We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tequila Cousar. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tequila below.

Tequila, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you have any thoughts about how to create a more inclusive workplace?

Women in leadership roles have already felt underrepresented and overlooked. Now, more than ever, for every woman at the director level that gets promoted, two women are choosing to leave their position due to workload and lack of support for roles that give them more flexibility in work/life balance and the ability to work in their zone of genius.

Why, 80% of the women in health care are women, not many of the women hold positions of leadership.
Understanding this my goal is to help Healthcare Leaders Increase the Visibility of Women and Diverse Talent to Boost Retention Through Personal Brand Training. I recently had a candid and intimate interview with a woman who is the Chief of HR and she explained that her organization has implemented trainings about DE & I but needs to do more work in taking action. I am a huge advocate for women and diversity, working alongside of health care leaders to ensure that prescence of women leaders and diverse talent is very important to me.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I love this quote from Michael Jordan, “Champions don’t become champions when they win an event, but in the hours, weeks, months and years they spend preparing for it”. For the last 26 years, I have been in healthcare in many different ways. During high school, I was on a committee that assisted in educating teenage girls about the importance of their well-being and safe sex. I also became a certified dental assistant while in high school because we had a co-op program. I practiced as a dental assistant, working in a pediatric office. I knew then that I wanted to attend The Ohio State University to become a dental hygienist so that. My first year in college, I signed up for an internship and spent the Summer of 2019 in Washington, DC to partner with the United Methodist Church on women’s health issues. In 2003, I graduated with my B.S. in dental hygienist. Realizing I wanted to do more in healthcare, I attended Central Michigan University and graduated in 2005, with my Masters in Health Administration with the goal of being the CEO of a hospital. I am definitely a BIG dreamer, with a huge desire to find my space in the healthcare world. The funny thing is that I wrote my dissertation on how to start a mobile bus that would travel to underserved areas and provide medical and dental screenings in order to increase access to care. And what do you know, this is happening all over the world!

After overcoming a 7 year hurdle of infertility, I became a mom in 2011 and I realized I was experiencing burnout, feeling overworked, overlooked and underpaid by senior managers, as a dental hygienist. I took a leap in quitting my full-time job as a RDH to become a mom, Certified Life Coach and built a coaching business to help women in healthcare professions, thought-leaders and business owners increase their visibility, so that they could own their personal power and professional journey. To this day, I have helped over 200 women and men! This was all utilizing my natural talents and strengths. Which includes, unique perspective, strategic thinking, active listening skills, big picture and future thinking.

When I noticed the post pandemic fatigue, stress, burnout and people exiting the healthcare industry, I recognized that my external experiences and introverted traits as a coach, could provide a bigger impact inside of Nationwide Children’s Hospital. I applied to be a Facilitator for a career development program and I got it!!! I love what I do so much and I feel that I can make a bigger impact inside of Nationwide Children’s Hospital, as well as other hospitals around the U.S.

To date, I am Coach, Workshop Facilitator & Keynote, helping Healthcare Leaders Increase the Visibility of Women and Diverse Talent to Boost Retention Through Personal Brand Training.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I noticed the post pandemic fatigue, stress, burnout and people exiting the healthcare industry, I recognized that my external experiences and introverted traits as a coach, could provide a bigger impact inside of Nationwide Children’s Hospital. I applied to be a Facilitator for a career development program and I got it!!! I love what I do so much and I feel that I can make a bigger impact inside of Nationwide Children’s Hospital, as well as other hospitals around the U.S.

Working alongside of healthcare leaders is such a dream for me and the best pivot ever!!

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Building my personal brand has helped me build my reputation and credibility in the marketplace. This the part that most brands and business overlook, especially in the beginning. If you don’t know who you are, how can you know where you are
going?

Building a strong personal brand in the beginning is going to help you leverage your market in so many ways.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tequilacousar.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tequila_cousar/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tequilacousar
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tequilacousar/
• Youtube: youtube.com/@tequilacousar

Image Credits
Jehan Daughterty