Carolina García Jayaram, who’s among the 1% of philanthropic Latino leaders, is an unstoppable force in the nonprofit sector. As founding CEO of the Elevate Prize Foundation, her core belief in the power of activism to create positive movements in our society propelled her to pursue an altruistic career. With over two decades of experience operating nonprofits, she focuses on helping community members and leaders with mentorship, strategic planning, fundraising and more. In addition, she is the founding ambassador of the Georgetown University’s Institute for Women, Peace and Security, a member of Fast Company’s Impact Council, an emeritus board member of Guitars Over Guns and the newly appointed co-chair of the University of Miami School of Law’s LL.M. Program in Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law.
I always start my day with…
Meditation, journaling and coffee, in that order, followed by taking my boys to school with my husband—the highlight of my day.
One thing I do every day is…
Pranayama breathing.
My mantra is…
“May I be filled with loving kindness. May I be well. May I be peaceful and at ease. May I be happy.” I then repeat it directed to others. I love to cultivate what Buddha called “universal friendliness toward oneself and others.”
My biggest source of inspiration is…
Reading.
When it comes to nonprofits, I wish more people knew that…
The greatest innovation and problem-solving is happening in the nonprofit space. At Elevate, we see this firsthand on a daily basis across our Elevate Prize winners, who are all at the cutting edge of using innovation to quite literally save the world. From piloting AI to solving diseases to designing technologies to stopping plastic from going into the ocean and so much more, creativity and innovation play a larger role in social impact than people think.
One piece of advice I’d give my younger self is…
To learn to love yourself first.
I handle negativity by…
Tapping into compassion.
One way I stay strong is by…
Practicing yoga.
When I need a jolt of energy…
I do a handstand!
I’m currently looking forward to…
Spending a month in our summer spot, Biarritz, on the southern coast of France.
The most surprising thing about me is…
I went to cooking school.
I want people to know me for…
Living a life of purpose.
In 10 years, I hope to…
Have built the first global fan base for good.
This article originally appeared in the November/December 2024 issue of SUCCESS magazine.
Photo courtesy of Carolina GarcIa Jayaram
