Heidi Galeano Lopez

I attribute my success to my kids and my mom. My mom inspires me every day - this woman went through hell and back, came to this country from Nicaragua at a young age with just the clothes on her back and shoes on her feet, and established herself despite everything. If she can make it and do all this stuff with literally not having any help from anyone in this country, I can do that too. My boys have been my driving force - it was just them and me for the longest time after I left their dad, and we stayed by ourselves for almost 10 years. I want to show them that you don't necessarily need someone to come and save you, that you can take care of yourself and run your business and take care of your business. Even though I have a rare medical condition called Nutcracker syndrome that causes debilitating pain, I push through it every single day. I always tell myself there's someone that's always in a worse situation than what I'm going through, so it's okay, we're gonna power through it and be successful. What drives me is wanting to inspire the kids in my life - my own boys, my nieces and nephews, and the kids I took in when my brother wasn't a fit parent. I want to show them that life can be hard, but we can push through it, and it does get better.

Don't be afraid to be genuinely you with innovative ideas that you believe in. Sometimes it is very easy for us to want to appease individuals to avoid conflict or due to fear of what others may think. You are only holding yourself back and telling yourself no before you even give yourself a shot if you don't build the courage to not be afraid to be you and bring your whole true self to the table.

If you're wanting a career in the finance world, I would definitely recommend starting off by going to get even just an AA in business so you understand the basics of what you're going into. My degree is in chemistry and has nothing to do with banking - I was a senior executive assistant for about 15 years and then switched over at 36 to the banking world. My advice to young women is don't be afraid to change your career and reinvent yourself at any point in your life. I was nervous, hesitant and scared because I knew absolutely nothing, but what you learn in school is not who you are entirely. Who you are is a big part of what you bring to the table at any organization. Not being afraid to be your true self is one of my biggest pieces of advice. Confidence is huge, especially if you don't know something - you can be confident that you don't know anything in banking like I was, and they will still take you on as long as you let them know and are honest. Educate yourself constantly - even if you don't go to college, pick up a book. I read like crazy. You have two ears and one mouth for a reason - whenever you're around someone who knows their stuff, ask if you can shadow them and pick their brain. A lot of people are really eager to let you know how to be successful if you really show them that you want that, that you have the interest and the drive and the potential to do it.

One of the biggest challenges in the financial services industry is overcoming financial illiteracy and expanding access for underserved and immigrant communities, as traditional credit-scoring models can prevent qualified individuals from moving forward after life setbacks. At the same time, there is tremendous opportunity to grow mission-driven financial education, second-chance lending programs, and ITIN-based services that help more people achieve homeownership, business ownership, and long-term financial stability.

The values most important to me in both my work and personal life are inclusivity, empowerment, transparency, education, hard work, and family-centered resilience—helping people feel supported, informed, and capable of achieving their goals regardless of their circumstances.