My Y(W): Fatima Perez-Luthi is On a Mission
“I first got involved with the YWCA to take their leadership program in 2018, which inspired my desire to lead.”
Fatima Perez-Luthi is the founder and CEO of The Grind Coaching & Consulting. She’s also a parent, dedicated community leader, and a member of the YWCA Northeast Kansas Board of Directors. After learning about YWCA while taking our Leadership Academy course, Fatima stayed connected with YWCA and the work that we do. In 2022, she was nominated for the Women of Excellence Awards, and won in the Small Business category. We’re grateful for her leadership, financial and planning expertise, and the heart she brings to her work on the Board! Read on to see why Fatima is #OnAMission with YWCA Northeast Kansas.
How did you first get involved at the YWCA?
“I first got involved with the YWCA to take their Emerging Leaders leadership program in 2018, which inspired my desire to lead. Lead in my career, community and family. In 2022, I was recognized as Woman of Excellence for small business and in 2023 joined as a board member, governance committee member and planning committee member for the YWCA Women of Excellence Awards and Gala. Seeing the important work the YWCA continues to do inspired me to take action and be apart of something bigger than me.”
Who is the woman you deeply admire, and what qualities or actions inspire you the most about her?
“My mother - everything about her inspires me. Born and raised in Puebla, Mexico, my mom dropped out of high school in 11th grade. Despite her love to learn, she didn’t have another option than to drop out to raise her family and move across boarders to secure a better life for her kids filled with opportunity. Not knowing English or finishing school my mom showed me key life skills that no text book could ever teach me. Hard work, never giving up and not letting what others think affect me. I’ve seen my mom learn English, be the BEST employee everyone wants, becoming a successful business woman and selling her restaurant to becoming a real estate investor to seeing her pour in years of hard work to get her GED although she clearly didn’t need it. She was determined and did it! She’s an inspiration I will always look up too and admire.”
Reflecting on your work with the YWCA, what specific achievement or impact are you most proud of?
“I’m pretty proud of my involvement with the YWCA planning committee, I never thought I’d enjoy fundraising and found myself loving it because of the cause and developed a new skill along the way.”
What fuels your dedication to this vital work? Additionally, what do you consider the most challenging obstacle in our mission of eliminating racism and empowering women?
Our mission - I feel that to my core. Being a woman of color and immigrant I experienced racism at such a young age and for most of my youth. By the time I was 18 my light was so dim, the YWCA has restored my hope and allows me to be apart of something bigger than me.