Former corporate executive Judy Gamboa shares how navigating an unexpected health diagnosis and a layoff inspired her to launch a purpose-driven wellness business.
Emily Faracca
Multimedia Content Writer
Workday
After a long term corporate career as an executive creative director, Judy Gamboa found herself facing two unexpected turns: a major health diagnosis, and a sudden layoff.
Instead of backing down, she transformed those personal trials into a brand-new calling, becoming a solopreneur dedicated to helping others heal.
In this episode of Switching Gears, hosted by Workday Chief Impact Officer Carrie Varoquiers, Judy reflects on her journey of reinvention—sharing how she leverages AI tools to fuel her growth, and why human connection is the catalyst to a successful career pivot.
Check out more episodes from Switching Gears on Youtube.
Carrie Varoquiers:
Welcome to Switching Gears, where we have conversations with real people who have successfully navigated major career pivots. I'm your host, Carrie Varoquiers, and today we're here to meet with Judy Gamboa, who successfully changed careers from an executive creative director in corporate America into a successful solo-preneur running a thriving small business. Let's go meet her. Hi, Judy.
Judy Gamboa:
Hi, Carrie.
Varoquiers:
It's so great to meet you.
Gamboa:
Great meeting you.
Varoquiers:
Thank you so much for agreeing to be a part of Switching Gears.
Gamboa:
Absolutely.
Varoquiers:
I'm really excited to be here with you in front of your light sauna as an entrepreneur, and I want to hear all about your career journey.
Gamboa:
Excellent. Well, I'd love to take you inside.
Varoquiers:
Great. Let's do it.
Gamboa:
Come on in.
Varoquiers:
You were a really successful executive creative director in corporate America. How did you even start that career?
Gamboa:
I studied visual communications, so I was just really fortunate enough to follow my passion, and I landed a job at Party City and leading a creative team and helping people celebrate their milestones in life.
Varoquiers:
Oh, that's awesome. How long were you there?
Gamboa:
So I was there in Party City for over 20 years, and I loved what I did, and it was just an amazing experience in learning just how to navigate business.
Varoquiers:
Yeah. How did you decide that you wanted to do something new? What was that moment?
Gamboa:
Well, so I did get laid off, and it was a really tough moment to take in, and I really had to figure things out and decide what was next.
Varoquiers:
How did you decide where to go from there?
Gamboa:
Yes. Well, so actually, several years ago, I was diagnosed with cancer.
Varoquiers:
Oh, I'm so sorry.
Gamboa:
It was a big moment where I had to think about my future and what I can do next. So with the layoff, it actually presented an opportunity for me where I can help others going through certain health issues. And it really just gave me a moment to reflect on what's next and rise to that occasion.
Varoquiers:
Yeah. So how did that health challenge help to inform you becoming an entrepreneur? What was that like?
Gamboa:
Going through something like as big as cancer, it really makes you think about, okay, if I could, what can I do next in terms of what would fulfill my life? And at the moment I was laid off, I knew I had to take advantage of that opportunity and find something where I could help others who are going through chronic pain or other issues in their life where I can also make that difference. And so between those two things, I thought, why not? Let's go for it and let's own a small business.
Varoquiers:
I love that you took something that was so challenging, like a cancer diagnosis and a layoff and decided that you were going to reinvent yourself as a small business owner that is committed to helping people heal. I think that's just beautiful. So embarking on a totally new career path, that takes bravery and obviously you took some risks. What was that like for you and how did you navigate those challenges?
Gamboa:
So I mean, I had just wonderful support from my family already from going through cancer treatment. So going into a new venture, they were all in and they were so happy for me. But from there, where do you start? It's incredibly scary. I've never done this. And I really had to lean into finding people who've done this before. And I think that's where I felt empowered is through others and learning from them, learning about their journey and how they started.
Varoquiers:
Can you tell me a little bit about how you're using AI to run your small business or help you grow this enterprise?
Gamboa:
Yes. I use AI every day. I love AI that it keeps with consistency in our marketing. It helps with sales training. There's so many aspects where AI has helped just running that day-to-day operations in the business.
Varoquiers:
It's great to hear that AI tools are helping small business owners like you thrive.
Gamboa:
Yes.
Varoquiers:
And that you're actually able to grow your business as a result of these new technologies.
Gamboa:
100%. Yes.
Varoquiers:
Judy, it is so apparent to me that you have found a calling that really fills you up and provides you with purpose. You're helping people heal and feel better. What one piece of advice would you give to people that might be watching today that are also considering a career pivot, but might be a little bit anxious or nervous about what to do next?
Gamboa:
Yes. Well, never underestimate I think the power of human connection. Doing something so different and so scary, you can't do that alone. You need to reach out, build your network, look to the network you already have, and ask and learn and be humble, be coachable. So it's building those connections that really got me to where I'm at today.
Varoquiers:
Well, I'm so glad that I got the privilege of meeting you today. Thank you so much for being a part of Switching Gears and thank you for tuning in. We'll see you next time.
Report
A gap between effort and impact is the real ROI problem. Discover the solution.