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We the People dives into the human and legal realities of U.S. immigration with attorney Maria Una, exploring how policy impacts families, businesses, and communities.
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Episode Transcript
[00:00:04] Speaker A: Getting back to our origin of we the People, tackling current issues, both political and legal, with common sense.
As we the People, we must bring common sense back to make our lives better.
Only on NOW Media tv.
Welcome to we the People. I'm Alina Gonzalez Dacre. Tonight, we're tackling one of the most polarizing issues in the American politics, as well as some of the legal aspects. And that is immigration.
It's a subject that dominates the headlines today, divides policymakers and stirs up strong emotions on both sides of the aisle. But beyond the political battles are real people.
Families fighting to stay together, businesses struggling to find workers and communities navigating the consequences of these federal policies.
And I am thrilled to welcome attorney Maria Elizabeth Trefonas, founder of Trefonas Law PC who is going to cut through the noise and and educate all of us as what to expect. And one of the great things and thank you, Maria for joining me is that she is a Wyoming based firm dedicated exclusively to criminal, immigration and family law aspects. And this is a trifecta of a legal areas that do each have really almost a familial type of joining for that. And for nearly two decades, Maria has represented families, individuals and businesses across the country, guiding them through one of the most complex areas of law with expertise and compassion. So, Maria, welcome.
[00:01:47] Speaker B: Thank you so much. Alina, it's nice to be here with you today. How are you?
[00:01:51] Speaker A: I am great. Thank you so much. So before I get into what I call my little geek out lawyer mode of learning more about your legal expertise, first I would love for you to share a little bit more about you and your law firm and what sets your practice apart from others, especially in the Wyoming area.
[00:02:13] Speaker C: Sure.
[00:02:13] Speaker B: Thank you so much. So I have two decades worth of experience in that intersection between criminal immigration and family law. They do intersect, right? Sometimes someone might get pulled over for a no driver's license ticket and that triggers a situation with immigration. An immigration situation might trigger a situation with family law. We like to tell people, as you know, that that family law aspect is separate from your federal status. So marriages, divorces, custodies, adoptions, that's a state law based situation. But these do intersect and that makes sense because humans, we intersect in our lives and these things all interplay.
What sets me apart is I'm originally from California, licensed both in California and Wyoming as an immigration attorney. I can be in immigration courts all over the country.
I'm also bilingual and that's somewhat rare in Wyoming, although 30% of our local population is Spanish speaking. When I got here 20 years ago. I was quite the novelty that I was bilingual. Coming from San Diego was my last stop before I got to Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
And that initially set me apart very, very quickly. And then being the only person at that time that had any immigration expertise on where people were going when they were in ICE custody and educating my community and my local judges about that very quickly set me apart. And I've stayed ahead of that curve ever since.
[00:03:33] Speaker A: First of all, kudos. I love the fact that you're bilingual and stuff. It is interesting because I'm in an area where there's though we have a 30% Hispanic community, there's not that many bilingual attorneys, especially like in family law and in guardianship. I believe I may be the only one.
So I understand that there's that niche too. But one of the things that I think I'm going to grasp on is the fact that you're educating your judges. Because that is something that's happening that we're seeing more and more especially to in this current administrative climate that we have, is that there is this now specter that is supposed to be federal coming in and seeping into all aspects of what would normally be a state action like family law, divorce, handling time sharing things of that.
How would you educate your client or would be clients your audience as to what they can expect and how best to versus the family law versus what may be coming in on the federal level?
[00:04:48] Speaker B: The very first thing is to try to get in touch with someone who's knowledgeable about what those intersections are. To give an attorney a call that you trust. And from my perspective, an attorney you trust is someone who's going to tell you this is the bottom line, this is the right information. I'm not here to give you rainbows and unicorns if that's not what exists. My job is to tell you the lay of the land and what cards are in your hand and how to play them to the best of your advantage. But ultimately you need to speak with someone who knows how to explain to you what's really going on so that you can make good decisions for yourself and your family with facts, not with promises or hope that doesn't maybe exist. I'm not trying to be a negative Nancy, but I mitigate worst case scenarios.
And so reaching out to someone who you can trust and has that knowledge is really first and foremost how you find that person.
Sit down with them and talk with them and ask them the tough questions and make sure you're getting that tough answer back that you should be getting from somebody.
[00:05:51] Speaker A: Absolutely. You have to be forthcoming. And your attorney shouldn't be all about rainbows and unicorns. As I told you off air when we were talking, I tend to tell prospective clients, you're either going to love me or you're going to decide not to come with me, because I'm going to provide you straightforward. Maybe a little bit too blunt of what all the case scenarios could be.
Obviously, immigration is often presented as a political fight. It's seeping into every aspect, it seems like now, especially in the legal field.
And you're seeing it, you're on the front line.
You're dealing with this, with family and the fact that you had that criminal background as well.
So from your vantage point, from your expertise, what recent policies or debates are having the greatest impact on your clients right now?
[00:06:49] Speaker B: Sure. The state of Wyoming, very specifically, is harsh with undocumented visitors that are here, particularly with whether or not you can drive with an out of state driver's license. Our laws changed in July. But what we're seeing sort of on more of a national level is, you know, when someone's taken into custody, what does that look like for the family? How do we get that plan together with the individual that is in custody? So we very much are educating our people to have a phone number that you can call that you know there's going to be a person on the other line that's going to answer it if you find yourself in custody, to have that power of attorney put together for who's paying your rent, who's picking up your paycheck, who's picking up your children at school, to have some of that emergency plan in place and to know that there are ways to defend a deportation. Seek bond from ICE and maybe even fix your undocumented status to documented status, or preserve what might be an already documented status through the immigration court rules and procedures and due process of law.
[00:07:49] Speaker A: Fan. This is what. Okay, I'm in awe of you, by the way, because not only are you dealing with immigration, which is federal, then the criminal. I mean, you do they intersect, however, they're so completely diverse with family and such.
And your firm handles some of the most sensitive cases, from asylum seekers to survivors of domestic violence and assisting them in getting the VAWA visas.
So with this, how do these humanitarian. With these humanitarian cases, what do you want the public to better understand about the people behind them? To like, if you're before a judge, how do we paint this? Because I think that's what we need to break through the noise is to realize and humanize these are the victims of domestic violence or these are the people who need our assistance most Excellent question.
[00:08:39] Speaker B: How do you break through with my local judges? I slow down, I tell them about my clients history and I know that my local judges often feel uncomfortable learning about immigration consequences that is outside their jurisdiction and I realize that. But I think my local judges need to understand the downstream consequences for the human being standing in front of them.
Explaining those situations very candidly I think are helpful.
I from time to time will get teary eyed in a courtroom proceeding. A long, long time ago, a mentor judge of mine, I was apologizing for being emotional and that judge came to me as a friend and mentor later on and said Elizabeth, when you get that way, don't tamp it down because we all know that that is when you're saying something incredibly important about your client.
I am an emotional presenter. I will present the story of my client and I will slow it down both for the local judge and the immigration judge as best I can. These are human beings with stories and they deserve to be told. And that's why I'm standing there.
[00:09:43] Speaker A: That's my and so that is important because I'm, you know, it is hard because though we're supposed to be this, I think people sometimes see lawyers as this teflon. We're supposed, you know, maybe not as human as they realize, but there are times where something really just grabs you, you know. And I think dealing with families in certain situations, especially for me, the victims of domestic violence and ensuring that they are able to get the assistance through the right immigration steps to be able to stay here along with their children and their family members.
I want to thank you for sharing your perspective.
And before we cut to a commercial break, I want to end with this. If you could shape U.S. immigration policy in just a few key ways, just a few, what changes would you prioritize to better serve immigrant families and American communities alike?
[00:10:45] Speaker B: I have a couple, but I think the very first one is recognizing from my perspective, when you speak with people across various political spectrum, when you're speaking with human beings face to face, we actually have a great deal in common with wanting secure borders, wanting secure communities, wanting opportunities for our children, wanting to help our neighbor who might be food insecure or coming into a new neighborhood, I really don't find that we disagree on as much as we seem to all think we do. Once we start talking about the human stories and people we know and then listening to each other about our diverse perspectives. We really are of a country where we want to be safe, secure and seek opportunity. And so if I could change most of the immigration rules, I'd get rid of the whole code and start again with the fundamental principles and what our goals are. We have patchworked it and band aided it and made it not function somewhat intentionally, maybe for some economic gain to our country.
And I think if we just went back down to the basics of this is what we what we want to see for our neighbors and our families and our own security, and I think we'd come up with a much better code and a much better process starting all over.
[00:11:58] Speaker A: And I couldn't agree with you more. And actually, immigration reform, it needs not reform, it needs a whole renovation, if you will.
I am Alina Gonzalez Dachry. I am joined by attorney Maria Elizabeth Trefonas, who is an expert in immigration, criminal and family. She's giving us these great perspectives. We're going to cut to a quick commercial break. Be back. Make sure to tune back in so that we can hear more from Maria.
Welcome back to we the People. Loving what you're watching. Don't miss a moment of we the People or any of your favorite NOW Media TV shows, live or on demand, anytime, anywhere. Download the free Now Media TV app on Roku or iOS and enjoy instant access to our full lineup of bilingual programming in both English and Spanish. Prefer to listen on the go catch the podcast version of the show right on Now Media TV website www.Now Media TV from business and breaking news to lifestyle, cultural and everything in between, now media TV is streaming 24. 7 ready whenever you are.
I'm here with attorney Elizabeth Refonas. She's an expert in immigration, criminal and family law and has helped clients throughout the nation with immigration aspects. In this segment, we're focusing on more of the preparedness. Emergencies can feel like a tsunami and many people don't feel ready to swim through them. Let's talk about simple, proactive steps that make a big difference.
MARIE Elizabeth, we hear so much about the border, asylum claims, migrant surges and court backlogs. From your perspective, as someone working directly with the people most affected by this, what do people often misunderstand about asylum seekers and the realities of border policy?
[00:14:06] Speaker B: Oh, that's a big question.
One of the things that I think people often miss is that we are treaty members of the United Nations Human Rights Convention, and that's a treaty that we've been part of I don't since World War II, and it includes how we treat Prisoners and includes how we treat refugees.
And I'm a big proponent of, if you have a rule, follow the rule. If you have a law, follow the law. If you don't like the rule or the law, then we should go about it as a democratic people and change it to what we'd like to be.
But currently our law is that if you need to seek refugee status or refugee help and asylum, you are to turn yourself in at the border. You are to say, hello, I'm here and I need help. And as part of the unhcr, we are a country that is going to take you in and go through the process of allowing you an opportunity to bear your burden, of proving that you are entitled to this protection.
Those surges, I think we could talk about the politics and the violence and the reasons behind the surges and who's responsible for that and who's not.
But from my perspective, right, I'm dealing with the client who has showed up in my office in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Even I represent orphans, unaccompanied minors, families that turn themselves in at the border. And they are, they show up, they say, I'm here, I need help. Our US Government takes them in and says, great, you're going to have a hearing here in about six months. And you're intending to live in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, because you have maybe an aunt or a cousin or a church there that's helping you. When someone walks into my office, border rules, politics, all important, but all aside, I'm looking at a human being and often a human being with their children.
And so my role becomes very different and much more maybe protective over this real person that's sitting in front of me.
So from my perspective, I'm a believer that you do help the least of these that were called to do that.
And when they walk into my office, I truly believe that these asylees and refugees are. But don't be mistaken. I need to prove their claim. I also need to prove they're not violent, that they don't have criminal histories, that they're not here to harm United States citizen people or others, and that their claim is true.
So we work very, very hard to get to that burden and to establish that burden. But we have work to do. It's not as simple as I show up and you just let me in and then I'm here to stay. That's not the process.
I am very much a proponent for safe and secure borders and open and safe doors to provide help for the least of these.
[00:16:46] Speaker A: And so as a I guess background online. My parents are Cuban refugees.
They came over in 1962 with nothing to their name, three changes of clothes and a baby on their hip.
So I can.
My heart goes out because I understand that that was a real situation and you see this.
And unfortunately, with the way that mainstream media is, and I think a lot of, like, social media has twisted what is real. The. The, you know, it is twisted so much, this issue that. Or this topic, that it has allowed the real humanity of it to go unseen.
And I've seen it even in my own practice from almost 30 years of the effects, and I'm starting to see now more. So even with our planning, if. If we have a family law case and we're trying to deal with timesharing with minor children and one of the spouses undocumented, we're dealing with that planning. What if there's a deportation? What if their asylum claim is denied?
[00:18:02] Speaker C: Sure.
[00:18:03] Speaker A: And that is just something that goes beyond, I think, at least some people's conception, because it's not what their perspective is or they don't see that aspect.
So. And I really appreciate you looking at this, because I'm.
I just want the public to realize that, yes, there's a lot of humanity here, but there's also, there are laws in place as maybe messed up as some of those are, because they really do need to revamp the whole system. But most part, most of these people that are seeking asylum are doing it in the rightful way and for the right purposes.
[00:18:39] Speaker B: Sure. And I think as a person who represents asylum seekers, when they show up and turn themselves in at the border, they are following our rules for them to then be released into the country and have future hearings. They are following the rules for us to show up to the immigration judge, improve our asylum case, and win that privilege. We are following the rules. So if the sentiment of the country, and we are a democratic people, is that we don't like those rules, okay, I can appreciate the votes to change that. But to really pin it on my client that somehow they're doing something nefarious or not doing it the right way, I take exception to that because they are following those rules. Of course, we have other humans who maybe came across and didn't turn themselves into the border and maybe ran the border and had other reasons for it. That is maybe a different conversation than the Asyle conversation.
We can talk a little bit more about that and pollos and cartels and human trafficking and victims, and that might be a different dynamic. But to really focus on what you asked me, which is the asylees and refugees, most humans that I work for and that I've ever come across did not leave their home because they preferred being in a strange land.
There was something that drove them to seek safety.
And that's what we focus on with our asyle clients.
[00:20:00] Speaker A: And thank you. I think that's what needs to be heard and expressed.
And then.
So I have little experience with vawa. And for those of you in our audience, that's Victims Against Women act, that allows for a visa for victims of domestic violence. And obviously there's the criteria that falls within that. But I also want to touch upon unaccompanied minors. And you deal with victims of human trafficking as well, I'm assuming, because I know we have had huge busts of human trafficking and we're finding children being involved.
Can you help maybe give a little bit of a scenario of what attorneys such as yourself are doing to help those victims into securing them not only here in the United States, but to allow them to be able to be free from further violence or threat of violence?
[00:20:59] Speaker C: Sure.
[00:21:00] Speaker B: We work hand in hand with our local shelters or community safety networks and our victim services, with our police department and sometimes our sheriffs. Very often I'm flagged by a victim services representative who may have gotten word that there was a child living in a freezing cold. Not even the basement, but the crawl space of a trailer home in our community.
When that gets flagged and our Department of Family Services gets called in, we will be called to assist that child as well.
We also represent a lot of children that turn themselves in without a parent at the border. And then we're somewhat sponsored is maybe the loose word for it, but by a family, relative or a church that is here in our area, that's an unaccompanied minor, special immigrant, juvenile. And we can seek certain status, privileges and safety if we meet our burden of proof in those applications, always that they qualify under the rules.
Also, I have a large. In Wyoming, we have a large group of homeless children who got into a rural part of the country.
Don't really know how they got here. Maybe they got left here young and have found themselves homeless in a very rural country.
[00:22:25] Speaker A: Oh, excuse me.
Little technical difficulty on my end.
So, and, and so I understand because I remember I used to be an executive director of a legal item we. And we at that time initiated an immigration aspect of our legal services, which would help victims domestic violence with VAWA visas, but also unaccompanied minors to get that, you know, to do the dependency so that they could get their legal status.
But I can't even imagine how you, how it you present with having a little child who is homeless or doesn't even know. I mean, that's.
That to me is just heartbreaking.
But so grateful to have attorney such as yourself that are on the front lines and they're the first call. And that's what's so important.
Okay, I know we only have a minute, but, you know, you've been giving us such powerful insights and despite all these challenges in the politics that are going, you seem to have, you're expressing there is some hope still for the future of immigration, for those that wish to seek and pot and to be able to live in this country and have the American dream.
Am I wrong in saying that there is still hope out there?
[00:23:50] Speaker B: I think what's happening in a lot of the divisiveness, from my perspective, we talk about this with new attorneys and interns.
It becomes very stark what people's feelings are. I think if we can have those discussions, if I can be my point of view and I can talk with somebody in Wyoming who may have a different point of view, statistically speaking, in Wyoming, that happens to me a lot. But we can come to a resolution and really have that conversation, then you may find we have found the perfect solution because we were willing to look at both sides so dramatically.
I'm not of the opinion that having really diverse opinions is necessarily a bad idea if we can sit down and communicate with each other. But I think there's hope. I'm a believer in the history of this country. I'm a believer that immigrants actually do make our communities safer and our economies thrive. Jackson Hole is based on our immigrant community. That's why we are the place people want to come to and see the glorious Tetons, is because we have hardworking people here.
And I think they'll keep coming and so will the tourists, and we'll keep moving forward.
[00:24:59] Speaker A: Elizabeth, where can viewers find you?
Website, social media, newsletters. I mean, I want them to learn how to contact you for more information, but also to seek you out for legal assistance.
[00:25:13] Speaker B: Thank you, Alina. I have said in the past that people could give us a call. You still can call us, but I've also let people know that we answer our phone actually with real human beings, namely me, Lisa. And it seems like she's getting a little too many calls these days. So the website's great. We have a Contact Us page that actually comes directly to me that ICE screen. You can follow us on Facebook. I put out local information, particularly what's happening with maybe ICE here in the county and in our region and new law changes.
But I'm always willing to get that Facebook message as well. So happy to have people reach out to me. Give me a beat to get back to you, but we certainly will and it's a pleasure to visit with you, Alina.
[00:25:52] Speaker A: Well, thank you, Elizabeth, for joining us and thank you for the important work you do. And that is with all Earnesty and for our viewers. If you'd like to learn more about attorney Elizabeth Trefones and her team, you can visit trefones law.com and we will. And also you can go to NowMedia TV not only in this episode, but you will see that all the information to get a hold of Elizabeth. I'm Alina Gonzalez Dockery and this is we the People where we bring practical legal insight to everyday lives. Stay informed, stay empowered and stay tuned because I have another very special guest for our next half hour.
Welcome back to we the People where we tackle today's most pressing issues with common sense and clarity.
And I am especially thrilled to introduce you to My next guest, Dr. Adil Dalal, CEO of Pinnacle Process Solutions, Forbes Coaching council member, award winning author, Ted Talk speaker and keynote speaker. With expertise spanning AI leadership and continuous improvement, Dr. Dalal empowers teams globally and has received numerous honors including the Shingo Award and hall of fame 2024. Dr. Dalal, thank you for being here and agreeing to be on my show.
I am thrilled to have you. I, I have to say this is me being very, I'm trying to contain.
[00:27:25] Speaker C: My excitement because likewise, Elena, thank you very much for inviting me. It's a pleasure.
[00:27:31] Speaker A: In a world where leadership often looks like is chasing titles, we're seeing some purported, I'm going to use air quotes, being more interested in being influencers than actually governing.
And then there's the power and the profit and such.
I would love to discuss and get your perspective on what today's leadership is turning into and how we can really rectify some of those leadership gaps.
[00:28:09] Speaker C: You're starting off with a hard ball.
No? Very, very good question, because this troubles me a lot. This is where my whole mission in life is to really create a new model of leadership. And that is why I have a show called A Superconscious Leader, because I really believe that today leaders are following the titles and power and position.
And it is not about that. Leadership is not about that. Leadership is something very different. It is really about creating. You know, first you have to pull yourself up. Leadership is an opportunity to get better and better as your team grows. So this is an opportunity which leaders are missing.
And how you do that is through trust building with your team.
And I'll give you a, an example from my early days.
I was working for a medical company and I was the manufacturing engineer and thought I was really, you know, could do a lot of things for my team. And they were going into the clean room and what was happening was, you know, we thought there were some issues. So my new manager and myself went in one night after everyone had gone, and we started rearranging the furniture in the room and we said, oh, this looks so great. And, and we knew, I'm a leading expert. I can, you know, give them a way of better approaching a process.
The next morning I had eight ladies standing in front of me, you know, really staring me down of how dare you go into our home and mess with our furniture.
I'm like, I, I didn't know what to say.
But, you know, I totally agreed with them. I realized, oh my God, I broke their trust. I broke their trust. And that is the first thing we need to do. And obviously I was trying to impress the new manager to kind of, hey, I can do all this. But I didn't understand that, hey, it is their home. You can just go and barge in and make changes. That was such an important lesson, which I have never forgotten to this day. Whenever I make changes, whenever I'm leading a team, Alina, I'm always involving them. I'm asking them the questions, do you think this would be a good way to go? And I'm telling you, that changes the whole game on leadership. You are part of the team. A leader is just, you know, trying to give them the direction, but it's the team that ultimately makes it happen.
Hope that answers.
[00:30:55] Speaker A: And no, it does. And of course I have a slurry of questions coming up, but it's also with your vast experience and looking at your journey and you have, I mean, you're an accredited author, you're an expert in leadership. And as you know, I do a political slanted show, so we get to discuss some of that.
But I, I for one look at, and it's easy to say even, you know, obviously the big level congressional members and even our president and stuff in the administrations, but even on a state level, I feel like who are supposed to be our leaders are missing the boat on so much because these elected officials, these elected members, whether it's the state legislature or on the federal congressional level, whether Senate or representative, feel like they've missed the mark. And the ability of what is a good leader and that is governance. It's the negotiations, it's the, it's the, the ability to talk to others and listen.
And as an expert on leadership and, and how to develop those skills, especially among, you know, younger people and such, how would you, what do you think? What's going on? What, you know, what is happening to our current way of.
It seems like everybody has a line in the sand and nobody's willing to cross cross over.
[00:32:30] Speaker C: And, and that is the issue is we don't understand that leadership does not mean you have a, a higher position. That is the, the wrong way to look at it.
What you want is more humility.
When, when you have humility and humility comes with eq.
So when we have, when we develop a higher eq, emotional intelligence versus just intelligence. You may be an intelligent person, that's why you reach this. But you cannot just use that to lead. You need EQ to lead. And when you have higher EQ you develop some humility. With humility comes some skills like being able to listen to others.
Today it's just, you know, talk, talk, talk. There is no listening. Look at R2, you look at our government, I mean overall which leaders are talking? They are supposed to set the example for our young people.
When they cannot do that, they go to other channels. The actors, the rap artists, everyone becomes the model. What about making a political leaders a role model?
Wouldn't they be someone who can lead better and who can show us the way? And I think what is happening right now is, you know, the, the, the pressure on them to, for the votes and for the immediate piece. And this is where our society is right now. Unfortunately. Everything is about the short term profit, short term measures. Same thing with Wall Street. That's why company leaders are in that kind of a bind. Because everything is now when you look at a little longer term, your decisions will change a little better. Your decisions will be much more wiser.
And I'm telling you it is going to become extremely challenging for leaders in the age of AI. It's going to. Leadership is going to have a seismic shift. There is a tsunami coming and these people don't know.
[00:34:40] Speaker A: Well, let's touch upon that because AI has come in like it's a force, you know, it's coming into every aspect. And I mean I can tell you I probably was a little bit later in the game of getting on, you know, Using chat, GPT and stuff. But I am loving seeing even how to the AI with obviously checks in check systems in place is helping with my own practice is helping with all aspects and being able to even with the show.
But you, you say how AI is going to affect our future leadership. Can you expand on that more? Because that sounds so interesting. But that is the evolution that we're going through.
[00:35:25] Speaker C: Yeah. I mean what, what, what is the role of a leader? A role of a leader is to make good decisions.
Decisions come from information. So it's data, information, knowledge and wisdom. That's the. The model.
Now the thing is AI is becoming a tool which almost is giving you wisdom.
If you see some of the things we are depending on it.
So you know in my Forbes article I've written there will be in future three types of leaders. Alina.
One will be just technology driven. Those technology driven leaders will neglect human beings, will neglect everything. Focus will be let's make the best, you know, machine and and physical AI we can and disrupt everything.
And that kind of thinking will lead into weaponry and lead into things which will diminish humanity to no point.
The second type of leader will be where they will disregard technology, disregard AI Just focus on what they are doing the old way, human to human connection. They are going to fail too because AI is not going away.
It is just at infancy right now. So it is going to touch every human being on this planet without fail.
So they have to be ready. So what is a future leader? A future leader will be technologically savvy, humanistic driven leader. That is going to be the successful model of leaders. No matter if you're at a political stage or you are in a corporation or you're in a nonprofit, you will need to be technologically savvy. But you should be human centric. If you have that combination, that will be the winning combination for the future.
[00:37:23] Speaker A: And I love that. And we. With that, we're going to take a quick commercial break and then we'll return to learn more about leadership. But also see what Dr. Lalal feels how the world leaders are using their power and their stage to advance our humanistic sides. Tune right back in.
Welcome back to we the People. Loving what you're watching. Don't miss a moment of we the People or any of your favorite NOW Media TV shows live or on demand, anytime anywhere. Download the free Now Media TV app on Roku or iOS and enjoy instant access to our full lineup of bilingual programming, both English and in Spanish. Spanish prefer to listen on the go catch the podcast version of the show right on the Now Media TV website at www.nowmedia.tv.
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So I'm here with Dr. Idea Dalal who also has a show on NOW Media TV that you can catch.
In this segment, we're going to kind of shift it, the conversation towards how the world leaders, how their, their jobs are being affected by the, the loud voices of say, those on social media and why we're missing the mark on authentic leadership and why does peace seem to keep eluding us.
So Dr. Dalal, I know we talked a little bit offhand.
You've watched like I saw that set that, that summit of Western leaders in, in White House and I was glad to see them all together and they were playing nicely. But it seems like everybody says we want peace, we want to make sure that the humanitarian needs of, of, of all people are met.
But we're missing the mark.
And I'm just curious because when I was watching that, I was just like, oh my God, I would love to pick your brain where you think that the world leadership is maybe missing this step.
[00:39:48] Speaker C: The world leadership. I mean, you saw that summit, right? Yes, it is.
I was very happy that it's happening. I mean, not often you see all of them coming in and, and trying to solve a conflict. But you know, it's like after the fire is burning and for, you know, killing so many people, you don't go and try to take it out. And they've been very unsuccessful. And there is a reason for that. And the reason is there is no plan, there is no vision. Tell me, which leader has a vision for peace today?
I, I don't. Even if they do, they get shut out. And the reason is war is more profitable than peace.
That is the reason when something is more profitable, when it's economically viable, then people will shift towards that area which is more profitable.
So how do we do this? Now? The, the problem is that what, what really troubles me is that as human beings we have been. The Homo sapiens have been around for what, 300,000 years and we have. How many wars have we fought? How many people have we lost on wars and unnecessary things which are going on? Have we not learned anything from that?
And why are these national leaders out there and they become leaders but never learned a way to approach peace?
That is the sad part which you know. And that is why my show, a super conscious leader is really, I believe that we have to start from scratch on leadership today. See there are generation shifts, there are technological upheavals, there is so much change happening. Complexity is at a super high level right now.
So human beings, you know, leaders need to now start looking at a different way of approaching. And my approach is the mind, body, spirit, you know they've, they've used a lot of the mind.
Let's start using the heart and let's start using what has been given to us which is beyond our, our body.
And when you get into that kind of, you know, higher consciousness thinking these problems will be resolved because the leaders themselves will start thinking in a different way.
So this is what my mission in life is Lena so well and let's.
[00:42:31] Speaker A: Touch on more on that because I am a believable and proponent that I mean honestly the heartfelt, the heart led interactions and aspects even to how I do my practice is always better than when I start thinking because as I call them the minions, you know starts, you know they go a little crazy. And when I'm thinking that's when I'm not in touch, I'm not aligned. And I think that's maybe at least in my experience when dealing with people in leadership roles whether it was as a non for profit, a director of a non for profit volunteerism or government or even for profit.
You do you. It's when you think it's the ego that tends to skirt you off the real path on how we can continue to for the better good.
So I want to learn more about this, you know, bringing out the spiritual, the heart, the heart led leader versus the ego based mind.
Mindful, you know it's not mindful but it's just you know, the thinking as I call it, correct.
[00:43:43] Speaker C: And you know the thing is the key is thinking beyond yourself today leaders it's everything about myself.
Bigger homes, bigger this more ego. It just keeps building. You know the Maslow's pyramid which goes from the physiological to the self realization.00 something percent have reached that level.
And the reason is it is not a straight path. As soon as you see you have achieved something in life, you go out of your home, you see your neighbor with a better car, you again come down to the lower level saying I don't have enough.
This is how the mind works. It's all about us.
When we start thinking about outside us, what can I do? That is why I written the book A legacy driven life.
A legacy driven life is amazing way to set your not star.
How many leaders have set the not stars which is beyond this lifetime. See a purpose. They have all have a purpose in life to do more, more, more.
That is for this life. A legacy is beyond this lifetime. You are doing something for the next generation.
That is the job of a leader.
That is the primary job of a leader.
How many of them are doing that today?
You know, they, it's really sad. And I'm not saying none of them are doing it.
There are, there are good leaders who are really making sure that happens.
So but the tools are lacking, Elena. There are some tools which they need in order to get to that level is lacking. And so I've created different levels. I've created sensei leadership and I've created the legacy driven leadership, higher consciousness and then a super consciousness level of leadership.
And if we can go through that path, it changes even 1% of our national leaders reach that. It changes the nation.
[00:45:55] Speaker A: Well, you see and it, and, and it really is that little pebble like that 1% that cause that can create the change necessary, that positively uplifts not only a nation or a people or a community.
[00:46:09] Speaker C: Mm.
[00:46:10] Speaker A: So for someone in the audience who feels totally overlooked or powerless in today's world, what's one first step they can take to begin leading with purpose in their own life to change. Make that little 1% change that shifts up their ability to leave a legacy for their children or for their future generations.
[00:46:32] Speaker C: You are the power of one. That's what I would tell them. Don't think you are, you know, have no power.
You are, you know, also you are the CEO of your own, you know, life.
If you can understand that, you are the hero of your story.
And if you don't believe that and if you don't act on it, you'll become a sidekick in someone else's story. So you have to make that choice today.
What do you want to do?
Do you want to be the CEO leading your own life, leading your career to the place where you want to be?
And sometimes it's very uncomfortable place to be.
But it is where growth will happen. It is where you are going to that next level of understanding. But lead with your mind, heart and your spirit. If you just pick your mind, it's going to lead you in one direction, which may bring you a lot of, you know, kind of wealth, but it may not give you peace of mind.
To me, anything which costs us a peace of mind is too heavy a price to pay.
So have your, your values have to be in line with what you want to do.
So number one, make that choice to be the CEO number two, align yourself to what your values are.
[00:48:05] Speaker A: And Dr. Dalal, for those who want to explore your books, learn more about your work or connect with you, where can they go?
[00:48:13] Speaker C: And they can go to my LinkedIn profile, Adil Dalal my website Dr. Adil Dalal Dr. A D I L D A L.com can be helpful.
Pinnacle Process P I N N A C L E P R O C E-S-S.com would be another place.
[00:48:34] Speaker A: Dr. Adil Dalal, thank you so much for joining me. On we the People today we explored not only what leadership must become in a world longing for peace, but also how the future of leadership will depend on embracing AI and becoming super conscious.
For our audience, the challenge is clear. Leadership isn't just a chosen few is a choice anyone can make, and the future will demand it. All of us.
Take what you've learned today.
Reflect on how you can lead with purpose and step boldly into your own potential to develop that legacy. I'm Alina Gonzalez Dacre, and this is we the People. Until next time, let's keep building a world guided by vision, unity and common sense.
