A Few Minutes with Margy
Interview with Monica Nolasco, The Art of CPR

Margy Lyman:
Good morning, Monica.

Monica Nolasco:
Hi, Margy!

Margy:
It’s so wonderful to see you.

Monica:
So wonderful to see you too.

Margy:
Welcome to A Few Minutes with Margy. I’m Margy Lyman with Dudum Real Estate Group, and I’m here today with Monica Nolasco, who runs a program called The Art of CPR.

Monica focuses on helping people help people—teaching them CPR to save lives. I recently took her class as a refresher, and I’m already looking forward to taking another one soon.

Monica also isn’t only involved with helping you on the outside—saving your life physically—she’s also working on helping your heart and your soul and your wellness too.

So, tell me about yourself, Monica. How did you get started in this fascinating business?

Monica:
Absolutely. And first I just want to say I love how you said, “helping people.” That really warmed my heart when you said that we keep them alive. So, thank you so much.

How I got started in this… I was working with a nurse administrator, and she had such a heart for community. She really wanted to help the Spanish-speaking community. And since I’m a Spanish speaker, she put me through training to become a CPR instructor.

I was super excited to get that going! But then she moved on to get a better job—or not better, but a higher-level job opportunity—and I was left there with the training. So I thought, Now what? What do I do with this amazing skill?

As a result of that, I started teaching CPR to future nurses and future EMTs.

Margy:
Okay.

Monica:
And I do that in Silicon Valley. I run trainings there. And then I thought, What a great opportunity to offer this in my own community as well

Margy:
Because you live here in Danville.

Monica:
Yes, I live in Danville. And here in the East Bay, what a great opportunity to serve future nurses here—or anyone who wants to re-certify. That’s what we do here at The Art of CPR.

Margy:
Amazing.

So people who need to be certified in CPR for their jobs are firefighters, nurses, babysitters, occupational therapists, physical therapists—all those kinds of professions.

But I’m certified too, and I’m a real estate agent! I have four—almost five—grandchildren, so that’s why I care.

So tell me about the general population, because these things happen when you least expect them. We never know when somebody’s going to collapse and need help from somebody who’s trained.

Monica:
Yes. Exactly.

These classes aren’t just for professionals who need to have certification for their licensing.

Margy:
Mhm.

Monica:
And those are more extensive classes—longer, eight hours.

Margy:
Exactly.

Monica:
Daycare providers, for example, are required to take an eight-hour class that includes adult, child, and first aid training.

But for the general community, you’re absolutely right. These classes are for anyone who wants to learn how to help someone who needs help.

Margy:
Okay. So if we want to come in and take this class, how do we do that?

Monica:
It’s very easy! We have a number of different options on theartofcpr.com.

You’ll see a couple of flyers there:

The green flyer is for healthcare providers who need to re-certify. That includes pharmacists—they need CPR training too!

And the pink flyer is for babysitters. We have a hybrid class option for them.

So you can go to the website and see all the different options.

Margy:
And we’re in your studio right now.

Monica:
Yes!

Margy:
This is your training studio.

Monica:
Yeah.

Margy:
This is great. Introduce us to these fellows!

Monica:
(Laughs) Sure!

This guy here is our adult mannequin. We use him for adult and child CPR.

And this little one is our infant mannequin. This is for CPR training for babysitters, or anyone working with infants.

Margy:
Okay.

Monica:
Moms like you. Grandmas.

Margy:
Yes.

Monica:
Anyone working with infants. That’s what we use.

Margy:
And then you have “the team.”

Monica:
(Laughs) Yes, I call them my team. I travel with my team sometimes too.

Margy:
I’m sure you do! And you also have an AED here. Can you explain what that is?

Monica:
Yes! The AED is the Automated External Defibrillator. It’s part of our training too.

We teach people how to use it—you place the pads on the chest and follow the prompts. This one here is a practice model that we use in class.

Margy:
Amazing.

Monica:
So our training includes CPR, AED, and first aid.

Margy:
Some people really want to know how to use the AED.

Monica:
Yes! And we include that. Some people just want to learn compressions. It depends on what training they’re asking for.

Margy:
I saw a video recently—it was tragic, but it had a happy ending.

A coach collapsed on the sidelines, and the coach from the other team ran over and started CPR immediately. They called for help, and there was a nurse in the crowd who knew where an AED was. She came back, used it, and saved his life. He was fine.

Monica:
That’s exactly what I love about what we do. That’s what excites me.

We train and empower people to help someone in need.

Margy:
Okay.

Monica:
Veterans halls, for example—the one in Danville has an AED. The one in Lafayette does too. They’re in schools, community centers, gyms—everywhere.

Margy:
Fantastic.

Monica:
There are even colleges that have them on every floor in their buildings. So look for the map showing where the AEDs are.

Margy:
Great.

So you can sign up for a class that’s fully in person, or you can do one where part is online and then you come in for the hands-on training.

Monica:
Yes!

We offer fully in-person options here in the studio, and we also have hybrid classes. The American Heart Association calls them “blended.”

In those, you do the lecture portion online at your own pace—at home, at a coffee shop, wherever you like—and then schedule a one-hour skills session with us.

Margy:
Perfect. And that’s what I did!

Monica:
Exactly!

Margy:
And I feel empowered. That’s the thing that helps me the most.

When my kids are in the pool… my son and daughter-in-law recently knew someone who lost a three-year-old in a swimming accident.

We have a three-year-old in our family, and it really hit home. So now we keep an eagle eye on our little ones.

Monica:
Absolutely. And that’s what empowers us—we know we can do something.

Margy:
Well, thank you so much for your time, Monica. This was a pleasure.

I’m really proud of you, and I’m proud of the work you do and how much you give to our community. Thank you.