Every so often, I meet someone who significantly changes and updates my perspective on life. It is always refreshing and enjoyable, and it sparks curiosity as you look at things through their lens. Two years ago, Una Mary McCarthy Deering was (and still is) that person.
The original introduction was through business, as she works for the California Life Sciences Association, a not-for-profit membership organization that provides services to companies in the BioTech, Med Device and Pharma-related industries. Their leadership team is largely from VWR Avantor, who we trained 17 years ago. When I met Una Mary, I was familiar with the overall team, but not her. That ended fairly quickly as we established common ground in business pursuits and a love for Ireland, where she is from, before moving here to the States in 2023.
Una Mary has an innate curiosity about many topics, asks great questions, and listens intently. The latter trait is something that I believe we all can improve on. She also comes up with new ideas on ways to pursue business and has the knack for connection, which I believe stems from the other factors listed. Her interests range from travel, continuous learning to line country dancing, and meeting/befriending people from all walks of life. The Irish do that; they make you feel heard and welcomed.
In just 18 short months, we have become friends- she’s met my entire family and spent 13 hours flying to our 20th company Anniversary party last June (the flight from San Francisco should have been about 75 minutes…what?). It is a pleasure to know her, a silver lining in business when many interactions fall flat. As one of my favorite authors, Jonathan Bach says “Your friends will know you better in the first minute you meet than your acquaintances will know you in a thousand years.” Thanks, Una Mary!
