Sentido

Told through humor and self-awareness, Sentido; on Sense-Making begins with a brief history of my upbringing as a multi-ethnic New Yorker, leveraging street smarts and how living between two distinct family cultures and dynamics shapes my perspective and leadership approach. I take the reader on a personal and professional journey, drawing connections between my upbringing and success in Design, highlighting how that combined experience and the ability to assess situations and make sense of them quickly have made a circuitous path ultimately intentional. In this book, I discuss why we should not be afraid to fail, how that allows us to learn, how it allows us to lead with humility, and how grit is a verb that keeps one going regardless of past experiences. I share how, through quiet observation, I learned that leveraging instincts is an under-valued strength to be applied in a way the system can absorb.

My experience is not unique, but it is underrepresented in storytelling. Sentido; on Sense-Making shines a light on corporate subcultures that thrive within the greater organization, rooted in the system's principles and values. Women often have to fend for themselves and are taught that banding together is not becoming of a business leader. There is not enough room in the boys' club for all of us. I share how one can either lose themselves or find the connections and hold them tight to nurture one another. Noting the difference between mentors and sponsors, I dig deeper into the value of finding the signal to noise when the noise seems to be the only thing people pay attention to. The tech industry spoon-feeds the idea of radical everything—everything but the actual truth. This trend du jour puts already marginalized people in potentially harmful situations and allows for toxicity to flourish if nurtured. Sentido; on Sense-Making takes the reader through a discovery of what it takes to actualize belonging and how the power of the individual becoming the collective drives culture and output.

Through my journey, I share how I apply insights to design and operational leadership skills through inspiration found in fiction, pop culture, and natural systems. I define for the reader how a design-driven mindset, skills from personal experiences, and background are tools to pull from to assess the right approach to one's current reality. The journey is rarely linear; highlighting this is important for most readers to understand as they navigate their journey. The remainder of the book closes with a call to action, articulating why we must become more expansive in our thinking and find value in the unexpected.