Gabrielle Nichols-Roy
Episode 50

Narrator: Welcome friends to another episode of The Story & Experience Podcast. Join your host, Japhet De Oliveira with his guest today and discover the moments that shape us, our families and communities.

Japhet De Oliveira: Well, welcome friends to a phenomenal, and I'm setting this up well, because it will be phenomenal, a phenomenal Story & Experience Podcast episode. If you're brand new to this, you've never heard us at all, I just want to explain how it works. We have 100 questions and my guest is smiling and nodding because they are excited about the 100 questions. I can hear them as well, you can hear them as well. And the first 10 I will do, and then they get to choose between 11 and 100, where we're going to go. The questions, of course, become more vulnerable and more open as we get up there, but it is about the stories and experiences that shape us. So, let me not delay any further and let me dive straight in with the very first question to my guess. What's your name? Does anybody ever mess it up or mispronounce it or spell it wrong? Yeah.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: All right. Well, my name is Gabrielle Nichols-Roy. Absolutely. My name gets butchered. I actually get Gabriel probably more often than Gabrielle or Gabriella. One Starbucks barista once wrote on my cup Cabrelle with a C.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's good.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: They were definitely taking liberties. And I have a hyphenated last name, which is hard for a lot of folks, too, which doesn't help. Fun fact, Nichols and Roy, neither are my maiden name. I actually got married and married into a hyphenated name just to make things more complicated, keep it interesting.

Japhet De Oliveira: I don't think I've ever seen a triple hyphenated name, so double's good.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: I should have gone for that, yeah. My name's not long enough already.

Japhet De Oliveira: I know, I know. Hey, that's fantastic, Gabrielle. I'm really, I'm excited. That's a brilliant for your barista to do that for you. All right. Gabrielle, what do you do for work?

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: I am the system director of film production here at Adventist Health.

Japhet De Oliveira: All right. And what does that mean?

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: I will, I will. Under the umbrella of Story and Experience, we create films for the system. So, telling stories through visual arts, capturing folks and sharing all their amazing stories, of which there is no shortage here at Adventist Health.

Japhet De Oliveira: That is true. You have gathered together a dream team of filmmakers and-

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: Oh, yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: And you are, everybody should know this about Gabrielle, she's kind of a bit of a legend behind film. She does really, really well with that. And, I'm looking forward to you actually being on film, as well. So, it's good, it's good. Hey, that's fantastic. How long have you been doing this, Gabrielle?

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: So, I've been with Adventist Health about three years now. And in this role, just over a year.

Japhet De Oliveira: All right. One year anniversary coming up, this is good, this is good, this is good. OK, we'll go into the easy one now, this is just like the beginning. And so, in the beginning of the day, what's your first drink of the day? Is it like water? Is it a green liquid smoothie? Is it coffee? Is it tea?

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: I don't drink coffee, I am probably in the minority there. I never acquired a taste for coffee. Growing up, everyone said, Oh, when you go to college or when you start work, you're going to love it. It never appealed to me, too bitter, not my thing. I do like tea, though, and in the last five years or so, I've done definitely really gotten into tea. My in-laws were both born in India and they drink tea all day, morning, noon, night, right before bed.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yes.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: But, they put milk in it and I never really liked tea and then once I had it with milk, I realized that's my jam.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's kind of magical. I know. I just got home myself from an ankle surgery and my wife made me a cup of tea. It's really good. I'm with you on that.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: I know. And I asked you what kind tea Becky made you and now I have to add that to my list to go buy and try.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, that was good. It's good. All right, Gabrielle, where were you born?

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: I was born in Fremont, California, which for those of listeners who don't know where Fremont, the Bay Area.

Japhet De Oliveira: OK. All right. And the Bay Area, for the world to know is... You're, well, I said the Bay Area, of course everyone knows that.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: Who doesn't know the Bay Area?

Japhet De Oliveira: OK. All right. You're just going leave it lingering, Google the Bay Area and you'll get it. All right, great. Have you been back?

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: Yes. Yes, actually. I'm really lucky. A lot of my family has since moved over my way, so we're all close together, but I do still have some family there, so I do get to go back, which is nice.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's fantastic. All right. So, now when you were a child in Fremont, what did you imagine you were going to be when you grew up?

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: Oh.

Japhet De Oliveira: Cool. Oh, yeah.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: OK. When I was younger, when I was in elementary school, I really, really wanted to be a waitress. And, I'm going to tell you why, and this is the funny part of the story.

Japhet De Oliveira: All right.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: You know how when a waitress, I don't even know if they still do this, now they use iPads and stuff, but they took your order and they had those order pads that had the carbon paper in it.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yes.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: So, it would make a copy. I thought that was amazing and you know how much I love paper and writing, so this probably doesn't surprise you. And I thought those pads of paper that made multiple copies when you wrote once was amazing. So, I wanted to be a waitress purely on the fact that I wanted to get my hands on one of those, like a triplicate form.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yes. There are many other jobs, as well, that you could just do the same thing, but I'm glad that you were thinking of that. That's great, that's great. Everybody should know this about Gabrielle, as well, that she has probably the most phenomenal handwriting. We got a Christmas card from you, my wife said, What? What? Who wrote that? And my wife has great handwriting, as well, so it was wow.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: What you don't know is I used carbon paper, everybody got the same Christmas card, I made copies. Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: Oh, that's good, that's good. Very clever. Somehow I don't believe that, but... Hey, personality wise, Gabrielle. Would people describe you as an introvert, an extrovert and would you agree?

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: I would describe myself as an introvert. I love being home with my husband and my dog. I love being home, but I have worked really hard on trying to be more of an extrovert in the last decade or so. I think it's a really good skill to have energy around people, to push yourself. So, I have definitely tried. So, I hope people would say I'm an extrovert because I've been working on it. It would show all the at work hasn't gone to waste.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's interesting. An introvert who tries to be an extrovert. OK. I'll let everybody wonder about that one, as well. That's good. Thank you. Habits. Now, are you an early riser or late night owl?

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: I think we've talked about this before, this is super boring. I'm neither. I go to sleep at a reasonable time, I wake up at a reasonable time. I actually try to wake up and go to sleep at the same time, weekdays and weekends, I heard that makes it easier, and it does. I don't get up as early as you, I don't know that many people that do. But just a reasonable time for most.

Japhet De Oliveira: A reasonable time, all right. Hey, that's good. You like the day, the day is good. I'm with you that. All right. Hey, leadership question here. You've been leader at Adventist Health and you're a leader in other companies that you work for and situations. So, are you a backseat driver?

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: No. You know what? You shouldn't ask me that question. You should ask Mark and Philip for the real answer to that question.

Japhet De Oliveira: We'll do that in the 360.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: Exactly. Let's do that. I try not to, I try not to. When I started working when I was 15, I had a really, really great boss who trusted me and I knew he trusted me and it meant so much to me. So, I really try. And sometimes it's harder than other times because I am pretty Type A, but I try to remember that it means a lot to other people for you to show your trust. So, I try not to be a backseat leader.

Japhet De Oliveira: No, that's good, that's good. Hey, that's fantastic. I like how you subbed driver to leader straight away. All right, we are done with the first 10, which was really easy. So now-

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: 10 already.

Japhet De Oliveira: I know, I know. So, it's just your journey. You pick between 11 100 and let's see where it goes. And it's great to hear these stories and experiences.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: All right. You saw this coming. I'm going to go with 11.

Japhet De Oliveira: OK, all right. Oh, this is great. Tell us about the most adventurous food or meal you have eaten. Yes.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: All right.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yes.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: I have eaten some adventurous things. I'll give you two. How about that? I have eaten and then you tell me what's more adventurous. How about that?

Japhet De Oliveira: OK. I see where this is going.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: I have eaten rattlesnake when in Arizona. It's very cliche, but it does taste like chicken, maybe a little chewier, maybe little more on the calamari side. Okay. And then I have, I think I've told you this, I've eaten frog before. I went to China, rookie mistake, I ate without first asking what I was eating. And so, I did eat frog, kind of accidentally. So, those are probably the two most adventurous things I've ever eaten, and one not voluntarily.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah. You know, rattlesnake, hands down. I mean, yeah. Neither seem pleasing.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: It was fried. Most things are good fried.

Japhet De Oliveira: I don't know.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: You could fry almost anything, I think, and it would taste good.

Japhet De Oliveira: OK, OK. We may have to test that theory out someday.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: Yeah, don't take me up on that.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, yeah. OK, all right. So, you did well. You did the first one, 11. Where next?

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: 20.

Japhet De Oliveira: 20. All right. Ooh. Tell us about something you would rate 10 out of 10. Mm.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: 10 out of 10. All right. 10 out of 10, and I don't know if it's because we were just talking food or everything is I would rate 10 out of 10, my mind goes straight to food. But I would say bread, 10 out of 10 and more specifically, homemade bread. I love baking.

Japhet De Oliveira: OK.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: Love making bread and it is so good to eat fresh bread. You know what I don't give a 10 out of 10 to is making your own sourdough. Season One of the pandemic, when everybody was making sourdough, I tried it. I did it where you feed it every certain number of times a day, it's like a Tomagotchi you have to keep alive. I tried really hard. I wasted so much flour trying to make the perfect sourdough and it tasted sour, but it never rose, they were like rock cakes. Yeah, there's a good example. That fried still wouldn't be good. It was terrible. I made terrible sourdough.

Japhet De Oliveira: All right, all right. That and engine oil filters fried. Yeah. I'm with you. OK. That's good. That's good. Hey, good. All right. Where next after 20?

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: 21.

Japhet De Oliveira: 21. Brilliant. Share the best compliment you've ever received.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: Best is hard. We could be here all day if I had to think of the best one. All right. I'll give you one, but I won't say it's the best, but it has stuck with me. At my last job, I had worked there about nine years and I had worked my way up and had become their executive director and I had my own office, which was great. And when I decorated it, I put a couch in there and the couch was awesome because when we had team meetings, everyone could come and sit. And I interviewed someone once where I welcomed them into my office, gestured toward the couch and said, have a seat and then made my way over to a chair. And when I turned around, he still there, he hadn't sat yet, he's just looking at the couch. And he looks at me and he says, Oh, one day, when I'm your age, I want to have a couch in my office.

And, then he followed it up. I want to be where you are and had a couch in my office. And, it's kind of a silly thing, but it stuck with me because as someone who, and I think a lot of people are like this, you're always focused on your next goal and what you want to do next. Sometimes you have a hard time celebrating that you've gotten where you want to go and you already made your next goal. And so, when you're always at Point A looking at Point, it's helpful to have someone give you this compliment that you are right now is good their Point B, that's where they want to be. And so, it's a silly compliment about a couch, but it stuck with me because it helps me remember sometimes you know what? You have come a long way. Kind of got to celebrate it before you think about the next thing and the next thing you want to do.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's pretty good, that is really good, I like that. That's beautiful. And, lots of leadership tips inside there as well. So, that's good, that's good. Bonus. All right, all right. After 21, where next?

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: All right. 20s, 37.

Japhet De Oliveira: 37. OK, all right. What do you like most about your family?

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: Oh, easy.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: I picked a good one. Well, what I like most about my family is that we all get along, I definitely don't take that for granted. We are very lucky and we don't all believe the same things, we don't make all the same life choices, but we choose to get along, which I appreciate.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's good.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: You know this about me, my family lives really close. I'm super lucky in the last couple years in a half mile radius, I have my parents, my sisters, my only sibling. My in-laws recently moved there, my brother-in-law, my cousin, my sister-in-laws, oh my gosh, we all live super close. So, we can like ride our bikes and spend time together, have dinners together, spend holidays, we go on camping trips together. And we get to do all of that stuff because we get along and because we like to spend time together. So, super lucky and definitely my favorite thing is that we get along.

Japhet De Oliveira: I like how you shared as well, and this is important for everybody else as well, I love the fact that you actually have to be intentional about liking to get along. It's good. It's really-

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: It's work.

Japhet De Oliveira: It's work.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy:

It’s work-

Japhet De Oliveira: But it's really wonderful results.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: Worthwhile work.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, yeah. No, totally. That's really beautiful. I actually think a lot of families need that. A little bit of reconciliation, because there's so much value. Love it. Good. Right after 37, then where now?

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: 40 something. 43.

Japhet De Oliveira: 43. All right then. Tell us about the best gift that you've ever received. This is not a compliment this time. It's the best gift you've ever received.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy:

The best best.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: Hmm. All right. I'll give you a silly answer and a real answer, how about that?

Japhet De Oliveira: I'm up for that.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: All right. My silly answer is when, gosh, I was probably in second grade, all I wanted for Christmas was My Size Barbie doll. I don't even know if they make these anymore. It was a three foot tall Barbie doll. It looked nothing like me, it was like the quintessential, blonde Barbie doll, it was just your size. That's all I wanted. So, I remember getting up on Christmas and the way our house was laid out, I could look out the staircase at the top and look down two stories and see the Christmas tree. And, all I was looking for was a three foot box because that would mean the best gift had come.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yes, had come.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: And, so I did. I got the My Size Barbie doll, Santa listened by way of my parents. And, when people ask me a favorite gift, that definitely comes to mind. But, I'll give you a more serious answer. As, I've gotten older, I've realized the best gift that you can receive and you can give is time, hands down time. And, I always think of it in the context of my grandparents. My grandparents on my mom's side, both unfortunately have since passed away, but growing up, we lived really close, they were less than a half mile away.

When my parents had to work in the summer and I was off school, I went to their house, we had dinners together. They were there for every promotion, graduation, recital. My grandma probably videotaped it, they were in the front row. And, while they bought me tons of tangible gifts, I mean, they were grandparents, they bought me ice cream at 11 in the morning thing, time is what they gave me. And, now that they're no longer here, when I look back on as is that was just the best gift they could have given me was all their time.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah. That is beautiful. I should just clarify for all the listeners who do believe that Santa Clause is real-

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: Sorry. Sorry. All thanks to Gabrielle in that one podcast, she ruined everything.

Japhet De Oliveira: Time is very powerful. I appreciate that, I appreciate that. I think that's actually a powerful gift for everybody to actually share. That's really good. Thank you. All right. Where next?

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: Oh.

Japhet De Oliveira: That was 43.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: I'll go big. Let's see. How many more do I have? Do I need to go real big? Am I getting toward the end here?

Japhet De Oliveira: We're doing fine. I'll let you know when you get to the point where it's, Hey, we have time for two more. But right now, you have time for many.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: Oh no, oh no. I got to talk more then. All right. 87.

Japhet De Oliveira: 87. All right. When you're under incredible stress, what helps to ground you?

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: This is a good one, because I'm a pretty anxious person. I have been an anxious person my whole life. My husband teases me because I don't like scary movies, they're not my thing. And I always tease that, why do people pay money to be scared? I'm scared in my everyday life, I don't need anymore of that. Life itself is scary enough. But, one of the best techniques I've learned over the years for being stressed is breathing exercises as a very actionable item.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's true.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: Counting through your breathing, box breathing, all those things in the moment of feeling stressed, I feel make a big difference. But my mom, who's also a very nervous personality, always told me to try to put things into perspective when you're really stressed. Is this going to matter in two minutes? Is it going to matter in two weeks and two years? And that sort of thing. And in the moment it always feels like-

Japhet De Oliveira: It is going to matter.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: This does matter, it is the most important thing. I Will be thinking about this on my death bed. Not that I'm dramatic in any fashion, but-

Japhet De Oliveira: No, no, no. Great film producer. That's all right.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: Looking for the drama. But, it's true. Usually even if I can't do that in the moment, if I really think about it, if I wake up tomorrow, is it going to be this big of a deal? And it's usually not. But, time. Time is the great healer of everything.

Japhet De Oliveira: There's a good tips. I like that. Hey, that's really good. Because lots of people, lots of people and all of us, at some point, every single person suffers from a little bit of stress anxiety. But-

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: That's life.

Japhet De Oliveira: How to handle it is actually always really good to hear. So, thank you. All right. 87 that was. Where next?

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: Oh, OK. 56.

Japhet De Oliveira: 56. All right. Share an activity that makes you lose track of time.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: Oh. I'm trying to think of a non... This is a super boring thing to get lost in. I really love organization.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yes.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: I enjoy it. I thrive on it. And so for work, for example, so we use Asana, a project management tool to keep all our projects straight. And when I get in there and I start organizing everything, putting it on the calendar, the puzzle of how you're going to get everything done, I can totally lose track of time. Calendaring is that way for me, too. Anything that's kind of a puzzle, how to figure out how to put it all together, fit it all in, get it all done, I can get lost in that. I like to argue it saves time in the long run.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah. I think it does, as well. I'm with you, but there's something very therapeutic about it. You get-

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: When everything is in its place-

Japhet De Oliveira: Organizing.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: There's something very therapeutic about it.

Japhet De Oliveira: Let me ask you then. 56A, which of course is a question I just seen they're inside.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: Absolutely.

Japhet De Oliveira: Would you say that you are a person who enjoys arriving in a mess and making order then?

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: Absolutely. You know what's funny? My husband is super tidy, I'm really lucky. He loves things to be clean and organized, so our house is actually fairly organized all the time. We also don't have children, so I'm going to give myself that's also probably why my house is clean. But, he loves things to be super organized and then I will get in these modes where I'm going to overhaul the pantry, the spices. And this is it, this is my time to shine. The problem is I sometimes get bored about halfway through, I don't know if this ever happens to you. You pull everything out and you're, This is my Marie Kondo, The Home Edit moment where I'm just going to have the perfect whatever. And, I take everything out and it's like relabel everything. And then, halfway through, I get tired of it. I'm like, I'll come back to that, but what I've really made is a much larger mess than existed before. And then my husband will come by and be like, What is this? And I'm like, Don't worry. Next weekend, I'm definitely going to dive-

Japhet De Oliveira: It'll be good, it'll be good.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: Right back into that.

Japhet De Oliveira: No, I hear you. Absolutely. There is moments when the projects, Oh, well maybe not right now.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: I thought this is going to be fun, but now I'm over it.

Japhet De Oliveira: All right. That was 56, 56A. So where next?

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: OK. 56A. 68.

Japhet De Oliveira: All right. If you could learn one new professional skill, what would it be?

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: Oh, that's easy because I've been thinking about it. As you know, Mark has been diving into animation lately. And it's one, fascinating, but also, has so many applications. And so, now that he's been diving in, I think I have found my perfect teacher and I need to bug him to teach me because he gets so excited. I get these text messages from Mark, I learned how to make concentric circles. He's so excited and I am equally as excited, which makes me... I need to dive into that. That's definitely something I want to learn.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah. Animations they make some transitions so beautiful and yeah, absolutely.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: And even at a really low technical skill level, learning some of the motion graphics with text would just be so helpful.

Japhet De Oliveira: Oh, yes.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: I don't have to make anything too crazy, but something. Something and I would be proud.

Japhet De Oliveira: You don't want every letter to appear flying. Yeah, I'm with you. That's good, that's good. All right. Where next?

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: I'm literally looking around the room at trying to find numbers.

Japhet De Oliveira: OK. I like this.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: This says 62. So I'm going for it.

Japhet De Oliveira: 62, all right. What does a sense of community mean to you?

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: Oh, a sense of community.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah. Yeah.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: When you said it, the first thing that came to my mind is actually one of the Blue Zones, Power Nine, and it might be the because we're working on a video and so that's fresh in my mind. But, right tribe, because community also makes me think of just finding your right tribe, and for everybody that's a different group of people. For me, my right tribe, I have a couple, one of them being my family and they're so close and we get to spend a lot of time together, like I said. But, I definitely have found such a sense of community here at work, as well. I think that was one of the things that surprised me the most when I started at Adventist Health and not because I thought I wouldn't find a sense of community just because work is work.

And so, a lot of people don't think of it as a place where they find their community, it's like the place you maybe have to be, I think a lot of people see work that way. But, I have just found such a community of people and starting out in communication, I had to meet a lot of people. And I feel there's not a lot of people in the office right now because of the pandemic, but pre-pandemic when we were all in the office, it was just so nice to walk the halls and know people, know their names and they know your name and you know a bit about them. It just makes work feel a little more like a second home. And, definitely since I have been in our Story and Experience department, as well, Mark and Philip on my team, we have a lot of fun. In addition to all the work, we just have a lot of fun and the other directors and team members, I just feel like it's such a group that I like to talk with. I look forward to our meetings and our banter and have really found such a community. That sounds cheesy, sorry.

Japhet De Oliveira: No.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: Sorry. That sounds cheesy, but it's true.

Japhet De Oliveira: No, I think it's fantastic. I would say also, Gabrielle, that you are a person that actually creates community, as well, though. Wherever you are, the situation you're in, I think that you foster that and develop that really well, as well.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: I mean, I would say that's, that's why our department flows so well, too, is stemming from what you create and put out there. And I had, and I won't reveal their identity, although this is a very nice thing to say, I had another member of our team, that's not even on my team, text me out of the blue the other day and just say, I'm so thankful every day that I get to be a part of this team. And we just had a chat about it, and I thought, Well, that's really nice, because I feel that way, but it's so nice to hear that someone else feels that way. Because, it makes a difference in your everyday life, but I think it makes a difference in the work, too, when you like who you work with and you like what you do. It makes a difference in the work, too, so we're pretty lucky.

Japhet De Oliveira: No, it does. Totally. All right. We have arrived that point where you have time for two final numbers, two final questions. Where would you like to go, Gabrielle? You can tell me both now or one at a time.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: Two? OK. That's hoping you were going to say one. All right, fine. 75.

Japhet De Oliveira: 75. All right. Here it is. Do you remember the first item you actually purchased with your own money and if so, what was it and why did you buy it? Wasn't a three foot tall Barbie, so-

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: No, no it wasn't. This is so embarrassing.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's why it's the first item.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: It is. It is. Yeah. Growing up, I got an allowance, before I started working, when I was 15, I got an allowance or whatever else. And, I remember my mom taking me to, and I'm not even going to remember the name of it, I don't think it's open anymore, it was like literally called The Paper Emporium and I wanted to go there to go buy literally stationary. This is why this is embarrassing.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah. Yeah.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: Paper, pens, whatnot. And, I begged my mom that's where I wanted to go. And she took me and I think we spent 45 minutes, she was probably incredibly bored, I thought it was fantastic. And, I bought a set of jelly roll pens. They still have jelly roll pens, right? They're like glitter and it was fantastic and I kept them for the longest time because when you buy something for yourself, you realize the value of money quite quickly.

Japhet De Oliveira: Sure, sure. No, totally.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: And then, you get your first job where you make minimum wage and you go Wait, this isn't going to go as far as I thought it was. So, I kept that first purchase for a very long time because it took me quite a long time to save up for it.

Japhet De Oliveira: Hey, that's good. That's good. They're beautiful. That's beautiful. All right.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: Feel like you've rigged these questions to be very embarrassing about my silly stationary habits.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay. It's all good. Somehow, they all lined up that way. Huh. But it's all good. All right. So, we are-

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: OK, last one.

Japhet De Oliveira: On to the final one. Where do you want to go?

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: OK. I already asked something in the eighties. OK, you'll have to tell me, did I do 87 already?

Japhet De Oliveira: Yes, you did.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: OK, then 85.

Japhet De Oliveira: 85. All right. Describe a role model you aspire to be.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: Oh, that's an easy one, that's an easy one. Well, when you have a role model, you think about it often.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah. Yeah.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: So, definitely, definitely my dad. I have always wanted to be more like my dad. Like I talked about earlier, I've always been a fairly nervous and anxious person, my dad is not that way. My dad is very calm and cool and collected, or at least he looked that way. It's funny when you're a kid, you think, Oh, they're never scared. And then you realize as you get older, No, they were, just something was more important and they just had to make it happen. But, my dad is a also really good speaker. He can talk in front of large groups and he can talk to anyone about anything, there's no awkward pauses.

He makes people feel really comfortable, and part of that is probably, my dad is since retired now, but he was an attorney and a litigator and that probably comes from a lot of years of experience. But, being a more nervous and anxious person, I always wanted to be more like that, be able to talk to people and not be scared. Even selling Girl Scout cookies, I didn't want to go door to door because so I was so scared to talk to people I didn't know. And so, I've definitely worked on that, trying to be able to talk in front of groups and talk to people you don't know.

So, that's one way I've definitely looked up to him as a role model. The other thing is he gives great advice. I really want to be one of those people that always knows the right thing to say and the right piece of advice. He always knows what I need to hear. I'll give you an example. One thing he said to me that has stuck with me because he knows me all too well and knew what I need to do here is he always says Indecision is a decision.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yes.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: And I love that. Life gives you opportunities and choices and if you sit on them too long, if you say I'm not ready for that, I'll decide in a month, I'll decide in two, life decides for you.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yes it does.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: And those windows close and those opportunities go away. And so, something I often needed to hear that indecision is a decision., you're deciding to let life choose for you.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yes.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: So, one day, I would like to be one of those people who gives just the right piece of advice at the right time.

Japhet De Oliveira: Well, I think you are definitely in that space, as well. And I think that you do a phenomenal, phenomenal job in actually caring and bringing so much creativity, passion, community, love. And, I appreciate your enthusiasm for family. I think we underestimate the power of good family and that's beautiful that tribute to your dad.

Thank you, Gabrielle, for sharing some of the stories and experiences that have shaped you into the great leader that you are today. And Adventist Health is blessed to have you, absolutely. I've said this to Gabrielle many times, as people come to headhunt, you should just give me first rite of refusal because we work together so... Absolutely. So no, fantastic, fantastic. Thank you for the time. Hey, I just want to say to everybody else who's just listening, just encourage you to do the same thing. Share your stories, listen to other people's stories. Together, you'll just make the world a better place by doing so, and you will grow from the experiences, as I do, just from this conversation today. So, thank you so much for your time-

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: Hey, and if possible, share it through film. That's what you wanted to say, right?

Japhet De Oliveira: Yes.

Gabrielle Nichols-Roy: I heard it.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yes. I know epic fail on the podcast here being not here only you're right. You're right. Absolutely. No, thanks so much. Anyway, God bless everybody. Look after your families and take care.

Narrator: Thank you for joining us for The Story & Experience Podcast. We invite you to read, watch and submit your story and experience at AdventistHealth.org/Story. The Story & Experience Podcast was brought to you by Adventist Health, through the Office of Culture.