We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amber Walker a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Amber, we’ve been so fortunate to work with so many incredible folks and one common thread we have seen is that those who have built amazing lives for themselves are also often the folks who are most generous. Where do you think your generosity comes from?
If I may be so bold as to call myself generous, it is simply due to a worldview which has been shaped by the people
and places that have made an imprint on my spirit. That worldview began in an immediate family with very few resources, but some extra powerful relationships. My mother was a caretaker for intellectually disabled women at what was then the Austin State School. She could have done just about anything with her passion and personality, but she was so devoted to these women. I watched and took notice of how the line between her job and her life was quite blurred. She literally brought work home in the best possible way. She became a dedicated volunteer for one absolute ray of sunshine named Debbie, who would come home for the weekend with my mom so frequently she was another sister, a delightful addition to our family. I witnessed my mom on countless occasions give her lunch to a person on the street corner, when I’m certain she didn’t have enough money to buy her own lunch once she got to work. Her generosity was so baked in to who she was that it just came across to me as how you were supposed to live, without her ever once telling me.
Even beyond my mother, my grandmother, “Oma”, was THE greatest influence in my life and in so many ways carved me into the woman I am today. She wasn’t someone who consciously devoted her life to any one particular cause or dedicated lots of her time and treasure to a specific organization, but anyone who knew her would easily describe her as immensely generous. Without realizing it, she taught me to be selfless and helpful in all your actions and that those little efforts add up to a major impact on your family, friends, and community. This is how I try to live my life and maintain my relationships.
Perhaps it’s a character flaw or a side-effect of an undiagnosed personality disorder, but I have always had an intense need to be needed by others. I must be useful and helpful to feel a sense of worth. So, I constantly look for little opportunities to help at a micro level. The older I get and the more I understand how the world works, the more strongly I believe that it’s within our own smaller communities—family, workplace, neighborhood, etc— that we have a chance to make a difference.
When things look increasingly bleak on a macro scale, knowing that you can help your neighbor, care for your family member, set an example for young people, and have a positive influence in your workplace helps to keep your sanity and retain a semblance of optimism.
I am also deeply empathetic and have an underlying belief in karma that guides me to help in any way I can. It’s probably a bit selfish, but I know that what you put out into the world is what you’ll get back, and I want the universe to smile on me when I need it! I firmly believe that I’ve never given anything, whether it’s time, money, or energy, that I haven’t gotten back tenfold. Giving is an amplifying force, not a diminishing one.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
After 17 years in the banking and wealth management space, I finally found my way to the part of the bank that allows me to work most directly with the amazing nonprofit organizations and schools really making the difference in our community. In my role as Community Development DIrector, I work to put Broadway Bank’s commitment to community into action. Broadway Bank is an independent, family-owned bank founded in 1948 by the Cheever Family in San Antonio. We are dedicated to serving the needs of the communities in which we live and work. Our mission is to deliver the best banking experience, resulting in lasting relationships.
Lucky for me, the relationships I get to build are with individuals and organizations serving those in our community who need it most. The principal areas we’re focused on improving are financial literacy, education, affordable housing, social services, and small business development. I’ve had the absolute pleasure of partnering with powerhouses in my local community such as AVANCE-Austin, East Austin Conservancy, Junior Achievement, Texas Housing Conservancy, EGBI, Austin Habitat for Humanity, and Community First! Village, to name a few.
The most rewarding part of my job is designing tailor-made financial literacy courses to deliver to the unique audiences served by these amazing organizations.
Most recently I designed a class in partnership with Catalina Berry of East Austin Conservancy to deliver to their clients, historical East Austin homeowners, to educate and equip them with the knowledge and skills to plan and preserve their estates according to their wishes. I got to bring in some brilliant friends of mine, Estate Attorney Julia Jonas of Karisch Jonas Law PLLC and Jose Carvallo of Broadway Bank Wealth Management, as subject-matter experts on the legal and financial planning aspects of that conversation. Collaboration and networking are a few of my favorite things, so I love calling on my incredible friends and colleagues to join our efforts to enrich the community through financial education any chance I get.
As I look ahead to 2025, I’m thrilled to build on these successful partnerships to reach more folks with this valuable and desperately needed educational content. I’m also looking forward to diving deeper into the organizations on whose boards and committees I serve. Austin Sunshine Camps, Girl Scouts of Central Texas, and El Buen Samaritano are all doing powerfully important work in the Greater Austin community and we’ve got big plans for the new year!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Stubborn Optimism – I wouldn’t say this is a quality that everyone needs, and I can certainly
attest that it “takes all kinds”; because I often need the input and balance
provided by more realistic personalities. The way that this persistent, perhaps
delusional optimism helps me is in dreaming big and seeing potential and possibility in everything. Professionally, being turned down for a sale or
promotion is deflating, but it’s very rarely a forever “no” and more likely a “not right now”. Collecting experiences and relationships like souvenirs along the way, keeping them in your back pocket, will prove to be useful. I can’t count how many times I’ve looked back and said “Oh! That’s why!…” There was a reason you didn’t get what you wanted at the time, or why a particular opportunity didn’t work out like you wanted. It’s almost always to make space for something even better, which you’ll see in hindsight sooner or later.
My “twin cousin”, as we call one another, told me recently of the concept of “pronoia”. Pronoia is, like it sounds, the antonym of paranoia. It’s defined as the state of mind of believing that the universe is conspiring in your favor. It’s just a whole lot more fun to believe this way than the alternative! I choose positivity.
2. A little less talk and a lot more action. This is self-explanatory, but many times we as individuals or groups get so bogged down in plotting and planning that nothing ever gets done. Of course there’s benefit in having a solid plan, but when you are caught in “analysis paralysis”, overthinking can cause more harm (or at the very least, delay) than good. Sometimes you just have to jump and build the parachute on the way down!
3. Get involved! With 100% confidence I can affirm that there is no way I would still be in this industry if I wasn’t such a “joiner”–another trait I inherited from my Oma. Very early in my [accidental] banking career, I joined my former bank’s Pride Team Member Network as an Ally. That simple step at the right time in my career made all the difference. I ended up co-chairing that Pride group for several years, serving on the boards of other employee groups, leading a financial literacy campaign (long before it was my job), and being recruited to nonprofit boards. Not to mention, making many
lifelong friendships along the way. Joining “extra-curricular” groups makes your job so much bigger than just the 4 walls you work in daily. It expands your
network, your skills, and your opportunities.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I would love to connect with anyone with the shared belief that the average person in our community could achieve even better personal, professional, and wealth outcomes if armed with relevant and useful financial literacy. I’m particularly interested in reaching members of our population who need it most, individuals at any stage of life, but especially folks in low- or moderate-income households or neighborhoods. I’m also invested in helping entrepreneurs succeed financially and would love to connect with organizations with similar missions. I’m eager to connect at [email protected].
Contact Info:
- Website: https://broadway.bank/about/community-investment
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amber-walker-broadwayaustin
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
