Her Story
About Christine
My career journey started simple when I was 16 and got my first job at a pizza place that originated in Michigan but came down here to Tampa, Florida. I enjoyed it and did a couple of different things in between, including working as an insurance agent for a little while. Then my husband, who actually owned the pizza restaurant, and I started dating, got married, and I literally married into the pizza restaurant. I loved the people, I loved the food, and at one point we had 6 restaurants from Jacksonville to Tampa. What I'm most proud of is watching children come in at 16 and 17 and watching them grow through the years. One of them, Liziani, we call her Leafy, came from Puerto Rico and didn't really speak a whole lot of English. I would always try to tell her, find your voice, you're smart, you're intellectual, don't hide behind your fear. She's a grown woman now, she's amazing, she's found her passion which is animals and works as a veterinarian. To watch her grow from a young girl to a woman who's proud of what she does is an amazing thing. The greatest achievement is not necessarily about working with the food or growing the business itself - it's watching those kids come in and seeing them grow.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Christine
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to determination. I'm a goal-oriented person. I'm determined. I like things to be efficient, and if someone else has an idea that they see what I'm doing and they go, you know what, this might be better, maybe this is more efficient, let's try. So trying to listen. Listen to people around you, because you don't always know what a different perspective could help. Being determined, being goal-oriented, and being open-minded to other people's ideas.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Be brave! Be brave. Try it. Not everything is for everybody, but you won't know. So put on your big girl hat and walk in and be a boss! Just be brave. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work, but you won't know. The regret is gonna be worse than going in and maybe failing. So just be brave.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
To be honest, everything is electronic. Everybody's on their phones. Customer service, I think it's lacking a great deal these days. Everybody's on their phone, nobody talks face-to-face, even when they're all sitting at dinner at the same time. Electronics is great, it really does benefit a lot of people, but it also, it's a disconnect. It separates everybody in the room.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Honesty. 100% honesty. Even if it's maybe a negative feedback, people will learn, you just have to be kind and be honest. You can say things in a way that's kind and honest so that it helps them grow and understand, because again, nobody's perfect. That is number one for me. It's honesty. Being able to talk to someone in a kind, honest way.
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