Beyond the Title: 12 Questions with Dr. Ida Balderrama-Trudell

Dr. Ida Balderrama-Trudell

Director, Belonging, Impact and Culture, Overture Center & Consultant, Ida B Tru Consulting

Dr. Ida Balderrama-Trudell is an advocate for Inclusion, Access, and Belonging who builds transformative partnerships and programs for historically marginalized and underrepresented communities. Her work is rooted in compassion, racial and social justice, decolonization, and love, with a little sass and a bit of woo. She is Director of Equity & Innovation at Overture Center for the Arts and brings over 20 years of higher education leadership at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. As Founder and Principal Consultant of Ida B Tru Consulting, she offers community-oriented consulting and speaking. She holds a Doctorate in Student Affairs Administration from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. A queer Latina, mom, partner, and Girl Scout leader, she is never afraid of hard conversations.

01Built to Last starts with a strong foundation. What is the foundation your leadership is built on, and how do you return to it when things get shaky?

The foundation of my leadership is built in, on, and with community. It is also rooted in wellness. Inevitably, when it seems a bit shaky, I count on reminders to center and engage with my community. It always helps, and it certainly makes me a more responsive leader.

02Where do you come from, and how do your roots keep you steady when leadership gets hard?

I am California born, Texas raised, and transplanted to Wisconsin. My ancestry is rooted in the complex colonization of the Americas, and my more recent relatives call the Chihuahua area of Mexico and the Big Bend area of Texas home, where the Jumano tribe was located. I am a proud Chicana and Tejana and wholly Indigenous.

03What's a piece of advice that has stood the test of time for you, the kind you still come back to years later?

I have been blessed to have many great mentors in my life and career. Two things resonate for me. First, always turn around and lift others with you when you are able. Second, see the humanity in everyone. It truly changes how you engage with the world around you.

04What's a book, quote, lyric, or scripture that has stayed with you and shaped how you lead or live?

There are so many to choose from, but two I will share. One of my favorites is Robert Frost's poem “The Road Not Taken,” and the idea that choosing the road less traveled has made all the difference.

I truly believe you can take on life and all the twists and turns it brings as negative, or you can ask the question, “How is this happening for me?” That quote and that question are embedded in my soul. They allow me to be flexible when things don't go quite the way I expected and to find something to learn from. I am a firm believer in lifelong learning. It isn't always easy, and make no mistake, this isn't toxic positivity. But if every time the road was closed, blocked, or re-routed I sat in the negative, I wouldn't get anywhere. I am also not always good at getting there myself, and when I connect with my community, it resets me.

05What's something you've had to rebuild after it broke or fell apart, and what did that teach you about building things that last?

I have had the privilege of rebuilding my career at different points, for a wide variety of reasons, over the last 30 years. Each time, the one thing that holds true is taking care of myself physically and mentally and reaching for the grounding I need. And importantly, my community and my family, blood and chosen, helping me along the way.

06What's one question every leader should ask if they want to build something that outlasts them, and why?

“How can I bring folx into this work who are smarter than me?”

Being able to humble yourself in this way, and learn from others, allows us to be more open to growth, and that benefits everyone.

07Who are you actively preparing to carry this work forward, and what are you doing to set them up to succeed without you?

I am very intentional about working with other women of color who are earlier in their careers than I am. I focus on health and wellness and try to be a sounding board, a reflection that helps them find their own truth and power. So often, our voices are stifled or missed. I want them to succeed, but not at the expense of their health.

08When leadership feels heavy, what do you turn to (music, travel, culture, faith) that restores you and keeps you feeling like yourself?

When leadership feels heavy, I center with yoga and meditation and get outside. Touch the trees, touch grass, be in nature and breathe.

09When you think about the legacy you want to leave, what do you hope still stands long after you've moved on?

I hope that everyone I interact with knows that I saw them, truly saw them, and that they carry warmth, love, and light from the memory of our time together.

10What's a small daily habit or discipline that has compounded into something meaningful over time?

I try to read every day, either a physical book or an audiobook. It feeds my soul to live in worlds others create and to learn about the world.

11What's a moment in your life where the music playing in the background ended up meaning more than you expected, a song that showed up right when you needed it, or made an ordinary moment stick with you?

For me, it's every single time “My Way” by Frank Sinatra comes on. It is significant to my family and me, and when you listen to the words, it is empowering in the most reflective way.

12What's a tradition in your life or family that you hope lasts for generations?

Our ofrenda. I hope our kids keep that tradition alive so they know we are always with them, and that family, in every form, is truly the root of all love.