Igniting Connections to Make Serendipity Happen: Meet Lu Stasko
What is your personal story?
I am honored to share my personal story, especially during International Women's Month. If I were to fill out my name tag, it would say my name is Lu, and I am a strategic brand publicist and an expert in public relations with more than 25 years of experience. What I really do is to use these skills as a “tool” to build community and ignite connections to make serendipity happen.
In 2020, my world was rocked when I was diagnosed with a rare form of bone-marrow cancer called Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia. It’s a cancer that usually affects men in their 70s and 80s, not someone younger who has been health-conscious her whole life like me. The diagnosis came just six months after my mother passed away. I spent most of the summer of 2020 in the hospital, which was over-crowded because of the pandemic. I underwent a history-making treatment protocol that included nine plasmapheresis (which separates and removes plasma from blood cells to treat and replace it), chemo, and antibody replacement.
Days after I got out of the hospital from one of my last treatments, my father passed away, only seven months after my mother. It was an extremely challenging time. I took each day as it came, did what the doctors told me to do, and believed with all my might that I would never have this cancer again.
I am happy to say that I have been in full remission since April of 2022. I attribute much of my recovery to my community of family, friends, and colleagues who helped me remain positive and gave me the strength and support to endure the challenges.
I share my story not for sympathy, but to inspire others who may be going through difficult times. No matter what challenges we face, we can find the strength to overcome them.
What makes you a remarkable global leader?
The premise of my own business is the belief that if you build and recognize the community around you, you can make any business successful. Wherever I have lived, internationally or locally, I have been a community builder. For example, if there’s a large development going into a neighborhood, I make sure that the developer is engaging with the community so everyone knows the plan and vision. Community members become the marketing arm for the developer because, if they’re sold on it, they’re going to tell their friends and others about it. I have used this model for restaurants, retail, commercial development, and economic development.
On a global level, I have used this method to help a local ice cream company develop a global outreach program called Scoop for Scoop. For every scoop of ice cream sold, a scoop of rice was donated to a country in need. I continue to reach out to my international contacts so that if they have a need in the U.S., I can help promote that. And if they are doing something there, I may be able to make a connection and provide resources. That global community is so important.
What advice do you have for other women who want to break through barriers?
Go for what you want! Believe in the serendipity – when you connect with the people around you, your community, magical things can happen. If there’s something you want to pursue, you can research it and reach out to the people and resources you need to be involved, and think of them as my equal. Don’t allow the thought in your head that you can’t do something because you are a woman. Also remember that you can find commonality through a personal story to help you connect. We all have barriers but many times, people hear a personal story and it helps break through those barriers.
How can GlobalMindED advance your goals as an inclusive leader?
GlobalMindED is a great resource to guide us to a talent pool that otherwise would not be available to us. We can connect this community to other communities we have each built. Bringing awareness about the organization and encouraging opportunities to connect is golden. I’m always searching for resources and talent to hire, especially for my clients. I love making them aware of the opportunities that GlobalMindED has available.
