Her Story
About Gloria
Gloria Mendoza serves as a safety advocate, a role she has held for seven years. She became NRA certified to teach women the fundamentals of firearms and their safety features, and she expanded her offerings through Damsel in Defense to include less aggressive self-defense options such as stun devices. Mendoza holds a Master's in Education from the University of La Verne in La Verne, California, and previously taught special needs children for approximately 14 years as an instructional assistant. She maintains a full-time position in the utility industry while traveling to conduct classes at fire ranges and other locations. Mendoza attributes her success to networking, positive reviews, and connections that help spread her business. She advises having passion for one's work and encourages young women entering the field to ask questions, find comfortable instructors, and learn extensively to build confidence in self-defense skills.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Gloria
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would say others that I've learned from, people who spread my business and give me reviews and talk positive, networking, connections. I would definitely say that.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I would say to have a passion for what you are doing. You have to enjoy what you're doing, no matter what it is. You have to enjoy it and you have to have a passion for it. And with that being said, the passion that you have inside of you radiates to the other person.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say, don't be afraid. Ask questions. Find someone who you're comfortable with. And just learn as much as you can, because the more you learn, the more that you hear, and the more you see, the more comfortable you become.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I would probably say someone who is intimidated in learning the use of a firearm and its fundamentals. And that also goes down to even when I'm teaching how to use a stun device, I think because of the noise and the reaction that it will give to the attacker that needs to be deployed, they tend on kind of holding back, not even wanting to hold or touch it sometimes.
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.