Kaitlin Rosario

I would say a lot of my driving force would be my family. My daughter's turning 21 this year. I never want her to see me being a teen parent as something that held me back, and that, you know, not having my bachelor's degree never held me back from wanting to be successful within my own career. Even though I had to work from stylist to keyholder to lead to assistant manager to then store leader, despite that trajectory, I was willing to put as much work in to get to where I'm at today, because I knew that's what I wanted. The more I worked for people that didn't cultivate that environment for me, the more I wanted to create that environment for others. And that just made me work even harder to get to my own store, so that I knew the store's in my hands, now I've got to take ownership of these goals and these thresholds set for us, but I also can now create an environment where every holiday my staff gets something. I hang up stockings for them on Christmas, and every time they hit a goal, something new went in their stocking. I don't take advantage of where I'm at today, because I did work from the ground up to get to where I'm at. I didn't come out of school and just get a store. I started from the bottom and have worked my way through every level of retail. I appreciate more the stylist position versus the keyholder versus the part-time assistant manager versus the full-time manager versus the store leader. We all play such an important role.

One thing that I was told when I was young, and it has always resonated with me, was you can't get healthy in an environment that got you sick. And it has always brought attention to me to create a healthy environment for people. Again, you can't get healthy in an environment that got you sick is very much a mantra of cultivate the space that you want for yourself, and for other people, and hopefully, they'll want to do that within their own lives, and hopefully that will extend past them working with you, and into their futures, and into the way that they manage and or function in their daily lives with other people.

I would advise young women entering retail management and social media–driven leadership to trust their voice, lead with confidence, and prioritize emotional intelligence as much as technical skill. Success comes from consistency, a strong work ethic, and being willing to do every job you expect of your team, which builds credibility and trust. I also believe in maintaining balance and bringing your authentic self to work while fostering a positive, inclusive environment. Outside of work, I value creativity and connection—I enjoy outdoor adventures with my husband, we are passionate Universal Studios passholders, and our shared love of storytelling and theater continues to influence how I lead and engage with others.

The values most important to me are creating a healthy, supportive environment for people, being emotionally aware of my team, and leading by example. I believe in work-life balance and making sure my staff feels celebrated, not just like numbers. Customer service is a lost art that I'm passionate about bringing back - I want to make every woman feel beautiful and special, regardless if she's an extra small or a 4X. I'm very inclusive and love working with all different styles of human beings, all races and identities. I value being cognizant of my team's lives - they're in college, they have finals, they're growing up in a social media world I didn't. Mental health needs to be taken more seriously in our day and age, so I wanted to be the manager that people wanted to work for. I don't ask my team to do anything I wouldn't do - everything starts from the top. I also value giving back to my community through donations to women's shelters and breast cancer research. Family is my driving force - I never want my daughter to see being a teen parent as something that held me back.