Kelly Baker-Pabla is a social entrepreneur who works with non-profits and corporations to leave this world better than we found it. Mother of two and sister to seven other siblings, she knows that collaboration over competition is the key to creating impactful change.
It is amazing what happens when your soul knows what’s best for you and propels you forward without hesitation or permission.
For quite some time, unhappy in my corporate life, there was a voice in my head screaming: “Get out! This is not the place for you!” But I kept burying it down deep, too afraid to leave because I had fought and worked so hard to get where I was. I had the career I have always wanted, right? I had the respect of my peers and an office with a water view, why change it all now? How could I leave the career I had spent almost a decade building? I had a family to provide for. Who was I to up and change all that? So, responsible me stayed thinking it was best for all if I just carried on as usual, even if that meant I was miserable.
After yet another humdrum meeting where the old boys club were the only ones who had a say, I literally could not stand it one more minute. I just knew there had to be a better place for me. The long put off day had come. That voice was just too loud to ignore anymore.
As if possessed by outside forces, with no back up plan whatsoever, I felt strangely calm when I picked up the phone and called my boss to give my resignation. When the words “I quit” came out of my mouth, I did not even feel sad or panicked. A peace washed over me that I had not felt in years.
For the next couple weeks, after the amazement of what I had done set in, I took some time to truly understand what it is that makes me tick. I discovered a truth that had been staring me in the face for so long, but I was too scared to see it.
As the eldest of eight children, I am a nurturer by nature. Motivation and happiness come to me by helping others live their best lives. When I effect positive change that helps build businesses who leave this world a little better than we found it, I feel so accomplished. The day I uncovered this certainty was the day my baby T.H.I.N.K. Funding was born.
I founded my company on the principles of being TRUE, HONEST, IMPACTFUL, NECESSARY AND KNOWELEDGEABLE. My aim is to do business a little differently, growing both corporations and non-profits by fostering lasting, trusting relationships that put people first.
In the years T.H.I.N.K. has been in business, the application of this people centric connection has achieved business success quickly and smoothly and built profitable companies that are making a difference in our world. I am so proud of the legacy T.H.I.N.K. Funding is creating and no longer dread “the office.” I have found a place where my passion has met my purpose. Seeing the impact of my efforts makes me smile every day. And that voice inside my head, it now says it is proud of me.
My advice to anyone to afraid to change is to be courageous! I promise you can shift that negative narrative! You never know what is waiting for you on the other side of fear.
