Meet Thrissia Koralek | Child of God, Wife, Mother, Medical Student & Business Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Thrissia Koralek and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Thrissia, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
When I moved to America from Brazil at the age of 16, I had many dreams for my personal and professional life. As any immigrant can probably agree, it is a lengthy and arduous process. I moved on my own at the age of 16, became a foreign exchange student during my senior year of high school and was hosted by an amazing family in Arkansas. Once my time was up, I knew that the next step was going to be to go to college in the USA.

Both of my parents are physicians in Brazil. I grew up with lots of responsibilities as a young woman. I excelled in all my classes from a young age and was always fascinated by the human body. Medicine felt more like a calling. So thats what I did. I graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in public health sciences from the University of California, Irvine. I am now a medical student at Nova Southeastern University.

When my pre-medical journey began, I was “young, dumb, and broke”; perhaps not dumb. My point is, I was young and did not have the responsibilities I now have. This year my husband and I will celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary, my daughter Skyler will turn 5 and my son Atlas will turn 2. Ever since I became a mother, my passion for disease prevention has become sharper and my journey within medicine even more clear. I know what I want and what I do not want. Today I can fully grasp my limitations, and I don’t look at them as “limitations” but rather as a guide to keep my priorities straight. I now understand that I only have 24 hours in a day and that my medical specialty will have to come to an agreement with my responsibilities as a wife, mother, and business owner.

As a current medical student, I am constantly working towards finding the right balance for my family and I, which sometimes seems impossible while going through such a demanding training. I wish I already had all of the answers figured out on this topic, but this is what I’ve learned from my experiences so far: You can not have all the things you hold dear, all the time; something has to give. When I am studying, I must make a choice to do just that, study. When I am at home, I must strive to be as present with my family as possible, leave school-work at the door and step into motherhood right away. I have found that trying to do both at once does not work well. Although there are times that I am not as present with my family as I wish, I think “quality over quantity” and make the best out of the time I do have with them.

Although I am a very studious, ambitious, and creative person, I must not forget my first role as a follower of Christ, wife and as a mother. My family must remain my number 1 priority. I have published science articles, graduated top 2% of my class, learned from experts in the medical field, but to me there is no greater joy than raising good moral citizens for this world. What good is it for me to succeed in my profession but forfeit my loved ones? I believe no true happiness can come from that. A healthy balance is definitely key.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My husband James Koralek and I built Veritas Court Reporting from the ground up almost 6 years ago. James grew up in Redondo Beach, California and went on to graduate from Biola University, with a degree in pastoral leadership (MDiv). A missionary at heart, James has been part of and led mission trips to Egypt, India, Zambia, South Africa, and Mexico. There, he has helped to build homes, shelters, ran youth camps for kids in orphanages, taught from the Bible, and distributed medical supplies.

So how did we get into the Court Reporting business? We believe it’s a combination of blessings, the right people crossing our path, our eagerness to learn and grow as business entrepreneurs and our desire to bless our partners with a stable income.

Veritas is now an industry pioneer and one of Los Angeles’ most established digital reporting teams. Our team has captured thousands of legal videos and digital reporting proceedings since 2017. Veritas’ core values are built around service. We are highly selective about our partnerships. We only work with the most talented and reputable legal videographers and digital reporters in the field. As our business continues to grow, my husband and I continue to lead it with the same motto I live by “Quality Over Quantity”. As the business grows, our quality control management must keep up with its growth, otherwise we lose that key attribute which sets us apart.

Not having a business degree and learning everything on our own made it difficult at first but also thrilling. As time passed, we got better at managing ourselves, our team, and relationships with our clients. Our interviewing skills has gotten much sharper. Our previous experiences have taught us the type of people we want to invest time in. I still do the interviewing of new hires, and I can quickly pick up on stubbornness, arrogance, and pride. Those are the most difficult attributes to work with. I have found that our best workers are the ones that are eager to learn and eager to apologize if a mistake is made, I truly value those people which is reflected in their income.

Veritas was created for a higher purpose. We wanted our business to reflect our christian beliefs and passions in disease-prevention. Veritas supports building water wells in rural Africa. “Across much of the developing world, unclean water is an immensely greater threat to human security than violent conflict. Sadly, children’s vulnerability makes them the greatest bearers of this tragedy. Each year an estimated 2.2 million children die from diarrhea and 443 million school days are lost to water-related illnesses. Most notably this crisis could be prevented by the provision of three fundamental foundations of human progress: delivering clean water, removing waste water and providing sanitation.” WWFA Veritas believes that every person deserves access to clean water. That’s why part of our profits are redirected to build water wells in rural Africa.

If I could encourage one person who is about to embark into the entrepreneurship journey, I would say: Find at least 1 business role model who truly wants to see you succeed and learn from them. Filter every advice to be compatible to your core beliefs. Do not chase after money but after relationships. Ask God to bring those business opportunities your way and be faithful with “little” so He can keep blessing you with “more”. Do good with the money you make. Be a light in this dark world. Stay humble and remember your roots. Find out who you truly are and your mission on this earth. Money will only magnify your attributes, so get those right first. Enjoy the journey!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in Weston, Florida. I consider this city to be a hidden gem. Within my neighborhood, I would bring them to eat sushi at Ke Uh. Then we would stop at Welleby Park so the kids can get their energy out. For a calm and kid-friendly beach day, I would bring them to Dania Beach and then out for dinner at Tiki Tiki Restaurant to enjoy awesome food, drinks, and the boats passing by. If they are up for a cool adventure, I would bring them to this amazing Greek Restaurant called Santorini by Georgios in Miami Beach. There the kids can swim while the parents eat and then we can go for a nice walk at the beach. I also would bring them to the Miami Children’s Museum for an exciting day trip. I would bring them to The Berry Farm where the kids can pick strawberries, walk through the sunflower fields and play at their amazing wood playground’s giant ark, monster truck, pirate ship, castle and so much more. Lastly, I would bring them to the Everglades for an Airboat Ride alligator experience.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Books I recommend for personal growth: The Bible, The 7 principles for making marriage work, Winning the War in Your Mind: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life

Courses to help get you financially ready: Dave Ramsey’s 7 Baby Steps

Podcast I love: Born to Impact

YouTuber I feel inspired by: Ali Abdaal

Website: www.veritascourtreporting.com

Instagram: thrissiakoralek