How One Labor Leader Transformed 30,000 Lives Through the Power of Empowerment, with Brenda Munoz || EP.205
Description
What happens when you realize you've stopped caring about the very people you're meant to serve? For Brenda Munoz, that moment came when a laborer asked her to leave and find someone else to help him. "You're very nice," he said, "but I can tell you're trying to rush this."
That wake-up call transformed not just Brenda's career, but how she thinks about leadership itself. Today, as Associate Benefits Director at the Laborers' Fund of Northern California, she oversees benefits for 30,000 workers who build America's infrastructure—and she's reimagining what it means to serve a workforce that's largely male, Hispanic, and often working far from home.
In this episode of Inspiring Women with Laurie McGraw, Brenda also speaks about:
- Why language barriers and literacy challenges make benefits accessibility a social justice issue
- How empowering 53 employees (mostly women) creates ripple effects for thousands of families
- What it means to lead for both the laborers AND the women who serve them
- Why self-reliance and having a voice are the foundations of workplace empowerment
- How Hispanic women can transform from "doing the paperwork" to leading the organization
- What changes when you shift from "What do I want?" to "What will help us become better?"
Chapter Markers
02:05 - An Accidental Benefits Career
04:09 - The Counter Call That Changed Everything
05:36 - Choosing Impact Over Comfort
07:21 - Understanding the Laborers: Who Builds America
10:59 - The Stress of Benefits Work
12:31 - Leading for Two Communities
14:19 - From Siloed to United: Creating Vision Together
19:21 - The Power Within: A Message to Hispanic Women
Guest & Host Links
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