“Inside Edition” reporter discusses new book

Lisa Gurrero, chief investigative correspondent for “Inside Edition,” has recently published a book titled “Warrior.” She joins to reflect on her career and the advice she has for young women looking to gain some courage.

What does bravery mean to you, and when are you most brave?

“To me, bravery is a result of empathy. My bravery stems from the challenges and the trauma that I have overcome throughout my life, first as a girl who lost her mother at eight years old. My mother was 29 when she passed away from cancer, bonding with my dad through sports, and later getting into the world of sportscasting, which was full of misogyny and obstacles that I overcame through the years. It was through facing those obstacles that I became more brave and more courageous.”

Your mother is a very strong presence in your book. How did she influence your courage?

“My mother was a chilean immigrant. She came to the United States at 16 years old. She was from Santiago, and her father was a tailor making Salvation Army uniforms in South America. He was sponsored by a Salvation Army officer in Chicago to come to the United States. So he worked for $75 an hour, brought his children to the United States, including my mother Lucy Guerrerro, and eventually he started his own company.”

 “It was through my grandfather’s story and my mother’s strength that I decided to take the name Guererro when I became an adult.”

You share stories about the difficulties you faced as a woman in a male-dominated profession. What advice would you give, especially to young women faced with similar situations, about the red flags and tapping into that inner bravery?

“One of the reasons I wrote the book is I want young journalists, young women in any business, really, to be able to say immediately when they see one of those red flags, to speak out about it and to report it. Instead, what I did early on, especially in my sportscasting career, is that I negotiated with myself. I compromised.”

 “I would say now to young journalists don’t compromise. If somebody tells you to smile more, argue less and wear short skirts, then run. Find the exit, this is not the job for you.”