The Moment | Lorie Corcuera
8 MINUTE READ
We believe that life is a collection of Moments. Some ever so big, some fleeting, some small. It is in these Moments and the choices we make within them, that shape the people we become and what our lives will stand for.
We are reaching out to the most interesting, inspiring & successful leaders around the world to ask them about their Moments. In the spirit of our number one value, collaboration, our goal with this series is for you to experience development and enrichment from today's most inspirational leaders.
Lorie Corcuera is an entrepreneur with a PURPOSE. This inspirational leader has spent over 20 years influencing and coaching businesses on their people practices through her progressive company SPARK Creations and Company Inc. Obviously we love a strong, motivational business woman around here at Talent Lab but what inspires us the most about Lorie is her mindset in which she approaches her work (and life!)... with so much LOVE. Her mission: To inspire people and companies to create meaningful cultures and workplaces. Lorie exudes warmth and has a serious gift connecting with others. You won't want to miss learning about Lorie's journey!
Lorie tell us about the Moment ...
You realized you were in the presence of a great leader/teacher
I love this question because I consider myself a life long learner and student of life. I have been so fortunate to have been surrounded by many inspiring and loving human beings. I have five personal core values and therefore, will share the teachers that influenced what matters most in life.
Strong Heart - My grandma, whom we called "Lola Ninay", lived until 101 years old! She was the most resilient, hardworking, and family oriented person I know. Today, my strong heart is strengthened with my life partner Trent Pearce. He is the strongest person I know inside and out (he's 6.4 feet!).
Love First - My mother taught me about courage when she left my father to raise three daughters on her own. That was her moment of loving herself completely.
Guardian of People - I learned about the kind of Leader and human being I want to be from my first boss and mentor of over 20 years, Stephanie Milliken. She defines leadership as "taking care of your team first, then the organization, and then yourself."
Connecting Humanity - My business partner Aileen de la Torre embodies this value through and through and continues to inspire me to give back to our community. The essence of this value is our purpose at SPARK Creations & Company Inc. of "creating and inspiring loving human connections".
Dancer of Life - My love circle (they know who they are) inspire me to live with intention and the flow of life. There is only love and fear in this world and I #chooselove.
You knew you were on the right path in your career
I know exactly this moment. On November 18, 2011 at 6pm, Aileen and I were sitting together at the front of the room with 19 women at our first SPARK Essentials Women's 2.5 Days Weekend Retreat at the Baldwin House on Deer Lake, Burnaby, BC. I began the retreat saying, "Welcome! Thank you so much for being here for our first women's retreat". Then I started crying. It was in that moment that I knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be. I had never felt this feeling of "home" in my entire professional career. We held 14 retreats (our next one is this October 2018) and it was the women and men from this program that requested us to share the learning with their companies. Our first corporate client started in November 2013.
You failed
I always find this question challenging to answer because my personal definition of failure is that it is always a learning opportunity. If there was a moment that I would consider one of my biggest learning would be when we hired our first team member. I had led a team of five in my last corporate role but being a business owner was different. It was hard for me to let go and allow someone to do things their own way. I was stuck on how it had to look and feel like versus creating the space for the individual to make it their own. During that time, I found myself dimming my light in order to lift the other person. It took a lot of energy from me to hold back rather than leveraging the individuals' strengths so they can feel empowered. The greatest lesson I learned from that experience is how to honour ones' values, strengths, passions, and vision. Today, we spend the time earlier on in the partnership to fully understand what is most important to our SPARK family member. Our intention is for them to feel inspired, honoured and loved every moment they are with us.
You chose something different than what was expected of you
When I left my corporate role, It was the third time I had resigned. The first two times, I was convinced to stay and did it to please my boss. When I finally rediscovered my personal core values, I became stronger, more confident and courageous to stick with my decision during the third resignation. I prepared to go into his office, staying strong in my decision, and to do something that was completely aligned with me. It still felt really hard but it is one of my proudest moments in life because I was finally loving myself.
You wake. And the ritual you have to start your day
Our daily ritual at SPARK is to share our G-I-S-T, which stands for G - I am so grateful for..., I - My intention for the day is... - S - The support I need is..., T - My true statement is, I AM... We share this on Monday mornings on Zoom, daily through Whatsapp, and/or in person before we start our training sessions.
You made your best hire
When I think about the best hire, I think about the most meaningful connection I've had with another individual. When we reviewed the traditional recruitment process, we intentionally created the SPARK Connection Experience (SCE) to ensure that when it was time for us to add family members to our team, no one felt rejected at the end of our connection. The purpose of the SCE is for everyone to learn more about ourselves and each other - what matters most, our purpose, and vision - and to co-create the best possible partnership. I guess for me, it's not about making the best hire and instead, creating more memorable moments with as many people as possible.
You felt the most successful in life
In the past, I used to define success as having a senior role at a company, marrying my life partner, and living in our dream home. That all changed when I went through a divorce and lost my identity. For most of my life, I was living my life based on the roles I created. Today, success is a daily ritual of choosing love over fear. Fear is still a part of my life and keeps me on my toes. However, love is what brings me back to my true self. When I am loving myself completely, that's when I feel fulfillment.
You received feedback that was hard to hear but worth listening to
As a life long learner, feedback is a precious and necessary gift that fuels my growth. My love circle provides me feedback everyday and I welcome and ask for it as well. The most recent feedback that I received was how my high achiever energy causes others to feel they are not working as hard. This was hard to hear because at my core, I want to ensure everyone feels included and cared for. What I learned about myself from this feedback is that my words and behaviours are very influential and therefore, I must be mindful and meet people where they are at. It's not about dimming my light and more about creating space for everyone to be seen in their own and unique way.
You chose to walk away from someone or something
That moment was when I left my marriage. That was one of the hardest decisions I had to make because I didn't want to have a failed marriage. Leaving felt like I was giving up and that isn't something that I usually would succumb to. Looking back at that phase of my life, if I hadn't left the marriage to take care of my heart, I wouldn't have connected with a life coach, I wouldn't have rediscovered my core values and purpose, I wouldn't have reconnected with Aileen, and we wouldn't have started SPARK Creations. Ending that marriage changed the trajectory of my life.
Bit of more than you could chew
Me...take on more than I can chew? Always! My business partner Aileen used to introduce me as "the girl with 25 hours in a day". I love challenging the status quo, dreaming big, and having the mindset that anything is possible. When I feel this power of creating the impossible, that's when I'm choosing love.
Saw yourself & your true potential
That same moment when I knew I was on the right path in my career (question #2). It was the moment I felt I was living my life purpose. When you are living in complete alignment with your soul, you can do anything.
You understood advice your parents gave you (what was it?)
Family is everything. Family is who you choose to surround yourself with and who will lift you higher. They want to see you grow. They have your back. They love you no matter what. My love circle is my family and I feel so grateful to be surrounded by so much love and abundance.