Lauren Mendoza

I would attribute my success to great leadership, first and foremost. I think having a good leadership team really helps give you the confidence to be able to take your ideas and run with it, and so I think that's first and foremost. Another thing I attribute it to is centered around learning and just being in the places where people are giving you feedback and are telling you what they are wanting to see. For example, we attended a conference last week, and in sitting in some of the sessions, I was able to hear directly from some of those leaders what their pain points were that I wouldn't have heard by working behind a screen. Being able to put myself in situations where I'm able to directly hear from our ideal customer profiles on what they're experiencing the most and what may be some solutions that they would look for, and then we can come in confidently and say it's us. So I would say it's a mix of leadership, but also putting yourself in a position to really hear authentically who your ideal customer profile is and what their needs are.

The best piece of advice I've ever received is the phrase, 'the only person standing in your way is you.' This was said to me back in 2016, about 10 years ago, and then my husband, not knowing that this was said to me, said it to me again just a few weeks back. Both times, it has been at pivotal points in my life where things were about to change. When I heard that 10 years ago, that's when I decided, okay, I'm gonna go back to school, because the only person standing in my way is me. And when this person told me that, I was like, yeah, like, this is it. And then, even a few weeks ago, my husband said that, and that's when I accepted my new opportunity that I'm moving into in March. Those moments have happened at pivotal points in my life where I needed a reminder that I'm the only person standing in my way of moving forward.

I would say that part of my success has come from centering myself around successful women. I think if we're able to come alongside one another and really put yourself out there, and make friends, and build those relationships, that's really what will promote you within the industry, and also give you a sense of community within the industry. I know it's so easy, especially with some remote work, to kind of be on your own little island, but it is so important to have that community and collaborate with other women that can uplift one another. So, yeah, that's ultimately what I would say - just surround yourself with the women that you want to be, and you want to succeed with.

The biggest challenge in my field right now is definitely around budgeting and having the funds secured to be able to move forward. There's a lot of uncertainty with funding - clients have the funds, but they don't know if they'll still have them for the next fiscal year, and so I think that's been the biggest thing, the uncertainty with funding within our customers that we're hoping to reach. On the opportunity side, I would say the biggest opportunity is around the fact that there is so much noise and content out in the world that everyone wants to figure out a way to cut through the noise and be able to be heard. I think the biggest opportunity is leveraging what new tools are coming available to be able to cut through that noise. If you could figure out a way, and that's what I'm working on now, figuring out tools and ways to be able to cut through that noise, I think that's going to be an incredible opportunity. So much content is great, but really, what we want to be putting out there is meaningful to the people that we're sending it to, and it's actually getting to them - not just a flyby, or just another email in the inbox that's going to spam.

The values that guide me in life and work are rooted in faith, family, and collaboration. At home, I put God first, trusting Him to direct my steps and guide me through challenges, which has shaped both my personal growth and professional decisions. In my career, I prioritize openness, availability, and team collaboration, ensuring my colleagues feel supported, heard, and empowered to succeed together.