Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Carrington Firmin.
Hi Lisa, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Who am I? Quien soy? That is a great question. I am a writer, an author, a poet, a leader, a Bronze-star decorated combat veteran, a former higher educational professional. a founder, and a business owner. I am a Latina and descendent of very proud Mexican Americans. Finally, and probably most importantly, I am a mother and a grandmother. I started out as a young Latina who became the first in her family to graduate from college. I wanted to make my mark on this world and years later, can honestly say that I have done that. My legacy is my family and all those I’ve touched in the military, higher education, as an author and poet, the work I do in the sexual assault and harassment prevention space, as well as within mental health and wellness areas, and as an entrepreneur. Some of my proudest moments are when one of my protegees, mentees, or family members achieves a milestone or gets promoted. I continue to hear from so many active-duty, veterans, aspiring writers and many more. One never truly knows the depth of how much you can influence another positively until they reach out to tell you. I’m also quite proud of the work I currently do, helping providers understand the trauma that many of those of us who served have gone through. I am blessed to be able to help others. I write from a place of both pain and joy, I am a storyteller helping to educate others.
Although my journey included sexual assault, sexual harassment and discrimination, it also included some outstanding experiences with colleagues and those few who eventually became my mentors or sponsors. Their support and guidance meant everything to me and allowed me to enter spaces that someone like me could never get into. I am the leader across varied ecosystems because of their early intervention and my own doggedness, never give up attitude.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of the biggest struggles for me is that I found it hard to fit in, as I looked different from most that I served with in the military and of course, I had the added burden of being a woman. To me it is not a burden, but unfortunately it is still viewed as such by some. I worked hard and never gave up, volunteered for the toughest jobs so I could prove to myself and everyone else that women and Latinas could indeed be outstanding leaders. I succeed but at what cost?
The sexual harassment and discrimination I encountered early in my career was unrelenting, yet still I powered through.
I worked hard, and as smart as I could, and became an expert in whatever field or environment I was put it. I never gave anyone an opportunity to not promote me because I wasn’t ready, I made sure I was ready. I carried this same philosophy with me in higher ed, am the founder of a university department and of several programs. I’ve learned to adapt my foundational leadership skills to any ecosystem or industry and that ability has allowed me to be successful across multiple areas. Working for myself as an entrepreneur is very rewarding and comes with its own set of challenges, but I find that working collaboratively with others is indeed rewarding. I remain a very driven individual and continue to explore ways to help others transform to be the best they can be.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I found writing to be very therapeutic and sort of turbo charged my own healing from past traumatic experiences. I kept some heavy burdens buried quite deeply, no one knew of my own sexual assault at initial military training or the depth of how much my combat experiences affected me.
My first book was an anthology of 14 stories of military sexual trauma along with chapters on advocacy and available therapies. This book also included appendices with national, regional and state resources. Once I went public with my own story and those of others, an avalanche began of others contacting me and sharing their stories. I am so very proud of the work I do in this space of helping others who have endured trauma, specifically PTSD, combat related and sexual assault/harassment. I know how hard it is to speak up. After all, it took me 40 years to be able to speak of my own assault and over a decade to finally talk honestly about how deeply I was affected from my command tour in Iraq.
I found a way to deal with my trauma and by doing so, really upped my entrepreneurship and engagement with others. My second book is basically an autobiography told through poems, prose and art. It truly is a great recounting of my life, the good, the bad and the ugly. Although quite painful to write, it became the model for healing for myself and my artist collaborator, also a combat veteran woman. Sharing my story in poetry, partnered with some amazing original art, really showed both our creative sides. We call our collaboration and this particular book a unique blueprint for healing, empowerment and authenticity.
I write because I feel compelled to do so, not only to express myself, but to help others understand that they are not alone and that there is life after trauma. The power of my pen allows me to share deeply personal, lived experiences. I share my art in hopes that others might gain insight into the mind of a diverse woman who served. Importantly, I also bring awareness into my intersectionality as a Latina, a combat and disabled veteran with PTSD and a sexual assault survivor. I’m a storyteller, bringing the stories of diverse and underrepresented individuals out of the dark and into the light to affirm our contributions and to educate others.
How do you think about happiness?
Seeing my son and my grandkids’ enjoying life is so very special to me. I’ve worked hard all my life, and they have taught me that it is okay to slow down and enjoy this world. I no longer have anything to prove to anyone. I call myself a reformed workaholic. Initially it was challenging for me, as most know me as a very driven woman. But now I am truly living my life authentically every day. When I am with my family, I am not The Colonel, The Author, The Poet, The Leader, or The Founder, I am simply just their mother, grandmother, sister, aunt or cousin. That is where I can be just me, and I love that so much.
I also am very happy when my mentees or protegees achieve milestones in their personal and professional lives.
Someone (a Marine protégé of mine) told me recently that I have evolved from being mostly the commander, to the mother and now the grandmother. I think he captured that perfectly.
Pricing:
- Stories from the Front: Pain, Betrayal, and Resilience on the MST Battlefield is $18.95 plus tax and shipping
- Latina Warrrior is $34.95 plus tax/shipping
- Other merchandise is linked on my website: www.lisacarringtonfirmin.com
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lisacarringtonfirmin.com/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-firmin-97584a12
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ColonelLisa
Image Credits
Two pictures are from Latina Style event, they provided the pics publically to the participants and are okay with posting. I already posted some. one picture is from the US Air Force, but it was shown publically and provided to me along with other to use widely. the headshot of me in the Mexican dress and the headshot of me in the blue jacket are from my professional photographer, Matt Roberts of MattRobertsphoto.com the rest are one are not attributed to anyone.
