Meet our Corporate Recruiter: Interview with Harmony Healthcare’s Gabriella DeSouza
1. What are 4 things you hope to accomplish this year?
- Self-awareness
- Meditation
- Journaling
- Finding my voice in politics and making an impact in our society for the greater good
2. Create a soundtrack to your life with 5 songs.
- “Crash Into Me” by Dave Matthews Band
This was my first ever favorite song and will continue to stay on top for me. I used to ask my parents at age 3 if I could go to a DMB concert and then ended up beating them to one!
- “My Favorite Part” by Mac Miller featuring Ariana Grande
Mac Miller is a leading icon in my life who we unfortunately lost too soon. This song brings me to a type of pure love that I seek to experience and reminds me of a happy time for Mac.
- “Valerie” by Amy Winehouse
This is my go-to karaoke song! I specifically adore the live version featured on BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge in 2007. Amy had such a mistaken persona that I sometimes like to align myself with: she was vulnerable and she stuck to her truth, and I will always hunt for ways to embody that spirit.
- “Frontlines” by Zeds Dead
This is a classic from one of my favorite electronic artists. This song brings me to great memories with my friends: times of letting go, letting loose, and dancing it out!
- “Love on Top” by Beyoncé
This song can bring anyone to their feet, and the jazz horns in the background are my favorite. Whenever this song is on, you can expect to see me in full performance mode. It always leaves me feeling in good spirits and filled with cheer!
3. What type of leader are you?
I am a leader who puts the people first. I believe in the power of collaboration and communication. An individual can work best when feeling the support of the team, and a team can be most successful with the ability to share energy and knowledge.
Creating a positive space and trusting relationships are important in my leadership because they allow for individuals of all backgrounds and preferences to be comfortable and to flourish.
4. Who is your favorite artist and why?
I have a hard time picking favorites, but I had to go with Beyoncé. She has been my hero for a long while, and I sincerely am unsure if there is anything this woman CAN’T do.
From singing to songwriting to dancing and acting, she has always used her platform to create a greater change in this world and empower the people. She is outspoken in her music and graceful in her success. The productions/performances she conducts are incomparable. Her and Jay-Z are royalty in my eyes, and I continue to stay inspired by their art time and time again.
5. Tell us how you maintain a healthy work/life balance.
Learning when to say no, keeping in touch with family, setting goals for each week, giving my all when I’m at work so I can better enjoy my time off, listening to music, and always finding time to dance.
6. Tell us about a special moment from your childhood.
I had some monumental moments at Disney World growing up since my grandparents have lived in Florida all my life. My first words were at Disney World with my grandfather.
My mom used to have concerns I was never going to talk because I guess I was a late starter, which is ironic because now it’s difficult to keep my mouth shut. Papa started singing “Jingle Bells,” I I joined in, and he’ll never let me forget that moment. My grandfather is important in my life, and our moments shared together always stick with me.
7. What’s your favorite movie quote and why?
“The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all.”
In Disney’s Mulan, the Emperor of China is trying to help Li Shang understand why he let Mulan go without consequence after figuring out she was a woman in war. Even the simplest of phrases from Disney movies can sit so heavily with us through our lives. Instead of allowing weakness or fear, we should manifest the success that might come in going against all odds.
8. Tell us what motivates you.
Definitely travel and adventure, but what really drives me is the unknown. What motivates me to want to be the best version of myself is the ability to see the world and experience new norms – to be completely vulnerable and still find success is the ultimate inspiration.
The world we grace is so grand, and when I find myself gaining firsthand perspective of this fact, it encourages me to want to be bigger and do bigger, to create a presence in this universe.
