Alexia Gonzalez, 23, is a talent matchmaker at One in a Mil recruiting in Charleston. She was diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia at 12, which taught her to prioritize health and presence. She says workforce values have shifted: people now want fulfillment over money, forcing employers to rethink how they keep talent.
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Thank you for listening to the Business Blast podcast. So for all my listeners out there that have been wanting to do your own podcast, I'd like to introduce to you Anchor. Anchor is a one-stop shop for recording, hosting, distributing, and monetizing your podcast. So before I found Anchor, I had never actually done a podcast because all the research that I had gathered made it seem very complex. Then I found Anchor, and Anchor makes podcasting extremely simple. So if you want to do your own podcast, go to anchor.fm/start. I can't wait to hear your podcast. Welcome to the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Wagner. This episode is brought to you by Authors Unite. Authors Unite provides you with the support you need to finish your book. Best part is, after you finish your book, they take care of the entire publishing and marketing process 100% for you. So if you want to become a successful author, make sure to check out AuthorsUnite.com. Now let's jump into the episode. All right everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have Alexia Gonzalez with us. She is a talent matchmaker for One in a Mil, which is a recruiting agency based out of Charleston, South Carolina. So welcome to the show.
Thanks, Tyler. I really appreciate you having me.
Of course, and we appreciate you coming on. So the first question, Alexia, that we ask on this show is, what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
Yeah, I think that's a great question. It was hard for me to answer this, but I think reflecting and looking back, actually, at the age of 12, I was diagnosed with SVT. I was an elite gymnast at the time. And that's— it's a heart condition that requires a heart procedure. Nothing too serious. But at 12 years old, it was really scary. But looking back at that time where I needed to just put my gymnastics and my life kind of at a standstill and focus on my health, it taught me 3 valuable things that I've really focused on in my career and just in life in general. The first being, don't take the small things for granted, including a healthy beating heart. I think that's just so important not to get too ahead of ourselves. The second thing, being present in the moment. And the third thing, just no matter how stressed or busy life gets, to always keep my physical and mental health a priority.
I love that, and thank you so much for sharing that. I'm glad everything— I, I'm just curious because it's with the heart, is— so it wasn't that serious even though it was like heart-related?
Yeah, no, it was more of, um, like my, my heartbeat was just super fast. I had an extra nerve, so they had to go in and burn that extra nerve and Oh, okay. I've been healthy ever since.
Okay, very glad to hear. Yeah, because I've just never heard like a condition with the heart not being like serious. So I was like, what is that? Well, I'm glad that everything is okay now. So Alexia, the next one I have for you then is what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
Yeah, so I'm gonna preface that with I'm 23 years old, and that Starting my career, I feel like my answers to these questions will change as time evolves, but right now as a recruiter, I'm learning that what people value, it's much different than what maybe older generations valued. So for instance, success is not defined anymore by how much money you make or the status you are in society, but it's become more of a personal journey and defining success, for instance, yourself. And I think with that, employers are going to have to start shifting their business models. Otherwise, they're not going to be able to retain the best talent. So I think it's, you know, as a recruiter and being just aware of what's going on within the industry and within the market, what people value is changing. And I think business models are going to have to make shifts towards that.
And then what is your best piece of overall business advice? So not necessarily industry-specific.
I think the best advice I would give is to be kind to people and also to be the change you want to see in this world. It might sound a little cliché, but if you don't like how leadership in your company is treating its employees, I really advocate, you know, be the one to show the kindness. If there's policies that are as old as the Stone Age, you know, go and advocate for that change. Have a voice. Be that voice in your company. So I think those are what I would say. The best advice I could say is be kind and be that change.
And if you could give your younger self, I know you're 23, but even younger, one piece of advice, what would that be?
I would tell my younger self to be bold, especially reflecting back on my college days, not knowing what my future would look like, what my career would be. I found that I was hesitant in my decisions and even in myself. So I would tell myself to be bold, have courage, and also with that, that there's not winning or failing, especially at this point in my life. It's— there's winning or learning.
And in your opinion, what is the key to happiness?
Oh man, this is a tough question. But I think the key to happiness is honestly not trying to force happiness and And what I mean by that is being happy to me is an emotion that, that can change based on circumstances. And so what I've done personally is I strive to be joyful, which I find joy to be constant, a state of being, and it's an attitude that can prevail during good and bad times. So I believe happiness with that can be directly linked to gratefulness though. So no matter where you are in your journey, and what's happening. I think the key to happiness per se is having an attitude of gratitude and being grateful, and that can link back to being happy.
And then what is the best book that you've read and what was the number one thing you learned from that?
It's funny, the first thing that came to my mind is Harry Potter, but I want to talk about recently my boss and CEO of One in a Mil came out with a book called Culture Driven Recruiting. And it's new, it's just published, and when I read it, it was so interesting because it's not only relevant to the industry that I'm in, but I think every employee and employer should read it because what I took from it is that the workforce is changing, it's constantly evolving, and as recruiters, we can adhere to these new trends and consistently stay relevant and stay on top. Also, Leigh-Anne Edwards, she has a lot of sass and class in this book, and I think it's just a really interesting and fun read.
And then what is your favorite quote and why?
My favorite quote is, "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." I love that quote because I feel like a lot of people, including myself, I suffer from anxiety a little bit. And this quote has served as such a sweet reminder to myself that anxiety, I feel like, can stem from trying to control the things you can't control. So reflecting on this quote, it's just a reminder that put your effort and energy into things that matter and that you can control. And then like it says, you know, and the wisdom to know the difference and have the freedom and peace to be okay with that.
Yeah. Well, thank you so much for coming on. The last one I have for you before we let you go is where can our audience best find you online?
Yeah, LinkedIn is really the best platform to find me on, Alexia Gonzalez. If you look up location, it's Tampa, Florida. And then if you go to www.oneinamil.com and you go to the about section, my information and bio is there along with my email. So that's a really great way to find me as well.
