I started working in advertising when I was 21 years old. In such an early stage of my career I did not imagine being the person nor professional that I am today. Being a woman in advertising has always been extremely difficult and challenging - and back when I started, I remember feeling that despite the experience and knowledge, there weren’t enough spaces for us in the industry. The percentage of women in advertising as a whole was incredibly low, and the percentage of women in leadership positions was even more slim, that’s probably why, as I imagined my career, I did not foresee reaching a leadership role at all. 

Throughout all my years of dedication, sacrifice, learning and evolution I’ve always had a strong community of family, friends, partners and colleagues. Back in 2013, I went through a very strong personal emotional crisis; only after several years I feel like I really started my healing process. During that time, my close community was extremely key for my healing; they’ve seen me cry in more than one occasion, and I’ve tried to avoid hiding what was happening to me. As in any crisis, I had good days and bad days; I was not prepared at all to face that situation, but I had a strong commitment to never give up, and I keep thinking until this day that going through this has made me who am I today. 

While I was going through this, I strongly felt it would have an impact on my career; I saw it as a before & after in my life, and I thought it would do the same to my professional career. And it definitely was, but in a positive way. I was deeply strengthened by this situation, it helped me learn more about myself, understand my true value, what was really important to me and how I wanted to be treated by others. 

That is how everything I put into practice in my daily life also began to be reflected in my work with passion and self-confidence. That's where I started to develop a role that still makes me stand out today: problem solving. I borrowed from the profession something that I could do very well and applied it in my life, and that's how I got through. Today my cover letter is to make the impossible possible or at least to try, focusing on solutions, and being grateful for the problems that arise since they push me forward. This crisis introduced me to ACCEPTANCE. Acceptance does not mean liking what is happening to you, nor does it mean that it won’t hurt, but by accepting it we can choose how to transcend it and move forward. And this is how we become more resilient and able to manage our emotions moving ahead.

This personal process helped me understand that everything that happens to me is for my own good. There may be missteps, but looking at the bigger picture helps us understand we’ll come out stronger on the other end. I also realized that what was being called missteps, were actually successes that made me be better in the future. None of this was an easy process, it was extremely hard and I did not go through this on my own. It was only with the support from my close community of family, friends, colleagues, leads, coaches, therapists, and many more who stood by me and supported me. 

I can say today I’m appreciative of everything I went through, with failures & successes, ups & downs since this journey helped me see myself for who I am. I learned to recognize and value myself in a different way. I have clear knowledge of who I am today. I’m a brave and strong woman, with clear values and goals, I have a deep understanding of what I’m looking for in life, I’m deeply empathetic and sensitive. 

I feel this is the right moment for me to share a bit more about my story, not merely my professional one, but my personal one. I want to open up about my journey, possibly helping others that might be going through something similar. Since an early age, we’re told our personal life and our professional life should go on separate paths. However, I’m a true believer that we are one. Taking care of our physical and emotional health, not only enables us to have a better personal life, but also allows us to become better professionals. I learned that we have to be intellectually, emotionally and mentally flexible. And that today my best work is me and from there everything else trickles down. 

Today I feel I’m in the best moment of my life, both personally and professionally. It took plenty of work, but I’m deeply proud of my journey and who I’ve become. 

I once heard something that I’d love to share: there are 5 balls in life: work, health, family, friends and soul. Of these 5, only one is made of rubber: work, because if it falls you’ll pick it up again; however the other four are made of glass, if one of them falls they will not return to their original shape. It is up to us to learn to manage our time, rhythms, breaks to rest and also to enjoy.

As a leader, I have been inspired by women throughout my life who knew how to get ahead. I strongly believe that it is very important to inspire each other, because in life we have moments of successes and failures and it is essential that we can share, exchange and learn from each other, as well as connect.