Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Ann Garcia.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Hi! I am 39 and a mother of 3 amazing kids that motivate me every day to become the best version of myself I can be. I’ve been in the Healthcare field for 20 plus years, this is all I know. I’m a Program Director for 2 hospitals within the Memorial Hermann System, own an aesthetic spa in the East End Downtown, and have a nonprofit. I stay very busy trying to occupy my time with things that fulfill me.
At a very young age, I knew I wanted to help people in such a way that would leave an ever-lasting impact on their lives I just wasn’t sure how I would achieve that. While in high school I figured the best way I could help people was becoming a doctor so I set a goal of graduating high school early and I did by graduating at 16 went straight into nursing school thinking this would be a great stepping stone into healthcare, little did I know my entire outlook on healthcare would shift after getting hired at a local Emergency Room.
Being exposed to every type of patient helped me realize this was not exactly what I had in mind by helping people. Let me just say I was horrible at it, but not because I wasn’t good at patient care, but because my heart just couldn’t take it. I literally would cry with my patients; it was a mess. So, back to the drawing board it was! I was so scared to tell my parents that this profession was not what I envision spending my entire life doing, so I went to my college advisor and asked for guidance, what could I do with all these classes I’ve already taken that wouldn’t be a complete waste, and that’s how I got into Healthcare Administration.
Now I had a game plan, and I could go to my parents without fearing for my life.. lol and from there my career started. After 10 years in this profession, I was still helping patients on the back end, but it just wasn’t enough to fill that desire to help others. So, I started volunteering with local organizations putting myself out there helping people in the community that raised me. That’s when I found myself most fulfilled. Being out in our community I realized there was so much need, however people didn’t know the resources are out there, you just have to find them. This is how Racies Unidas was born.
With the help of my best friend, who has always inspired me and pushed me I created this nonprofit that connects people to resources based on the current need. While volunteering at a local women’s shelter, conducting mock interviews with women I came up with the idea of not only helping them mentally prepare to go out and rebuild their lives but also why not help with their self-esteem. I played with different ideas, providing gifts card to local spas, or collaborating with beauty techs that would be interested in donating their time. Then it dawned on me I always wanted to own a small business and my daughter loves this industry why not open my own spa, and I donate these services! So, I went out to lunch with my sister just to tell her about my new found epiphany and very nonchalantly she tells me, “You want to open a spa… ok let’s do it!” and within 4 months Beauty Factory was born.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely has not been an easy road. You know growing up all I ever saw was both my parents work day and night to be able to provide for both my sister and I. My mom was born and raised in Monterrey, N.L. and came to this country at the very young age of 15 alone and had to figure out how to survive. My father was born and raised in San Antonio, TX and came from a broken home. So, growing up I knew that whatever it was I wanted to do in life I had no room for failure because I owed to my parents to validate their struggles. When I first started as a Healthcare Administrator it was extremely tough, I suffered from Impostor Syndrome. I often questioned whether or not I belonged. Most times I was the youngest Administrator, female, and to top it off the only Mexican American in the room. I always felt like I had something to prove, so worked twice as hard as my counterparts because that Impostor Syndrome would often kick in. Now I’m proud to say there is so much diversity within field. I have the privilege to look around and see more people that look like me in leadership positions and I can’t help but feel pride. I have always said .. if you succeed, I succeed.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Helping people as I mentioned before has always been my passion. Working in the healthcare field has allowed me to do so but hasn’t always filled that void, but that is where Raises Unidas comes in and now Beauty Factory. The stepping stone has definitely been my 20 years’ experience in the Healthcare field. One thing that I have seen a lot throughout the years has been people entering this field and becoming so immune to it that they no longer have compassion. In order to be successful, you have to be compassionate not only to your patients but to your team members as well. I believe a true leader is only as good as their team. My focus has always been to uplift my team members helping them become the best version of themselves. If I am successful at that, only then can I call myself a true leader.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Find yourself a Mentor! Someone you look up to mentally and spiritually.. it’s a tough competitive world out there. Always be true to yourself and your passions. If you can picture yourself doing this for the next 20 years then you have picked the right career path. However, if you cannot then soul search and find something you absolutely love to do and make a career out of that, make it work for you.
Contact Information:
- Website: https://www.memorialhermann.org/locations/wound-care-southeast | https://www.memorialhermann.org/locations/wound-care-pearland
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RaicesUnidasHtx | https://www.facebook.com/Beauty-factory-100957478868890
