Fall Small, Find Your Footing: Leadership Lessons from Roller Derby to Career Transitions

Honoring National Latina Day: A Moment to Celebrate Our Power

Today, on National Latina Day, I honor the womyn who carry the beautiful complexity of Latinidad — the joy, resilience, and fierce leadership that live at the intersections of race, queerness, culture, and more. As a queer Latina womyn myself, this day reminds me why stories like ours must be centered and celebrated. This blog, and the upcoming MindSet 369 Trilogy, are made with that truth at heart — designed for womyn like us, navigating career transitions and leadership on our own terms.

The Fall Is the Lesson

In roller derby, you don’t ask if you’ll fall — you ask how fast you’ll get back up.

And that lesson? It hits different when you’re navigating career transitions as a womyn of color, as a queer leader, as someone who’s been told to shrink just to survive.

Falling isn’t the end of the story — it’s part of the path. Derby taught me that falling small isn’t weakness. It’s wisdom. It’s muscle memory. It’s resilience in motion.

And when you find your footing again — you don’t just stand.
You move with intention.
You lead with your whole self.

My Derby Story: From Bruises to Breakthroughs

When I first laced up my skates, I wasn’t thinking about legacy. I was thinking about survival.

I joined derby in the middle of burnout or as my mom likes to think a mid-life crisis— overextended, underestimated, and spiritually tired. The track became my sanctuary. It was sweaty, sisterhood-filled, and full of hard truths. I learned to take up space, hold my ground, and fall with intention.

That’s when it hit me (literally): this is leadership. Not some performative title or perfect LinkedIn bio. Leadership looks like showing up after you’ve been knocked down — again and again.

It looks like bruises that mean boundaries.

It looks like lifting myself up (mind, body and spirit), with your people behind you, cheering you on.

Career Transitions = The Jammer Line

Let’s be honest: most career “advice” out there wasn’t made for us.

It’s spoken in grind culture. It tells us to brand ourselves, polish our edges, and keep chasing some invisible goal post. But when you’re navigating layoffs, toxic workplaces, or stepping into leadership for the first time — you don’t need branding. You need belonging.

Career transitions aren’t about perfect timing — they’re about listening to your body, your intuition, and your values. Just like a jammer eyeing the pack, you learn to read the chaos and still find your path forward.

And sometimes, that means pivoting. Slowing down. Or yes — falling, so you can learn to return better with lessons learned.

Soul Lesson: It’s Okay to Fall

Here’s what I want you to remember:

• Falling doesn’t make you less of a leader.
  

• Resting doesn’t make you less ambitious.
  

• Quitting toxic systems is an act of self-leadership.

You don’t have to earn your worth through burnout.

You get to define your own metrics of success — joy, impact, healing, alignment.

That’s leadership with soul.

Your Turn: Reflect & Reclaim

Reflection Prompt:

• What have you fallen from that actually helped you find your footing?
  

• What part of your story have you been told to hide… but now feels like your power?

Affirmation:
With every fall, I reclaim more of myself.
My career and leadership is rooted in truth, not perfection.

Your path doesn’t have to be linear. It doesn’t have to follow a ladder.
It just has to feel like solid ground for you.
This is your space to find your footing—derby bruises, career pivots, and all.

Your Next Lap Starts Here

In honor of National Latina Day, I’m inviting womyn who lead with intersectional power to join The Movement.
If this spoke to you, know this: your leadership is already in motion.

Get on the waiting list for Purpose (Book 1 of the MindSet 369 Trilogy), launching fall 2025. It’s your values map, your boundary plan, your career and leadership compass—all designed for womyn like you, ready to build careers on their own terms.
Join here → mindset369.com

Ready to share? Drop a comment — what’s one way you’re finding your footing this season? Let’s move forward together.