When you’re the only woman in the room, but especially the only woman of color in the room, do you have a responsibility to help others rise up? Some would say yes, others no, but for Sonia Zeledon, it is her passion to reach back and pull others forward. 

Sonia is an attorney who specializes in regulatory and compliance law. She’s now working with the Hershey Company after spending years working on international regulatory cases. And many times, she is the only woman in a room full of men who are working on international cases when they’ve never even left the country. 

It is her passion to mentor the next generation and to give life and voice to those who are changing the mores of leadership in a professional setting. She has found her purpose in helping others’ to rise and she pays it forward by creating strong relationships with the next generation. 

Listen as she shares more about her journey, why mentorship was so important as she started her career, and what she’s doing to give back. The 3Ps are an important part of her everyday life and she hopes to make them central to her mentees’ lives as well.

Show Notes:

• [01:26] Why you need to focus on the 3Ps in life. 
• [03:09] Learn more about Sonia and her journey to becoming a compliance attorney. 
• [05:34] Was she oftentimes the only woman in the room? 
• [07:08] Where does her passion and purpose come in? 
• [08:37] What does it take for women to power up their own voices and passions? 
• [10:12] Sonia shares her favorite thing to do in her role and in life. 
• [11:17] How does she feel about millennials and Gen Z in leadership roles? 
• [15:22] Hear about one of her big career AHA moments. 
• [16:41] Her thoughts on fear and courage in growth. 
• [17:47] Does she have a unique way of handling the stresses of her job? 
• [18:27] Sonia provides advice for ways women can step into their 3Ps.
• [18:46] Connect with Sonia.

Links and Resources:

• Sonia on LinkedIn
• Episode’s sponsor: Empowered Women Event

No matter if you’re using Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Clubhouse, or any other social media platform to grow your authority and visibility, you need to do it strategically. Mandy McEwen has spent more than a decade helping her clients do just this and she’s here to share her tips and tricks. 

Mandy is the Founder and CEO of Mod Girl Marketing, an award-winning digital marketing agency. She and her team build influential personal brands for high-performing business leaders and executive teams, and they do it all with targeted content and strategy. 

When she first started her agency, she dabbled in all things marketing and brand development, but she realized that LinkedIn was the place that she loved. Most of her ideal clients were already on LinkedIn but they weren’t using the platform properly and she set out to remedy that. 

She has now created 8+ marketing courses and is a Top 20 Female Marketer per G2 and she’s sharing that knowledge with the Women Worldwide Community. Her #1 tip? Become attuned with the “why” behind your business and the reason you’re using each specific platform. 

Want some more amazing nuggets? Listen in to hear all of the insights Mandy has to share.

Show Notes:

• [01:20] How do you stand out on a business platform? 
• [02:20] Learn more about Mandy and her path to becoming a LinkedIn Consultant? 
• [05:30] Mandy shares some quick tips for optimizing LinkedIn.
• [08:25] Is LinkedIn Live the most important aspect? 
• [11:38] What is your purpose for being on the platform and running your business? 
• [12:27] Mandy shares her greatest success and her biggest challenge as a business owner.
• [15:07] She digs deeper on her greatest success.
• [17:15] How has she managed her FOMO and stayed focused on her goals.
• [19:42] Does meditation help her manage her stress? 
• [20:28] What’s the biggest lesson she has learned in business? 
• [23:15] Hear Mandy’s parting advice. 
• [25:28] Connect with Mandy.

Links and Resources:

• Mod Girl Marketing
• Mandy on LinkedIn
  
• Mandy on Twitter
• Mandy on Facebook
  
• Mandy on Instagram
• Mod Girl Marketing Facebook Group
  
• Mod Girl Marketing on YouTube
• Mod Girl Marketing on LinkedIn
• Mod Girl Marketing on Twitter
  
• Mod Girl Marketing on Facebook

We all use our brains differently to process our experiences in the world, but what is the intersection between the logical mind and creativity. Gina Rubel, CEO of Furia Rubel Communications, has been studying this connection her entire career. 

As a former lawyer with a background in PR, she has been decades understanding how people think and how that impacts their everyday decisions. Her company was the first Pennsylvania marketing and public relations agency with a niche in the legal field. 

Not only is her background in PR but she’s also written not one, but two books on public relations for lawyers. What does she credit for her successes in PR, law, and now in entrepreneurship? Understanding how logic and creativity mix and mingle and ways to blend them to create the best possible results for her clients. 

Listen as she shares more about her background and why she’s found solace in taking back her time. No longer does she hold on to all the pieces of her business. Instead, she has learned that delegation leads to success and happiness. 

Gina gives us so many amazing nuggets of advice, encouragement, and information so you’ll want to listen right to the end.

Show Notes:

• >[01:29] We’re talking all about how we use our brains. 
• >[02:40] How does one move from law to entrepreneur and agency owner? 
• >[03:27] What was the transition like? 
• >[04:51] Which skills did she carry over into her business from law? 
• >[06:10] How does Gina define creativity? 
• >[07:43] Any AHA moments as a litigator? 
• >[10:39] Why it is so important that women lift up other women.
• >[12:58] Does she tend to have team members that are like her or that compliment her?
• >[15:01] How does she maintain her calm around getting everything done? 
• >[17:41] Why cutting back on social media is so important to boundaries and mindset.
• >[19:25] Ways she’s taking her time back. 
• >[22:52] How Gina starts each and every morning. 
• >[24:16] Gina shares her parting advice. 
• >[25:27] Connect with Gina.

Links and Resources:

The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

Furia Rubel Communications

Gina on LinkedIn
Gina on Twitter

Gina on Facebook

Gina on Instagram

YouTube | Podcast | Book

How do you express yourself to the world? Do you ever find yourself being held back by expectations and doubt? What would it feel like to let it all go and feel free to express yourself exactly as you wish? For Gilda Garza, that is the reality.

Gilda Garza is a celebrity-favorite artist known for pushing the limits of raw emotion in a way that captivates the soul and sparks curiosity. She is famously known as the first artist to ever exhibit on the Las Vegas strip. She’s won the hearts of artists, collectors, and celebrities around the world.

But her work is not just for her or her patrons. She’s been using her work to help fund charitable organizations and create income for causes she believes in. One of her pieces sold for over $80K and she used every bit of it to donate to one such cause. 

Growing up in Mexico to an artist mother, she has always felt free to express herself. It isn’t always easy but it is absolutely always worth it. 

Listen as she shares her story and why art is her life and her passion. She’s a forever student of her craft and she’s dedicated to helping bring up other artists as well. Ideas are great, but unless you take action that’s all they are.

She has a truly inspiring story and the work she’s doing to elevate artists and causes everywhere is notable. Listen in to hear her philosophy on self-expression and finding the good in everything.

Show Notes:

• [02:36] Welcome Gilda Garza to the show.
• [03:07] How does one become a celebrity famous artist? 
• [05:24] Has she always had the same style or has it developed over time? 
• [06:22] What is it about her paintings that she hopes to share with her patrons? 
• [07:57] Learn about one of her biggest aha moments as she’s grown. 
• [10:43] Was it intimidating to be the first artist to exhibit on the Las Vegas strip? 
• [11:52] Gilda’s advice to up and coming artists. 
• [12:31] What does success mean to her today? 
• [13:09] She shares a day in the life of an artist… at least this artist. 
• [14:27] Is social media the way to build buzz?
• [16:20] How difficult is it to be critiqued? 
• [17:43] Are all of her pieces part of series’ and does she paint larger canvases? 
• [18:25] What’s the difference between oil and acrylic? 
• [19:53] With Covid has she been networking more online than in person? 
• [21:56] Does she love being a business owner and an artist? 
• [22:51] Gilda’s advice for sparking curiosity and creativity. 

Links and Resources:

• Reine Art Gallery
• Gilda on Instagram