Building Stability Through Education
Join Lauren Cardillo on Unstoppable Stories as she sits down with Giovanna "Gia" Williams, a two-time UMGC master’s graduate - earning her MBA and MS in Project Management - whose life journey is a masterclass in resilience and reinvention.
In this episode, Gia shares her incredible story of growing up in Panama amidst systemic unfairness, moving to Brooklyn at age ten, and navigating an abusive household. She reveals how she broke generational cycles by using education as her ultimate strategy for stability, eventually pivoting from a dream in criminal justice to a profound career in healthcare management after the tragic passing of her mother.
Today, Gia leads a massive federal web modernization program for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). You’ll hear her powerful insights on the importance of self-awareness in leadership, why empathetic leadership always beats top-down management, and how therapy helped her uncover her blind spots. If you’re looking to turn your toughest circumstances into your greatest strengths, this episode will show you what it truly means to be unstoppable.
Episode Information
Giovanna Williams
Someone may feel stuck or discouraged. What I would tell them about becoming unstoppable is that you're not starting from nothing. You're starting from experience. Your circumstances. They don't define your ceiling, but decisions do you. And everything you've been through has given you something. And the key is deciding that story is not over. And we don't have to have it all figured out.
Narrator
Welcome to the UMGC podcast Unstoppable Stories with your host, Lauren Cardillo.
Lauren Cardillo
Today we're joined by Gia or Giovanna Williams, recent UMGC grad with two masters who grew up in Panama and now lives in Baltimore, has amazing jobs and a really big dog, and we are very happy to be talking to you today. Tell me first, you are now pretty much a Baltimore native. I'll say we'll go back in time. What was it like growing up in Panama that seems so far from us today?
Giovanna Williams
Well, thank you for having me, Lauren. Growing up in Panama during that time, things weren't perfect. It was also all I knew. There was a strong sense of community. People looked out for each other and families were resilient. At the same time, I witnessed moments where systems weren't fair and how quickly situations could escalate without structure or accountability.
Lauren Cardillo
Do you remember any of those moments?
Giovanna Williams
Yeah I do. Some of them are pretty violent with family feuds. For example, there was an altercation with a neighbor, and that neighbor happened to work for the administration under that time, Noriega. And because of that, I remember my my uncle was about 17 years old. He was accused of a crime that he didn't commit. So because of, like I said, the lack of accountability and structure, one can quickly get caught into a system that's not fair. So at the end of the day, I witnessed my mom having to go daily to take my uncle food at the prison, and eventually, when he was going to actually get out of jail within a year, I believe there was something where it was said that he tried to escape, where it was in the middle of a so-called shark infested water or area called Cueva. So Cueva was a place where people were parents were scare the kids and say, hey, if you don't behave, you're going to end up in Cuba. And I remember when my mom came back from visiting, there was this news with my uncle's photo that he was shot for trying to escape prison. So I knew then that, you know, that was the way the system worked to ensure that people did not get fair justice. And so as a child, you know, you question it. I recall seeing my grandmother, her after hearing this news, get her heart a heart attack, and she was about 45 years old at that time. I was pretty young, but at the end of the day, we really believed in our leader then and that belief. Basically, there was a belief that strong control was necessary to maintain order. And when things felt unstable, that just seemed like it was just the way of of living in, in my environment. So looking back at that now, I see how complex that environment really was. There were moments where support showed up in visible ways. We, my mom, can find a job. So there were community events where the government would give us food, and that felt satisfying for for the moment. But it also came with limitations on growth and opportunity. I remember my mom always knew I wanted more and I was very determined to get more. And it wasn't until I came to the US and I became educated, that my perspective is when it pretty much shifted. I began to understand the difference between stability and true opportunity. That's when I fully, fully understood my mother's sacrifice, and that she just wasn't just sending me somewhere safer here in America, but she was giving me access to a different system, a different mindset, and the ability to create my own path.
Lauren Cardillo
When you look back on that now, I mean, how gutsy was that for her to send a ten year old to the US?
Giovanna Williams
Yeah, I, I didn't understand it, but I remember being happy about it. I felt that sense of wonder. But after I realized that, I also felt that separation. I also wondered why was it so quick to send me away and keep my brother, who was about two years younger than me? But over time, especially as I matured, that shifted into more gratitude. And I realized she made that decision not for comfort, but again for opportunity.
Lauren Cardillo
So where did you send you in the States and how and how did that first work out for you? You didn't speak any English. So there was learning curve.
Giovanna Williams
That's true. It definitely was a culture shock. Going straight to Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York in the 80s. Yeah, it was a culture shock. And I remember all the graffiti on the wall, on the streets, on the train, and it just was scary to me. Up to this day, I still kind of get worked up being in, having to go down a train station. I still won't even take the train, like in New York on my own, not even here in DC because of that shock when I first came.
Lauren Cardillo
Well, you were you were little and it had a big impact on you. You know what you saw. So you were living with your dad at that point in his family. How did that all work?
Giovanna Williams
When I was sent here, I was sent to be with my dad and my stepmother. And I know many of us know how sometimes living with a step parent, at times that can be a good experience and sometimes not so good. So for me it was difficult. It was very challenging and it just wasn't what I expected in terms of support and care nurturing. It just was quite a lot of brainwashing, mental and physical abuse. But that was their way to over. Correct. The type of kid that I was very wild and outgoing. I saw Wild Horse. I wanted to jump on that wild horse in Panama and ride it and without a saddle, and don't care about the adrenaline rush where I try to, like, throw me off. And that just was. That was the kid that I was. So I wouldn't change anything about that. But fortunately, my guardians felt like that was just not the way to be. And their mindset, especially my father having a military background, was I must break you down to build you up. And that was the type of environment that I grew up in, in the US until. I, I, I decided to like run away, leave at 18 and make my own decisions. And out of that decision, you know, it wasn't good because I got married and I ran into that same cycle. I thought it was going to give me more stability at that age. When I got married was 19, but it it didn't. At some point, you know, I had to be honest with myself and I realized I wasn't building a life. I was just basically repeating a pattern from my mother.
Lauren Cardillo
So how'd you how did you change it? I mean, that's a lot to take on your now, like, 19, 20 years old. And you, you're in a different country and you realize that what you do.
Giovanna Williams
I made a decision that that needed to stop with me. That's when pretty much everything shifted. I bought to get my education. I leaned into my faith. I focused on discipline, and I became intentional about building a life where I could stand on my own and protect myself, and then eventually, others. And that experience shape how I lead today. I'm resilient, very aware of people and environment and how I build trust and structure because I had to do that for myself.
Lauren Cardillo
So you had to learn a new language. You had to go to school to to move on. You had to leave, I guess abusive relationships, that's an awful lot for one person. So. So, you know, for someone listening, how did you make that all work? You know, was there therapy? Were there good schools? What was it that really shifted you.
Giovanna Williams
How that looked like to me at that time? It first it was accountability. I meant like I couldn't blame my circumstance and I had to take ownership of my decisions, even the ones that I made just to get by. So, like leaving one abusive home and to getting married just for that safety, I also had to make the right choices that weren't comfortable in a moment, but I knew that those were going to be necessary for long term growth for me. After all, that was the reason why my mother sent me to America for that opportunity. And that's where the real shift happened. You know, education became my strategy, and I saw it as a way to create that stability, opportunity and a future I could control. And so I did start at Prince George's Community College and my forensic science and technology degree, and then transferred over to UMG C at that time, University College. And it it wasn't just about getting the degree, but it was about building principles and consistency and proving to myself that I could follow through. And I knew that if I didn't upskill and invest in myself, I wouldn't have the tools to navigate life on my own terms.
Lauren Cardillo
What was your mom thinking? I mean, I know now we text and we call and we do all those things, but were you communicating with her a lot during the, you know, the 20s when you were sort of shifting your life? And what did she think?
Giovanna Williams
Yeah. So I'll go back a little to, you know, when I left I Panama, you know, I realized how I started internalizing this, like, why did this happen? Like, to me, I believe where the brainwashing started was around, you know, my my mother sent me here to set me up. And so I didn't want to talk to her. Whenever she sent letters, I would hide them. Whenever she sent photos, I'll tear them up. I just couldn't look at her in that manner. So things went on for years, and it wasn't until I pretty much left that first marriage, when I decided I needed to reach out to her and tell her how I truly felt, how angry I was. And so she explained to me that she did the best she could, and she hoped that she that I would forgive her. I explained to her everything that I had gone through, and one of her words was, if I would have known, I would have left you here to suffer with me. And we tried to build a relationship over. The phone was very expensive at that time because, you know, she'll have to call me. Collect, call, international calls. I don't believe I had a cell phone at that time. My first cellphone, cellular one. And I couldn't use that then. But after a good six years of bonding around the age of like 23, 24, maybe, then she called. I think it was like six. She called and said she had cancer. And she was 43. And she basically. Yeah, I felt horrible because I felt like, gosh, I need time to make up with with her. And I was happy. At least I had six months where I felt so close to her over the phone.
Lauren Cardillo
Not not the way you thought it would go.
Giovanna Williams
No.
Lauren Cardillo
Yeah. But because of her, I know you had been interested because of Panama and the injustice that you wanted to go into, like more of criminal law, justice, forensics. But because of her, you changed your mind. What was it that made you want to change what you're doing.
Giovanna Williams
For a long time? Again? You know, I carried so much guilt because I did make it, like, 15 minutes too late to Panama. Like that was 18 years later, after seeing her at. Since I was ten years old, I didn't get to see her. By the time I got to Panama, it was 15 minutes to late. She had already passed. So seeing my brother for the first time in 18 years, what a shock. And that gave me a deeper sense of urgency and purpose. At that time she left my three year old sister behind. She left my eight year old brother behind, which also, by the way, he has also passed away. Passed away before he was 18. But anyway, I don't take time, people or opportunities for granted anymore. And in many ways, the work I do today is rooted in making sure others don't experience those same gaps in care, or even in the work I do with the community. I'm focused still. Even though I didn't take the same criminal justice path, I'm still giving back to my community and public safety with like anti-trafficking movements or even in emerging technology, which is where I am currently working in as an exact like with AI and now quantum. I'm so curious about what problems these technologies will solve and and how it's going to impact the workforce and the underserved population. So I want to make sure that they're not left behind. But back to your question about the pivot losing my mother during the first semester at UMGC to get the criminal justice degree was a turning point for me. I went from being focused on my own path. I just thought I was going to be this this agent. I like action I run towards. Fixing problems.
Lauren Cardillo
You're the one who would run towards the burning building.
Giovanna Williams
Oh yeah. Yeah, I yeah. I can tell you about that later with my reaction to 911 where I was to. I'll explain that to you. I went from focusing on my own path to realizing I had a bigger responsibility, not just to myself, but to my family. And my siblings were still in Panama, and I knew I had to stay grounded and build something stable. And at the time, I was pursuing criminal justice, like I said, but my priorities had to shift. I was sitting supporting a contract in health care research under HHS, and I was growing in my responsibilities and getting into positions as team leader and then program or project manager. And I needed to be in a position where I can create that consistency to support my family and still grow professionally. Supporting my family look like making sure that my my sisters and brothers were in the best school, right? So I put my sister through private school from elementary all the way up to high school. And I'm very proud of what she's become today, and so is my brother to. But that's what led me to stay and build my career within the health care space under the age, or Q, which is the agency for Health Care, Research and Quality Contract. So looking back, it wasn't a step away from purpose, but it was a step into it.
Lauren Cardillo
Once again, you're listening to Gio Williams on Unstoppable Stories. If you want to hear more stories like this. Don't forget to like or subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. So, Gia, go back for a second. You you end up. Your mom has passed away. You're trying to get your degree. How did that work for you? I mean, that's and you're trying to care for your siblings. How did you manage all that with school and work? Oh, I forgot that.
Giovanna Williams
Yes, the capacity that I have, which now I see my mother. She knew. Yeah. It's just to the core. That's who I am. I'm just led towards impact. And her passing did accelerate my sense of responsibility and clarity about what really mattered. So, yeah, along the way. Honestly, I kind of stopped dreaming. I just for myself, I just wanted to see her dreams realized through my brothers and sisters. I wanted to make sure that they were going to be able to sustain who they were going to become, just like me. I knew I would be all right, just like my mother knew I would be alright. But yeah, that experience really forced me to grow into that role much sooner, and I realized I was going to have to build the capacity to do it all. If I did not have that responsibility. To be honest with you, I was great in math, in science, and I probably would have went to medical school, or I probably would have become a lawyer. Like, even as tough as my father was with me, he would always say, gosh, no matter how much I try to break you down, you still get back up and make a case for yourself. But yeah, I was very relentless about making sure that I was going to be focused on the outcome, and that outcome was seeing to it that I did not give my siblings a fish. I wanted to teach them how to fish, and that was through education and totally help them so that they wouldn't need me for anything. And right now they don't. And that is what gave me so much energy and made it really making me feel so proud every day that I made that investment into them.
Lauren Cardillo
Why did you decide on two master's degrees? Because, you know, like you were just saying there was a lot going on. But what? Why two? Not just one?
Giovanna Williams
Yeah. Well, again, it goes back to my capacity as I was growing in in the contract that I was on, I felt like that work was so easy. And I always had this entrepreneur mindset, even from a young kid, like I knew how to create design things for myself as a kid. When you come from a background where you don't have much or anything, like my mom got in afford to sometimes by clothes for me, or buy my Barbie dolls or baby dolls clothes. So I would take little pieces of rags and stuff and learn how to sew and create things. So based off of that, I started diving into so many different things, even outside of my regular 9 to 5 job, and I just had so much energy for it. And I guess it's because I never had kids of my own. And yes, I provide it for my siblings, but they were far away from me, so I had the time to do the 9 to 5 and even put in more than my share. I would still have at least 20 hours of like school credit hours that I had to do after, you know, work. And I, I wanted to understand better my work environment at HHS from a health care management system. That's one of the masters I have. The other masters is the. The MBA, and I knew that I will get back out there and have my own business. So I just wanted to equip myself for my future self and just be like, ready, always. Just stay ready. And at that time, I also wanted to make like. I knew that having those degrees will help me be able to communicate better. You know, obviously English is my second language, so sometimes I do have some of those insecurities, like in my saying things the right way. And I felt like having those degrees helped me focus on context and the content that I have within me and not focus on the, you know, the the things that don't really matter. Having those those two master's degree help me be able to be a better communicator for myself and to speak up as a leader for my team. Because, like I said, I've always been quickly put into a position of of having to lead others. And so I knew that those degrees will help me create a more honorable environment no matter what it is. And it meant like fairness and doing right by people and knowing why certain things and systems work the way they do, especially knowing that sometimes systems don't work. And I've seen what happens when people don't get the care or support they deserve, especially through my mother's experience. That health care management degree helped me understand that better. But from a US perspective. So for me, it wasn't just about, you know, being successful, having all these degrees just to have it, but it was about being in positions where I could influence outcomes and protect others. And therefore, again, pursuing those masters just opened more doors for me and most importantly, a position myself to continue to to continue to contribute to something bigger than me.
Lauren Cardillo
I think people see the health care industry and most people think it's horrible. You know what I mean? How it's set up in everything. So the fact that you want to make it so that, like you said, more honorable and works for people. I think people totally support that idea, you know, but you also manage budgets that are huge and have a lot of employees. How does it make you feel? I mean, how ready were you for that?
Giovanna Williams
It's deeply personal for me and my current role. I don't just see it as a big, large budget contract. I see it as a responsibility. I've lived what happens when systems don't work and. And the way that they should be working. So when people ask what I do, I like to keep it simple. I lead a large federal web modernization program supporting the agency for health care, research and quality. Many of us know it as art and its core at its core, actually, the mission is about making health care safer and better for everyone, whether it's helping reduce medical errors, prevent and infections, improve communication between care teams, and tackle like challenges like antibiotic resistance. And again, for me, this work is so personal and I've been in the hospital in rooms. As a patient myself. I did have surgery at the age of 16 in my back, and I've also been on the other side for patients like loved ones, family members, friends. Even today, I still show up for people who need a voice in those moments at the hospital. Nursing homes. I love being there for people, so leading at this level means I bring both perspective and accountability to the table. So it's just not about delivering for me. It's really and truly about impact. And that's why, like the mission for me at this agency that I support isn't just for me, is is just it's just something that I, I live for.
Lauren Cardillo
I can hear the the passion in that. And I know you've worked across a lot of industries like, you know, entrepreneur, technology, different platforms. Clearly this is the one that's closest to you and this is why you do it right. I remember you saying to me once that sometimes people mistake leadership for being like louder and not quieter, and sometimes how people had perceived you. And I remember part of why you said you wanted one of those masters was so that you would be perceived more as as a leader. Talk to me a little bit about that, because there is a perception that to lead you must be, you know, loud voice, aggressive, you know, assertive, I should say.
Giovanna Williams
Yeah. Especially in today's environment, people see leadership as strong and loud and not empathetic. And that's just not who I am to the core, you know? And I mean, I, I did try being a jerk before. When I was younger, I was I was a leader that was like I had that top down approach. But I quickly had to realize that, you know, every leadership has its season and every season has its leadership. So how do I want to be remembered when I'm no longer in certain rooms and positions? What if things shift and someone else that I need now is my leader tomorrow? So I just said, you know what? To the court, I must be who I am. That's the person I want to be and show up every time. And I work very hard to show people that leadership looks differently for everyone is just about making an impact. And sometimes in rooms where I have, you know, a team member that I know that person has great ideas, but because of the way they're communicating, it is just being ignored. I do lean in on those people and I do spend time with them. I do stop the room and say, hey, have we considered this idea? And if the person says something like, well, I feel I know sometimes we don't like when we hear women in business, I feel my gut instinct says, but that's the time I press in more. I said, tell me more about that gut instinct. Because every time I ignore that gut instinct, it does. Whatever the issue is, it punches me in the face. And so I want to know about this. And how can that gut instinct protect us as a team? And it helps everyone in the room stop and listen, because I'm advocating for that person that I once was. And of course, I had to find a balance because sometimes I was just just very top down. And I, you know, I had a process. I was like a mini robot, a taskmaster. And I realized that's just not the way to lead people. You know, I got to be human about this experience. The world has just so many things to worry about, and people have issues within their own homes. So why am I going to just be a jerk here at work? Let me just make it another, better place. Fun place. A place where people feel like we're building together and things don't have to be perfect, but together, we're going to figure it out. And let's gather around the common goal and the mission. And I would say that's been the greatest ingredient to my success in leadership. And I'm definitely very like, radically honest with my customers and with my team. But most importantly, I'm honest with myself. I know when there's times I need to change, like I had issues before, where again, I was very top down, but things in my environment were shifting to delivering using the agile Scrum master process. And I'm like, what is this thing we're supposed to be accomplishing this goal? Okay, well, I need to be the first one to go figure out what it is to lead an agile team. And I went and got my Scrum Master certification and then saw to it that corporate was going to invest in all of the staff on the team. All I think at that time, like 20 of us to take that certification so that we can all operate from that same sheet of music and we can get to the result faster.
Lauren Cardillo
Would you say part of your role, besides, obviously forward looking is then to mentor people because it sounds like that from what you've just said. And then I know you also do that like on the side as well with people. What's the appeal of mentoring then for you?
Giovanna Williams
Yeah, I love mentoring because when I left at 18 and never looked back and just kept building on myself, my strategy was to succeed at whatever cause. And that means, like, who are the people in my corner that's going to help me grow? And sometimes that didn't look pretty. Some people were very harsh with how they treated me in the workplace, but some people were. I mean, they were stern and firm, but they still said, yeah, you're not going to be seen for what's in your brain if you show up like everyone else, like you don't care. And if you humble yourself and wear these old suits, I have show up and envision yourself not just where you are right now, but where you see yourself in the future. And that, oh my God, that did so much for me that I said, you know what? Okay. I was showing up to the warehouse wearing a suit and my, you know, team members will say, what are you doing? I'm like, whatever is not where you're where you are at is where you're going. And I follow that. And I saw how quickly I got promoted at a young age and ended up leading the team. So I understand.
Lauren Cardillo
What were you doing?
Giovanna Williams
Oh, yeah. That was actually still supporting the arc. That was at the information call center and warehouse. At that time. We had books, publications stored in a warehouse. People will call in, in the call center to have our call center mailed it out to the public. And so I ended up leading that information center, both from the call center and even the warehousing, the fulfillment and all of that. So operations became my first thing. And I was I think I was like 24, 25 years old when all of that shift happened. So yeah, mentoring it is so critical and remaining like coachable and telling young people and kids my story of why you cannot discount being coachable can really pay great dividends if you just listen, you know.
Lauren Cardillo
So I have to ask you, how did you end up in the Baltimore area? Because, you know, Panama, Brooklyn, I think once California, maybe. And now. Yeah. How did you end up in Baltimore? What was the appeal?
Giovanna Williams
Oh, gosh, in Baltimore. That's so weird because my friends like, you're here. Baltimore. What are you doing there? And I used to say, oh, I don't want to be in Baltimore. I was so terrified of Baltimore before because of the movie The Wire. That's all I knew. And I shouldn't say that, but oh my goodness, my dog. So I have a condo and another city. And my dog. I knew it was. It would get to that point. He's a mastiff, weighs 150 pounds. He's now 11 years old. His mobility is not the greatest. I don't have biological.
Lauren Cardillo
And he's named for. And he's named for a secret agent.
Giovanna Williams
Mr. Von. Yes. So I, I moved to Baltimore because of Mr. Bond. It was more affordable to be in Baltimore than going to Virginia or D.C., and I absolutely love Baltimore. It reminds me of a bit of everything. New York. It reminds me of Panama a lot. I have the view of the city, the water, and it's such a beautiful community and my dog loves it. It's just so dog friendly. Yeah.
Lauren Cardillo
Have you have you have family there? Right? Didn't we meet some family? Family and friends there? So it's turned into, like, a great place to be for you.
Giovanna Williams
Oh, yes. Yes, I have my my cousin lives here too, and she actually moved from Seattle to be closer to me and moved to Baltimore. She also kept trying to convince me, please move to Baltimore. So while bond and I was trying to figure out where our next home was going to be, we stayed with her for a little while. And that's when I made that final decision that, yes, Baltimore is going to be amazing for Mr. Bond.
Lauren Cardillo
So. So what's next for you? I mean, are you. Where do you see yourself? Is it CEO of some company? Is it somebody who gets a PhD? What? What's your dream? I mean, you've been sort of working on your dream for a while, but what's next?
Giovanna Williams
Yeah. So I'm. I'm trying to trying to figure it out at this time. I don't see it as, as pressure right now of trying to figure out what's next. I just want to be in the right position. The right role. That's for my purpose. I'm good at navigating complex situations my entire life, and so stepping into complexity is something I'm so comfortable with. I'm comfortable with dealing with chaos and bringing clarity, structure and execution to it. And yeah, that's what keeps me and things moving. So I do also want to mention, because of my wide range of like interests and capabilities, you know, across so many things that I do like from launching a business, managing like a retail operation back in 2005, stepping into a restaurant, leadership. I've done that as well, advising organizations and or implementing emerging technologies. The common thread has been pretty much the same for me. Building structure where there isn't any. I am pretty great at assessing quickly, building systems and moving things forward, so I've consistently been brought into those environments. And yeah, I realized that, you know, for me, the range of my experience didn't just happen by accident. It really shaped how I lead today. And I'm not just thinking, like strategically, I know how to operationalize and to deliver. So my next thing pretty much is just continue to build on that resilient every day and being like just emotionally deep, like going deep inside because it's a responsibility to lead people and to be fair and to make sure you're leaving the workplace and the world a better place and not just, you know, leading from a place of ego. So I really want to be in a place that, that it fits like, like a, a well tailored made for me.
Lauren Cardillo
So here's my last question for you. What would your mom think? What was your mom think of the journey you've taken in, where you've where you've ended up, if you could sort of, you know, be in her head.
Giovanna Williams
I think that she would be so proud of the woman that I've become. She would say, I knew you could do it. You've always been such a little bad ass.
Lauren Cardillo
I love that you know, the name of our podcast is Unstoppable Stories. So people think that people's, like, life arcs are like this, but they're not there. You know, they mander sometimes and you, you know, were in therapy for five years to try to sort of get your story arc going. Tell me about it. Why was it so important to you?
Giovanna Williams
Yeah. So, you know, leadership amplifies who you are. And if you haven't done the work to understand your triggers or your strength and your blind spots like you risk leading from insecurity or ego. And I definitely had my share of that. And so although I started leading at a young age, around 24, like I said, I would have done a lot of things differently with the way that I managed. Though I always cared about people, I also had a lot to prove to others until I realized I really needed to have a better relationship with myself. So for me, therapy was about building that self-awareness and it helped me manage my emotions. It helped me develop boundaries. Sometimes I wanted to just jump out there and save the world and help others, but I really needed to also take that in and have those boundaries as well for myself. So for someone who's listening who may feel stuck or discouraged, what I would tell them about becoming unstoppable is that you're not starting from nothing. You're starting from experience, you're circumstance. This they don't define your ceiling, but decisions do. And everything you've been through has given you something. And the key is deciding, that story is not over and we don't have to have it all figured out. Just take the next step. If you keep choosing to move forward even when it's hard, you can build a life that you're proud of. And the key is just keep emotion. And also, you know, lean on the things that gives you passion, fills your energy. Sometimes we don't know what's the right career path or movement. So I find that volunteering, what can help is just kind of also figuring out what your love language is like. My first one is acts of service. I'm sure you can guess that one based of all the things that I do get involved with, I have to keep reminding myself constantly not to get stuck or consumed with perfection. That's my other biggest downfall, where I just paralyzes me when I think about my journey as a whole, it pretty much all connects. We count it all joy. And so unstoppable isn't where I started is what I've been building toward. So from humble beginnings in Panama, through every lessons go to a bat and with what I invested in myself and gained from UMGC, I've become someone who is truly hard to stop.
Lauren Cardillo
Great end. Thank you for joining us today, Gia, and sharing your totally inspiring story. And for anyone listening and watching, please remember to like and subscribe Unstoppable Stories on your favorite podcast channel. You can even catch up on previous episodes if you go there as well. So thank you again, Gia. Say goodbye to Mr. Bond for us and have a great. Have a great day.
Giovanna Williams
You too. Thank you for highlighting my story. I appreciate you, Lauren.