Sharon Tirado, M.S.

I attribute my success to pushing past limiting beliefs and my own inner critic. I come from a place where it didn't seem like there were a lot of options, and at some point, I thought I was destined to fail or not accomplish much because of mental health challenges and the voice in my head telling me nobody would like my work. But I learned to look past that voice and just try, even when I don't get the results I want right away. I follow the principle that you have to fail to succeed, and I've embraced the scientific method in my life - I collect data, make adjustments as needed, and keep going. It's about perseverance, continuing to try and tweak things, because you never know which endeavor is going to hit. That discipline and willingness to keep moving forward, even through adversity, is what has allowed me to build what I have today.

The most important lesson I learned came from my time at Full Sail University, where they told me 'it's not what you know, it's who you know.' That wasn't my forte at all - I wasn't naturally social and didn't know how to maneuver through that type of networking world. I definitely struggled with gaining profitable opportunities after graduation because I assumed things would just get easier with a degree. But that experience taught me something crucial: if there's no door in front of you, you have to build the door yourself and walk through it. I learned that when opportunities aren't being handed to you, you create them for yourself. That realization transformed how I approach my career and led me to entrepreneurship.

If you have an idea, do some research and then run with it. You're not going to know everything on day one, and it's going to take more than a few months or even a few years to really get it, but once you do, you just take off running. The key is that you keep going, even if you slow down or need to take a break. Take intentional breaks and make time for rest so you don't burn out, because burnout culture is very real. Nobody should be working to the bone where you don't have anything else to offer yourself. We need to be able to fill our own cup to be able to fill someone else's cup. Make adjustments as you go, stay disciplined, and don't let limiting beliefs or fear stop you from pursuing your passions.

The biggest challenge right now is standing out when there are so many people trying to do the same thing. I'm constantly trying to figure out how to be different and gain people's attention while maintaining my integrity, because sometimes there are easy routes and loopholes, but I'm really big on showing up as myself and showing what I bring to the table authentically. I'm learning how to use tools like ads to draw more attention and audience to my business, which is a work in progress, but I want to do everything with integrity in a way that I'll be proud of when I reach my goals - not because I cheated or it was handed to me, but because I worked hard for it. On the opportunity side, I see tremendous potential in the creative and digital spaces, especially with AI and communication tools. I'm also excited about translating my poetry into Spanish to broaden accessibility and reach readers aligned with my culture. And ultimately, I aspire to be considered for Poet Laureate one day, which is the highest honor a poet can receive, and I want to be alive to experience people resonating with my work.

In my work, discipline and professionalism are absolutely essential to me. I've always been taught to leave everything at the door and give your all, which doesn't mean pretending or forgetting about everything - it means coming in with a clear mind and focusing on the goals so we can execute and drive out the success we need. When I started approaching work that way, it became so much easier to switch into that mission-focused role. I also believe in adding romanticism to life to make things more interesting and fun. Personally, I'm much more of a risk-taker - I do things for the plot and love trying new things and putting myself out there to have different life experiences rather than staying home and being bored. I would definitely consider myself adventurous and spontaneous. Above all, integrity is crucial to me - I want to show up authentically and build something I'm truly proud of, earned through hard work rather than shortcuts.