Her Story
About Millena
I've been in PR and marketing for about a decade now. I've always loved communications and PR and marketing - in terms of business, it's a very creative field, and I also have a very creative background in music and performing arts since I was a little girl. So this seemed like the perfect thing to tap into, to have my brain working that muscle. With my clients, I oversee a lot of the day-to-day activities of account teams and projects, developing client relationships, and providing strategic ongoing counsel to all of our clients that work in a variety of industries. I manage portions of new business development efforts and assist with staffing decisions such as staff growth and development. I also navigate that along with my own brand. I've always been involved with music, being an artist, singing, and performing. Currently, it's not where I've put most of my time into, but I think it's worth noting I've worked with artists like Shawn Mendes, JLo, and Demi Lovato, and executive produced a lot of creative projects. The experience that I've had there informs a lot of the work that I do for my clients currently, so it's always a lot of fun having that cross-pollination of ideas and experiences and being able to use it. I was raised in New York City, Queens, one of the most diverse cities in the world, but I was born and my family is from Brazil. I speak three languages - Portuguese, English, and Spanish. I now live in Miami, married with two kids under two.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Millena
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to a mom that believed in me so much and invested in me so much, and planted so many good seeds of all the things that I'm sharing with you right now. I think if I didn't have a mother who really showed me what hard work, dedication, order, and organization looked like, I would have had a harder time achieving the things that I achieved. That support system - my dad as well, but I'm highlighting my mom, you know, it's March, it was International Women's Day, it was her birthday yesterday. Yeah, so I'm a mother now, I have a boy and a girl, so it just gives me a lot more perspective on how it can be different types of challenges for women in different industries, and I've had the opportunity to navigate two very different industries and see how both are very male-dominated, especially in terms of leadership. We have come a long way, and I am excited to see us continuing to be trailblazers and pave the way for other girls.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I have ever received is that preparation leads to confidence. People work and focus so much on being confident, being confident, but you really want to feel like that is genuine, and the only way that confidence is going to be sustainable is if you're doing the work behind the scenes to show up as your best self. So prepare, put in the work, put in the time. And don't forget to have fun!
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Do not be afraid. Do not be intimidated. You have everything that you need to grow. If you're already in the room, that already says a lot about who you are. So keep showing up. Don't be intimidated. Speak up if you have questions. Probably other people in the room have the same question, so don't be afraid to ask and make your voice heard.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I know that in every industry, everyone is kind of seeing some sort of pressure in terms of the economy and the state of the world, really. So helping clients navigate the challenges, the ebbs and flows, and really leaning into their strengths, doing our best to help them see that and to help them break through the noise.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Making sure that everybody that I'm working with is learning, growing, and enjoying the process.
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