Stories

How to Find Purpose According to Motivational Speaker, Gaby Natale 

Inspirational speaker, Gaby Natale, showcases how your uniqueness is a strength and can help you find your purpose.

February 16, 2023

video poster alt

DEI Leadership Day Wade Davis 

Gaby Natale:

When I first arrived in the United States from Argentina, doing what I’m doing right now – speaking in public in English – was one of my biggest fears. Accentism, the perception that certain accents are inferior to others, is very real in today’s world. So, I still come across people who mistakenly assume that I am uneducated only because English happens to be my second language. So as a newcomer, I feel people will not understand what I had to say, would not pay attention. Or even worse, would not take me seriously as a professional speaker only because of my accent.

 

But, embrace your uniqueness, love your uniqueness, embrace your uniqueness, and use to your advantage. What are the opportunities that I am uniquely qualified to identify? What are the opportunities, there’s a lot of things that other people may not be able to see, but you, because of your own background, your uniqueness, might be able to identify. Your stories are going to be different than somebody else’s stories. You have to identify them. What are the white spaces in my industry that I am uniquely qualified to identify and to benefit from?

 

And that takes us to our third dilemma of the day, and that is what I call the Hidden Genius Dilemma. And the Hidden Genius Dilemma is the one that infuriates me because it’s what happens when we have people who have excellence and consistency, which are the two hardest one to get from the trifecta, but they are lacking visibility. Basically, we’re talking about people who are super talented (Hello! They have excellence!) and super hardworking. (Hello! They have consistency!) But, they don’t have visibility. In a nutshell, they are a-mazing, but nobody knows about them. And when that happens to highly functioning people like the ones we are talking about, it is hardly an accident.

END

 

At JPMorgan Chase’s Leadership Day, motivational speaker Gaby Natale urged everyone to embrace their uniqueness. Your uniqueness is what equips you to uniquely identify the white spaces (opportunities) in your industry that others — not sharing your unique qualities, background, or experience — might not be able to see.

It’s not always easy. Natale recounts arriving in the United States from Argentina and being automatically categorized as uneducated simply because of her accent.

Today, she is a successful public speaker. Natale attributes this largely to something she categories as the “Pioneer Spirit”.  According to Natale, when we look around and don’t see ourselves proportionately or fairly represented (as she did when she was an aspiring journalist), we have two choices: the emulator mindset or the pioneer spirit.

The pioneer spirit is when you open yourself up to doing something that no one else like you has done before. “There are moments in life when you have to take a leap of faith, step into the unknown, and dare to be first.” When Natale couldn’t herself in the spaces she wanted to be in, she decided to start her own media company. “I wanted to be what I could not see at the time in media. A non-stereotypical, multidimensional Latina.”

According to Natale, being a Pioneer is not about being born an extraordinary person, it’s about ordinary people who choose to see themselves in an extraordinary way.

Here are the three steps she shares to start acting with a pioneer spirit: the first is to embrace your uniqueness and use it to your advantage. The second is to break barriers with something called the growth trifecta: excellence work, consistency in showing up long-term, and making sure there is visibility of your success and contributions. The third is to redefine what is possible by joining forces with others, specifically those people who are already in power and are committed to driving change with that power.

“Every single shift in human consciousness that has made this world a better place started in the same way, with a group of pioneers who got together to push an idea whose time had come.”

Interested in the diversity, equity, and inclusion work being done at JPMorgan Chase? Learn more about our DEI initiatives here and check out our career opportunities here.

 

Browse related stories

  • Why It's 'Culture Adds' Not 'Culture Fits'

  • Ex-NFL player and activist, Wade Davis, encourages businesses to see the power of an inclusive workplace.
  • Read more

  • Disrupt the Norm

  • WNBA legend, Sheryl Swoopes and NFL DEI Executive Sam Rappaport empower women to embrace being bold.
  • Read more

  • Take Up Space Authentically

  • CEO Karen Lynch shares how she learned to take up space in a male-dominated field.
  • Read more

  • Empower Your Team

  • Paralympic gold medalist and former NAVY Seal shares three tips to be a better leader.
  • Read more

  • Lead with Intention

  • Two founders share how their passion for the food crisis drives them to lead companies that demand change.
  • Read more

The views and opinions expressed are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of (or endorsement by) JPMorgan & Chase. JPMorgan Chase and its affiliates assume no responsibility or liability for the content, or any errors or omissions. The information shared by the speaker is provided on an "as is" basis with no guarantees of completeness, accuracy, usefulness or timeliness.  

You are now leaving JPMorganChase

JPMorganChase's website terms, privacy and security policies don't apply to the site or app you're about to visit. Please review its website terms, privacy and security policies to see how they apply to you. JPMorganChase isn't responsible for (and doesn't provide) any products, services or content at this third-party site or app, except for products and services that explicitly carry the JPMorganChase name.

Proceed