We recently had the chance to connect with Yesenia Sevilla and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Yesenia, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: When was the last time you felt true joy?
I believe that true joy comes from passive observation of something beautiful unfolding before you and sitting with grateful acknowledgment as it happens. For me, the last moment of pure joy happened while going wedding dress shopping with my daughter, Lauren. We were doing “Say Yes to the Dress” type of activities, went to a few Nashville shops, and she tried on several dresses. As her mom, I was hopelessly biased and thought she looked beautiful in all of them. Then it happened, she tried one on that just made the room still for a moment. I held my breath – it was her dress. The moment of pure joy came a few minutes later when after trying on accessories and another dress, she got back into her dress, and I asked her if she wanted to show her father and brother – they were hanging out in the area outside of the shop with her fiancé and waiting to take us to a delicious Nashville brunch. She said yes, and I called them in…and then it happened, I saw her father and brother see her in the dress. I watched as they were moved by how she looked and I saw how happy she was to have the three of us there in that moment with her, for her. That was true joy for me.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am TEDx speaker, with 20+ years of experience in leadership roles across varying global biotech and healthcare industries, consulting, higher education and now edtech. My career is built upon inclusive innovation, business development, client engagement, marketing, community engagement, fundraising, co-curricular student engagement, and design-thinking. My diverse industry background, global business acumen, and multilingual skills make me an invaluable resource in innovating, collaborating, building, and leading.
CHALK, the startup I lead, helps professionalize the Early Childhood Education (ECE) workforce and helps ECE programs improve early education outcomes through smarter support. Our unique software platform is centered around nine research-based transformational classroom practices tied to children’s self-regulation and educational outcomes. The research behind CHALK was developed at the prestigious Peabody College of Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University and funded by $2.8M in multiple research grants from the National Science Foundation. EDUCATION is INFRASTRUCTURE, and at CHALK we are bringing affordable, validated professional development to the ECE educators that are dedicated to our 3–6-year-old learners everyday.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
My early life is a mixed compilation of trauma, hard truths and beautiful moments – in fact I’ve just written a book about it, “The Milkman’s Daughter”, that will be released this December. I do remember my earliest memory of feeling powerful, was also one of the scariest. I was no more than 4 years old.
Our family was visiting another family, and I remember playing with their young daughter who was close to my age and her little brother. We were in a back bedroom laughing and probably creating a ruckus, when all of a sudden, their dad walked in the room. The air changed immediately, and I could see the two kids become fearful right away. The dad was angry and slipped his belt out of the loops and started swinging! He cornered the boy, which prompted the sister to jump in front and the father swung again hitting her this time.
I didn’t understand all of what was happening, but I knew that this was not ok. I remember climbing over the bed and standing in front of my two crying friends and yelling, “No Mas!”, meaning no more in Spanish. I stood as tall and wide as my skinny little body could stretch as I looked up at this man and dared him with my eyes to swing again. He just stood there, arm and belt raised, mouth open, and then turned around and walked out of the room. That moment was seared into my brain, and at 53 I still sometimes reach back to that scrappy 4-yr old and borrow that feeling of invincibility.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes, I have almost given up more than once in my life. I believe that anyone who says they’ve never experienced that is not being honest, with the question or with themselves. Getting to rock bottom doesn’t happen overnight, mostly, but once you are there it can feel like the world and everyone in it disappears.
I want to share an excerpt from my book where I talk about resilience,
“I used to think resilience was simply a synonym for strength. I thought of my strength and being unbreakable. Life taught me that though I’m strong, I am not unbreakable. Resilience is not about being unbreakable. It’s about breaking and coming back together. It’s about knowing how to bend. Life has taught me how to twist, turn, shift, and curve so that I don’t have to break anymore…”
All of us will find ourselves in those moments of deep silence and overwhelm, the lesson is to take a breath. It’s ok to break, bend, twist and then we can reform ourselves into something stronger, smarter and ready to climb up vs. give up.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
A belief that I am committed to for life is that all human life matters, and that through education, we can all share this value. I love this quote by American journalist and editor, Margaret Fuller, “If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it.” It captures this image of light shared, and for me this idea that the more we seek to know, the more we can truly understand how human we all are.
All human life has value because every person carries the innate potential to contribute meaning, compassion, and creativity to the world. Our shared humanity connects us beyond circumstance, reminding us that worth is not earned but inherent. When we honor the dignity of every life, we strengthen the very foundation of justice, empathy, and collective progress.
Education is the pathway that allows the inherent value within every person to be recognized, developed, and shared. By nurturing knowledge and critical thinking, education empowers individuals to transform their potential into meaningful action. When we invest in education, we affirm that every life is worthy of growth, opportunity, and the power to shape a better future.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. If you laid down your name, role, and possessions—what would remain?
A skinny, scrappy 4-year-old facing down world! Seriously though, what would remain if you stripped my name, role and possessions is not far from that image. I am, and have always been, curious and bold and ready to defend other people. I believe in being nice, and in being earnest in our intentions with one another.
I was once told, or rather yelled at, by a proverbial “mean girl” at work, “You can’t really be this nice!” Why not? Why can’t I choose kindness and empathy?
In the absence of everything I own, I remain as the person who wants to help and to find joy in other people’s success. I was taught a lovely Sanskrit word by the innovation guru, Josh Linkner – he taught me the word Mudita. It’s one of the four noble attitudes in Buddhism, and it stands for cultivating your inner joy in the success, celebration and happiness of others – without envy, regardless of where you are personally. I now proudly share this word with the world as a tattoo on my arm.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.chalkcoaching.com/ , https://themilkmansdaughter.net/
- Instagram: @sevillayesi
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yesibsevilla/
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/X4SR0npn4Pk?si=g9319U4Y-w0MKo1u
- Other: https://youtu.be/RY-LSLmMB6k?si=YI2OHdV5eE5f2mxr
