Meet Kristen de Guzman | Nonprofit Professional & Creative

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kristen de Guzman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kristen, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
As a Business Development professional who raises capital full time to grow and scale a nonprofit, I have become comfortable with risk. To me, risk means asking bold questions and pulling up chairs to tables I have never sat at. Since graduating college and joining the founding team of Legacy Youth Leadership, I have learned a great mantra about risk from the leaders & mentors on my team: do not say ‘no’ for someone else. Meaning, do not assume the answer to the bold questions you ask others is ‘no.’ Be brave enough to let them say ‘no’ for themselves — you would be so surprised at the amount of serendipitous work, collaborations, and partnerships that have come from allowing myself to ask questions I thought people would say ‘no’ to.
Outside of my full-time career, I am also a beginner florist who creates arrangements inspired by moments in my life. Tapping into such a respected art has been a beautiful journey. Curating and decorating spaces, especially with flowers, is cathartic for me and helps me feel grounded in the midst of my career.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a full-time Business Development Manager for a nonprofit called Legacy Youth Leadership, a youth-focused organization that I have helped build and grow for the past four years. Working in Business Development — especially in the social impact sector — feels really tough and scrappy, but there is truly nothing more rewarding than building this movement with my team, which includes people who were my own mentors, and shape the lives of young people. One of my biggest accomplishments to date is being the Chair of Legacy Ball, our annual red-carpet fundraising gala that takes place in Beverly Hills. Being trusted with such an important event while being one of the youngest on our team is a great honor. I also recently did my first Tough Mudder to raise money for Legacy, and it was a great testament to my physical and mental grit — all in the name of fundraising, too! My day-to-day work of building relationships and cultivating meaningful partnerships in support of our work was once intimidating because it undoubtedly requires me to put myself out there, but I learned that in order to know great success, I must be willing to know great bravery.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If you spent a week following me around LA, this is where we would end up: at Kazu Nori for sushi hand rolls, on the rooftop of the Santa Monica Proper during sunset for drinks, in a neighborhood farmer’s market for weekly produce, on a run along the beach, and at the Downtown LA flower market at sunrise.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My parents deserve so much credit for who I am and where I am today. As two immigrants who built their lives from the ground up, they are the epitome of “out the mud.” They taught me work ethic, grit, and resilience. Throughout my whole life, they planted so many seeds so that I could enjoy the fruit.

Instagram: @kristendeguzman

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristendeguzman

Image Credits
Olivia Wong