Elena Valle

My husband is one of the biggest attributors to my success. Without him, I couldn't do this. We have 3 kids, and so it's a lot, and he just supports me in so many ways. My family and my community continue to cheer me on. I have some amazing friends and people, and I'm continually inspired by all of the people around me and women that are also taking leaps and doing the thing. I read a lot of memoirs, actually, of people, and just learning from others, everyone around me. It's important to be inspired by the world around us. There's so many things, if we look at nature, even, just cheering us on every single day. It's important to kind of stop and find that support.

Definitely have a mentor. I think that's really important, because sometimes we can't see the water that we swim in. I'm a sociologist by training, and I think that having a mentor will help us to continue to excavate our strengths and places where we need extra support. Also, finding your community is crucial, because being an entrepreneur can be extremely isolating. There's so many messages about having to do it alone, having to do all of it on our own, especially as women. Especially if you're caretaking for family members, children, or parents, or your community. I actually make it a really strong point to connect on a weekly basis with women in my circle, because we have a lot of challenges and ups and downs, there's lots of wins. Especially being in midlife, I'll be really, really transparent - just going through all of the changes our bodies are going through hormonally, emotionally, moods, like, all of that comes up. Being able to have someone that understands and I can talk to, and I don't feel so alone, keeps me going, because there's so, so many ups and downs.