Meet Rebecca Smith

We were lucky to catch up with Rebecca Smith recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Rebecca, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.
I believe optimism can be learned.

I was born in the Philippines, but my immigrant parents raised their children in small towns in Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota. No one looked like us there. I ended up moving eight times before turning 17, and landing in San Diego as an undergraduate, the first in my family to attend college in the United States. My parents declared higher education was the key to a better life. So, growing up, I always felt like I was holding my breath – and that feeling had to shift.

My lived experiences then developed my sense of optimism – being different, dealing with constant change and anticipation. When you’re often the “new kid,” you realize you don’t have to fit in to succeed. I don’t wait for life to start anymore, like going away to college. I can inhabit every moment now, especially since I know my purpose as an educator, wife, parent, artist, community leader. While my circumstances may stay the same, even through pain, frustration, or conflict, I can decide to show up differently.

How can we learn optimism?
Research from “positive psychology” shows many ways, and here is my favorite right now – hold your friends close. Their unique situations teach me about resilience, and their encouragement keeps me going. Then I need to be that sort of friend, too. I love this quote from C.S. Lewis – “A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.”

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
One of my mentors calls me “an organizational whisperer.”

Through my consulting practice, Above & Beyond Productions, I partner with corporate teams, small businesses, and nonprofit executives who are in the midst of transformation.

You may be leading your people through significant changes in staffing, funding, and policy or market shifts. I am here to listen and counsel. By exploring ideas together, sometimes without an expected outcome at first, innovative possibilities always arise. Then I work with you to customize an organizational strategy to navigate this transition – from launching a recruitment initiative or facilitating a team retreat to advising on a succession planning process.

Along with my “company of one,” I created space in my life to launch my first art installation, “Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker,” a photography exhibit celebrating the spirit of artisan businesses in San Diego. We feature Valley Farm Market and The Meatery, Astra Bakehouse and Hija del Maiz, Moo LaLa and 1502 Candles.

I collaborated with TJ Carter Photography, and we created a community around this exhibit with the butchers, bakers, and candlemakers, as well as our neighbors who support local businesses. The launch is timely – this month, Architectural Digest named San Diego “the most expensive city” in America.

Our installation raises the question – how do these artisan businesses thrive? They’re producing traditional crafts in a modern context, contributing to a vibrant creative economy.

I’m learning so much – from supporting the arts through fiscal sponsorship with Mission Edge to partnering with our host gallery at Park & Market. Of course, “Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker” happened with my awesome friends stepping in to support this nonprofit venture.

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?
Regardless of the work you do, I believe these skills are essential. Giving presentations. Planning events. Raising money.

Keep in mind, these skills are learned behavior.
You might lead meetings at work, or give a memorable introduction at a special occasion. You could raise capital for your startup, or secure fun silent auction items for your child’s sports team fundraiser. You may plan your company’s annual conference, or host your sister’s baby shower. While we are not born with the innate ability to speak up, raise money, or plan events, these skills allow us to honor and inspire people around us.

I honed these skills by volunteering in the community – leading career workshops for college students, recent immigrants, transitioning veterans, and serving on the Board of Directors for United Way of San Diego County and the City of San Diego Commission for Arts & Culture.

On a personal note, I met my amazing husband, Jimmy, while volunteering at church. I was facilitating a workshop titled “Through the Fire” about leaning into our faith during hard times. Jimmy was in the audience. Now that was optimism – for both of us – to be there!

What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
I believe the arts provide a relevant approach to uplift and connect us.

So when I launched my first community art installation this year, here are the lessons I’m learning.

1) Don’t wait. Just go.
2) Ask for help.
3) Receive help.
4) Be about progress, not perfection. (See #1 again.)
5) Trust the process.

I used to think, “I’m not an art gallery owner. I don’t teach art history.” How can I get involved in the arts? Yet I’m discovering medical research that shows our own health improves, when we experience art. Just looking at a painting or listening to a song. So why not put more art out in the world that is participatory and accessible? I always want to be the change I want to see.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
TJ Carter Photography

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