For me, personal branding has always been, well, a truly personal endeavor. After 20 years of marketing and branding experience in the tech world, I’ve shifted my focus to one that’s part advocate, part masterful career coach: using my tech-world branding expertise to inspire women to know and communicate their value in the workplace.
It’s not just about finding right-fit employment opportunities—it’s about giving women the confidence to know that no matter their background or education level, they’re capable of visualizing career opportunities and landing a job that paves the path to financial independence and, most importantly, their true potential. I’m their partner on that journey.
Being a relatable, empathetic ear and confident leader has always been a part of my DNA. Born to a family of six children, I found my drive for helping others and leading with compassion from my sister, who was born with cerebral palsy. Having a sibling with a disability enabled me to view the world from two different perspectives—one from my sister’s and one from my own. It helped me hone an innate, almost intuitive ability to nurture, empower and understand another’s needs.
Giving compassion has always been a part of who I am, and I bring that dependable dedication everywhere I go.
Throughout my career in branding and marketing at reputable tech companies, I couldn’t stifle my instinctive ability to see where challenges would arise. During my tenure at DoubleClick as a marketing professional and then president of AICI (Association of Image Consultants International) NYC chapter, I made sure to dedicate time to social justice projects like Civility Counts, AICI Gives Back and Image and Disabilities.
But it was my time spent volunteering at The Grace Institute, a nonprofit that provides job-skill training and counseling for women before matching them with jobs, that changed everything. As a member of their special advisory board, I encouraged them to look at placing women in the technology industry and provide them with careers that had long-term potential instead of administrative roles where they could eventually be outplaced.
As a certified master personal brand strategist and image consultant, my holistic approach to career coaching serves an even greater purpose than just job placement or satisfying corporate social responsibility initiatives. I’m shifting the way employers view an ideal candidate while also transforming how a candidate sees herself. I give women confidence and enable them to articulate their unique attributes and confidently talk about their value. Because working to empower women on their professional paths isn’t just a profession. To me, it’s personal.
