Creating Abundance, Empowering our Community with Gladys Manzanet

On The Edge Of Equity

This episode of the podcast features Gladys Manzanet. As the leader of Northwestern Mutual's Hispanic Marketing Program, Gladys has been successful in evolving the program to focus on equity and inclusion by teaching cultural competency.

Gladys shares her approach to introducing herself to multicultural audiences and emphasizes relationship building, giving back to the community, and using feedback as a gift. They touch upon her accomplishments such as being named Woman of Influence by Milwaukee Business Journal and her advice for owning your identity and reframing negative self-talk into positivity. She emphasizes the value of peer mentoring for collective growth celebration.

Gladys believes that if you approach things with the intent of making an impact, people will rise to the occasion. Tune in now to hear more from Gladys Manzanet on this inspiring episode!

Episode Highlights

12:26 - That phrase "people champion" is really, I think, it is centered on optimism in people and hope in people, and providing people grace. So, for me, people champion means to me that I'm able to listen, with both the ears that I've been given, try to speak less but also understand that you are always expecting the best in people.

14:25 - In this work, it will challenge you, but it will also completely fulfill you. And so, if you're always keeping that top of mind, I think that helps you move on day to day. This work of diversity, equity, and inclusion, people are different spaces. They're different places in this work, and you will always have people who will rise to the occasion and people who will disappoint you.

25:05 - The lesson that I would like to leave others with is just really take the time to do the work, to understand what is it that you stand for, and understanding your why for what you want to do, how you want to move about the world, and the kind of impact that you want to make.

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Guest Bio:

Gladys I. Manzanet is a Senior Director of Field Diversity and Inclusion at Northwestern Mutual. She is a well-respected field champion, demonstrating a combination of emotional intelligence, leadership, and entrepreneurial spirit to help drive growth and excellence within the field force. She has a passion for creating more inclusive, diverse, and equitable environments. She consults, coaches, and supports Northwestern Mutual’s field leadership in their diversity and inclusion efforts. She develops and executes field strategies that will continue to position the organization’s exclusive distribution system as a leader in advancing women and historically excluded communities.

Since 2015, she’s been a leader at Northwestern Mutual providing cultural competency guidance, marketing consultation and training to help advisors increase sales and brand awareness within a variety of diverse segments -- Hispanic, African American, Asian (multiple sub-segments), Women, and LGBTQ+. She currently works directly with 21 Network Offices on their diversity and inclusion journey and has helped develop and support strategies to grow the Hispanic segment of financial advisors by more than 78%.

Manzanet has also been a driver of the vision, planning, and content creation for field-focused affinity spaces, including every iteration of the Affinity Summits, Annual and Regional Meeting Real Talks, and Multicultural Mixers. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual, she honed a wealth of experience in diverse community engagement, strategic planning, and leadership development. She helped found both the Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee (2001) and the Latino Veterans Legacy of Valor Foundation (2014) with local Latiné leaders.

She helped launch and run the Latino Nonprofit Leadership Program and led her own multicultural outreach firm serving charitable organizations, start-ups, civil engineering firms and government agencies. She attended Marquette University and the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism/Public Relations. She also earned her Diversity & Inclusion Graduate Certificate from Cornell University, Brain-Based Coaching Certificate from The Neuroleadership Institute and is a Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory®.

Gladys is a lifelong Milwaukee resident and avid community advocate − having served on dozens of task forces, committees/subcommittees, civic appointments, and charitable boards over more than 20 years. She’s been recognized for her contributions and achievements, including being among The Milwaukee Business Journal’s 2022 Women of Influence. She, her spouse Gene Manzanet, Ph.D., and four children were also recognized as the 2019 UMOS Hispanic Family of the Year for the positive impact they’ve had in Greater Milwaukee.