Fatima Escalera

I attribute my success to community. I don't think I would be anywhere where I am today without the support of my mentors, the opportunities they've given me, support of my family, and support of my friends. I think without community, it's impossible to build any form of success.

The best career advice I've ever received came from my boss, the founder of the clinic where I work. He told me: 'You haven't had your worst day yet.' When I first started working at the clinic, I was learning so much because a lot of things are self-taught here. No matter how crappy your day was, no matter how busy or stressed you think you are, you haven't had your worst day yet. It's a great way to stay humble. When I'm feeling like I can't do everything right now, I just remember that I can, because when I asked him when his worst day was, he said he hasn't had it yet because he thinks it's going to be when he's dead.

My advice to young women entering my industry is something my boss, Dr. Del Campo, taught me: everyone's always watching you. I think whenever women feel like they lack confidence and they can't step into new fields, just remember that confidence isn't natural. Confidence is built, so just build your confidence by telling yourself that it just takes every single day of being a little bit confident to be fully confident.

The biggest challenges in my field right now are the economy and misinformation. Marketing is hard with the economy because a lot of people are struggling. But I think also awareness is a challenge - how to build honest awareness about our products and services. There's a lot of things that are marketed in the wrong way, either to push people to buy things or to push people to do things. But something that I try to build in our business establishment is honesty, making sure that people always have the option to do things. You don't have to buy a specific ingredient, you don't have to do a specific treatment, but I want you to have all the information possible so you can make an informed decision. Misinformation and the economy are the biggest struggles.

The values most important to me in my work and personal life are honesty, discipline, nurture, and kindness. I truly believe that the best thing we can do, both as women in the professional and personal world, is to just root for each other and lift each other up. I think women supporting women is the most important thing that we can do. I don't believe in tearing women down, and I believe in always rooting for one another's success. Jealousy and gossip have no place in my life or in my workplace.