19:13,919 Karla Yepez: that was enough for me. That was… I can't let this go. I'm here for it. I'm seeing TRIO from overseeing safety and seeing how, when I first walked into 132 00:19:14,060 --> 00:19:19,050 Karla Yepez: This beautiful 40,000 square foot facility of amazing machining here. 133 00:19:19,150 --> 00:19:25,850 Karla Yepez: So I'm going from where I was at there, and now having my inspections be almost immaculate. 134 00:19:25,850 --> 00:19:28,130 Melinda Lee: Wow. So much joy that…. 135 00:19:28,200 --> 00:19:35,359 Karla Yepez: Melinda, the sound of a CNC running, the chips of metal hitting the floor, it… 136 00:19:35,470 --> 00:19:42,429 Karla Yepez: The smell of metal. I can't let this go. This is engraved in my soul, I…. 137 00:19:42,430 --> 00:19:43,470 Melinda Lee: Wow. 138 00:19:43,470 --> 00:19:58,850 Karla Yepez: seeing the missiles that our parts go into, and the fact that we are one of the most powerful militias in the world, and the reason why we have freedom of speech, why we have the freedom to have this conversation, to have the opportunities that I have. 139 00:19:59,120 --> 00:20:11,939 Karla Yepez: a lot of it goes into the militia that we have, and I'm proud to be here. I'm proud to be part of the United States Militia, and that is a bigger monster than just me, and I'm part of that. 140 00:20:12,010 --> 00:20:20,199 Karla Yepez: We're part of that, you know? And I couldn't take that for granted, and I had to go… I had to go big or go home. 141 00:20:20,200 --> 00:20:44,640 Melinda Lee: Yes, and you're meant to go… you're big, you're going big, you're doing it. Like I said, I meant what I said, you're a trailblazer, and so it's so… I mean, your story is so inspiring, and I'm sure that whoever is listening, have taken away something today, because you've just really… with your story and all the things, the pieces that went into it, you giving back and people helping you, too, it's just a 142 00:20:44,640 --> 00:20:48,990 Melinda Lee: beautiful cycle, and I think Yeah, every person needs to hear this. 143 00:20:49,390 --> 00:20:55,329 Karla Yepez: Yes, and I want to remind everybody, and all of our leadership, Melinda, Golden Takeaway. 144 00:20:55,500 --> 00:20:55,880 Melinda Lee: Yeah. 145 00:20:55,880 --> 00:21:00,459 Karla Yepez: is… To bring back human to human resources. 146 00:21:00,660 --> 00:21:02,509 Karla Yepez: To lead with… 147 00:21:02,730 --> 00:21:20,220 Karla Yepez: fairness, and sympathy. We have to remember that if we want successful culture, and a culture that we ourselves want to be in, we have to embody that, and we have to be fair at the end of the day. HR is about being fair, and I'm here for the employee, and I'm here for, the company as well. 148 00:21:20,540 --> 00:21:26,030 Karla Yepez: And I think we need to remember… as leadership, we have to remember that. We have to remember that. 149 00:21:26,380 --> 00:21:29,170 Karla Yepez: We have to be fair, we have to lead with sympathy. 150 00:21:29,790 --> 00:21:31,529 Melinda Lee: I totally agree. 151 00:21:32,410 --> 00:21:38,120 Melinda Lee: Totally agree, because it's about the people, and so they're so lucky to have you. 152 00:21:38,380 --> 00:21:39,870 Karla Yepez: Thank you, Melinda! 153 00:21:40,610 --> 00:21:41,490 Karla Yepez: them. 154 00:21:41,490 --> 00:21:57,010 Melinda Lee: Yeah, and yeah, I'm glad that they see the value that you have, and the value you bring, and I'm glad that, yes, you're serving, yeah, a bigger mission here. And so, thank you for your story, and thank you for doing what you do. Really appreciate your time and sharing your expertise. 155 00:21:57,300 --> 00:22:11,449 Karla Yepez: Thank you, Melinda. I really enjoyed… you have such an aura, and you have such an organic manner of interviewing. I'm so happy that you were the one who approached me, and I'm really happy to have done this. I respect you tremendously. 156 00:22:11,450 --> 00:22:16,580 Melinda Lee: Thank you. I can't wait for people to hear it! I can't wait to share it! 157 00:22:16,580 --> 00:22:17,080 Karla Yepez: Oh, my. 158 00:22:17,330 --> 00:22:35,159 Melinda Lee: Yeah, well, thank you so much, audience, for being here. I trust that you got your golden takeaway, and until next time, remember, anytime you have a moment to talk, or con… that's also connection, and it's also making a positive difference and influence in the world. 159 00:22:35,330 --> 00:22:40,200 Melinda Lee: Until next time, I'm your sister in flow. Much love. Take care. Bye-bye! 160 00:22:40,790 --> 00:22:42,080 Melinda Lee: Thank you, Carla. 161 00:22:42,080 --> 00:22:43,769 Karla Yepez: True, thank you so much.