Meet Lara Grosso

We were lucky to catch up with Lara Grosso recently and have shared our conversation below.

Lara, thank you so much for making time for us. We’ve always admired your ability to take risks and so maybe we can kick things off with a discussion around how you developed your ability to take and bear risk?

I am a person who will never turn down an opportunity. I have a tattoo that says, “Take a Chance.” I got that tattoo about 10 years ago. When I was a kid, I was actually scared to take chances on many things. But when I was a teenager, I took more chances than I should have. I say that because many people did not want to see me succeed or become someone in life. There were people in my life who tried to help me, but nothing came of it. Where I am today, I am thankful for it.

The job I have now was a huge risk. I started out as a busser at an Italian restaurant. Now I am a manager at a pizza place. I even worked as a shucker at an oyster bar for three years. I opened oysters by hand, and it was an interesting experience.

For the last 10 years or so, I have become my family’s caretaker; I am loving it. I always make sure they are taken care of. Yes, we fight like any other family, but we are there for each other. I do have some family I don’t get along with. I take care of them from afar.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

A couple of years ago, I started to design my own line of shoes, shirts, and hats. I stopped because I needed to focus on my family and make sure they were taken care of. I am someone who needs to keep their mind busy or I get bored easily. I love learning new things and creating things.

Right now, I work at a pizza place in South Austin. I do meet some interesting individuals. It took me years to become a manager (shift lead), but it is a trial-and-error process at this point.

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?

My biggest supporter was my grandmother. She would always ask me if I was growing anything new in my garden. I loved talking to her about plants, cooking, or anything else I had going on. She passed away in 2023 at the age of 104.

Another huge support is my brother. I have known him for ten years. He was the one who emphasized and told me, “The sky’s the limit.” We met when I was working at an Italian restaurant. He was one of the people who told me not to let having skull tattoos hold me back. An old boss tried to shame me for having skull tattoos.

My biggest skill is being a fast learner. Usually, if you showed me something once, I understood it right away. One thing I love to do is cook; it is my biggest stress reliever. My grandmother and mother taught me.

Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?

My biggest improvement is getting my ADHD under control. I don’t take any medication because it makes me too jittery and doesn’t help me focus. Being a manager has kept me busy and focused on what is important to the job.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://beacons.ai/tinyteror
• Instagram: tinyteror
• Other: TikTok: tinyteror

Image Credits

I am the one who took all the pictures