Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Speaker A: The best insight, instant feedback, accountability. The all new Talk Radio Freedom 106.5 for an interview for you Joining us in studio, very special guest. There's some pretty interesting discussions here and we welcome to our program this morning and she'll be dealing with a lot of of issues related to leadership and a number of other things. Let's welcome to our program Melissa Pasco. Good morning to you.
[00:00:37] Speaker B: Good morning. And how are you this fine, fabulous day?
[00:00:40] Speaker A: Well, it's the beginning of the week and as with anything else, you have challenges that you deal with, but it's a work in progress. So things are great this morning. Nice to have you with us here this morning. Absolutely. Before we actually get into our conversation, the nitty gritty, let me allow people, allow you to familiarize our listeners with you, tell us a bit about yourself and some of the things that you're involved in.
[00:01:04] Speaker B: So, you know, I last seven years, I would say that I've been leading a second generational family business, Pascal's Bakery, focus on transitioning business models. That's a lot for Monday. But ultimately it just really means changing the way that we sold our products. So we went from retail, the community bakery, aspects of focusing on manufacturing and focus on import substitution, which is very close to my heart. And that is where I literally developed these leadership qualities, these leadership tools that we're going to speak about. Because in order for me to survive and thrive through this pressure cooker sort of environment, I had no choice but to, you know, create this on myself. Yeah.
[00:01:54] Speaker A: So we're talking about leadership and its role and function and the success of practically everything that you do.
[00:02:01] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:02:02] Speaker A: So let's deal with leadership for a bit because we're having some conversations on a national level about leadership. We can't get away from them. And how important is leadership?
[00:02:13] Speaker B: Absolutely. Let's talk about the citizens that we are in Trinidad and Tobago. At the end of the day, you know, all of us contribute to this nationalistic, I mean Trinidad and Tobago, each and every single thought, process, word, you know, every single thing, habit, action. So that's an individual level. How we showing up in our houses, our communities and for our children. One, two, then we carry then, then we look at it from a, from an enterprise, from a corporation, how you're showing up there as leaders, as managers, as owners, as employees. How are we showing up there? Are we giving our best selves even if we don't feel like how many times we go to work, even wake up in the morning and you're feeling like gosh boy, I don't feel like that is where it comes in. Because the greatest of us, I mean we're not speaking about money here, we're speaking about an abundant mindset.
Show up to make the best lunch kit for your child. Regardless of how you're feeling, you have your child in your car. How you showing up for them, how you, how are you empowering them for that day, how are you preparing them for the challenges that they will face? And most importantly, when you come out of that car as well in the morning, wherever your destination, it could be a corporation, it could be staying at a whole as a home maker, wherever it is, how are you equipping yourself for your daily challenges? And again, that is what we are speaking about. And again, we can multiply that to a national level. And when you aggregate it, that is a reflection of our society. You know, it comes onto your mindset, your soul set, your health set and of course your business set. That is what we'll ultimately, the leadership framework of Titan mindset is all about how you're showing up even when you don't feel like, because you never feel like.
[00:03:56] Speaker A: Trust me, I know exactly what you're talking about. Because in the business that I'm in, that is important. Yes.
I don't consider this leadership at all. I consider this just me coming here, doing my job. But as much as I don't like to give myself that kind of prominence, my role and function, while it's just a job, shapes the opinion of so many people.
[00:04:24] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:04:25] Speaker A: And my job is to provide them with the information that I think they need so that they can decide for themselves how they should feel, how they should think on an issue. Yes, I impose my opinion, but my opinion is to allow them to shape their opinion. You don't need to agree with me and that kind of thing. And it does take a lot out of you sometimes to come here and, and, and to do the job the way it needs to be done.
[00:04:51] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:04:52] Speaker A: And to lead these thought processes. I didn't get any sleep last night because I have a 2 year old who decided 3 o'clock this morning she wanted to play. And, and it's tough, but that's, that's my business. That's not the business of the people who listen to me.
[00:05:05] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:05:05] Speaker A: And it's, it's, I, it, you can't shortchange them because you have challenges. And I guess that's what great leadership is about. But what does it mean to be a leader?
[00:05:15] Speaker B: A leader is an example. So when I went Back into, into Pascal's Bakery. I wasn't. It wasn't a red carpet reception. First of all, this is, this is real life. And the leader, the informal leader of that production floor was my cleaner. She was in charge of the wash b. And I knew I, in order to really, you know, get the buy in of all this entire production floor, I had to ensure that despite.
I had to make sure she bought in to then lead informally the rest of them. So in order for me to convince her, I had to literally pick up that mop on an afternoon. I remember, and I was like, listen, this has to be done. And I remember in my dress, in my everything, picking up an after production and started to mop that floor. This is a big commercial mop we're talking about. I mean, papa. And then after she see me sweating there for a while and she goes, olia, Olia, Olia. We cannot allow the boss woman to clean by herself. And only when she, without a title, led and backed me despite my title is how it literally came together. So we are all leaders. And she eventually came on a platform to talk to me in success Lavendel. Both of us spoke to that school together.
Two people randomly, regardless of title, color, it doesn't matter. You will lead from exactly where we are because she had her son and she was leading her son the best way. So wherever you are, you are leading as a matter of how you're doing it. It's all about you. How. Yeah, you don't need you. You don't need a platform to lead you leading your house, you're leading yourself. And it comes down to what kind of stock you are, what kind of stock you're creating. Each and every single one of us here, either creating a Fortune 500 stock or a penny stock. And that is your own brand.
[00:07:07] Speaker A: What is resilience and leadership when you.
[00:07:09] Speaker B: Get knocked down so hard that you on the floor in a corner. And the only reason why I could speak with such passion because I've been there so many times and you find the gumpture somehow to scrape yourself back up from that ground and stand up again, Stand up again. You know, when literally emotionally rock bottom, you're mentally destroyed and you're, and you're, and you're spiritually shattered, how do you get, how do you gather yourself again? And how do you, how do you come up and stand up? And the only way you can do that and look, it's according to me is literally a big why? What is your immense why? What is your reason? Your Purpose for being on this planet. You know, it comes out, it's a deep thing. It's so deep that people are scared of it. And that's the reason why most people don't have that bounce back. A bounce back is a funny way to say it, but it's so much more than a bounce back effect. What is your why? What is your reason for being? Believe me, we are not here on this planet just to pay bills. You are not here on this planet just to exist, you know.
[00:08:13] Speaker A: Yeah, I, I, what you're talking about in my experience calls for a lot of strength from within.
And finding that strength from within is, it can be challenging sometimes. There are people who are natural born with that talent that regardless of what happens to them, they have that resilience and they can bounce back, they can find ways to treat. Some people operate better under challenge.
[00:08:40] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:08:40] Speaker A: And there are some people to whom they have to learn how to treat with those challenges. And there are some people who can't handle challenges at all. I, I had a conversation recent, well, some time ago with, with my daughter's mother. She's 14.
[00:08:57] Speaker B: Right.
[00:08:57] Speaker A: And, and the conversation we had is that I didn't think the child was being brought up prepared enough for some of the challenges that she will confront. Yeah, the world. And, and I, I had the conversation with my child back then. She was a little bit young. And I said to her, I, I say the world will not treat you the way you expect the world to treat you. And if you expect the world to treat you in a certain way and they don't, you're going to be disappointed. But you have to be able to deal with disappointment because disappointment is a part of life.
[00:09:29] Speaker B: It is.
[00:09:29] Speaker A: But, but, but I, I, I think that we're not, we're not preparing the generation to, to, to deal with that. And, and, and leadership has to confront disappointment.
[00:09:41] Speaker B: Well, you're spot on there, 1000% spot on. Why? I have a four year old, her name is Clara. Now my mother, incredible woman. She's telling Melissa, she raised me and you know, and I had severe problems. I used to stutter so badly. No words that come out my mouth, degrade, stay down, you name it. Right. How you overcome that, you know, but teaching and empowering my daughter. We wear two hats as a parent, a parent hat and a mentor hat. And this mentorship we're speaking about here is not praising your child, every little thing that you do. No, it's not about the end goal, you know, it's about this journey, how you're showing up every single day. You, you're engaging. Let's say, for example, my Clara, she's an excellent athlete. You know, she. If you see four men, she running. But I'm telling her, listen to me, there are going to be times when somebody will beat you and I guarantee that will happen in your life. And I'm speaking to her like this at 4 years old. So when you lose, you have to say, what did I do? Did I train enough?
Did I, Did I did I did I Did I have a bad start? Was I not focused? Little things we need to have. That conversation is never too early. It's never too early. We have to teach our children, as you said, to literally still show up when you get disappointed, when you get knocked, when, when somebody calling your name, you know.
[00:10:58] Speaker A: Yeah, it's interesting some of the conversation. Children really allow you the opportunity to learn. Yes, they do. And my daughter as well, when she was in primary school, she was the top of her class.
It was normal for her to succeed, to beat everybody else. And I said to her, I say, you know, you're doing well in primary school, that's because you're within a group of people that you're topping. You're going to go to secondary school and you're going to be on par with people just like yourself. I say, so coming first is not going to be as easy as it is now. And reality hit her when she went into high school because now she was grouped with a number of other leaders.
And when you have that kind of platform, you realize to yourself that staying on top, being the best, is not a walk in the park. And leaders, well, good leaders anyway, need to be able to identify those challenges and be able to rise to them. And I had the opportunity some time ago to deliver a little short speech at a meeting of industry experts. And I was supposed to provide a motivational speech, but in presenting that, I found myself asking, what is the difference between motivation and inspiration? Because we're talking about leadership, you're talking about resilience, we're talking of getting back up every time you get knocked down and all those things.
And you have to know whether there's a difference or not.
For a leader to be on their game all the time, where does this motivation, where does this inspiration come from?
[00:12:47] Speaker B: You know, and as an average, every single one of us here is a human being facing the same challenges. So you're guaranteed not to be in your game every single time. And I think leadership comes down to being honest and being vulnerable to Say hey, I'm going to be off my game most of the times but how am I going to show up when I'm off my game? How are we going to like snap, snap, snap out of it. How are you going to change that in a second to still deliver even when you're feeling like crap? That's the thing, you know, a lot of you times you may think today I'm on my best game but we don't know how my morning started. You know what I mean? But at the end of the day, motivation I think is overrated. I think we need to be become more aware and in that awareness understand and be honest to ourselves. Where are we? And just show up wherever you are. Show up wherever you are and be honest. You don't have to pretend that you are the most positive person in the world. You're right, you're not. Because in reality life hits you hard. But still show up and be honest with yourself. And as long as you have that honesty and awareness with yourself, then after you will be able to, to deliver from where you are. Yeah.
[00:13:56] Speaker A: Tell us about Titan mindset. What is that?
[00:13:59] Speaker B: Titan mindset is just that, you know, it's broken up to four pillars. This is how I was able to and using your mindset, understanding where you are mentally, physically. I'm a self proclaimed fitness enthusiast. I love exercise but because why it's important for resetting. It literally flushes you out. Movement critically important.
Soul set because I believe connecting to source God, whatever you call him is critically important because that is really your bounce back. That is ultimately where it comes from. Faithfulness, faithful entrepreneurship is what I live by. And, and of course the health set. So business set critically important too your strategies of course every single person now is you have access to that as a matter of what is really going to set you apart. Is combining and finding the intersection point between these four circles if you, if you want and literally finding that Titan nexus, that sweet spot that is the intersection of those four points. And you know what? If we are conscious of our lives, maybe in one sweet day we could find ourselves there.
[00:15:11] Speaker A: You're talking about a balance that needs to be struck.
[00:15:13] Speaker B: That is it.
[00:15:13] Speaker A: Tell us about this balance again, that.
[00:15:16] Speaker B: Is different for everyone. Each and every single one of us needs to become aware where we are. What does our lives shape up to be. I can only speak humbly from my position, which is I identify what a best day in my life could look like. And even that could change. It's becoming so aware that you know yourself, you're not looking for external answers. Being enough. Being aware. Hey, what are my triggers? What throws me off any day? What I must be aware of, what I must guard myself away from. These are the things, these are questions that we need to ask ourselves for us to recognize and become aware who we are. We don't take enough time to find out who we are.
[00:15:57] Speaker A: Let's. And I know that we'll be speaking a bit about some of the projects and these other things, but I want for a bit, for our discussion, for people to understand that being a leader doesn't necessarily only mean you're in charge of a company, in charge of staff you're in charge of. It's about also being in charge of yourself and the role that that perspective plays in your ability to be successful in everything that you do. Tell us, tell the people listening in to us how important it is to be a leader of your own destiny.
[00:16:37] Speaker B: When you step into that power that's already there. It is inside of you. I use this analogy. An acorn has oakness in it. What does that mean?
The acorn is small, one of the smallest nuts in the world, right? How is it in within its DNA? It can become one of the largest, most powerful magnificent trees on the planet. That we are in awe of.
It is just that. And that is the nature of human beings as well. You are standing on, literally a field of diamonds. However, only you can discover it. You cannot hire an excavator and outsource that and expect that excavator to come outside and dig your own diamonds. And that is it right there. You have to be willing to put in the work to know thyself. All is mind, this one. The natural laws of the universe. All is mind.
So if your mind is so powerful, why are we not taking the time to know thyself? If God has said it across all religions across time, that within you is all the power. And that is it right there. The power is within. And all I'm seeing here, presenting a simple framework to help anyone discover that there is power inside of you.
[00:18:03] Speaker A: And how do people achieve that awareness?
[00:18:06] Speaker B: Start with a simple thing. When you recognize that you're going off in a tangent, meaning you have something getting your vex and you're only thinking about it over and over and over. Like I was having some days ago, all the time, right? I had to literally hardwire, press reset. I was like this to myself, you see, if you were here in studio, I tap my head, reset, reset, reset. Because it physically triggered my mind to stop Then I snapped, then I breathed. So it was reset, snap, breathe. Why? That helps your mind to literally stop the negative chatter that was going to spiral me down into the darkest place. And then I can't see clearly.
So it's all about becoming aware in that split second. So what that did allow me to stop the mind, breathe, reset. Then I'll be able to see my path clearly. Because a lot of us are not seeing clearly. And in that opaqueness is where we get lost. We think it's all gone, but we just need to just breathe to see the path. Only we can see the path.
[00:19:11] Speaker A: How realistically possible is it for the average individual to harness these things that you're talking about?
[00:19:20] Speaker B: Breathe. How do we breathe? Every second, every day. However, we have become unaware of our breath. We have become unaware of the power of that. We are just doing it on autopilot and not recognizing that we have the power. We think it's the manager, we think it's the government, or we think it's the man next or this. And it's not right now where you are, put your feet on the ground, feel your feet, and breathe. It sounds so simple. You think it's impossible, but once you become that, that all it is doing is bringing back awareness to yourself. And only when you bring awareness back to yourself can you implement all the massive, amazing tools that every single person is talking about. But the tools cannot work if you're not willing to implement it, if you don't have the fertile ground, if you're not willing to say, you know what? I ready to become the oak, and I ready to suffer, and I write a deal with all my demons, and I write to deal with my shadow. You have to be willing, you have to have a desire and you have to be willing to put in the work.
That's it.
[00:20:14] Speaker A: Yeah. About the Pascal experience when it comes to your employees and whether they utilized this and if they did, how it worked for them.
[00:20:25] Speaker B: I think I only had the conversations truly at a deep level with, with my staff, inside the office, with my. With my office staff, you know, and I would talk, but again, you have to know how much, in what way and who's ready.
And it comes down to I will always drop it, and days that I'm ready to give more, did I give it? And then after, when we come down to the end, you can see where people are starting to utilize it only when they are ready.
You can't force anybody. You can't force any single person because sometimes it can be too overwhelming. People Move on their own cycles, people dealing with this and that and the other. But I could tell you something.
My role is simply to plant seeds. Germination time, gestation periods is up to the person. It's up to the universe that I don't control.
So that is what I learned at Pascal's. That's what I've learned on this journey. As I've been developing Titan mindset for almost 10 years. Because I journal, I could go back to my journals of me coming up with this because this is the only way I could have literally thrived through life. I don't use the word survive. You know, we have to be careful with our words. It's powerful.
[00:21:44] Speaker A: Tell us about some of what Titan Mindset has been able to achieve and some of the people that you've helped if you can.
[00:21:51] Speaker B: I've been able to reach on a stage for Lamp Caribbean speaking to the top Caribbean insurance leaders.
And it was incredible. So humbling, you know, and I started jokingly saying how does, how does a baker's daughter end up speaking to a room of top leadership and insurance? And it's because of my knowing, it's because of my belief systems, because of every single thing that I always invested in myself, even when it was excruciatingly hard to do.
I have had the opportunity to go back to my alma mater Hualim Convent over and over to speak career days ceremonies or award ceremonies. Humble, being humble. I was in a fat over the weekend and you know what somebody says to me, Melissa, I'm so happy my daughter is able to go to Holy Name and literally be surrounded by, by past. She was like you. Humbling. That's the kind of thing that, that touch it. Your every single part of your body, every single part of your, of your, of your, your anatomy. You know, being a Pascal's bakery and focusing on import substitution and seeing that an idea can come to life.
Supplying the, supplying the largest franchise in, in the country with a simple thing as ciabatta bread. We did it and we did it as a team and that was just an idea walking inside of there saying, I'm going to fill up that showcase. I don't know how.
I didn't know anybody inside there. But guess what? When you just know and you just believe so much that you actually seen it in your mind, it could happen.
So those are some of the little things that I have been able to. And that is the starter. We now start this thing.
[00:23:37] Speaker A: Yeah, well, tell us about some of the other things that you haven't learned Fantastic, I'm glad.
[00:23:41] Speaker B: So at the march, the end of march, we're going to have a meetup.
First of all, you have to find us. Just type in Melissa Marie Pascal. Google it. You will find me on Instagram. Then of course there's a link there. Everything will be announced via those channels. Stay connected, there are news, there are all these amazing things that's happening, but just get connected in the first place. If you want, as you say, the motivation, maybe it starts there, maybe you want to be inspired, it starts there. Maybe you actually wanted her start to do the work and commit to the journey. But then after it starts there too. So wherever you are, we are meeting you on your journey. There's no judgment because everybody starts at different points. So get connected. Google me. You will find me. I'm very much visible.
[00:24:27] Speaker A: Yeah, let's. As, as, as we come close to the end of our interview here this morning, advice to, to leaders. What's if I were to say to you, give a couple pieces of advice to people listening and who are leaders in their own regards and find some challenge confronting them. They don't know how to get over it or they want to know more about this.
[00:24:52] Speaker B: First of all, we are all leaders, every single one of us leading ourselves. And then after, once we do that well, we happen to lead more people.
One, two, each and every single, any one of us are faced with numerous challenges on a daily basis. Three, how do we face these challenges?
Acknowledge exactly what they are, get to the root of the challenge. That's exactly what I do all the time. You may not be able to address the root today, but identification of the root of the problem is literally going to ensure that that is going to be dealt with. It may take you longer, but that is exactly where it begins. Get clarity on the root of the problem because your solutions now will be with depth, it will be with capacity and it will be long lasting. And I think that is definitely what we need. We have to stop putting bandages on gaping life threatening wounds.
Focus on the core of the problem. Have the courage to do this. Have the courage. Step into your power. That's the reason why we don't do it, because it's too frightening for us to do it. So face the reality. Don't mask it. Don't try to pretend it's not there. No. Face it and deal with it. Have the courage to deal with it. So I think leadership is courage. Leadership is authenticity. Don't pretend to be someone you're not. We all have many, many flaws. People will love you regardless.
And if they don't love you, they will respect you because you have to love yourself and respect yourself first.
Show up that way and then after other people, you're. All of a sudden the world will start to treat you differently.
[00:26:27] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. What would you say to people who think that leadership is a popularity contest?
[00:26:31] Speaker B: Oh, gosh. Huh? You know what I mean? If you. If you. According to protege. No, Protege. The next one. I forget if. Aha. If you're there for the likes, when you get your first knock, you're falling down because you don't have the source, you don't have the connection. Your. Why not deep enough. You are going to remain an oak. You're going to remain an acorn. Because it takes tenacity, grit.
Oh my God. So much excavation to get to maturity and to become this oakness. That is why leaders are remembered.
You cannot be fleeting in this game. No, you can't. It's not possible.
[00:27:13] Speaker A: Well, it's been a very interesting conversation and I hope that for the people listening in to us, they try to implement some of what you've said to them in the business, in their role and function, their capacity as leaders, and then they own everyday life because that's where it all begins.
[00:27:34] Speaker B: Exactly.
[00:27:35] Speaker A: It begins with you. It begins with you really and truly, each and every single one of the people listening in to us. And if you can lead yourself, then I guess you could lead anybody else. If you can't lead yourself in some serious problems. I want to thank you for being with us here this morning. As we, as we end our interview, let me allow you the opportunity to tell our listeners, persons who might be interested in having you come speak to them and so on. How can they get in touch with you?
[00:27:59] Speaker B: I sent my little Melissa Marie Pascal.
Just Google me. Once you Google me, I'm there on LinkedIn, we are there on Instagram, on Facebook. You. Once you seek, you shall find. And that's it. You know what I mean? Google is the easiest thing.
[00:28:17] Speaker A: Yeah, simple. Take advantage of the opportunity. Ladies and gentlemen, I want to thank you for being with us in the studio and imparting this wisdom on the people listening in to us. And I hope that they take advantage of the opportunity.
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