We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Francesca Salazar-Ross. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Francesca below.
Hi Francesca, you’ve got such an interesting story, but before we jump into that, let’s first talk about a topic near and dear to us – generosity. We think success, happiness and wellbeing depends on authentic generosity and empathy and so we’d love to hear about how you become such a generous person – where do you think your generosity comes from?
I’m truly blessed to have generous parents who modeled compassionate behavior for me. Both of my parents lived a life of kindness and generosity. My dad was always willing to help others and he devoted his life to doing just that when he became a Detroit Police Officer. My mother is one of those incredible women who was just born to help others. She is the most selfless person I know. I’ve never seen her think twice about doing anything that would help someone she loves. When you see people live a gracious, charitable life, it’s difficult to live any other way.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’m currently the Co-CEO of Limitless ABA, an innovative, client-centered ABA clinic that is launching in Cumming, GA. It’s incredibly exciting to be part of this clinic, as I believe it is more of a movement than a business. Limitless aims to revolutionize the delivery of ABA services and return the focus to the client. My business partner, Chelsea Sanders, and I believe in leaving the world better than we found it. We tried tirelessly to change the trajectory of current clinics in the state of Georgia, but we were unsuccessful. Business owners would bring us on board and swear that they were committed to change, but that energy shifted quickly when it meant that they would have to take financial hits of any sort.
We’ve watched the field of ABA go astray and unfortunately, it’s cost certified analysts their reputation. We see business people launch ABA clinics for monetary gain with little regard for the actual lives and well-being of the clients they serve. After having our hearts broken repeatedly, we knew that we had to be the change we wanted to see. We obtained mentors and have worked with them tirelessly to establish the foundation of Limitless. We’ve built out a budget that will allow staff to undergo a real 3-4 week PAID training, make a livable wage, find a work/life balance with 4-day work weeks, and access reinforcement in ways that are meaningful to them. Instead of renting a random office building and filling it with clients, we worked with families and specialists to build out a beautiful, meaningful space where each room fulfills a purpose.
It’s special to watch our hard work unfold and know that we are going to give client’s the learning experience that they deserve. We hope to inspire other ABA clinics in the area and propel them to make changes amongst their own facilities and with their own staff.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
If I had to narrow it down to three qualities that I believe got me to this point, I would say that communication, discipline, and integrity were the most important. From a young age, my dad pushed me to expand my vocabulary. I remember doing homework in our kitchen and asking him how to spell a word. He would send me to this little cabinet we had, make me pull out the dictionary, and look up the word. He directed me to that same location for a Thesaurus when I would ask him for synonyms. He instilled the power of words within me at a young age. When I went on to college, I founded the Beta Eta Chapter of a Latina based sorority, Chi Upsilon Sigma, National Latin Sorority Inc., and we also placed a huge emphasis on communication. We would work with our members to omit vocal disfluencies such as “um” or “like” from their vocabularies. Communicating in an efficient and eloquent way has led me far in my career.
Those communication skills would have meant nothing without discipline. Anyone can have a great idea, but discipline separates the dreamers from the doers. It’s exciting to start something new, but what happens when that passion fizzles? Anything worth pursuing rarely lies on a straight path, which is why establishing habits is crucial for success. Developing a routine will help you overcome the obstacles. Being disciplined and exercising self-control is a hack that will take your life and abilities to the next level. Do the thing; whether it’s fun and easy, hard and difficult, or completely exhausting and feeling impossible. Show up for yourself.
Integrity is my foundation; without a moral compass, you can find yourself in a lot of compromising situations. Jessica Simms (Peloton Instructor) always says, “How you do anything is how you do everything” and those are words I live by. On your journey, regardless of what that is, there will be temptations. If your integrity is unwavering, you can count on making the right choices, even when that is difficult or unfavorable.
If you’re early in your journey, take a step back and evaluate yourself in these three areas. It may be difficult, but you have to be honest with yourself. If you don’t have a routine, develop one. If your communication skills are mediocre, download an app that will help you expand your vocabulary. Look at the people you surround yourself with; do you respect their integrity or is it questionable? Who you surround yourself with matters.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
This is a loaded question [laughs]. I think this ties in perfectly with my previous statement of who you surround yourself with matters. I’ve cut a lot of people out of my life over the past few years, especially people who were negative or lacked integrity. My husband is my rock, my best friend, and my sound board. He always keeps it real with me and as someone who runs a business himself, he pushes me to step outside of my comfort zone and entertain different perspectives. Additionally, my business partner is an absolute saint. She is patient, deliberate, and calculated; as someone who can be impulsive, she balances me very well. Last, but certainly not least, my mentors have helped me tremendously. I did not know a single thing about starting a business. They have provided me with knowledge, skills, resources, and so much more. Without the combination of these people, I would not be where I am today.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.limitlessabaga.com/
- Instagram: Limitless.ABA.ga
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/limitless-applied-behavior-analysis
