We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nicole Eubanks a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Nicole thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Friendship Bridge is a nonprofit organization that creates economic opportunities for impoverished women in Guatemala. One way that we help do this is by providing health services to our clients through a program we call Health for Life, because if you don’t have your health, you can’t thrive in other areas of life. Providing health services is so important, because our clients face many barriers to accessing health care. They face a language barrier because many do not speak Spanish—they speak an indigenous Mayan language. They face transportation barriers of getting to the doctor because many do not have a vehicle, live in rural areas far from a clinic, and also can’t afford to take time away from their daily work for a doctor’s appointment. We help our clients overcome these barriers by having a nurse who speaks their language visit them in their home, for free. A number of health services are available to them, including cervical exams, breast exams, and diabetes screenings.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I started my nonprofit career at Girl Scouts of Colorado, where empowering girls and women became a personal passion of mine. I saw an opportunity to expand that interest of empowering women to an international level when I started working with Friendship Bridge in 2016. Since then, I’ve always worked on global communications and partnerships, including fundraising, grants, and our program for artisan women, Handmade by Friendship Bridge®. I’ve been encouraged to see so much growth in the organization over the years, and am particularly proud of Friendship Bridge being named the #1 Best Place to Work for Women in Central America and the Caribbean 2022, by Great Place to Work®.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

In 2017, in order to raise awareness and funds for Friendship Bridge’s Health for Life program, I decided to take on the challenge of climbing a 14er with a small group of friends. I’d always enjoyed hiking, but had never climbed a 14er until then. The small group of women I hiked with were pumped to try it, and called ourselves Team Yale, since we were climbing Mount Yale. But it didn’t go as planned. The weather was bad and every step felt like a struggle. It was so cold with high winds hitting us as we hiked. Why would people do this? I wondered at the time. We didn’t end up making it to the top, and I descended thinking that I’d never attempt it again. I started wondering if all those pictures of people smiling at the summit of 14ers were fake! The next year, we decided to try it again. And this time, we made it, and it sparked something new in me. We were inspired to keep going and have climbed a 14er to benefit our Health for Life program ever since. As we climb, we think about our clients in Guatemala. In a country with extreme poverty and fewer opportunities for women, the challenges they face are much greater than climbing a mountain. They keep going, and experience good years and bad years, just like we do. In fact, just this year, I experienced altitude sickness and didn’t make the summit. But that doesn’t mean that I can’t accomplish the hike—it just means I had a difficult time this year. Despite this, we are already planning the 14er we want to climb for the 10th anniversary of our hiking group in a couple of years.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

I try to always practice gratitude. I’m thankful for the work that everyone on the team contributes, and I work hard to recognize those individual contributions. Also, I try to always lead with positivity, make time for anyone on my team who has questions or concerns, and I encourage staff to participate in their own personal health goals. Maybe it’s not climbing a 14er, but instead setting a goal to make it to the doctor regularly.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.friendshipbridge.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/friendshipbridge/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/microcreditplus/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/friendship-bridge
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/Friend_Bridge
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmXKOkwjuWYo1YfagqUqz9g