The Cool Down

Leadership lessons from unexpected places. Books I couldn't put down, movies I think about for weeks and months after watching, and the occasional detour into whatever else life happens to be teaching me.

Mayte Alquicira 6/9/26 Mayte Alquicira 6/9/26

On betting on yourself, even when the room isn't ready

Belle da Costa Greene walked into every room having done the work. Hard work with integrity has a way of rewriting the narrative over time. That's the reminder I needed.

Mayte Alquicira 4/12/26 Mayte Alquicira 4/12/26

You Don't Have to Choose Between Being Liked and Being Respected

In 13 years of corporate life I've learned that the people who last are almost never the loudest or the hardest. They're the ones who figured out how to be taken seriously without making everyone around them feel small.