Veronica Spark
What makes Veronica Wildly Capable?
Veronica’s name fits her so perfectly because she truly is a Spark. She is evidently passionate about helping to make the world a better place and makes it her business to empower and equip entrepreneurs to do just that. Oklahoma City is lucky to have such a powerhouse inspiring change among us! HANNAH SCHMITT
What makes you feel proud?
I am so proud of the visionaries I have the privilege to work with through my company, Scaling Change. I am proud of their incredible resilience, relentless creativity, stubborn optimism, and selfless contributions to their communities. They inspire me daily, they open my eyes to what is possible, and they allow me the incredible opportunity to come alongside them and be a tiny part of all the good they’re doing.
What keeps you up at night?
It haunts me to think that we are wasting the world’s greatest resource: human potential. I believe the world’s biggest problems can be solved, but not with the same thinking that got us there. And if more good people just had the right tools, resources, or opportunities, they could use their distinct gifts to reach and teach and serve a portion of the population in the way that only they can. In doing that, I think people would no longer think of work as a necessary evil, but as the highest expression of their calling.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
To focus on being better today than you were yesterday, and that worry is a misuse of the imagination.
Who is the biggest influence in your life? Why?
My parents and my priest. I joke that I’m like Daddy by nature and Mommy by nurture: he’s passionate, she’s patient; he’s fire, she’s grace; he’s a visionary, she’s an executor; he’s a dreamer, she’s a doer. Together, they modeled the best of both worlds. My priest also played an integral role in making God real in my life, making Biblical wisdom so practical, and showing what a God-centered life looks like.
What’s been the biggest obstacle in your life so far?
Forgoing the traditional paths of “success” and navigating uncharted waters in my work. The field of social enterprise is relatively new and rapidly evolving, and sometimes it feels like trying to blaze a trail in the fog.
Another challenge worth unpacking is a lifetime of being exceptionally petite. This has taught me the power of small things to make a big difference. It’s taught me to never underestimate the potential that’s packed in a person, to identify potent strengths in perceived deficits, to come up with innovative solutions when things seem out of reach, and not be afraid to ask for help and build richer relationships in the process.
