What Drives You?
See what drives the dot429 Trailblazer of the Week
Moe Vela
Moe Vela is the first Hispanic and gay American in the U.S. to serve twice in the White House in a senior executive role. Most recently, he served as Biden’s Director of Management and Administration
Pichet Ong
Pichet has been named one of the Top Ten Pastry Chefs in America, won numerous "Best of" awards, and has been nominated for several James Beard Awards.
Winka Dubbeldam
Winka is the principal of Archi-Tectonics, a firm based in New York with a design portfolio that most recently and notably includes the Netherlands Architectural Institute and Tashan Restaurant.
What do you do - and why?
I'm the founder of Epochalips, a fun new website targeting baby boomer lesbians and our allies. After the break-up of a long term partnership (27 years!) that included 2 kids and many satisfying years together, I found myself without a home or an intact family. On top of that, my best friend died and I lost my job. So, instead of crawling in a hole, I did something cathartic for myself and it has kept me sane.
I started Epochalips as a way to reach out to our under served community. We aren't young but we aren't old either. There is no shame in being a bit older and wiser. And without the now-defunct traditional community spaces such as women's coffeehouses, bookstores and newspapers to help support our various endeavors, I felt we needed a virtual space to share our successes and inspirations with each other. We promote the goings on of lesbian artists, writers, performers, filmmakers, business women, adventurers, on a global platform. We seek to educate and inspire. With an all-star line-up of talented writers contributing, we cover a wide range of fascinating topics and have developed a huge following in the year or so that we’ve been around.
Which quality or talent makes you most successful?
I’m tenacious, outspoken, creative and not afraid to rock the boat. For the past 2 years I’ve volunteered for the speakers bureau for my local LGBT center, Spectrum in Marin. This has taught me more than anything how important it is to lead by example to the next generation of queer and transgender people, how to live out and proud and change the world before it changes you.
Who are the three people who most inspire you - and why?
My Son: He inspires me because he always tries his hardest and never gives up. He also won’t allow his friends in high school to ever get away with a gay slur.
My Best Friend: She is a dreamer and an artist, passionate about helping others and making the world a better place
Harvey Milk: His famous quote “You gotta give ‘em hope.” says it all. Come out come out wherever you are!
What are you most passionate about?
The issue that is dearest to my heart is creating a safer climate in our schools for queer and questioning youth. I grew up locally and when I go into the schools I see the very same brand of homophobia that existed 30 years ago at the very same schools. I firmly believe that it is the allies that are in the best position to make this change. The queer kids need a safe place to learn, and the allies can pave the way for them by joining the Gay Straight Alliance and helping to leading the charge.
What drives you to succeed?
I’m driven to succeed because I’m a leader and I was put on this earth to help make the word a better place. The time is now and I’m living my dream because of the hard work I put into it. I love life and am happiest when I’m succeeding at the things I’m passionate about.
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