Today we’d like to introduce you to Bryant Galindo.
Bryant, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My story of success is one of purpose fueled through transforming adversity and trauma.
I graduated top of my high-school class, went to Pepperdine on a full ride scholarship, and studied political science and international relations because that’s what everyone said you should major in to go to law school.
After graduation, I became a legal secretary/paralegal at a law firm and found it was nothing like Law & Order; it was monotonous and lacking in creativity, and conflict was encouraged. I was severely disillusioned.
Thinking law was no longer for me, I searched for alternatives and got accepted to Columbia’s MSc. Program in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution. I loved it. At the same time, I found a coveted position as a pro bono mediator with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission because I wanted to translate theory into practice, and found myself mediating employment discrimination complaints in the $500,000+ range. It was the big leagues, and it flashed me back to all the arguments I had with my family growing up as a first generation Mexican-American. This time, however, I was in charge of creating that safety for others to express themselves, and I knew then that I had finally found my calling!
As I graduated from Columbia and finished working at the EEOC, I was riding high. I came back to my hometown of Los Angeles where I felt I could build the next chapter of my life, but then tragedy struck right when I wasn’t expecting it…
While out with my then girlfriend and friends for a Halloween party in Hollywood, California I was randomly stabbed in the neck by a stranger for no reason. I remember grabbing my neck and seeing the blood for the first time — I was in shock and overcome with a will to live. “Am I going to die right now?” I thought to myself as I rushed out of the dance floor and went outside. As my friends trailed behind me, and a friend sat me down to stabilize me while in a state of shock, my life flashed before my eyes. “This is it,” I thought, “I’m going to die…” The paramedics came and rushed into a trauma room at a local hospital with surgeons waiting. “You’re so lucky,” they told me, “the stab wound could have almost killed you, but you’re going to live.” It was 1 centimeter away from my jugular. This brush with death radically transformed me.
For the first time in my life, I understood the phrase “Life is short.” I finally saw that everything I had experienced in my life — from not being heard by my family, to post-college disillusionment, to helping others find their voice through mediation — was preparing me for my mission in the world. I am meant to change the way people relate to one another, especially during periods of intense emotions, through my work in negotiation, mediation, and conflict resolution. And I decided to create a company behind this mission, changing the way people communicate in the workplace.
CollabsHQ is my beauty. The knowing of living once again and rising from the ashes to find my dream – a vision for a world where every person is valued, embraced, and communicates in the workplace through the values of Authenticity, Transparency, and Safety. Through my second chance at life, I have dedicated my life to help others during periods of disagreements and conflict – and I’m just getting started!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has not. My first service offering, which was salary negotiation coaching, tanked. I made no money during my first year in business.
But over time I grew to position my brand through SEO-specific keywords that I now rank for. People found me online. And I grew my consulting services accordingly.
Along with the personal challenges, all of these became lessons of empowerment for me that taught me resiliency, heart, and how to transform obstacles into learnings that make me a better person and business owner in the long run.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
CollabsHQ is a management consultancy that works with startups and large-scale enterprises creating personalized solutions to common people problems organizations face. We specialize in resolving co-founder disputes, training leaders in managerial and conflict resolution skills through two processes we invented called Collaborative Disagreement® and the W.I.N.D. Script of Collaborative Feedback, as well as creating high-performing virtual-based team processes.
Currently, we are also building out our own assessment called the Collaborative Intelligence Profile Assessment which showcases how people work together during periods of high-stress, especially if they have different opinions. We want to create the future of communication and collaboration at work and do it through structured processes that are expedient and collaborative, so everyone can feel heard and get back to doing the work they love.
As a company, I’m most proud of helping one venture-backed startup named Skedaddle survive a co-founder exit that could have ended the company. (You can read about the full story here: http://bit.ly/skedaddlecasestudy).
Beyond that work, we’re also proud of working with the United Nations Institute of Training and Research, creating the curriculum for their “Leadership, Team, and Self-Management” course in their Humanitarian Action and Peacebuilding Master’s Program in partnership with Oxford University, as well as working with Union Bank to create their innovative e-learning course called Mastering Management.
Personally, I believe what sets me apart from others is my heart. I truly care about my clients and the work I do and want to create a sustainable, empowered change.
What were you like growing up?
I was an oddball growing up. I always knew I was different, was teased for it, but I somehow knew that my difference would help me later on in life.
I poured myself into academics, graduating as valedictorian of my high school class, and was heavily involved in choir and service-oriented extracurriculars (including taking summer humanitarian trips abroad to Santiago, Chile to work with a local neighborhood down there).
As a first-generation Mexican-American, it was interesting growing up at the intersection of two different cultures. It heavily influenced me and made me tactful in how I navigated people, which helped as I went to a private Christian school from 6-12 grade.
Contact Info:
- Address: 45 S Arroyo Pkwy, Pasadena, CA 91105
- Website: www.collabshq.com
- Phone: 818-667-7574
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bryantgalindo/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bryant.galindo
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryant-galindo-66636870/
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