Episode 37 - Rooted in Values: Honoring Your Emotional, Personal & Professional Growth with Tina Mistry

By Jessica Garrison

This week we are featuring Tina Mistry, whom Melissa met through the Fresno County Women’s Chamber of Commerce. Tina was actually on the first panel of Together We F.E.E.L for “New Year, Take Care of You,” but today we have the privilege of focusing the attention on her. She is thoughtful, strategic, and committed, which Melissa says fits her perfectly.

While discussing living out of her own expectations, Tina brings up the generational differences with expectations, especially when it comes to family. As kids, when our parents told us to do something, we’d just do it, and Tina was the same way. One specific example comes from Tina’s mom, who would have her children help clean the house. Now as an adult, Tina says she’ll have someone come in to clean her house for her because she wants to use that time to spend with her family. Tina’s mom didn’t understand why Tina would pay someone to clean her house when she could do it herself, but it’s an exhausting process. Even now, she says that her mom will clean the house top to bottom by herself no matter how much it wears her out. I’m sure everyone can think of something that they do differently than their parents that they may not understand or approve of, but you have to do what’s best for you. 

Another point Tina brought up is how strange it seemed for her to go to college because she’d be the first in her family. Tina’s mother didn’t go to college and her mother before her didn’t go to college. College isn’t for everyone, and I think people sometimes get the idea that if they didn’t go to college and are happy with their life, then no one has to go to college to be happy. We’re all on our own path, and that’s why it’s so crucial we live out of our own expectations. You’ll be the one living your life, not anyone else. 

Moments like this are great reminders of why representation is so important, especially for young people. It’s inspiring to see someone with similarities to you “making it” and doing something you never imagined was possible. Not only in our own lives, but we want to see diverse representation in the media as well. It’s tiring to see the same old story being told with the same white people starring in it. We want to hear a variety of stories be told and learn new things, seeing ourselves be the star for once. We keep putting cracks in the glass ceiling, and eventually it will break.    

This was such a great conversation to listen to, and it gets you excited to start the next day with a new motivation. Along with Tina’s wisdom and experience, she is so humble as she speaks about her journey. Give yourself patience and grace as you embark on your own path. If you want to do something that hasn’t been done before, especially by someone who comes from a similar background as you, try it anyway. Like Tina says, someone has to be the first.

Ways to Engage: Journal your values in different areas of your life, such as professional, personal, emotional, spiritual, etc. Continue to check in with yourself and journal these values as things change. Are there any similarities or themes? Is there a constant value that has remained over time?