Diandra Lamas - Community Director, Yelp Miami
Born and raised in Miami as a first-generation Cuban-American, Diandra has a deep love for her city, and her hustle fully embodies that. As the Community Director for Yelp Miami, she connects people with great local businesses that give Miami its flavor. She builds community via kickass events, spreads the word about awesome businesses via social media, and works with biz owners to share their stories and support their hard work in every way possible. COVID has hit the hospitality industry hard, but despite the hurdles, Diandra is determined to #LiveLikeMari and keep the Miami spirit alive.
The Basics:
Hometown: Miami, FL
Current city: Miami, FL
Alma mater: University Of Florida
Degree: B.S., Public Relations
Very first job: Swim Gym Aquatics Center Summer Camp Counselor
Hustle: Community Director, Yelp Miami
The Interests:
Babe you admire and why?
My mom, Maria Fajardo Lamas. While she is no longer with us, I always admired her tenacity and work ethic—something her and my dad instilled in us from day one. She was a spirited and talented interior designer who never stopped working. She went from high-end residential, to owning her own firm, to becoming the lead designer for the new build ships at Royal Caribbean—an impressive resume she built over 30 years of hard work. It’s no surprise to me that now I am surrounded by Babes I admire—because that’s the type of mentality she helped me cultivate. Work hard, surround yourself with women who can inspire you, and never give up. When I look around, I see strong, accomplished women—be it my friends who are attorneys, leading communications departments at universities, thriving in their medical profession or juggling work and motherhood. They are each a reflection of her, and I admire every one of them.
What does your ideal weekend morning look like?
OOOF this is difficult! It depends. My abuela always used to say that I had a “pata caliente” aka a “hot foot”— weird translation. It means that I don’t like to be home and I’m always out doing something. While the pandemic has changed that a bit, my ideal weekend morning remains the same. A leisurely walk or run followed by coffee and chisme (conversation) with my friends is my favorite way to start a weekend. No matter the weekend, I like to get out and see people I love.
Favorite place you’ve traveled to and why?
I’d have to say without a doubt Cartagena, Colombia. There is something about that city. It is vibrant, beautiful, and so much fun. I’ve visited a few times and always feel so incredibly happy there. The food is delicious (looking at you, arepa de huevo,) and the people are so welcoming.
What do you do to psych yourself up before a big event?
Great question. For the last 5 years before any major moment I blast Grown Woman and Run the World by Beyoncé over and over. It’s my forever hype ritual. In recent years, I also like to throw a workout in to relieve any jitters/stress on a big day.
Dream event to host?
ANY EVENT WHERE PEOPLE CAN BE CLOSE TO EACH OTHER AGAIN! But really, I don’t know how to answer this because I think I already hosted it. In 2019 I hosted a Quince for Yelp’s 15th Birthday and it was one of my favorite events I’ve ever hosted in my life. I think now based on COVID changes I would love to host an intimate 5-course outdoor dinner with each course being made by a different beloved Miami chef.
What’s one essential item in your work day?
C O F F E E!
The Hustle
Tell us about your hustle.
As Community Director for Yelp Miami, I like to say that I’m the human in this city that brings the mission of Yelp to life: to connect people with great local businesses. As someone born and raised in Miami, I find no greater joy than this role. I get to build community and celebrate the awesome people who use Yelp—the folks who write reviews, upload photos and make Yelp useful when you’re looking for your next sushi fix or go-to nail tech. I throw events so they can meet like-minded, local-loving folks and get introduced to awesome local businesses (this has changed with COVID, but we still connect virtually and with some awesome socially distant experiences.) I also have the ability to communicate to the greater Miami community via social media. In times as crazy as these, I find it so impactful to help share the “why”—helping tell business owner stories, updating on restaurant openings, and letting people know about virtual happenings around town. Last but not least, the most rewarding part of my job: working with business owners. These folks are the heartbeat that make Miami so special. Their hard work, dedication and resilience are so inspiring, and it’s such a pleasure to help them share their story and support their business in every way possible. There hasn’t been one day in my almost four years in this role that has been the same—and that’s why I love it!
When did your passion for community management begin? What first steps did you take in order to establish yourself as a pro, and how’d you land your gig with Yelp?
In 2012, I moved to Boston, and in my time there, my eyes were opened to so many things: different cultures, different perspectives and different weather, to name a few. The job I had at Whole Foods Market was a bit similar to my role at Yelp now—essentially getting folks to shop at and love the store through community initiatives, vendor relations and events. I worked to build community in a city I didn’t even know or understand fully, and I loved it. Whole Foods led me to work at six stores in both New England and Broward County, open two of those stores, and experience so many of my favorite memories. It was gratifying to tackle new stores with new managers and create programming that reflected those communities. I knew how to throw events and make things seem enticing, but it was there that I learned that relationships are what make the “secret sauce”. During this time, I met the Yelp Community Manager in Fort Lauderdale because we hosted two big events together at Whole Foods and Macy’s, where I learned that the previous Miami Community Manager—who is now my amazing manager—got promoted. The rest is history.
What does the Miami community mean to you?
Miami is everything to me. I am proudly born and raised here as a first generation Cuban-American. This city is beautifully diverse, and built in part by the hard work of so many immigrants. It’s inspiring to see the generation before me recreate themselves in order to open the doors for children of immigrants, like me, to create a better future. Miami is unique, vibrant, and unapologetic. When things get tough, Miami gets tougher.
How have your past professional and academic experiences and lessons prepared you for the work you do today? How have they not prepared you?
As a graduate of the University of Florida’s college of Journalism and Communications, I take great pride in my degree in Public Relations. It gave me a lot of technical skill that prepared me for what I thought would be a career in agency life. As life goes though, I have never worked at a traditional PR agency, aside from a few internships in college. Where I have really learned, though, is in my job experiences. At 21, I landed my first job with EV Services under a husband-and-wife team who operated a small Public Involvement and Community Outreach firm out of their house. It was just us two and their daughters putting together outreach campaigns for municipalities, government agencies, political candidates—and it was wild. My career has taught me that you can always say “yes” and then figure out how to make it happen later—and no one can teach you the “make it happen” part but yourself. You have to fail and be put into ridiculous situations to adapt and problem-solve. Most importantly, you have to lean on those who actually do know how to make things happen. Working in public-facing jobs like Whole Foods and Macy’s—where you work and communicate with people across all skill, education and experience levels—has been the most valuable lesson to me. Lean in, get your hands dirty, understand the people that you work for and with, and make yourself a resource.
How has being a woman impacted your professional experiences? What can we collectively do to support and empower women in your industry today?
Being raised by strong, supportive and career-driven parents has really shaped me a lot in terms of the lens in which I viewed the world in front of me. Thanks to them, I always had this unapologetic sense of confidence that I could accomplish anything, and that's because any victory, no matter how big or small, was celebrated—which is why I try to celebrate people each and every day. However, sometimes what you learn in your bubble and experience in life are not the same. At times I feel that collectively, we as women have to work twice as hard and be twice as loud to get our point across. There are times where we play nice to not cause disruption or discord, and then in the ugliest of times, there are instances where women are catty to save their spot in the “line” of moving forward. These aren't problems that a magic wand can create a solution for in an instant, but rather problems that we must work daily to solve. We need to learn to celebrate ourselves as well as others in our industry, to correct someone if they are speaking disrespectfully so that we are heard, and look to our employers for resources to educate on what it means to be an ally not only to women, but all genders, races, sexualities and faiths.
What’s one thing you’re proud to have accomplished in your career thus far?
The community I’ve built in Miami. There are so many amazing people I’ve met in these almost four years, and experiences I never would have imagined being able to have. Cultivating strong relationships with members of the Miami community, both in the hospitality industry and Yelp users, has been my proudest accomplishment. There is a sense of fulfillment I get from knowing that people feel supported by me. Knowing that through the work that I do, people can rely on me to help share their story or be a resource is one of those intangible things that I am most proud of. When my mom passed away this December, I was blown away by the impact just one person could have on so many—whether you knew her for a lifetime or for less than 10 minutes. It inspired me to try to make even a fraction of that impact on the community around me. It inspired me to #LiveLikeMari. There’s that beautiful Maya Angelou quote, “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Who are some women in your field that you look to for inspiration?
There are too many to count. First and foremost if you look down the rolodex of women who have my job at Yelp, you would be in awe of the creativity, tenacity and work ethic displayed by my incredible group of coworkers. We’ve got Isabelle in Vancouver, Nikki in Indiana, and Andi in Orlando—to name a few. I also look up to Tara Lewis, Vice President of Community Expansion + Trends for inspiration. Her growth at this company and her ability to lead while remaining authentic and compassionate has always inspired me. Looking outside my company, I’m just astounded by the women in Miami. From business owners, to publicists, to writers and chefs, we have some hard-working women here in the 305. I am inspired by the tenacity and creativity of Eileen Andrade, Chef and Owner of Finka Table and Tap (one of Miami’s most beloved restaurants). And when it comes to storytelling and community building, I cannot miss a shoutout to Pola Bunster, VP & Director of Storytelling at Prism Creative Group. The work that Prism does in Miami to celebrate our uniqueness, shed light on what is important and do so in such an authentic way inspires me each and every day.
How do you rest, recharge and find inspiration?
Resting is not my forte, but I find inspiration when I take time to myself to go on a walk and be by the water. It is then when I can clear my mind, be off my phone and rest my mind.
Career and/or life advice for other babes?
My grandfather used to say “find something you love to do and you’ll never work a day in your life.” He was one of the most influential people in my life. It sounds so simple, but it’s true. Work is always going to be hard and there is no “easy” path to success in life, so do something you love and feel fulfilled by. I also think in life and in work it’s important to be authentic and kind. Being kind is free, and you never know what impression you can make on a person in just one interaction. Last but not least, remember there is no “normal timeline” or path to success. Your path is uniquely yours. Go at your own pace, and what is meant for you will come. It’s OK to be single, it’s OK to get your Master’s in your 30s, it’s OK to change career paths. It is all OK as long as it is what you want, and what you will put the work into each and every day to find meaningful success. Do not compete with others, simply work on being the best version of yourself. Why? No one can be you better than you can, and in being the most authentic you, you will find your greatest success.
Connect with Diandra:
Yelp Instagram / Personal Instagram / Email
This interview has been condensed and edited.
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