FLM: As a successful businesswoman with a demanding job, share how you manage to balance being a mother and spending time with your family.
BC: To be honest, there never is balance…there is only grace and self-awareness. I have found that there have been times when I am working on a big deadline which required extra hours and that meant missing putting my boys to sleep or sharing dinner with my partner. And then there were times where there was no way I was missing out on my family and work had to be adjusted. In both situations, I gave myself grace knowing that I was working hard to provide for my family and that lost moment was not a regular habit. I also recognized that when I have the opportunity to spend time with my family I cherish and make the most of it. It really is being self-aware that success requires sacrifice and allowing oneself grace in those moments is critical.
FLM: Describe how your humble upbringing in Chicago shaped your ideas, thoughts, and actions of raising your own kids in the city.
BC: I am first generation to Mexican immigrants, one of 4 children. There was never a moment that I felt I couldn’t accomplish anything I set my mind to and that is because of my parents. My mother is a smart and dedicated woman who gave up her job to stay at home with the kids. She ran the household and taught us how important school was in addition to fulfilling any commitments we made. My father is the hardest working and generous man I
know. He taught us that hard work brings success and freedom. He taught us to always share and give to others because that is what fills the heart. Those qualities have been ingrained into my being and those are what I want my kids to gain from
me. Never give up as hard work does pay off, education and knowledge open doors you thought never existed, be kind and generous to others and always fulfill your commitments as time is valuable.