Featured in ‘Find Your Fire,’ this Austin leader earns her community’s faith every day

Throughout August, I’ve been celebrating the fifth birthday of my book “Find Your Fire: Stories and Strategies to Inspire the Changemaker Inside You.” Since then, a lot has changed for all of us, including the #MovementMakers whose stories I shared. 

Take my friend Vanessa Fuentes. When I interviewed Vanessa for “Find Your Fire,” she was a new member of Austin City Council. Today, she’s in her second term, and she also serves as Austin’s mayor pro tem for 2025.

Being sworn into her second term in January 2025

Since Vanessa and I used to work together at the American Heart Association, I’m especially proud of her success as an elected official and of all the positive change she’s creating. So I’m extra happy to close out the month by sharing the newest chapters in Vanessa’s story—and what she’s learned along the way.

I must also tell you that I *almost* hesitated to share this update. I know it will be easy for some people to read Vanessa’s story and only see partisan politics. I hope that you are not one of those people. I met Vanessa when she just graduated from The University of Texas at Austin and was maybe 23. That means we’ve been though a lot of hair styles and life events together.

She asked me for coffee to learn more about my career and asked if I would mentor her. Years later, I ended up hiring her to serve as the six state grassroots director. But it was during that first conversation that she shared her deep desire to run for office. I share her story because I know first hand that Vanessa manifested her life today through hard work and passion, not a desire to hold power. I hope you see this as proof that you can bring to life any idea that you have at any time. 

Together, Vanessa and I created a policy leadership program in 2017

Closing the Health Divide

When I asked Vanessa about her most meaningful successes as a council member, it was so powerful to hear that she continues to fight for the health issues we’re both so passionate about.

“These are policies really rooted in addressing health inequities and the health divide that we have in Austin,” she says.

Because part of the district Vanessa represents is a food desert, she secured funding for the creation of a grocery store co-op.

Vanessa is also proud of her push to raise the minimum wage for Austin city workers. Winning support and hammering out the terms of the raise were no easy feat for a rookie council member. “My value was addressing affordability, making it easier for working families to get by in the city in which they serve,” Vanessa says. 

Why Vanessa Always ‘Shows Her Work’

Vanessa’s success as a council member holds lessons we can all apply to the movements that matter to us—not to mention our jobs and relationships.

“Every policy I work on is really driven by the community that I serve, and so I build a lot of processes in our systems to ensure that we’re getting community feedback and that our residents are informing the policies we work on,” she says.

She adds that it’s just as important for her constituents to hear from her. Her office even produced an annual report—inspired by Vanessa’s “show your work” philosophy. “You have to show your community why they should have faith and confidence in you as their elected representative,” she says. “You have to show how you’re fighting on their behalf, and then talk about what exactly are you delivering and what types of progress and change are you making good on.”

Vanessa’s Re-Election Party in 2024

Looking Ahead

Vanessa is limited to two consecutive terms as a council member, so what’s next for her? Austin’s next mayoral election, which will be in 2028, is on her radar. If she runs and wins, she would be only the second female mayor in the history of Austin—and the first since the early ‘80s.

But right now her focus is simply on making every one of the 1,200 or so days left in her council term count. “I want to make sure that when people think about their local government, that they have faith,” Vanessa says. “Local leaders are uniquely positioned to be that trusted voice and to restore confidence in local government.”

Are You Ready to Run?

If Vanessa’s story has inspired you to think about running for local office yourself, Vanessa has an essential piece of advice: “Get trained up.”

“The journey of running for office is one that is very long and challenging,” she says. “But there’s no need to go it alone, because now we have incredible resources and networks.”

Shortly after Vanessa was elected mayor pro tem


You can find out more about many of those resources in “Find Your Fire,” including She Should Run and Vote Run Lead. You can also learn more about Vanessa’s story—including how she ran a successful campaign for office during the height of the Covid pandemic.

Many thanks to Vanessa for taking the time for this update. I can’t wait to see what she’ll be doing when the 10th anniversary of “Find Your Fire” rolls around!

 

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