“My grandmother had eight kids. She went to work every day and took care of her family. She raised me and empowered me since the beginning; telling me that I did not need a man, and that it was possible to stand on my own, do what it takes to have a comfortable life, take care of my own family and pay the bills. She was my rock and inspiration.”
It’s no doubt that Felisha A., Area Coach for Taco Bell Corp. had an amazing role model growing up. She took her grandmother's teachings and carried them throughout her life.
When Felisha was 17 years old, she joined Taco Bell to start living her grandmother's words of being financially knowledgeable. She started off as a Taco Bell Team Member and made her way up to Area Coach, which is the current position she holds today.
“I was very young when I started working at Taco Bell. I really did not think about this becoming a full career. But every time I got more responsibilities, my family grew larger, ... [it] all drew me closer to Taco Bell. I could not see myself leaving because I was surrounded by good people, leaders, and a family that I got to watch grow and grow with.”
And now, it’s been 38 impressive years! Throughout her time with The Bell, Felisha experienced many memorable moments that helped her build a strong community with her teams: from throwing a baby shower for her first coach, to attending college graduation ceremonies of Taco Bell Team Members, to even capturing pictures with customers who’ve been coming to her restaurant for years. She has also met admiring leaders that guided her through her path to success... like Drew G., who gave her the strength and perspective to take on the role of Area Coach.
“She was the first woman leader I had. Under her leadership, we talked about work-life balance and what it means to be a mother as she was one, too. Having her as a mentor gave me the confidence to step into the Area Coach role, something I was not okay with doing prior because I wanted to put my family first. She helped me realize that both of these things were possible.”
Because Felisha’s husband had a job that kept him away for long periods of time, Felisha was the primary caretaker, meaning that she had to find a way to balance work and being present for her children.
“When I had my first child, I had a lot of family support. Once both my family and career started to grow, I had to make sacrifices to make sure I was working but also being there for my kids. On the way from work after closing, I used to pick up food for my kids, take them home, make them do their homework, put them to bed and do it all again the next day. There were days where they did not get a home-cooked meal, but as long as they ate and I was there for them, that is all that mattered. In some ways, Taco Bell helped me learn to multitask like this and establish a routine. It was a fast-paced job with a lot happening at once, so I had to pay attention to everything. This helped me with raising kids because the skills were so similar.”
For those hard-working parents trying to balance their career and family, Felisha believes that having a good system and asking for help is crucial to finding a path moving forward, thus, Fueling Fusion* between the old and new ways of work life for mothers.
“We have so many single parents out there trying to balance both things. It’s really important to have a system in place and be flexible to put your family first. Think of a plan, then ask for help. It will take sacrifice, but we must support one another in any way that we can, whether it is at work or at home.”
*This is one of Taco Bell’s brand principles: Fueling Fusion – Traditions grow stronger with every remix.