In this episode of This Is Ag, I'm joined by Veronica Luna—Director of Administrative Operations at Rancho Guadalupe and a passionate advocate for the people who power our fields. With years of experience in agriculture, Veronica has become a quiet but powerful force behind the scenes, using her voice to champion mental health, accessible benefits, and compassionate leadership. Raised by a strong mother, Veronica learned early what it meant to speak up—even when it wasn’t easy. Today, she carries that legacy forward at Rancho Guadalupe, where she not only manages Human Resources and benefits but also plays a key role in shaping a workplace culture grounded in care. In this episode, Veronica opens up about helping launch Spring Health before the pandemic—a bold move that brought mental health support to ag workers when they needed it most. She shares how her personal grief journey became the spark to advocate for others, and how leadership at Rancho Guadalupe—especially General Manager AJ Cisney—listens and acts when employees speak. This is an episode about the heart of ag—the unseen labor, the emotional weight, and the deep humanity behind every harvest. Veronica’s story is a reminder that care, empathy, and advocacy aren’t just nice to have; they’re essential tools for building a stronger, more resilient ag community.
In this episode of This Is Ag, I'm joined by Veronica Luna—Director of Administrative Operations at Rancho Guadalupe and a passionate advocate for the people who power our fields. With years of experience in agriculture, Veronica has become a quiet but powerful force behind the scenes, using her voice to champion mental health, accessible benefits, and compassionate leadership.
Raised by a strong mother, Veronica learned early what it meant to speak up—even when it wasn’t easy. Today, she carries that legacy forward at Rancho Guadalupe, where she not only manages Human Resources and benefits but also plays a key role in shaping a workplace culture grounded in care.
In this episode, Veronica opens up about helping launch Spring Health before the pandemic—a bold move that brought mental health support to ag workers when they needed it most. She shares how her personal grief journey became the spark to advocate for others, and how leadership at Rancho Guadalupe—especially General Manager AJ Cisney—listens and acts when employees speak.
This is an episode about the heart of ag—the unseen labor, the emotional weight, and the deep humanity behind every harvest. Veronica’s story is a reminder that care, empathy, and advocacy aren’t just nice to have; they’re essential tools for building a stronger, more resilient ag community.
Veronica Luna: https://www.linkedin.com/in/veronica-luna-88900b199/
Rancho Guadalupe: https://ranchoguadalupe.com/
Kirti Mutatkar, President and CEO of UnitedAg.
Reach me at kmutatkar@unitedag.org, www.linkedin.com/in/kirtimutatkar
UnitedAg website - www.unitedag.org
UnitedAg Health and Wellness Centers - https://www.unitedag.org/health-benefits/united-agricultural-benefit-trust/health-centers/
Episode Contributors - Veronica Luna, Kirti Mutatkar, Dave Visaya, Rhianna Macias
The episode is also sponsored by Brent Eastman Insurance Services Inc. - https://brenteastman.com
Blue Shield of California - https://www.blueshieldca.com
Elite Medical - https://www.elitecorpmed.com
Gallagher - https://www.ajg.com/
SAIN Medical https://sainmedical.com/
MDI Network - https://www.mdinetworx.com/about-us
Kirti: [00:00:04] Good morning. Veronica, how are you?
Veronica: [00:00:06] Good morning. I'm doing good.
Kirti: [00:00:08] So this is --- We are at a beautiful resort. We are at the Terranea resort today. We just finished our annual conference. It was amazing. And I am excited here because we just finished our ambassador program breakfast. And now I'm sitting here across from you and having this podcast. I'm super excited to have you as a guest.
Veronica: [00:00:29] I'm, uh, nervous, but kind of excited to be here. This is my first podcast.
Kirti: [00:00:34] It's exciting. So before we get started, Veronica, can you introduce yourself and tell us what you do?
Veronica: [00:00:41] I am Veronica Luna. I work for Rancho Guadalupe. I'm the director of administrative operations, its my title, but I kind of do a little bit of everything wherever they need help. So HR benefits, accounting, you know, they need me out in the fields. You know, whatever I can help with.
Kirti: [00:01:04] So isn't that, like, really? I've seen that across the board in ag. It is very common in our industry to have somebody like you, right?
Veronica: [00:01:12] I didn't know it was so common. And so I started talking to more people in HR. I kind of grew up doing a little bit of everything. So to me it was normal wherever I was needed. I help out if I can. But I guess overall, I mean, even for the past 15 years, I've noticed that people in HR just have multiple hats.
Kirti: [00:01:40] They do, they do, they do. And when you define HR in agricultural industry, it's very different than when you define what that role is outside of ag I've noticed. It's like you do become like a part in everything.
Veronica: [00:01:55] Yes. I worked retail for a little bit.
Kirti: [00:02:03] Oh, I didn't know that.
Veronica: [00:02:04] So it's like the operations manager HR and that is very different. I feel like that was more corporate HR. But I also did it, you know like 20 years ago. So HR was very different 20 years ago than it is today.
Kirti: [00:02:21] That is so true. That is so true. So what's your story? Tell us who you are.
Veronica: [00:02:27] So I was born and raised in Central Coast in Santa Maria. My parents both worked out in the field for a bit. My dad used to be a musician, but he also worked out I believe in the lettuce for a little bit. But my mom, as far as I know, since she was nine, she used to pick strawberries. So I kind of grew up with that. So my mom, you know, back then, they could take their kids to work if they didn't have a babysitter or we weren't in school. So I used to go out there and help her. And, uh, we used to have, like, pints boxes, and I used to put the baskets in the pints and get them ready for, you know, everyone to take their boxes. And then I used to go out into the little forest and just hang out and then come back. And then right around the time I think I was like 11. So my mom used to do that. And then she went and did some QC for companies like Giant. I don't know if that's familiar from the Central Coast and some other places. And then when I was about 11, my parents got the opportunity to grow their own berries and they started their own business. So I kind of just got thrown into whatever I can help my parents with. So my dad started growing, and my mom had gone back to school and got her certificate in bookkeeping so she can manage the business and go out to the field. So when she would get home, I would help her do payroll as best as I could, which back then.
Kirti: [00:04:17] So how old were you when you were doing this?
Veronica: [00:04:19] 11.
Kirti: [00:04:19] Oh, okay.
Veronica: [00:04:20] Okay. I liked math.
Kirti: [00:04:22] Yeah.
Veronica: [00:04:23] So to me, it was just fun helping her out because I used to also have nice penmanship. So they used to have me write the names on the checks, and she used to give me what I needed to do. So I used to help her out with all of that, you know. And then the paperwork, the new hire paperwork. And I used to go help her.
Kirti: [00:04:43] So this was when you were 11 years old. You were doing all this? Oh, like you've been trained for a long time.
Veronica: [00:04:48] Yes. So I did a lot of that stuff. So to me, it was just, like, normal and helpful. And so I used to go to, you know, I went to school, but on the weekends we would wake up and go with them because, you know, ag has no holidays or weekends, right? Especially if they have their own business or the summer, I would go do all that stuff. So.
Kirti: [00:05:10] So you've been like your mom. You said your mom started at nine. You started around the same time.
Veronica: [00:05:16] I say not as heavy as my mom because my mom did it a lot. She was pulled out of school when she was in, in high school, because back then it's like you have to work. So she, like, literally worked all the time. I didn't; I went to school. My dad's thing was, it's like you go to school or you're going to be picking here. Yeah. And I wasn't very good at it. Yeah, I ate more strawberries than I put in the box.
Kirti: [00:05:43] It's like, go, go do your math. You can. You cannot be picking strawberries here.
Veronica: [00:05:47] But, I mean, I helped out as much as I could, and I learned. So it was me and my brother. He was eight. So he works at ag too. So it's kind of.
Kirti: [00:05:57] Like you both stayed in ag. That's interesting because sometimes when you go through your childhood and so involved, it's like a scholarship in her. Yesterday she said she wanted to go away from ag. Did you ever have that feeling?
Veronica: [00:06:09] I did. So I wanted to be a lawyer since I was five years old.
Kirti: [00:06:12] Oh, I can see you as a lawyer.
Veronica: [00:06:14] And that was my thing. I was going to put bad guys away.
Kirti: [00:06:17] Ah.
Veronica: [00:06:18] I want to be a lawyer. And I was like, when I get old enough, I'm going to be a judge. And, you know, I had these things in my head. I actually I went to Cal Poly for a year, and then I transferred over to Northridge, and I studied political science and got my bachelor's degree there. And then I was going to get my masters, go to law school. Things change. I met my husband. And then right around that time, my mom had a couple of accidents. So it was kind of like I needed to move back home. Just to help her out a little bit. And I told my husband I was like, you know, let's do this. A five year plan. I get to go and help my mom and then we'll move back. While we never moved back, I moved back to Santa Maria and I've been there ever since.
Kirti: [00:07:06] So is that when you reflect back on what your life could have been? Right. So it changed a little bit because of the circumstances. Do you ever think about that?
Veronica: [00:07:17] I say everything happens for a reason. I'm actually glad that I went back because. Sorry. Um, because I got to spend the time with my mom. You know, my mom passed away four years ago, so I didn't think that they were going to be the grandparents that they were going to be. So we moved back. We bought a house, you know, I got pregnant, and they're my parents. Excitement was like, hysterical, Like over the top. So it was very different than what I. I mean, my grandparents were great, but I always wanted those grandparents who were like over the top and did all. But I mean, they had a lot of grandkids, you know. So.
Kirti: [00:08:06] So your kids got to experience that.
Veronica: [00:08:08] My kids did, yes. I have three girls and my oldest was the one who experienced it the most. She's 16 now, so it was very fun. My mom, when they retired, she said she was going to dedicate herself to her grandkids and she did.
Kirti: [00:08:23] Nice. What an inspiration for your three girls, then for your mom.
Veronica: [00:08:28] Everything that I've, um, learned has been from doing. Trying to make my mom proud. So that was very fun to see. Like, you know, to me, it's like what I thought I wanted isn't. I know I said I wanted to be a lawyer and I minored in business and did all that stuff, but when I came back, it's like I didn't know that I was going to go back into ag. I was just going to help them out. But then when they retired, I got another ag job, and by that time I had my second baby and that's before she was a year old. I applied at a temp agency and they're like, oh, we have this, this job. Some companies looking for someone that I think would fit you. And it was Rancho Guadalupe.
Kirti: [00:09:25] Ah, okay.
Veronica: [00:09:27] I've been there ever since, and, um, it's been a journey. I say, I've never done the same thing two years in a row. It's always, you know, something different. And I've gotten the opportunity to do that. And I think the reason I worked there this long or I haven't left is because their values align with my values. Even at the beginning when I used to like question things, I was like, should I not say all these things? Like, no, you bring them up. And I was like, oh, okay. It was very, you know, you have supervisors who are there like so long they're used to doing things a certain way and they're not used to being questioned. And I was like, yeah, I'm not going to do that. Yeah. So that's how I landed. You know where I'm at right now. Yeah. But I've pretty much done all my life in one way or another. Like I say, the only thing that I probably haven't done is drive a tractor.
Kirti: [00:10:33] Oh, maybe soon.
Veronica: [00:10:35] Maybe. But, uh, I used to load strawberries, be the loader back, then pick weeds. You know, whatever my dad put me to do, I did, and then at home, whatever my mom put me to do, I do. So I didn't say no a lot, you know.
Kirti: [00:10:54] So you are --- we should go back to that. But so is your mom kind of your inspiration and your leader?
Veronica: [00:11:03] My mom is my hero, yes. My inspiration. I didn't have enough time with her, is what I say.
Kirti: [00:11:14] How old was she when she passed?
Veronica: [00:11:16] 64.
Kirti: [00:11:17] Oh, she was young. She was very young.
Veronica: [00:11:19] Yeah. I mean, but it's funny because my mom always said she was gonna die young.
Kirti: [00:11:24] Mhm.
Veronica: [00:11:24] You know, so I say everything happens for a reason because I wouldn't have changed being there for her. And you know, my bosses gave me the opportunity to be there for her. Uh it happened during Covid. So you know things were very different then. But, uh.
Kirti: [00:11:42] That must have been harder.
Veronica: [00:11:43] It was harder trying, thinking that we were going to keep her safe and keeping her away from everybody.
Kirti: [00:11:50] Yeah. So it was your time with your mom. You kind of. That was precious to you. And it was. I mean, she died 64, but she is who you think about every day. She is who's making you the leader. And she's your inspiration, basically, right?
Veronica: [00:12:08] Yeah. I mean, to me, she was Wonder Woman. She couldn't do it all. But because she couldn't do it all and did everything for everybody, I feel like I've fallen into that. So it takes a lot for me now to, um, kind of push back and think of me. So yesterday's talk with Cassie Holmes. Cassie Holmes and the book. And she's like, what makes you happy? And I'm, you know, I started thinking and I asked her a question like, how do you not feel guilty? Yeah. To like, you go for your run. And she goes, that'll make you a better mom. She goes, you won't yell a lot or things like that. And I've been told that before, but in my culture it's really hard. I want to go and make sure that my dad's okay, you know? It took me a while to not go every day and make sure that the house was clean and he was fed and kind of do everything that my mom used to do. And I was like, I am stretching myself so thin. Yeah, I have work. I have the girls, you know, my husband, my home, my dad. So it's still hard, but baby steps a little bit at a time.
Veronica: [00:13:21] So women ag I've been wanting to do that for a while. And, uh, it's like, you know what? If I don't do it now, I want to see what it's about. I want to see what it can do. I think it helped me speak up and be with other likeminded women that you know. I'm not alone. I'm not the same. It takes a lot for me to open up sometimes. So I pretty much sometimes sit back and a little bit more reserved. People sometimes may think, take that the wrong way. Yeah, I grew up being very quiet but outspoken at the same time. Yeah, I had a boss once tell me. She looked at me and she said, you're not quiet at all. I'm like, what's that supposed to mean? She's like, uh, when you have something to say, you really have something to say. She's like, you sit back and listen. And you know, when you speak, it has value. That meant a lot to me, that I don't want to just speak with no context behind it. So I'll be quiet a lot. Yeah.
Kirti: [00:14:32] Yeah. Because I noticed that in Women Ag too, right? You're listening. But when you say something, it's a very thoughtful thing. You've thought it through. So I know you've been saying that you took care. I mean, you find it hard to say no to people, and you take on a lot. Do you feel like the Academy has kind of helped you in that, to reframe that in your mind and not really feel that sense of guilt? Because that's a heaviness that we all carry. Right.
Veronica: [00:15:01] So I still feel guilty. I'm told a lot by my team because they'll come to me and be like, oh, you know, I'm sorry, but I need some time off. I'm like, it's fine. I tell them to take care of themselves. You know, your family comes first. We got you. You know, that's what a team is about. I want to help you, but then I won't turn around and do it to myself. So I'm really, really trying. And this. And women ag are really kind of pushing me to that direction to do it for myself. Because otherwise you lead by example, right? And I want them to be okay with, you know, taking that time off. And I really appreciate my boss because, you know, he'll look at me and he's like, it's fine, you know? But I know it's hard for him to do it too. And it's like, so it's hard for me to disconnect. But that's just the way that I've grown up. So it's kind of like, he does it, I do it, it's okay. But then I want my team to like, if you're asking for a day off, take it off, take it. Yeah, but it has helped me. But the guilt is still there. It takes. I just do it. Yeah.
Kirti: [00:16:11] So you're trying one step at a time, right?
Veronica: [00:16:15] I mean, even like this. I'm here this week. I know there's a lot going on. Yeah. But before I left, it's like. So I'm thinking about not coming in on Friday and taking the day off. He's just nodding his head. Of course, you know, and I'm like, no, I think I should go in and it's gonna force me.
Kirti: [00:16:36] To just tomorrow. Chill a little bit.
Veronica: [00:16:38] Chill.
Kirti: [00:16:39] Yeah.
Veronica: [00:16:40] And I'm. I'm gonna have to tell someone I'm not going in. Otherwise, I'm going to go in because I've said I'm not going in, and then I'll still go in or I'll work remote or I'll still be available. That's just how I'm used to doing things. So the guilt's still there, but I just push through it just because I want my team not to feel guilty because they shouldn't feel guilty. And I know I shouldn't. Yeah, but it's just ingrained in me to try to be there for everybody.
Kirti: [00:17:12] Right. And you have three daughters, so you're that to them too.
Veronica: [00:17:15] I do, and I'm building a mini me. Unfortunately, my oldest is an overachiever. She wants to do a lot of different things. And before they're like, can I just not go to school? Like, no, you need to go to school. You know, we go to school because if you can't go, I want you to be okay missing it. But I'm trying to rewire my brain in that aspect of where she's like, I just need a mental day off. And I was like, okay, so for Valentine's Day, my husband was off. I went to work, but she's like, can I just take tomorrow off? I need a mental day. And she has a lot going on. She has a she's.
Kirti: [00:18:07] In high school.
Veronica: [00:18:07] She's in high school. She has a four point, I don't know, GPA, something high. She's concurrent in college classes. She does sports and volunteers and all that stuff. So she's a high achiever. And I saw her and I was like, you know what? Yeah, you want to take tomorrow off? And she's like, really? And I told my husband and he took her to archery because that's their thing. And she had a nice day and nice, you know.
Kirti: [00:18:37] That. And that made.
Veronica: [00:18:37] Me feel good. I was like, you need you need that. Sometimes you just. You don't have to be physically sick.
Kirti: [00:18:44] Yeah. Yeah. That is so true. To recognize that in all of us. And do it. Yeah.
Veronica: [00:18:50] I told my my two little ones. Do you guys want to take the day off? And. But they were having something fun at school, so they're like, no.
Kirti: [00:18:58] I know the best memories actually, my kids have is my husband is to do that during the day. He used to one day just go surprise them, go to the office in the school and tell them that he's pulling them out of school. And he used to buy tickets to Disney and just take them. So one at a time, just so they didn't know. He used to go into the school office and say, hey, can I have the kids pull it out or just one at a time and just surprise them with a trip to Disney? And they're like, oh, this is in the middle of the day. So those are the best memories.
Veronica: [00:19:30] Oh, I should do that. I mean, I know we've done a couple of things. I mean, for the conference in Hawaii a couple years ago. Yeah, I brought them. Yeah. You know, and, uh, my little one was only three at the time, but she remembers it. She's like, can we go back to Hawaii? So that was exciting because otherwise I would never be doing something like that. It's really hard for me to take time off. Growing up, we didn't really have vacations. I think our first vacation was when I was like 17 years old. Um, but yes, those.
Kirti: [00:20:04] Are the memories.
Veronica: [00:20:04] That are memories. And, uh, I know my mom used to do that. Little things. You don't think about it when you're little. But my dad was a musician, so he used to tour, and, uh, we stay with my mom, and I remember those, like, just staying in bed and watching TV, and she'd, like, bake a cake or something. And it was fun, you know, just.
Kirti: [00:20:26] You know, you sometimes you don't need those little things that we do with those. Those are fun ones. Onwards. So going back to Rancho Guadalupe and you talked about that, right? So the culture of Rancho Guadalupe. So me knowing a little bit of that, it's really inspiring to kind of see what you guys do, because the reason I say that is when we look at your claims utilization as we provide health insurance and look at the claims data, when an employer treats the employees in a way they should be treated in a very empathetic and a human way, it actually has an impact on the utilization and the claims. So we see that on the data. So we see Rancho Guadalupe is when you look at the loss ratios, the contributions coming in versus the claims and what that looks like consistently year after year since I've been involved and since I've known Rancho Guadalupe, you guys perform very, very well. And I actually used that as an example because I feel the reason behind that is I know your culture and I know how you treat your people, and that is reflected in numbers. So it's so awesome to see that.
Veronica: [00:21:40] So when I started doing the benefits, it took me like a while to try and figure things out. The employees tell you a lot of information sometimes, or like, no, you don't have to tell me all that, but you just sit there and listen. But my main focus has always been to try and let them know what they have to utilize. I mean, a lot of them, you know, in the industry, they don't take it. So we really try to emphasize, you know, it's for your benefit, for you to be able to use it in however you can. And I really love the fact that it's cost effective that Rancho Guadalupe has made it affordable for the employees, because sometimes when other places find out how much our employees actually pay for their insurance, they're like, what? And I'm like, yeah. I'm like, they don't realize, like, I've had, um, sometimes a manager will come in and say, oh, I'm doing a survey for like an audit or something. What's the price for that? Rancho pays for us, and I'll give them the number. It's like, and we only pay this much. And I was like, yes. And people don't take that into consideration. And I'm like, and you get all this attached to it. I'm like, so we really try to emphasize and, you know, give them as much information as we can. Being part of the ambassador program has also allowed me to be able to sometimes advocate for them. Like sometimes I don't hear about things until like it happens, maybe to an office person or an admin person. But like if it's happening to us, then it's happening to them. They're just not speaking up, right? So that's, you know, one thing that I've really enjoyed and, you know, I love about United Ag that you guys are always open to listen and be innovative with everything. Uh, one thing that I remember was before Covid hit the whole spring health thing.
Kirti: [00:23:56] That was because of Rancho Guadalupe and AJ.
Veronica: [00:23:58] So around that time, I hope this person doesn't. I won't name names, but. So I was having a really hard time myself, but I always I just dealt with it before my mom, my cousin who was like my big brother, he was my best friend. I was having problems and he passed away one year before my mom passed away. So I was having like a lot of problems and I needed to get some help. But, you know, you reach out and it's like, oh, it's like months to get in or anything like that, but I just left it alone. But even like two weeks prior to him passing away, I had a coworker whose mom passed away, and I saw her going through so much and I was trying to help her. And I remember, I don't know how the conversation started, and I was talking to AJ about, you know, the insurance and how it's really hard to be able to get a provider to be able to help somebody. And the fact is that once we reach out to somebody, it's because we need them now, not because we're looking to get, you know, help six months from now or three months from now. So I remember I think he called you. I don't know who he called. And, uh, he came back and he said, can you write something of the experience and all this stuff. I don't remember what I wrote, but I wrote like my heart out. And then really shortly after, oh, there's this pilot program that we can do. And do you? I'm like, yes, there's people here who need help. So it was me trying to get help for a couple other people and, you know, in the office. But I was like, if they need help, I know other people need help.
Kirti: [00:25:50] And that across the board, right? Yeah.
Veronica: [00:25:52] Around that time, I remember one of our employees had called and wanted to speak to me in HR, and she was having some problems with her daughter, and she wanted some time off. And, uh, so it's like everyone. So I was very excited and I was like, oh, wow. I was like, this is kind of cool that, you know, United Ag can actually do this. And, you know, it was great because then Covid hit and it's like, roll it out, right?
Kirti: [00:26:27] So AJ Chesney, who is on our board and your general manager and your boss, I think he's over the years taking feedback from all of you. He reached out to me. There was another thing with our HSA plans and SAIN not being included. And why was that not included? There's so many of those changes that we have made. So, Veronica, it was not just you. You became a voice for everybody in the ag industry that we serve. Because what happened when that feedback came to me, we were working with Spring Health at that time. But I realized the need for that. And what a perfect timing, because right before Covid hit, this went we went. Spring health, no copay, no deductible. Just use it. Just use it. Right. Because that was so needed. But that talks to the partnership that we have. And when you were talking about working at Rancho Guadalupe, when values are aligned, that's how I feel about Rancho Guadalupe and about you and about everybody else. When your values are aligned, I think you are not my customer, but you are a friend. You're a family member to me. So when you go through stuff and you are dealing with things, we are going to help you as a family member because you become part of our family, right? So that's kind of the difference I feel, or that's how we feel about everything.
Veronica: [00:27:46] Yeah, I've had like other people say like, oh, you know, do you want to hear about insurance? And I was like, no, I'm like.
Kirti: [00:27:53] I, I'm part of a family.
Veronica: [00:27:55] I hear all these things about, you know, insurances. And even when I brought Anna on board into HR, um, and started introducing her to insurance, I was like, you know what? I want you to be able to speak up. I'm like, because the thing is that sometimes we don't want to take advantage of things, but the fact that AJ listens and you listen. It helps so many people. I'm like, if one person needs it, we're not the only one who needs it. So I really like that and enjoyed that. And I've I know I haven't been as active in the insurance thing as before, just, you know, the past couple years having to do a little bit more. But I enjoy I really, really enjoy being able to help people. You know, I like my job and I do a little bit of the accounting and all that stuff, but just sitting there in front of a computer for hours. I do it because I want to make sense of things, but at the end of the day, what I realized, I've been told by my team, it's like your passion is really being able to help someone. And so we came in here in the morning and, um, I had said something.
Veronica: [00:29:24] I said, oh, I'm not I'm not going to sit here because I'm like, Kirti knows I'm an introvert. And she's going to start asking me questions. Uh, and then Rocio goes, you're an introvert. And I was like, well, she was. She's like, I feel like you and Veronica from innovative. Yeah. She goes, you guys like, speak up and talk. And I was like, the thing is, like, if we're in a room together and we're giving a task and nobody is willing to step up, I'm like, fine, I'll do it. Not because, like, fine, I'll do it. I'm like, because it has to be done. But in a large setting, I will pretty much sit back and just listen. But if I have something to say, I've learned to speak up. My mom did teach me that she was a my mom was four foot 11, about 120 pounds. So she was a tiny woman with a huge voice. You know, you talked earlier about Cesar Chavez. She marched with him. She was, you know, you would think that she was like over six feet tall.
Kirti: [00:30:35] Big person, big person.
Veronica: [00:30:36] She was a big person, a big personality. And she had to be. I mean, she was in a predominantly male role environment, being the boss. And my dad was there but sometimes had to go to like, meetings or whatnot. And she stayed there and did it. So that's what I, I saw, you know, growing up, I was really quiet and shy, you know, just do what you're told. But her both and my dad always was like, you have a voice, use it. Nice. So that's what I kind of teach my daughters as well. You have a voice, use it. Sometimes my oldest uses a little bit too much. Um, but she's.
Kirti: [00:31:21] Got a great message. Yeah.
Veronica: [00:31:22] She does.
Kirti: [00:31:23] Yeah, that's a great thing, right? I mean, yeah, we all have a voice and we should use it to make a difference. I think we're doing that in every ways. You. Right. I mean, that's that's awesome.
Veronica: [00:31:36] I mean, that's what I try to tell my team. Like I have something, but I'm not. I'm like, say it. Just just say it. I listened to some podcasts some years ago. I can't remember who it was. She had like a five, four, three, two, one rule. It's like if you don't say something within five seconds, you're not going to say it. So I tend to do that sometimes, especially when I'm sitting with AJ and we're meeting and he I think he says he knows me pretty well. Well, he knows that I want to say something and I'll sit there and I'll say something to tell you. Um, and he'd be like, yeah, Uh, hi now. And I'll let him know whether you know good, bad and the ugly. But I know that the he'll listen as well as Jim. They listen. They take the feedback. They're appreciative of all their employees. And I think that's why sometimes it's tough when it might not be reciprocated by, you know, some people or it's like, really? You don't even know the half of it, of how much they do care. And I think that's why I, you know, as tough as it is, I like working there. You know, sometimes we all say it's like, oh my God, I just hate my job right now. But then I get to do our payroll manager sometimes says, I have something fun for you for her, something she knows that for me, something fun would be like an, you know, like an HR issue or payroll issue because it's easy and I could help somebody. Yeah, but I really do like developing people. I feel like that also helps me out.
Kirti: [00:33:18] Nice. Thank you. Veronica, you said this has been amazing. This has been inspirational. Like, even just listening. And I've known you for so many years, but I learned so much. Kudos to your mom for teaching you all this. And kudos to you for now having that voice to say this to everybody else. So thank you so much for joining. I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did.
Veronica: [00:33:43] I did thank you for asking us to do this. I first, I didn't, you know, hesitant and then kind of pushed myself.
Kirti: [00:33:50] Come back again right.
Veronica: [00:33:52] Like if you'll have me, I don't know what else I can say. Yeah.
Kirti: [00:33:55] I think you have a lot to say. So thank you so much. Thank you.