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New Orleans Magazine Road Home -- Top 10 Female Achievers Saving the world through children and water Who: Stacey Griffin Having one career, as the founder and owner of Milestones Mental Health Agency, wasn’t enough for Stacey Griffin. She wanted to see more people drinking water -- especially her daughter Sofia, now four -- so she created Esgee Enterprises (Aqua2G0) -- a “juice box” of 100 percent pure water that is kid friendly and easily stored for up to five years. “Aqua2Go was important to me,” Griffin says, “because it proves my belief that one person can make a difference in so many people’s lives.” After spending the past two years rebuilding Milestones -- the first mental health organization to re-open after Hurricane Katrina -- Griffin’s involvement with the agency now requires fewer hours at the office, allowing her to run both companies with minimal interruption in her daughter’s life. “I find ways to work aroud my time with my family as much as possible -- even if it means working wee morning hours or late at night when the family is sleeping,” Grififn says. As evidenced by her re-opening of Milestones, when times get tough, Griffin works even harder. “I also keep a positive outlook and always find a reason to laugh which is the fuel that keeps me charged!” She adds, “I have learned that if you choose a career that has personal meaning to you in some way, it can enrich your life and the lives of those you touch in your career.” As Aqua2Go grows and Milestones continues its progress we’re left to wonder, what could possibly be next for Griffin? Mentor: “My grandmother Loretta St. Angelo has been my mentor since I can remember. She has led a life of selflessly helping others. In the 38 years I have known her, I have never heard her say a bad thing about anyone and I have never seen her angry. She is positive and upbeat and makes you feel like you can do anything. “As for professional mentor, that would be Alicia Barajas who is a social worker at Family Services of Greater New Orleans. Upon meeting and knowing her in my twenties, she inspired me to follow in her footsteps and pursue a Masters in Social Work.” Turning Point: “I started at Louisiana State University in 1986 in a pre-medicine curriculum but a series of devastating personal crises in my twenties led me to the field of social work. It became obvious to me in my lowest times that we already have the strengths and skills to face adversity... we just need someone to teach us how to access them. As for the water company, wanting to play an active role in my daughter’s health lead me to create water boxes.” Advice for young women: “My best advice actually comes from my husband (Phillip Talmadge Griffin, Jr.) who has been my most avid supporter for the past ten years: ‘You lose the right to complain if you do nothing about it.’ To suceed, you must believe in your heart that just one person can make a difference. It’s also very important for young women who plan to have children one day to consider careers that will allow them the flexibility to ‘have it all.’”
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