Gabrielle Perez on the Cannes do spirit: channeling grief into creativity

Dive into this inspiring episode where Mimi Gonzalez sits down with Gabrielle Perez, Senior Partnerships Manager at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, often described as the Oscars of the advertising and media world. This conversation explores the deep impact of experiencing serial grief at a young age and how it intertwines with pursuing creative careers. Gabrielle shares her journey from California to Cannes, detailing how her creative role and the support of her community have been her anchors through back to back losses.

The episode offers guidance for young creatives and anyone dealing with grief, emphasizing the importance of honoring those we’ve lost while pursuing our dreams. With the Cannes Festival just around the corner, Gabrielle discusses the festival’s role in championing diversity and the Jodi Harris Scholarship, highlighting the power of legacy in shaping future generations.

Tune in for a heartfelt discussion on building supportive work environments, on challenging the urge to "qualify losses," and the resilience required to integrate your passions with work and everything you do. This episode is a must-listen for those seeking to understand how even in times of deep loss, our dreams and creative spirits can thrive— and that anything is possible.

Connect with Gabby to learn more about her work and/or get advice on navigating a career in the creative industry!

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Transcript

0:00

You're listening to season two of the grief sense podcast. I'm your host Mimi Gonzalez, AKA the Zillennial Griever. I am a creative entrepreneur, social impact strategist and community organizer based in Hartford, Connecticut. But most importantly, I am a Griever. griefsense is really a safe space for creatives who are grievers, and I really created this space because it's something I wish I had. And sometimes you have to create the things that you wish existed. I am a serial griever, where I've experienced significant loss, losing about 20 people before I turned 25 years old, and it was really hard to find community, people who look like me. In the death positive movement space. On the show, you'll mainly hear from Gen Z and millennial minoritized grievers, but you'll also have some advocates on the show who share our experience, but also want to amplify our voices and our stories. So what is grief sense? What, what does that even mean? Right? It's not just some fancy name of a brand or the podcast. Okay. It's actually a term that I've coined to name my experience. Sometimes the words So griefsense to me really is an inner sixth sense and intuition that's unlocked after experiencing physical loss and it inspires purpose through it. Creative expression. Hence, grievers who are creatives. So we do this in three ways. One, we embrace our mantra, which is we live life as a privilege. Two, We honor our ancestors and the legacies of our loved ones who have died. And three, we not only normalize talking about grief and death and everything in between, but we really talk about the importance of planning for our death and talking about this in community with our families. What are our death care wishes, you know, and really normalizing that because that is not something that. We typically do in our very death phobic world. I hope that when you tune into these episodes that you feel super comfortable. I want you to think that you are in a living room or in Spanish, we say the sala, but the grief sala, and I hope that you're able to have. Tea in your hand or a cafecito so that way you're comfortable. I want you to feel like you're talking to your best friends or your primos or your cousins, people who really understand you and get it. And if you are not a griever, and if you are here to learn and listen to the stories that are shared on the show, thank you so much for being here. Your voice is important too, because guess what? If you're not a griever now, unfortunately you will be one day. And I'm hoping that the insights that you hear on the show will help you navigate that experience. one thing I wanted to also share y'all griefsense is always going to be lowercase because death, grief, all of that, it can be really scary. So these conversations is to really de stigmatize death and grief and really making sure it's like relatable, digestible, accessible, and yeah, it can be scary for sure, but let's do it together. Let's be in community together. So with that. Welcome to the movement. Welcome to La Familia and welcome to griefsense. Let's dive in.

Mimi Gonzalez: 3:23

Welcome back listeners of grief sense. You are here with another episode and I'm so excited to have the amazing Gabrielle Perez here with us today. You are all going to really appreciate the insights that she shares. Her story really got me in my feels when we recently connected on LinkedIn and y'all, I'm telling you, if you are not on LinkedIn already, You need to get on there like yesterday. Um, it's just, I've been meeting amazing people with incredible stories and the power of networking and the power of storytelling. Literally, if Gabrielle never experienced loss or I never experienced loss, we probably wouldn't know each other or have connected. And so that's really the power of. Sharing your story and being on LinkedIn. So without further ado, I definitely want to bring Gabrielle up on stage, on the virtual stage to have her introduce herself, and then we'll jump into our conversation.

Gabrielle Perez: 4:19

Hello everyone. First of all, Mimi. You're incredible. And this platform that you provide is awe inspiring. So thank you for inviting me to share this space with you and with your listeners. I am thrilled to be here, even if it's, you know, tough topics. I think it's so important to share experience. And as you said, this is something that I wish I had more of, right. When I was going through my Losses over the last many years. Um, but yeah, as you, as you said, I'm Gabrielle. I was born and raised in Northern California in a suburban town called Folsom. People probably have heard of Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues. We're known for the prison. Not the best rep, but I digress. Um, I moved out to New York city about five years ago with my husband. We're high school sweethearts. We've been together for 13 plus years, which is pretty incredible. Um, and, um, Yeah, I work at a company called Cannes Lions, which is the International Festival of Creativity. It's essentially the Oscars for the advertising and media world. Um, it's a very exciting and fun job. I feel lucky every day that I get to wake up and, and work with the amazing clients and brands and agencies that I do. Um, and yeah, I mean, a little bit more about my family life cause that's, Really who made me who I am. And I'm Puerto Rican. My dad is full Puerto Rican. My mom is a, a mix of all things white, Scottish and Irish. Mostly we laugh and say that we're, my sister and I are Puerto Rican Vikings because, you know, personal brand, but, um, grew up really grew up in a really amazing family. My parents have been married for, uh, 35 years and I just grew up surrounded by a lot of love. And they are the reason why I am the person that I am. Um, I have a really strong faith in spirituality, which I think is a lot of the reason why I'm able to stand here and be joyous in, in nature, even after all of the loss that I've been through. And yeah, on top of that, I just, I like to have a good time. I like to do a lot of cool shit. Pardon my French, but life is too short to do anything else. Right. And I think every day that I wake up, I really think about the legacy that my ancestors built for me and that there's a duty to them to carry that forward and to be the best that I can be for, for my community and for the lives around me. So that's a, that's a little bit about who I am.

Mimi Gonzalez: 6:54

A little bit. Wow. Just a little bit. Amazing. Like, y'all see, you see why I had to have her on the show. Like, clearly. Wow. Well, I am honored to be in your presence. I am honored to know you and to amplify your story. And I'm really excited for our conversation and, and what you're going to share. I know it's going to impact a lot of people. So, um, in true griefsense fashion, at the beginning of every episode, we call who we're going to honor and really welcome them into our space today. So I want to give you that opportunity. Who would you like to honor?

Gabrielle Perez: 7:32

You know, it's a, it's a big question for someone who's lost a lot of people. And I was thinking about this in advance of our conversation and. If you'd allow me, I'd love to name the names of the folks that I've lost. Um, cause it's been, it's been a few, but they're all incredibly special to me in a variety of ways. Um, I've lost all my grandparents at this point, unfortunately. On my mother's side, I used to call my grandfather Bumpa. He was actually my first person I've ever lost. Um, when I was 12 years old, that was my first introduction to grief and losing someone that I loved, um, and my grandma on my mom's side as well. On my dad's side, I call them my mama and papa, Pedro and Angela. They were lights of my life, loves of my life. I was incredibly close with my mama and papa. My uncle Joey and my aunt Rochelle have both gone with God as well. And, um, my uncle Brad on my mother's side. And then I unfortunately have two losses, um, that were the most traumatic, um, In a sense, uh, both committed suicide, unfortunately, and we can talk about that because it's a very difficult question. different grief to experience than some of the other forms. My cousin Alden, um, committed suicide at age 14. I was in college at the time and my very good family friend, for all intents and purposes, he was a brother. I called him my big brother. Sean committed suicide, um, as a California highway patrolman on the job, um, which was, um, Obviously incredibly difficult. So those are my people. I call them my angels. I know they're with me every single day, but I bring them with me in all that I do. And I absolutely feel them with me here today in this conversation. So those are the names I'd like to honor. Wow. If

Mimi Gonzalez: 9:19

you would join me, I'd like to take a deep breath to hold space. for everyone that we named. Um, and so we'll inhale for four, we'll hold for four, and then we'll exhale for four. Let's breathe in, hold, exhale. Okay. Thank you so much for sharing their names. I love, love, love, love. When people share their names and, you know, I do honor and respect the fact that, you know, whenever I talk about loss with someone or when I, whenever I have a guest on the show, you know, someone might not want to share their names and that's completely valid and okay. But I really do appreciate when people share their names because then more people get to know who they're, who they were and like what their names are and I think that That's so beautiful. So I totally agree.

Gabrielle Perez: 10:15

You know, what's funny is I think one of the best things that someone can say to you after you do have a loss, um, that's so great. Cause I know a lot of people who haven't experienced grief. I'm actually surrounded by a lot of friends who have never been to funerals before, have never lost someone close to them. Um, and they always ask me like, what do I do? Or how can I be there for you? And one of the best things anyone, um, Ever said to me, and this was after I lost my uncle Joey, um, to COVID actually in 2022, and it was 15 days before my wedding day. It was just awful in every sense of the word. Yeah, it was pretty horrible. And, um, I was working. So if you can imagine, I, I lose my uncle and then I jumped back into working and planning for my wedding. And I was on a call with a client, actually, um, shout out to Adrian. She knows who she is. She's an incredible friend of mine. And I She said, you know, how are you doing gab? What's going on? And I go, you know, I got to be honest with you. It's been really tough. I just lost my uncle and I'm struggling. My wedding's in 13 days. And she just said to me, tell me about him. And it was just the simplest way to open the door to speaking about a man that I loved so much. And I think a lot of people's initial reaction Questions are like, Oh, how did he pass? Or I'm so sorry. And really all you have to do is honor them, give them the space and the platform to honor that person. And her asking me, tell me about your uncle. Just, it brought me so much peace and gave me the space for the next 10 minutes to share a little bit about his life and how he changed mine. And ever since that interaction, I love to share that story because I think it's really helpful for people who oftentimes don't really know how to. Approach a conversation with someone who just lost anyone they love. Um, so yeah, I just find it to be a really beautiful thing. So thank you for allowing me to share those names with you.

Mimi Gonzalez: 12:11

Yeah, and I love everything you said. That's exactly right. Like, everyone thinks it has to be a super grand gesture after someone passes away. A simple, Instead of how are you, I'm sorry, I will be, I'll keep it real, and I've said this many times on griefsense before, I hate when people ask me how I am after a loss. How, how you, how do you think? Right. How do you think? Right. Like that, that, no. Like, I know there's no bad intent behind it, but just, just don't ask that question.

Gabrielle Perez: 12:40

Yeah, and also it changes day to day, right? Like, how, how you articulate how you're feeling. I mean, when I was going through, um, Papa, when he was diagnosed with cancer, He was dying for nine months, right? And so I was essentially caring for him and very intimately involved in the day to day. Um, I would go see him every day after work and I worked at a law firm at the time. And every day I came into the office people would say like, how are you? How are you? And to your point, It's like one day I wanted to walk in I wanted everyone to just hug me like I just felt like I needed to be touched and consoled and then other days I was like don't look at me don't touch me I want to be in my office with the door shut and I don't want to talk about anything. So you can't. It's such a spectrum. And. To your point, it's a really difficult question to answer. Nearly impossible if you're in the thick of it.

Mimi Gonzalez: 13:34

Yeah, yeah. I'm, I will gladly say I am that person that, it's not, I don't know, I feel like it's by default. I will probably say something uncomfortable like, well, my dad just died, so yeah, I'm doing great. Just make humor out of it. Totally. But yeah, you know, I love this. I love this conversation. So, you know, folks tuning in, like, I would love to know what are some things that you've appreciated when, you know, you've experienced loss. What were some things that, you know, really helped you in your journey? And what were some things that you're like, okay, yeah, no, we're not going to do that.

Gabrielle Perez: 14:06

Oh, I can think of a no. Another no. Um, something that I find really interesting is people sometimes want you to qualify your grief. I got this a lot with, I got this a lot with my uncles and aunts who passed and also with my brother Sean. I refer to him as my brother Sean because that's who he is to me. And oftentimes people would, would say, but wait, He wasn't really your brother though. He wasn't, you weren't related to him by blood. And it would make me see red. Because don't tell me my relationships with my people that I love. He was my brother in all aspects of my life. So, and same with uncles and aunts. Like, oh, you were, so that meant you were close with him. Like, this is hard for you. It's just so interesting. It's like people are trying to, it comes from a place of they're trying to really understand. Why you're hurting so deeply. And to your point, I don't think it's usually with malintent involved at all, but no one should ever have to qualify their grief. And I think, especially as a Latina, we, everyone is family, right? That's how we were raised.

Mimi Gonzalez: 15:26

Period. Yup.

Gabrielle Perez: 15:28

So, of course my uncle was also my best friend. Of course my aunts mean this much to me. Like, that is a core core part of our identity and culture, and a lot of people who don't have that lived experience can't quite understand it. Maybe they have uncles in faraway places that they've never met. That's just not how I was raised. So, just, it's just a good note for people, again, like, don't feel like you ever have to qualify your feelings or your grief, and, um, It's a good lesson for those who, again, are trying to figure out how to properly communicate with someone who is experiencing this.

Mimi Gonzalez: 16:03

So good. I'm so happy you said that. This is so, so, so, so good. Yeah, I definitely feel the whole, definitely being like Afro Latina, like the whole qualifying the grief thing, because, you know, with my family, there's a lot of I'm not going to say severed relationships, but kind of, you know, or it's like breakups or divorces. And then there's also like a lot of people died in my family. So like you end up getting another family. So basically in my experience, my biological father died and I basically got adopted by my stepfather's family and I had a whole family. New set of grandparents, and my stepfather is adopted, so he has two moms, so like, I have like a really huge family, you know, so like, people that I'm really close to who have died. A lot of them I'm not blood related to, but that's my family that I'm really, really close to, so I really felt that and also when we're in such a death phobic world, which is so wild to me, because like, especially within the last two years and even now with just global, you know, everything that's going on in the world right now, there's so much death and loss and so many reminders of that. all around us every damn day. I really don't understand how we are in a death phobic world. At this point, I'm convinced we're choosing to be death phobic and really trying to look the other way. Like, specifically at work, to your point about the qualifying grief, like literally unless you have lost a spouse, a child, or a parent, Your grief basically doesn't matter.

Gabrielle Perez: 17:31

Doesn't matter. No bereavement. Yeah. Craziness.

Mimi Gonzalez: 17:34

It doesn't matter. And so, and even the word bereavement to me, like I've actually been having this conversation pretty frequently lately. I don't like the word. I don't like the word. I think it's outdated. I think it needs to just be thrown away and a whole new term needs to be uh, And so I've, I've seen different companies do like compassionate leave. I've seen, um, an approach around like integrated leave or integrated loss or integrated grief. And I really love that because it's like really dignifying this person as a whole person and realizing that like, Hey, when you lose someone, no matter who the hell it is, That's life altering. You are not going to be the same person that you were before. And so expecting someone to come back from said leave. And they still have to perform at the same caliber, the same quality that everyone else does when their whole world just completely changed. Like, it's just so not dignifying and, and it lacks so much empathy. And so that's something I'm really trying to like, work with people around as well and offering like, um, leave, um, consulting. Um, and, but I'm really trying to focus on the young people at work because I think you and I, and this is why I really wanted you on this show. And I'm, I feel so seen by you because there's not a lot of people that I know. I mean, of course, like in our communities, of course, but like at work, I was the only person who was my age that had experienced so much loss before the age of 25. And I know that the older we get, the more loss is coming, right? And so like, obviously I would never, I'm grateful for my grief, but like I could have did without it as well. You know, like,

Gabrielle Perez: 19:18

yeah, girl, I feel you on that.

Mimi Gonzalez: 19:20

But at the same time, like, there was no support for young people like me at work who was experiencing loss. And it just felt like, okay, cool. Like, y'all don't care. Like I understand I have a job and I have to do all of these things, but like, I don't want to be here. I don't want to do this work, but I have bills to pay and I have to be here and I have no choice. Yeah, real, you know, but it's like, we don't get that same support. So really going forward, I'm really trying to focus on like supporting creatives. And of course people within work, no matter where they work, um, just shining a light on young people experiencing grief..

Gabrielle Perez: 19:53

It's so important. And I think all the time too, in, in, um, My experience, if I didn't have the foundation of my family and my faith, I would not have come out of what I've been through in a healthy, positive, optimistic, and hopeful perspective for my future. There's no chance. I know that with a fact. And to your point, workplaces are usually not set up to provide the tools to managers to be able to properly handle people who are going through grief, or don't have the processes in place. Bereavement is a great example of like, of that, to your point. Yeah. And I think about all the time. There are so many people out there that feel so alone in their grief that they go to work and they have no support and then they come home and they also don't potentially have support. And I have such compassion for that because something that I always hold a lot of gratitude for literally every day saying my prayers and thank you to God that I have my family because that's what got me through and there's such community around me um to be able to Help me move through that space. And I think again, choosing if you don't have blood family, that's there for you. Your chosen family is just as important. I say this to people all the time. The people that you choose to spend time with your life is the most important choice you'll ever make. Your partner that you choose in your life that will really make you or break you as a person. And I'm really lucky to have found, I call them my soulmate friends, um, who have stood by me through thick and thin. And you can tell when you have friendships and family members that hurt when you hurt and experience true empathy. I'll never forget that, um, one of my best friends to create. We've been friends for 13 years now and I used to call her. She's the best. I used to call her, um, all the time and going through the death and dying process with Papa, with my grandfather. And she would sometimes break into tears in moments that I couldn't because my initial, Emotional reaction to something is to kind of push it back, archive, clear the mechanism for anyone who likes baseball movie references. And, um, I just feel like there's a job to be done. So in the caretaking of my grandfather, my grandmother, my uncle, my uncle, my other uncle, Brad, there's this part of me for better, for worse that can disassociate a little bit so that I can just focus on the person that is. In the process of dying, and I'm really thankful for that side of me because it enables me to step up to the plate in ways that other people sometimes can't. Um, but I've also realized that the flip side of that is I have to work really, really hard to actually go back into myself and allow myself to experience the pain from that grief because you have to, you can't bury it. You have to go back to that place and you have to deal with those emotions. Um, and so it's a, It's an interesting, um, dynamic of my personality and how I've been able to get through things. But I think, um, as we were sharing before, it's the beauty in, in the brutal, right? And being able to recognize the sides of you that step up when they can, and then also being able to recognize, I need a bit of a break. I'm not doing so well. I need to take a day off of work and just cry. I need to start therapy again. I need to start prioritizing myself and my happiness instead of, you know, making sure I'm always there for everyone else. So it's a, it's a journey. It's a lifelong journey, day to day journey.

Mimi Gonzalez: 23:52

Thank you so much for sharing all of that. I think a lot of people are going to feel very validated after hearing that and like to your point too earlier about like work. I mean, if you don't have the support at work and then again, you feel alone at work or alone at home, you know, we spend the majority of our time at work. Oh my gosh. Yes. That boggles my mind when I think about it at times because it's like sometimes like of course everyone has a choice where they're where they work but like it's obviously easier said than done to get up and go and to make life changes and to do all of these things when you have the weight of the world on you and the weight of grief on your shoulders especially recent and like fresh loss and fresh grief um and so is there a time You know, whether at your current company or in previous companies where you were experiencing loss and someone like really did something super supportive for you, um, during that time and, you know, what would your advice be to managers on work teams to support, you know, employees experiencing grief at work?

Gabrielle Perez: 24:54

Yeah, I have several examples, um, because I have, I'm so incredibly fortunate at Cannes Lions to have an amazing leadership team who is incredibly supportive. Um, I've been with a company, I joined the company three weeks before the pandemic hit as a live events girl, right? I was going into this, um, this company. Wanting to plan one of the biggest international festival of creativity, right? Like it was a massive production and a massive event. And my job was to sell partnerships for that event and then COVID hits. We shut down the event for two years. My job title kind of changes and shifts and what I focus on changes. And it was a very crazy time. Um, and that whole process of being in the pandemic, fleeing really from New York city to go back to California to be with my family, um, my mom was unfortunately diagnosed with breast cancer a few months into the pandemic. There was just, it just felt like. You know, a pile on and, um, my, my team at every point, we would have team meetings every week during the pandemic of how, how's everyone doing? Everyone was very open and honest and transparent. And I think something that I pride myself on, and I encourage a lot of people to do is to always bring your full selves to work as much as possible. This requires leadership to set the tone and to invite people to a safe space. But that being said. It's also on us to show up in the ways that we want to show up to work. And so when I come to work and I'm having a hard day, I am very honest about it. And I think it's also really helpful to be communicative about it because then other people don't potentially misinterpret your attitude or your behavior. So I'll say guys, today's the anniversary of my grandfather's death. It's a hard day for me. I'm probably going to be a little bit quieter today, but I just wanted to let you know. If you say prayers, if that's your thing, if you take shots, if that's your thing, anything that you can do to remember my grandfather today, I'll be so honored by that. But that's going to be how today rolls for me. And I've always been met with, of course, oh my gosh, let us know what we can do. A specific, really amazing, um, example of this. And it was one of the most devastating moments of my life. And probably the One of the hardest I've ever cried in my life. Um, I had lost my grandmother from COVID in February of 2022, which was again, my wedding year. My grandmother was my best friend since I was a baby. She and I were kindred spirits. She was four foot 11, super feisty, um, and just the best time. She was the best time. And losing her was devastating to me. I had always dreamt of my grandmother being with me when I picked out my wedding dress, being there at my wedding. Um, she loved Alex, my husband, so much. Um, And so losing her at the start of what was supposed to be the best year of my life was really brutal for me. That being said, I really tapped into that disassociation side of myself because I did not want to let my grief stop me from experiencing joy. Because there has to be room for both, especially like we deserve to have joy. It's the year of our wedding. And so, you know, we jumped into bridal shower, bachelorette, all of the events that happen throughout wedding year. We get to literally 15 days before my wedding and my uncle Joey, this is my. Mama's son, my dad's brother. So if you can imagine for my dad, he just lost his mother. And now his brother goes into the hospital with COVID as well. And I'm at work and I'm about to fly out the next day to go to home, to California in the lead up of my wedding. And so I'm still in New York. I get the call from my dad, honey, it's not looking good. And I just. Lose it and I am the type of person again. I don't cry in front of people I was kind of raised like stop crying. I'll give you something to cry about type mentality So it is not my go to Reaction and in that moment, I just felt like the world universe God You name it was playing a cruel cruel joke on me and my uncle Joey and I were very very close friends and you know Very tight and I called him every single week and caught up with him and he was just the best. And so knowing that I would likely also lose him from this same horrible disease that I just lost my other best friend earlier that year. 15 days before I'm supposed to walk down the aisle. Um, it just was insane. And so in that moment when I'm sobbing I had to get my shit together. I had to get on the next flight out because my priority was I need to get to my uncle to make sure that he has Graceful passing and to be with him in that moment. I know he would want me there. So my colleagues happen to be In the adjoining office and they immediately see me and they all just run to me and allow me to just sob in their arms My good friend Sophie immediately called an uber for me. She texted my husband on the side. I'm putting Gavin an uber She's on her way home. This is what's going on because I couldn't even formulate words And I've never been like that in my life. Um, and so they took care of me in the moment that I really needed them to. It wasn't until I think six months later that I was remembering and having flashbacks to that moment where I actually sent a text to my friend Sophie. And I said, I just want to say thank you for what you did for me in that moment. Because I didn't have the words or wherewithal to understand how Lucky I was to be surrounded by supportive people at work in that moment, but you were really there for me. Um, and then as soon as I arrived home in California, my work team had already sent flowers to my parents address in California for my family. I mean, they really, at every single point, were so thoughtful, um, and respectful and checking in, um, And doing it in a way that I knew was from the heart and they really cared about my wellbeing and gave me all the time that I needed to, to recover from that. So again, advice to anyone at work is just to hold the space and to ask the person. what they need and just to let them know that you're there. Sometimes it's all you need to hear someone say is I'm here whether you want me, want to talk to me or not. Whether you want me to completely ignore you because you feel like you need to just be on your own. Whatever you need, you tell me and I'm here. That's sometimes the best thing that you can say to someone.

Mimi Gonzalez: 31:43

Thank you so much for sharing that story and you know that's like back to back loss and definitely want to hold space for everyone tuning in who also lost someone to COVID. I mean it was It's so sad, back to back all the time, hearing news and hearing your story too. I just, I wish I could hug you. Aww. Hugs through the, hugs through our virtual space. I feel it. I feel it. Um, you know, and hearing your story gives me hope because, you know, I mean like there's so many people and it's so funny that you had said like, You know, really bring your full self to work and like communicate and like, I'd like for that to be true for a lot of people, but like it's not true for a lot of people who don't have that supportive like environment at work. Yeah. Like I'm thinking about I feel like you can see more of that in the corporate world. Like, I feel like there's more, like, support there, um, because I definitely had a very supportive, um, team when I experienced the loss of my grandfather too. And like, I wouldn't have been able to navigate that without my team at work at that time. Also in 2020, also during COVID. Um, but like, you know, thinking of the early career talent or like the people on the front lines or people who are in like service centers or like in more service based jobs or like, You know, like really high demanding, not a lot of room for empathy or growth, like those types of spaces, like I really, it's really tough I think for people to bring their full selves to work. I feel like that's a privilege that a lot of people don't get.

Gabrielle Perez: 33:20

Yeah, 100%.

Mimi Gonzalez: 33:21

But I do appreciate what you said about like, being real about, look, this just happened. Like, I could only do so much or like, try to communicate or come up with a plan on like, what's realistic on what can get done. And like, but I think it really puts some, um, weight or just some effort on the manager's side or the leadership team side to like, make that decision. Like, hey, maybe this could work. This person on the team can handle this while this person's out for a little bit and just like really coming up with a solid plan and not expecting everything to fall on the grieving person.

Gabrielle Perez: 33:56

1000%. Oh my goodness. I agree with you. Totally. It has to be there has to be more onus on the company itself to set up proper procedures in place answers to be communicative about that from the beginning of the employment, right? Like understanding as soon as you're hired. This is what happens if God forbid something happens to you. These are the supporting resources we have in place to help you go through that. We want you to know that this is a place where we support you because life will happen. Right. And I think that's really important to be communicated top down in the very beginning of a job. And I would add to that, I think a lot of people, to your point of this death phobic society we live in, so many people want to live life pretending that death doesn't exist, which again boggles my mind. Yeah, and I really feel like if you are able to come to terms with the fact that everyone dies, that you're going to die, the people that you love are going to die. It sounds really morbid when you say it like that, but it's the truth. You actually live life with so much more purpose and presence. And you also understand much more clearly the boundaries that you have for yourself and the types of people that you want to surround yourself with. I had a company prior to my current company that was not a supportive work environment. And in going through the death of my uncle Brad, who was dying of cancer, I had to urgently get on a flight to go to North Carolina to help care for him in those moments, which I was of course, honored to do. And, um, I find out from my colleagues who, bless them, I had an amazing support system for my colleagues, but leadership, not so much. Um, that my leaders were actually saying horrible negative things about me. while I was dealing with this situation with my uncle. And it was in that moment where I made a decision for myself that I can no longer continue to work for these people. And I do it. I do recognize that there's privilege in that, right? I knew that if I quit that job, I could figure something else out for myself. Um, and that is a huge privilege. So I recognize that a hundred percent, but. Um, I think again, there's a piece of me that because I've been through the loss that I've been through, I recognize that life is too short to put up with some bullshit like that. And to really, and to really say like, I just, this is not aligned with my ethics or my morals. My soul is calling me elsewhere and I know that it will end up being okay. Because if I stay on this path and I stay surrounded by people who are not supportive of me in my times of need, I'm going to continue to endure heartbreak. Why would I choose that road? So I just think again, like really, it's a lot of self work, right? And, and reflection of trying to think about, you know, what do I need in my most difficult moments and doing what you can. And also having expectations of the people around you to support you in the way that you need to be supported.

Mimi Gonzalez: 37:07

I love that. I want to uplift everything you said, cause that's exactly what griefsense is. Like literally, like just really realizing that we don't have all the time in the world. So what do we look like spending time at a place or spending time with people who are sucking the life out of us rather than breathing life into us? And again, of course, I agree. It's definitely a privilege. Um, And yeah, so I definitely, and I know that's a really hot topic right now. A lot of people are really struggling at work and this economy, oh my goodness, this economy is something right now. Okay. I know it's not as easy to get up and go and to make these types of decisions, but I really hope that people are able to come up with a plan and be able to find a place that's more nurturing of their dreams, of their mental health, of their well being, um, cause like we said, we spend a lot of our time at work, so just really hoping and praying for everybody out there going through that. So, Gab, recently you posted on LinkedIn about the six year anniversary of your papa. Um, and you had said in your LinkedIn post, and it really, like, struck a chord with me because I, I didn't really think about it like that from my experience, but then I was like, holy cow, like, that's exactly what I feel too, and so I'm just really interested to hear your thoughts on it, but in your post you said your papa's death was like the start of your new life. And so I kind of wanted to know what you meant by that. And yeah, what comes to mind for you about that?

Gabrielle Perez: 38:41

Yeah. Oh, he was such a special man. Um, one of the loves of my life for sure. And my papa loved so deeply that I would never want to leave him. So you can probably resonate, resonate with this as a Latina, at least in my Puerto Rican family. It's not the normal thing to leave home. The normal thing is to get a house down the street from your parents and your grandparents and stay there forever and just raise your family in one big community. And there's so much beauty to that. And I always thought that that would be my story. Um, my husband is Serbian and I call the Serbian, It's the Puerto Ricans of Europe, because there's so many similarities, um, between our two cultures, but he was the same way and growing up in the same town and leaving for college and coming back. We always said, well, we're, of course we're going to come home because that was always the plan. And I had to. Really sit down my grandparents and explain to them why I was choosing to actively leave for eight hours away to go down to San Diego to go to college. They could not understand it. They wanted to support me, of course, but they're like, why don't you go to the state school down the street and live with us and save money, you know? And so I had to really tell them that that's not my dream, and that's not my hope for myself, and I want to do more, and it's always, it was always a really difficult, um, guilt, honestly, that I carried with me, uh, for leaving them. And I struggled with intense anxiety in college. I had multiple panic attacks in college. Um, Being away from family and praying to God that nothing would happen specifically to my grandparents while I was away. And when we did end up returning home, Papa got diagnosed with cancer. I think like a few months after we moved home, it was almost like he waited. For me to be home and I do believe there's something to that and like the control that we have of our body and brain body connection, all of that, um, and everything in God's timing, of course, but it was just this weird, like he waited for me, I'm here for a purpose and. I was not my best self when I lived back home in Sacramento after college. It was really difficult for me. I saw my friends who went off and were living in New York, LA, Chicago, and being in their young 20s, and drinking, and partying, and exploring, and traveling, and here I was working with People who are much older than me, and surrounded by the suburbs, and not feeling like I had any sense of purpose whatsoever. And in that time, I was very much realized that my purpose was to take care of my grandfather. And I knew, in the lead up to his dying, that once he died, I was going to have to really anew. And the only thing that I can really, it's really, God is the only thing I can contribute it to or attribute it to, I should say, is I was, I just felt called to New York City in my gut and in my soul. There's no explanation of it. I have no family out here. I had one friend who moved out after college. And we visited him and I just got bit by the New York city bug and I felt every single force of the universe was like, this is where you're supposed to be. And it did not make any sense at all for what I was dealing with in my life, where my family was, where I was at in my relationship at the time. And I remember I came home one day from the law firm to Alex, and I think we'd been dating for six or seven years at the time. And I just said to him, so I'm gonna move to New York. and. Mimi Gonzalez: What was his reaction? He was probably like, girl what?? Gabrielle Perez: He kind I'm like, so I'm gonna move to New York. This is what I have to do. Like this is what I feel like my soul is calling me to do. I want you to come, but you don't have to come because. It may not be your dream. I think you're my person. I want you to be my forever person. But if I don't do this for myself, I will resent you. I will resent my family. I cannot stay here. I have to go. I have to listen to this calling. And he kind of looks at me and he's like, can I think about it? Of course, of course. And then two days later, we honestly didn't really talk about it. And then two days later, he kind of looks over at me in bed and he goes, let's move to New York. And the rest was history. And my grandfather, I know it's kind of sappy, but he's the best. Um, I, my grandfather hadn't passed yet at the time, but I started making plans because it was inevitable and his cancer progression was getting worse and worse. Um, he ended up passing away January 16th of 2018. And I ended up moving to New York, September 1st of 2018. Um, and my grandfather, again, I don't think I could have moved across the country if he was still alive. Because he and I were almost codependent with each other in a bizarre way. And when I was in college, he used to call me every day, Baby, I miss you so much, my preciosa, when are you coming home to me? And I would just cry and cry. It was so brutal.. And so I knew, I was like, he has to transition into his next life for me to have mine. And my grandfather, to me, and such a big part of my life, again, as I mentioned in the beginning of this, is carrying on his legacy, the legacy that he and Mama left for me, truly. And something that I realize now in both of their passing is, I'm not sure if you can relate to this too, but, um, my grandparents didn't give a shit what I did for a living. They didn't care how much money I was making. They didn't care what designer bag I bought for myself. They didn't care about any of that. They loved me for the most basic human being that I was, which was their baby, their granddaughter. And sometimes there was a beautiful part of that, but sometimes I wished I could talk to my grandparents and share with them the work that I was doing or the creative things I was doing or the events that I was putting on, but they never could quite understand it. Right. And so in their passing, something I feel so deeply to my core, whenever I walk the streets of New York or when I'm in Cannes and doing these amazing events, I really stop and have moments where I just look up and I'm like, you can understand, you can understand now. I know that they get it now. I know that they see me living my dreams. I've had experiences after moving to New York that I never thought I would have in my wildest dreams. I know this is where I'm supposed to be. And I know that they get that now in their passing. And it's. To me, it's been really key and fundamental to helping me find peace with them not being there. Because I miss them every second of every day.

Mimi Gonzalez: 46:04

Mija it's giving everything in me not to cry right now. Oh, because I feel everything that you're saying, and I know they have to be incredibly proud. Thank you. Um, it like just hearing you talk about them, it makes me feel like you are kind of altering the trajectory of your family's life with all of the amazing things that you're doing. Who else in your family is doing all of these really cool things and you, you get to honor them through what you're doing. Like that's so powerful. And like just even thinking about being Latina and everything that comes with that and, and even being mixed too, being biracial and. Just everything that comes with that. Like, I feel like you're really changing the trajectory of your family's life and future, and that's so beautiful. And

Gabrielle Perez: 47:04

thank you. You know, also so grateful that they. All keep me grounded, right? Like, I would be nothing without them, and I'm incredibly proud of everybody in my family and who they are. And my cousin Lisa, for example, she's an x ray technician in the Bay Area. She's raising two beautiful Mexarican daughters, and she's just crushing it, and I'm My sister is a Latin teacher in San Diego. My dad was, you know, born and raised in essentially, you know, the projects for a little bit in San Francisco before he moved to Daly City. And is now the owner of his own financial services and tax practice. Like all of my family members have been so supportive. Incredible in continuing to keep the legacy of what my grandfather and grandmother built for us. I mean, Papa was the youngest of 11 kids and he was literally born on a dirt floor in Puerto Rico in Penuelas. And for him to pass, surrounded by his 14 grandchildren, all his, you know, his three kids, cousins, God knows who's, who's else like coming to the house saying goodbye to him. It was so beautiful to witness. Because all of his work paid off and he only had an eighth grade education. Like this man and my grandmother worked her ass off, worked for United for years and years. And, um, again, like they built the foundation of this family. And I just think it's my duty and legacy to follow my dreams, whatever those dreams are. Like, I may not be in New York forever, I may not, you know, be doing massively creative things for the rest of my life, I may decide in ten years that, like, actually I just want to be a mom. Who knows? I have no clue what God has in store for me, but what I do know is, again, life is too short. And the legacy runs too deep that I have to follow my dreams and what I'm being called to do. And that in and of itself is honoring your ancestors.

Mimi Gonzalez: 49:08

Mic drop, mic drop, mic drop. Wow. Thank you so much for sharing that. And I definitely want to. Hold space to talk about all of the creative projects and things that you've been into as well. Um, can you tell us about what you do at Cannes and, you know, what are some of the cool things that you've been able to work on? And then do you also feel that, you know, the legacy of all of the people that have died, your grandparents, your uncles, your brother, your best friend, um, How do you think their legacies have influenced where you are right now in terms of like, maybe how you approach certain, you know, creative projects or the way you, yeah, how you go about that? I would really love to.

Gabrielle Perez: 49:51

Yeah, it's a great question. So my job by nature is sales, right? So I am targeted like any other salesperson and I need to bring in X amount of people. Business to Cannes lions each year in the form of partnership activations. And when I got the job, I had never really been in a sales position before. I had never had a target to my head. It was very intimidating to me because I don't look at myself. As a salesperson, I feel like sales oftentimes has a really negative connotation to it. I think people often associate sales with like gummy, gross people trying to sell weird vacuums and things that you don't need ever in your life. And I'm like, Oh, I don't want to do that. And when I actually told my, my old manager who hired me, I said to him, I'm like, I am not that person. I am a person of relationships. I love people. I love getting to know people. I want to. Find synergies with their businesses and with ours and implement them. This isn't to me about the money. It's about doing really creative projects. And I think Cannes Lions is a, is a, it's a legacy brand. We've been around for 71 years and we have such respect in the industry that I think we do have a bit of a duty to give back to. Businesses and amazing organizations and bring people along the ride with us. Um, from the time I started working in the business, I have been advocating for change internally and externally from a DEI perspective. So, um, Starting a change committee inside the business, um, during the pandemic when so many people were struggling and make sure we were providing a safe space for people to get on zoom and just talk about their feelings and reactions to things that were happening in the news. Um, I started reaching out to nonprofit organizations to figure out how we can. And enhanced diversity at the festival, um, Adrian, my client, she runs what's called CCDC, which is the CannesDiversity Collective, and I partner with her to, um, create a beach space at the festival, which is specifically for people of color. And, um, Historically, the advertising industry is not a diverse industry. It was run by the madmen of New York, right? We've all seen Jon Hamm and the other white men on that show. That was a pretty accurate portrayal of what that industry was like. And. As a Latina woman, I was like, well, this, this has got to change. We got a lot of work to do. And, um, what I have loved seeing in my four years at Lyons is the dedication of our leadership to try and institute that change ourselves and to really lean in with our partners to do that. Um, and again, I think my, My folks, my people in my life that have passed away, I feel such a duty to, to give back. It's just a part of who I am. I think service is one of my key values of my person. And even though I, I'm not KPI'd on service, right? I'm not paid my bonuses based on, you know, these types of projects. It's what gets me up in the morning and it's what I'm so passionate about. And I think that's why at the end of the day I have become so successful in my role because I've built these relationships with clients who have become friends. I'm on texting basis with all my clients. We check in with each other. We, you know, hold space for each other in different moments. I've had very vulnerable conversations with many of my partners. And to me, like you said, we spend so much time at work. Why would we not lean in to make it the best experience for both parties that are in this, this partnership? Um, one of my favorite examples of a project that I worked on. Was with Google, um, they come to the festival every year and they have a massive beach activation and obviously they're Google, they're one of the big guys, so they really blow it out of the water. And, um, I wanted to work with them on something a bit more meaningful and their focus back in 2022 was all about accessibility and marketing. And we had never had ASL interpreters for our stage sessions before. And so I worked with Google, right? I know that's changed. So I worked with Google to get ASL interpreters for our stages for the first time. And then we also, um, collaborated on an accessibility and marketing report that went out to all of our delegates and everyone in our database. And when I met my client on site, we both actually had a moment. And Cannes where we were holding each other's hands crying because we had met a deaf delegate who Came up to my client and saying thank you so much for doing this I never thought I would be able to have a great experience at Cannes Because I didn't know if I'd be able to understand what was happening on stage. And that's the reason that I do what I do. Like, those are the projects. Like, if you can use creative strategy to unlock solutions for old problems, that is what it's all about. So again, for me, it's, it's, Bringing in all that I've learned from the people that I've loved, realizing that life's really short, realizing that life is really about the people living it and the community that we have here. Why can't I use that to give back in my work, in my day to day? It's not all of what I do, but it's definitely a key focus for me. Um, because again, it's, it's my passion and it really is what makes me tick. And so I think those are the types of creative projects. And I would encourage anyone who feels like it. They're not sure if their work is for them or if they're in a bit of a rut and they're not feeling passionate about the work they're doing. Stop and do some self reflection about, you know, what your values are and how you can bring a little bit more of your personal passions into your workplace. And I guarantee even slight changes are going to perk you up. And get you excited to start your work day in the morning. So that's what I've been able to do. And I've been really fortunate that my team supports me in that.

Mimi Gonzalez: 55:49

Love that. Look at you leaving your footprints on the world. And I love that. That's so good. That's awesome. And I, I truly agree with you, right? Like, I feel like the people that have died in our life or even honoring our ancestors, like they sacrificed so much for us to be here. It's like, how can we incorporate their legacies and things that they have taught us? into work. And I've always told people, like, and I've always been someone who's had, like, multiple things going on at once. Like, I always had a full time job, but always doing something creative on the side. Always, always, always. And I just felt like that is what I needed to be nurtured and to be, you know, included in so many different things. Um, but with a lot of the loss that I had and you had mentioned that you experienced, unfortunately, um, Two people close to you, I think you said, unalive themselves. Um, that's actually how I got into like community organizing and activism and, um, during that is how I learned how to love public speaking and how to like really convince and persuade. Literally, I persuaded people to be alive. Because I was doing a lot of suicide prevention work and through that work is how I was able to become a speaker and how I was able to like literally no matter what your status is in the company, whether you were the president, whether you were a new hire, whoever it was, I was able to get you on board with something because I knew how to talk, talk to you like a human and talk to us about like, what are the things that we are experiencing? And it's so funny, I have to share this story with you. It literally just happened two days ago. Oh my gosh, tell me. Latina moms, bro. Latina moms. And I love you. Mommy, if you're listening to this, I love you. Um, but she has this thing where, you know, you cannot go to sleep without the dishes being done. Thankfully, I moved out the house a few years ago. Hey, I'm team mom on this one, Mimi. I gotta tell you, I'm the same way. I'm neurotic with the dishes. I get it. I get it. But I have to tell you, like, she traumatized me. Like, you know, like, Fair enough, fair enough. I'm on, I'm at home now, and like, of course, like, I go to bed with a clean kitchen, but if there's a time where I'm, like, really tired or if I'm having a shitty day, I'm like, I'm gonna do it in the morning. I'm not gonna lose sleep over it.

Gabrielle Perez: 58:02

Right. But,

Mimi Gonzalez: 58:04

So, but my sisters, I have younger siblings and they're at the house, okay, they're still at the house. And so my sister's sleeping. This is my 16 year old sister. My mom comes in after a long day at work. My sister is literally asleep, okay. She comes in the room and she goes, Laly, go, why are the dishes in the sink? Go in the kitchen and go clean it up. And Laly wakes up with her eyes like they're on a speck. On a rock in the universe. Oh my God. New dishes and it is midnight. Hilarious. To that point, we were on a spec on a rock. On a rock in the universe. Yeah. And it's like, do these things really like matter? You know, but all that to say, I love that. Like you really have to bring. Everything you have, like if you have a job to do, like, what can you do to be creative? How can you get people on board with what you're doing? And you don't have to learn all of these new skills. You already have everything in you. Of course, your education, all that. Cool, cool, cool. But like a lot of the things that I drew upon when I needed inspiration or to like really be creative is because of my losses or because I've experienced in my life of being like my lived experience, right? Like my street smarts, not so much my life. Totally agree. Totally

Gabrielle Perez: 59:22

agree. I always say Papa was the wisest man I've ever known. And again, eighth grade education. Right? So now I, I completely agree with that. And I do think it's oftentimes you have to experience a lot of what you don't like in work first before you start to realize what really gets you in the flow and what really excites you. And that's a part of the process. I would also say, To be patient and kind with yourself, which is something I have always struggled with and still struggle with Um, i'm the type of person where it's like if i'm not earning or learning I gotta go. I gotta move on What's next? I like to be challenged. I get bored quickly and I want to be always feeling like i'm contributing and doing my best and when I don't feel like that. I start searching. I call it the knocking. I feel like there's something knocking at me to like You Figure out what's next because this ain't it and I will say Yeah, I will say that's a it's a great part of me because it keeps me ambitious and keeps me moving along But there's also a piece where you you have to be patient with yourself And sometimes I do believe the universe god, whatever you want to call it will slow you down in life um in moments Where you need a moment of self reflection and pause and you have to accept that and realize that this is a a period of your life where you need to just exist.

Mimi Gonzalez: 1:00:52

Yeah.

Gabrielle Perez: 1:00:53

And do that deeper self reflection because I think we can get so caught up in especially with social media today which it's the comparison game. Comparison is the thief of all joy. You can sit there and say I should be Traveling every week because that's what all these people on Instagram are doing. I should be buying that handbag. I should be doing that. And it's the, you just are going to make yourself crazy. You're going to make yourself crazy. Practice gratitude every day and realize the things that you have control of and what you don't have control of. And in the ways that you can pick your passions and start to realize them in your day to day, even small little things. And it truly makes a world of difference.

Mimi Gonzalez: 1:01:37

I'm so happy you said that and also I will say though the comparison or the FOMO that happens with like Do you know how many people had FOMO last year of not being at Cannes because of how amazing that I know I know I know Imagine it's gonna be the same thing. But like even with like South by Southwest and VidCon and CultureCon, all these amazing, like, different spaces that I literally just recently learned about after I quit my corporate job and like, I'm starting my creator journey and stuff like that. But like, yeah, like the FOMO is real, man. Like with the people going to these events, but like, I love everything you said, like you can really like show yourself grace. You can only do so much focus on what you can, if you're able to go to at least one this year or able to. Learn from other people, um, something that I did, like when people go to these events, especially, you know, it's a lot of money to be able to go to every single one of these iconic experiences. Um, but that's why I think LinkedIn is so powerful because I've been able to learn so much from other people's like experiences, until I get to the point where I can go to You know, some of these, um, awesome experiences, but yeah, too. So, um, but with that, you know, what is something you're looking forward to this year with Cannes this year? And, um, what's something that you hope is going to impact, um, people in the creative industry?

Gabrielle Perez: 1:03:05

Yeah, there's so much to look forward to. I'm in my, in my, um, spirit of hope. I feel really hopeful for honestly, the first time in a long time, I've had a rough couple of years, And I've entered this year really with a spirit of renewed hope and enthusiasm of what can come, and my work obviously helps with that because I'm surrounded by so many great minds and creative people, and I think specifically for this year's festival, something that I'm really, um, Please that we, we did is we launched a scholarship initiative. So for the first time ever, um, you have the ability to apply for a comp pass to attend Cannes, and we are funding essentially a thousand comp passes for anyone in underground to, to apply. So it's pretty incredible. And if you're listening to this and you think, Oh, I never have a chance to go to can, I can't afford it. Go to our website, find out more information or find me on LinkedIn. I'm happy to share more information with you. Um, I am really looking forward to a more. Diverse population at Cannes this year. It's been my personal passion project off the side of my desk to also try and get more Latino representation at Cannes. Um, I'm working very closely with We Are All Human, which is an incredible organization that's dedicated to, to progress. Um, for Hispanics specifically, they're gonna be at the festival in a big way. Um,

Mimi Gonzalez: 1:04:32

to Claudia, love

Gabrielle Perez: 1:04:32

that. Shout out to Claudia. We love Claudia. Um, my friend Steven at, at univision and his amazing team is gonna be at the festival this year. So my goal in arriving at the festival is showing up and seeing more people that look like me. And because it, it is a big gap for us and I. Thinks there's so much education that needs to be done toward our community about opportunities in the creative industries. I don't know about you, Mimi, but when I was growing up, I had no clue what I was supposed to going to do for a living. I thought you could be a doctor, a lawyer, a mom, a teacher, like a dentist, like the top five suburban type jobs, the way that I was raised. And not that there's anything bad about any of those jobs, but nothing ever spoke to me. And it wasn't until I went to college and, um, started just learning more and understanding what other people were seeking and other people had opportunities to do. I was like, wait a second. I could, I could plan events for a living. That sounds fun. I love events. That could be something I could be good at. I'm really organized. I, I love the feeling of a live event and the effect that it can have on people forever. Like maybe I'll do that. And that was kind of my red thread throughout my whole career. And I make a point to share those types of opportunities with younger folks in our community because so many little brown and Black kids Are sitting in their schools right now, not seeing a space for them and not understanding what they can do. And there are so many opportunities. Um, I spoke at a school in downtown Sacramento. Uh, my friend, um, works at the district there and invited me to come speak. And when I was sharing with them case studies from the Nike just do it project and their eyes are getting so big, looking at me like, wait, I could be on a team that works on creative for Nike. Like, what a dream that you just don't know the possibilities. So I think education is a huge gap right now that I want to fill. And I think Lions as a business is, um, starting to do a lot more of that. And I'm excited to see how that translates into the types of people that we see coming to the festival. So that's what is really exciting for me this year.

Mimi Gonzalez: 1:06:49

So awesome. Thank you for all the work that you do. And that's why it's so important. So I'm going to say two things right now. Representation is important. That is so important. That's why we need people like you in these types of positions to make sure these experiences are representative and inclusive of our communities without tokenization, because that's a whole nother thing. Well, that's a whole nother conversation for another day.

Gabrielle Perez: 1:07:12

A whole other conversation.

Mimi Gonzalez: 1:07:13

You Know?. But it's like, and I was actually just having this conversation yesterday with my work colleagues. I'm a part time, um, director of career development. So I'm literally working with Gen Z and students all the time. And I'm literally, they have the same exact experience. You can do that? Like, I didn't know, you know, and, um, and I was talking about like, Representation is great, but it's not enough. It's what you do with the representation, right? It's one thing to have Latinos and Black people and Asian people and folks that identify as Muslim, like, in these key positions at work. But like, what are you doing with that representation? Yeah, you gotta pull people up with you. And it's like, once you have those folks in position, then they can help the younger generation do the same thing. But it's like, if our representation is constantly being attacked and constantly being taken away, or not even just completely overlooked and underestimated. I love that. Myles Worthington is always talking about underestimated, like people who are being underestimated, um, of minoritized identities. And, and that's so important. That's so important. I love everything you said and I'm so excited to see, you know, what's going to come out of this. Um, yeah. And I, and I think things are changing and I do feel that like in the creative industry, I feel like there's more opportunity for that to happen just because like, if you think about, and social media. I mean, like a lot of the Trends come from Black culture and they come from Latino culture and then like literally transcends everything, everything. Then you have like top white executives at companies saying bruh or bet or like, come on, like, you know, like, right. And it's like, all right, but it's like, Creativity wouldn't be anything of what it is today if it wasn't without Black people or Latino people or all the different cultures and so I really want to uplift that because and I do feel like again there's more opportunity I think now in the creative space but then I also think about creative careers like people who are in marketing or graphic design or even public relations or whatever communications at companies that are not in the creative industry right like manufacturing consumer goods and things like that and it's like Yeah, it's a really tough space to be in depending where you are, but change is good. Have to start somewhere and, um, I love everything that you're doing. Seriously.

Gabrielle Perez: 1:09:31

Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. And again, anyone listening who is interested in Cannes Lions or just needs to chat it out with someone about where their career is going or, you know, needs to just hold space with someone. My LinkedIn messages are always open. So find me and we can chat.

Mimi Gonzalez: 1:09:52

Yes. I love that. And like one more thing I saw too, just opportunities wise, since we're talking about Cannes Lions. I saw recently that y'all launched the Jody Harris scholarship. A little bit about that and I have to say the reason that really stood out to me for a long time because I knew Cannes was around for a while, um, just like our concept of talking about legacy and like honoring our people. I really love that Cannes honoring something like a martyr in the creative industry and bringing it forward. So I really wanted you to kind of talk a little bit about that and if folks are in that, those similar industries, how they can potentially get involved.

Gabrielle Perez: 1:10:26

It's a really special project. One of the favorites I've ever worked on in my career. Um, ABinBev is a wonderful client of mine and, and dear friends as well. And they, um, have been named creative marketer of the year, which is our, our, one of our biggest awards at CannesLions for two years in a row now. And in the lead up to their first win, um, Jodi Harris, um, led their creative excellence team internally at AB InBev and she unfortunately passed away of cancer before she ever saw the business that she worked so hard to support and truly transform from the inside out over a five year journey. She passed away before she saw AB InBev take home that really special award, which of course for the team at AB was devastating. Um, and Jodi was such. An incredible person to so many in the creative community. Um, Marcel, the global CMO at AB INBev in 2022 when they won for the first time, Marcel and the AB team essentially came to me and said, we want to be able to honor Jodi and her legacy. If it weren't for her, we wouldn't be here. What can we do? So we came up with this really beautiful scholarship initiative where, um, ABINBev and Lions would fund 10 folks from underrepresented backgrounds from all over the world to come and experience an amazingly bespoke and curated program at the festival. So our first cohort, um, came to the festival in 2023, and they were, let me tell you Mimi, like some of the most amazing people I have ever met. And the joy and the passion and the spirit to which they brought. their whole selves to can. We had someone from China, we had someone from Nigeria, we had someone from Brazil and they all became like a little family. I'm still in a WhatsApp, WhatsApp chat with them, talk all the time. They're just the best people. And, um, this year will be our second year. So 2023 was the inaugural year of the Jodi Harris scholarship. Um, 2024 will be our second year. Um, and we're now bringing back an alumni tutor from the first year program to help lead the second year program. So we're really trying to build a Beautiful community, um, for, you know, the legacy of Jodi and what is so incredible. And one of the questions we asked as a part of the application process for this is what will you do with your experience at Cannes back in your home market? Because to us as a business, We know that you're going to have an incredible experience. It can't. There's no way that you can't. We're going to make sure of that, but what are you going to do with that? It's one thing to have this moment and this opportunity, but what you take from it and how you uplift others and bring others into that experience with you is what we were really looking for in people's answers. And it was so amazing to see the results off the back of our inaugural year. Um, this incredible woman, Nengi, who, um, is from Nigeria and was a part of the first cohort. Shout out to Nengi. She went back to Nigeria after Cannes and set up this incredible organization for creative women in this space to form a community. And she's been running that since she got home from Cannes,. So seeing in real time, the exact kind of effect that we wanted to have with this program, it truly brought tears to my eyes on multiple different occasions. And reminds me again of the power of our brand and what we can do and the power of organizations like AB INBev, when you have really great leadership. who sees the gap in diversity and representation and wants to do something about it and also recognizes that you can build something beautiful from grief. It's like, win win, win win. And then all the people that Jodi is still affecting Yeah. After she's passed, it's just such an incredible thing to witness. It's been really a blessing to be a part of it.

Mimi Gonzalez: 1:14:15

Thank you for sharing all of that and yeah, shout out to everyone who was able to participate in that last year and all the folks that are getting considered for this year. I mean like, that's the power of legacy and that is the power of channeling your grief into something purposeful and, and I really love that because what other organization is doing that right now? You know, and I feel like that really stands out to young people. It stands out to, you know, job searchers right now or like just trying to find places and organizations and communities that value loss, value really life things. And I mean, uh, just like humanizing the human experience, you know, and the fact that You know, through this scholarship, Jodi's legacy gets to not only continue to live on, but like you said, impact people for generations after generations. Like this is the start of something so beautiful. And how incredible is that? And wonder if there's also other, it just kind of gets me thinking about other folks that have really contributed to the creative industry in various backgrounds, various You know, different types of roles where this can, you know, other organizations can draw inspiration from this. You know, what kind of scholarship or what kind of opportunity can you create in honor of someone who, Um, recently passed away or maybe better yet still alive and can honor them while they're still here. You know, that's, that's, that's super beautiful. Um, wow, Gab, I'm just so grateful to know you. What a great conversation. Oh, likewise. I can't wait for everyone to really, you know, take this in. Um, but before we end today, uh, after, you know, at the end of every griefsense episode, I like to ask a journal prompt and, um, You know, I have to say this as well, like, I haven't met many people who share our experience of losing. Multiple people back to back a short amount of time at such a young age, and I really want to honor amplify that for a lot of the people who also share that experience because, you know, usually, and of course, I'm not discounting anything or invalidating anything like losing 1 person is 1 person too many. Okay. So, like, imagine multiple people, right? And there's so many different layers of grief, um, that come with that. Yeah. But, um, There's something special about someone who can navigate multiple losses and still be able to commit themselves to work and family and, you know, pursuing passions and that's everything that I'm seeing from you and like honoring, keeping legacy top of mind like that's just so beautiful and I think an incredible way to live life and, and really approach life like that. So, I, I really want to know what would some advice be to young grievers out there who have experienced grief, but especially serial grief where they've lost multiple people?

Gabrielle Perez: 1:17:13

Yeah. I would say when that does happen to you, it is very easy to think that you are cursed. Or that you did something wrong in your life to deserve this level of pain, or that God has it out for you. There's so many things that you can go through in your mental shame spiral of Why is this happening to me? Why do I deserve this? And I think I was stuck in that place for some time. I remember I used to say out loud to multiple of my best friends and to my husband, like, I actually think I'm cursed. Like this is, this is truly how I feel. And it was truly how I felt at the time. And something I think that helped me to, to conquer that internal very real emotion that I was feeling was to give my suffering purpose. I think when you assign purpose to your grief, it ceases to be suffering. You can't get rid of the pain. Pain will always be there, right? There are some days, it's again been six years since my papa passed. I will wake up some days and just My, I will feel like an elephant is sitting on my chest and I miss him so deeply and all I want to do is pick up the phone and hear his voice and feel the unconditional love that he gave me. That will never go away. I'll feel that when I'm 80 years old. I will always miss the people that I've lost, but to not get weighed down by the pain of it. I shift my mindset into being, what would he want to see me doing with my life and how can I honor him and all of the ones that I've loved? And I think again, just shifting the mindset of really assigning purpose to your grief is really helpful, especially when there's so much that happens in short succession. Another thing that my husband really helped me through is you can also start feeling like you're living in trying to, um, In this fear of when is the next shoe going to drop? Um, I constantly was anxious about someone else dying. And for a while, anytime my husband would leave the house, I would be like, come back, you know, like, is he going to get hit by a taxi cab on his way to work? I mean, truly the neuroses that was happening in my mind of like being so scared of losing anyone else. And what he kind of helped me to realize is, of course, another shoe is going to drop. Life. is a million shoe drops. That will always happen. If you are living in fear of the next bad thing happening, you will never truly live. You have to accept that death and tragedy and pain and suffering is a real part of human existence and allow that again to shift your perspective. And I think one of the biggest reasons I love living in New York City, and I think it's one of the best cities in the world, is you cannot live here without having perspective. If I'm having a bad day, it takes me literally one step outside of my apartment to realize that I am so blessed and humbled to even just have a roof over my head, food on my table, a partner who loves me. A family who loves me. So having perspective for your grief is also something that really helped me too. Um, and then of course, tapping into the self help. Therapy is huge. Finding good therapists that you trust. Hugely helpful for me. Leaning on podcasts like this, girl, the amount of podcasts I listen to, the amount of books I read, Man's Search for Meaning, Victor Frankl, highly recommend, Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle, Option B, Cyril Sandberg. Some of these books that just got me through the worst times of my life because I think the biggest, Part of suffering also feels like feeling like you're very alone. And I think to your point, a lot of people don't understand what it's like to lose so many people in close succession. So you can feel very lonely in your pain. Um, but it's actually not the reality. If you, if you search for it, there are a lot of other people experiencing. Exactly what you are and that's why what you're doing Mimi is so powerful providing a platform for people to Listen and not feel alone. I think is step one in the healing process for so many people So, thank you for doing this and inviting me because I just again, I'm so honored to be here That was

Mimi Gonzalez: 1:21:54

so beautiful. And I just I feel like I'm it's like a mirror I feel like it's just a powerful reflection right now. I really never had this conversation with anyone before You Um, so really seen and I want to thank you for that. Um, because like me, besides my family, you know, of course my family is also experiencing all of these losses, but it's like, wow, someone else, another Latina, close in age, kind of experiencing this to your point. We're not alone. If you are willing to share your story and put yourself out there and nurture your personal brand or just like network and yeah, just not be afraid to reach out to someone like You never know how much you'll have in common with somebody like it's so wild and like especially to the point and it's so funny actually just posted today, um, a video of my boyfriend. We've been together seven years. His name is Willie.

Gabrielle Perez: 1:22:45

Oh,

Mimi Gonzalez: 1:22:47

he December, I actually, I literally was so wild back to back. I got into a car accident and then seven days later, my cousin died, um, and I always wanted a Bengal cat. I was like my dream animal. I've always wanted and I always knew her name was going to be, I always knew her name was going to be Mulan. I was like, I want a Bengal cat. Oh my God. So

Gabrielle Perez: 1:23:08

cute.

Mimi Gonzalez: 1:23:10

And lo and behold, apparently he was planning for six months to get me. You know, this Bengal cat named Mulan and it just so happened that on the day that my cousin died. I He picked up Mulan. Mulan was ready to come home. I Say all that is amazing. Yeah, like literally pulling on all the heart strings. Okay, and like Literally a couple days ago, we're just hanging out at home. He's playing video games. I'm watching my show. Mulan is laying on his chest and she like puts her paw on his face and I'm just sitting there and I start crying and he's like, what's wrong? I'm just like, I know we're all gonna die one day and I'm just, I just wish I can bottle this moment up forever. These are the moments that I live for and like, one of my biggest fears too is like, will he go? I passed away when I was young and, um, my mom was a 17 year old teenager with me. I was eight months old when my dad died and, you know, like that's my biggest fear because that's what happened to my mom. Of course. Of course. I love Willie so much and I'm like, man, like I love this man so much. I just pray for his safety, his health, and for all his dreams to come true. And, um, I just wish we can bottle this moment forever. But to your point, your Bae's point is like, just be present. Appreciate it while we have it. And that was such a good reminder. So thank you.

Gabrielle Perez: 1:24:37

Of course. Take it all in. Right? Like, again, we only do this once. And. It's really beautiful when we, we are so lucky to have people in our lives that we love so much that it hurts so deeply when they're not physically with us anymore.

Mimi Gonzalez: 1:24:53

Yes. I'm gonna give them like the biggest hug later tonight.

Gabrielle Perez: 1:24:58

Everyone go give the people you love the biggest hug. That is another thing, like, do not hang up a phone with someone unless you tell them you love them. I'm such a big Like, if there is anything in your soul, for anyone listening, that you feel called to go say to this person, literally stop what you're doing, pause the podcast, pick up the phone, and call the person that you love. Because it is so important, the amount of things that are, go unsaid and people pass away and live with regret. Regret is just a terrible thing to live with. If you can avoid that feeling, as much as you can, take the initiative and do it. And I promise you, like, it is very rare that you will feel disappointed. Like, you, at the very least, you will feel liberated from it. The weight of what you were holding inside. So

Mimi Gonzalez: 1:25:47

yeah, thank you for that reminder. Um, and so Gabrielle, um, where can people get plugged in with you? How can they amplify your work? Um, yeah, how can they get connected with you?

Gabrielle Perez: 1:26:00

Yeah, LinkedIn and Instagram are probably the two best ways. I'm not a creator myself in the sense of on social media, but I, again, what I love to do is, is to help build relationships and connect people with amazing other people. So Mimi there's a whole host of people I want you to meet after getting, getting to know you a little bit better. Um, so yeah, LinkedIn, Instagram, Gabrielle Perez, you'll find me. Um, I'm here to help in any way that I can.

Mimi Gonzalez: 1:26:28

Awesome. All right, y'all, and definitely please go check out Cannes website, Cannes Lions website, and really leverage the opportunities Gabrielle said, um, and yeah, and thank you so much for being here. Honored to know you again, your story is so powerful, so impactful, and I can't wait to see all of the amazing things that you will continue to do, um, because I know it's going to be great.

Gabrielle Perez: 1:26:51

So thank you, friend. Likewise. Thank you so much for having me. Very honored to be here. Yes. Thank you. All right, everyone. We'll catch you on the next episode.