Hi! I'm Gabriela Carías Green, creator and founder of You Are IT, and I want to tell you my story.
I am Venezuelan and I have lived in Washington DC since 1999. I’m an attorney and practiced law for 17 years (1992-2009). I got married in 2005 and have two children: William (2007) and Emily (2013).
In 2010, I founded GCG Investments, a commercial property investment company, with the intention of finding balance in my life and spending more time with my family.
I have been fortunate to have two successful careers and I have felt fulfilled professionally, financially and as a mother/wife. However, sometimes I felt that something was missing in my heart.
For many years, I have worked on programs to help children: volunteering, sponsorship, donations, etc. Motherhood awakened in me a deep sensitivity towards children in need. I have watched with great concern how children and teens suffer and live with great emotional voids, which generate anxiety, depression and, in some cases, suicidal thoughts.
In mid-2020 during the pandemic, I was in a process of introspection and personal growth. It was then that I clearly saw that, beyond assisting children financially, my mission was to provide them with life tools to help them lead happy and successful lives. This is the genesis of You Are It!, which is based on the premise that we are all Intelligent and Talented (“IT”).
I decided to make that dream come true and took action. It was then that I began to go deeper into the topics of emotional intelligence and positive psychology, which for many years I have read with great fascination. I recently obtained various certifications in self-esteem, life coaching and enneagrams.
During that process, I shared my desire to create a children’s foundation with great friends from my adolescence, María Teresa Urdaneta and Mary Vivas. Both trained in marketing and advertising, and Ana Vivas with extensive experience in social work.
Next, I reached out to my brother, Ronald Carías (engineer) and two great childhood friends, Yula Alvarez (educator) and Tatiana Saldivia (life coach), who have been instrumental in developing the content and educational plan for You Are IT.
