Daina Angeles, CNCS

I attribute my success to being authentic and persevering through hard times, but also really having a passion for helping others. I think when you lead with consistency, with integrity, and putting people first, you're going to gain so many opportunities and support around you. I've always been willing to step outside my comfort zone, embrace new opportunities, and continue learning. No matter what I'm doing, I just want to have a positive impact on the lives of others and learn something new. So I think my commitment to service and growth is the foundation to everything I've built today.

One of the best career advice I've received is that relationships really, really matter. I think when you build really meaningful connections, have a strong reputation, and genuinely support other people, it creates opportunities that you can't get for money. When you invest in people and help others, you naturally build a really supportive community around you, and I feel that's been so valuable to my career and to helping me through all the things that having a business can hold.

My advice to women entering the industry is just don't be afraid to take up space. I think that a lot of times, women underestimate their expertise before they're fully prepared, especially being in an industry where you have to apply for a lot of jobs - there's so many jobs out there. So I always say just to continue learning, to trust your instincts, but to confidently advocate for yourself, because growth really happens when you're willing to step outside your comfort zone and believe that you can do anything.

In the past few years, I've started working with high net worth families and high-profile families, where they fly you all over the country - there's a lot of competitive jobs out there. I think that a lot of times when you work with agencies and families, because it's unregulated, it's easy to overwork someone. It's easy to not have fine lines or regulations, so as I started to navigate that, I learned more about working in an unregulated industry with caregivers who want to succeed. Being able to navigate around those things while having a staffing agency really helped me advocate for caregivers, but also provide families the education they need to really give the quality fulfillment that their caregivers deserve.

The values that I think are really important for my work and my life are definitely having courage and being willing to embrace that there's change, or to really pursue opportunities, even when it's not guaranteed that you're going to win or be successful. I think the most rewarding experiences of life are when you step outside your comfort zone and just trust yourself that you'll figure it out, and it's always going to be okay at the end. Even if something doesn't go as planned, there's always an opportunity to learn and adapt. So I really value integrity and compassion, and just being courageous.