Leading Without Ego: How Great Teams Support Each Other

Leadership can sometimes feel isolating, but it doesn't have to be. In this opening episode of the season, Coach Dora Mendez welcomes author, activist, and leader Zenaida Mendez for an enriching conversation on teamwork, global perspectives, and community building. Drawing parallels between world-class sportsmanship and grassroots organizing, Zenaida shares how honoring individual talents and fostering mutual care creates unstoppable team synergy.

This episode is for professionals, community organizers, small business owners, and leaders of color seeking sustainable, human-centered approaches to team building, mentorship, and collective growth.

Pre-order Zenaida's Memoir in English.
'Love and Heartbreak of the Diaspora: A Life of Activism, Migration, and Leadership in the United States' http://bit.ly/4vIED86

Key Themes

• Global Synergy: Lessons from international sports on how mutual support outweighs individual performance.
• Intergenerational Leadership: Creating environments where emerging leaders and children are respected, heard, and valued.
• Diaspora Unity: Leveraging diverse perspectives across communities to foster deeper connection and advocacy.

🔴 Chapters

• 00:00 - Welcome & Special Guest Introduction
• 01:08 - Episode Opening & How to Stay Connected
• 02:08 - Introducing Love and Heartbreak of the Diaspora (Amor Y Desamor De La Diaspora)
• 03:06 - What the World Cup Teaches Us About Teamwork & Synergy
• 04:00 - Lessons from the National Dominican Women’s Caucus
• 05:06 - Educating & Investing in Intergenerational Leaders
• 06:30 - Strength in Diversity Across the Diaspora
• 07:16 - National Dominican Women’s Caucus Summit Details
• 08:08 - Closing Reflections & Where to Follow Coach Dora

Thank you for listening to the Building Leadership Community Podcast! Follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite listening platform. Visit CoachDoraMendez.com and connect with @CoachDoraM across social media.

Transcript

0:12

Welcome to the Building Leadership Community Podcast I’m your host, Coach Dora Mendez We have an amazing, amazing guests, which, as you know, the children took over the episode today. And this is the leader I most admire who's kicked off every season, the first episode of every season. And the leader that I most admire happens to be, my children's abuela, grandmother Zenaida Mendez, Roll credits. Hello and welcome to Building Leadership Community Podcast. I'm your host, Dora Mendez. I am the founder and CEO of Coach Dora LLC. Our guests will be entrepreneurs, small business owners, and community leaders that drive social impact. It can be lonely at the top, but it doesn't have to be. Welcome back to the Building Leadership Community Podcast. And if you are watching us on video right now, take a quick second to like this video, hit the subscribe button and ring that ring notification bell so you never miss our weekly leadership strategy breakdown. And if you're listening on your favorite audio, podcast platform, whether that's Apple, Spotify or anywhere else, go ahead and hit the follow button right now. But most. Importantly, if this story brought a smile to your face. Share this episode with someone who might need a little bit of inspiration today. Let's pass the ball to someone else who needs that lift, And the leader that I most admire happens to be my children’s grandmother, Zenaida Mendez,author and activ ist Mom, can you, tell our audience, our listeners and our viewers the name of your book, Love and Heartbreak of the Diaspora In Espanol. Por favor? Amor Y Desamor De La Diaspora. Yes. So it's amazing. And we're so proud. And we asked you. Thank you for answering the call because we were it was, Naomi and Mateo's idea to do a show about the World Cup and what it means to leadership. And so I would love for you to share your reflections as a leader, as an author, as someone who has traveled all of the Americas. You know, we recently just returned from Bogota and the International Book Festival with your with your book. So can you share your thoughts on what the World Cup means to leadership, sportsmanship and teamwork? Wow. That, telling you that is the best example of teamwork. And this boy, well, the World Cup is the leader because when you I mean they are global. This is not is a play in one country. The entire world is watching. Therefore the teams synergy is very important. It's even more important individual performance. Because without the synergy there is no team. Therefore it is critical. It is critical. I have witnessed a lot of, well, several great team in my lifetime, but when I compare that team to the National Dominican Women’s Caucus, its one of the best team that I ever have worked with because everybody has their own talents. Everybody, not each. Each one is each one talents. And then they put it together and they support each other. Well, that's the same thing that happened in the World Cup. It's like everyone know that position. Well, the end of the day, everybody is watching for each other and that is the key is not whether to win or lose is to make sure that your fellow worker, your fellow sport person. Is really doing their job, but also they need support. They are there for them. Its not their ego, and you can see how they hug each other . They kiss each other and they equal a shoulder. It is so beautiful. It is beautiful. Does the same thing that happened with my team at the National Domenican Women’s Caucus. Those young women are superb support, I mean, and they are used to sign yes and no. Well, so just so for context, for our listeners and our viewers, you are the founder and president of the National Dominican Women's Caucus, which is a group that educates women, from the LA, lot to, you know, Latin x Latin, a diaspora, about their political rights. Yes. And their electoral rights. And so, it's amazing what I love about the National Dominican Women's Caucus is it's intergenerational. You know, you have you talk about young people because you really believe in investing in the next generation of leaders. And so that really is just a wonderful example and something that your grandchildren have, really, learn from you. They learn that from you. They learn about, you know, that are they are treated with such respect, you know, it's it's these are the times where children should be and seen and not heard. They are heard, they are listened to. They are valued. They are respected. And, when they it was all of their idea to come to, to make this show. And so it just really just warms my heart. Oh, they are so wonderful. So wonderful. Especially when you have a diverse group like my group is diverse. I mean, we have people from Colombia, from Ecuador, from El Salvador, all from Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, you name it, it's only two countries. And our guest, also our keynote speaker from diverse background. And that is important because we are one, no matter what you know, and especially also in the United State, we are one. You know, when it come to that, especially people of color, you know, we are in the same bag. It doesn't matter whether you are millionaire or you live in the poorest neighborhood in New York. We are in the same bag, so we have to support each other. So thank you for sharing your reflections. And, I guess I should I should share with our listeners and viewers you're referring to the National Dominican Women's Caucus Summit, which takes place in, September and 2026. Fordham University is going to be an amazing thing. September 19th, September 19th! And I do like doing wonderful. So we will leave that information in the show notes. And, I just want to thank you for being such a great example to to your grandchildren, to me to be a wonderful leader and sharing your reflections about teamwork and support and the importance of diversity and how the diversity is a strength, and supports and, you know, recognizing that the, the difference is our strengths. Exactly. So thank you for that perspective, mom. Thank you. Bye, everybody. Love you. You've been listening to Building Leadership Community. Watch on YouTube @CoachDoraM. Listen, wherever you get your podcasts, follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube @CoachDoraM. Visit me on the web at CoachDoraMendez.com. Hosted by me, Dora Mendez. Produced by Dora Mendez and Dylan Rogers. Graphics, editing, and sound mixing by Dylan Rogers.