When I was a kid, one of the people who showed me what was possible was my Uncle Joe. I can still picture myself sitting in our TV room watching my uncle, Joe Ramirez, report the news on KNBC Los Angeles. Fires. Floods. Natural disasters. And there was my uncle, right in the middle of it all!
At the time, I don't think I fully understood the significance of seeing a Mexican American journalist on television in the '70s and '80s. I just knew, “That's my uncle on TV!”
Seeing him made the world feel a little bigger. It made me think, maybe you really can do anything. Years later, I would have the privilege of spending much of my own career at NBCUniversal. Looking back now, I recognize that one of my earliest examples of professional excellence was right there on that television screen.
That's one of the reasons I believe so deeply in the power of story—and why one of my favorite things about hosting the Lead With Your Brand!™ podcast is sitting down with remarkable people to hear the stories behind their careers: the choices they made, the obstacles they navigated, and the people and experiences that helped shape who they became.
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, I'm revisiting our Latinx Voices collection, featuring some of the incredible Hispanic and Latinx leaders who have joined me over the years.
Their careers span business, entertainment, media, entrepreneurship and more, but each conversation reminds us of something Uncle Joe showed me all those years ago: when we see someone else's journey, we sometimes see new possibilities for our own.
We lost my Uncle Joe last year, so this year, I'm dedicating this collection to him—with gratitude for the example he gave me and for all those whose stories help others imagine what's possible.
I hope you'll take some time this month to discover a new episode, revisit an old favorite and celebrate these extraordinary voices with me.