Sonia Veloso

I attribute my success to being goal-driven and having the right mindset. I didn't grow up with a lot - my parents weren't rich - so I always told myself that I wanted to be able to do things and have things that I never had growing up. That way of thinking makes me want to strive to be better and do better, constantly. It's that drive that keeps me pushing forward and reaching for more.

The best career advice I've ever received is that anything is achievable as long as you put your mind to it. Never think that you're less than anyone else, and if you really want something, you can make it happen. One of my managers told me not to let anyone's negative attitude or feedback bring me down or discourage me from keep trying. Anything is achievable if you set your mind to something and work toward your goals and dreams. Everything is possible - never give up. And if it's not going to work in one place, it'll work somewhere else. As long as you have that mindset and that goal that you can do it, you can do it.

I would tell young women to be stern and don't back down, because this industry is very much a male-focused, male-dominated field. It's hard for women to make a path for themselves. But I tell women not to let that affect them - if they think they can do it, they can do it. In my years in this business, I've had men tell me, 'Oh, you're a girl, you can't do this or you can't do that,' and you know what I did? I proved them wrong. So don't ever let anyone tell you you can't do something. Just go for your dreams, just go for what you want.

The biggest challenge in my field right now is still being a woman in this industry, because it's a very male-dominated field. Trying to put things in movement as a female requires a little bit more work than if I was a male. You have to negotiate a little bit harder. It's happened to me plenty of times where I'll call someone and negotiate a deal, and then my male coworker will call and negotiate the same deal, but that person will take them over me because they're a male. That's one of the biggest obstacles that women in this field have to face.

The values most important to me are being respectful and being a good leader. To me, being a good leader doesn't mean putting others down - it means lifting others up. That's what I try to do every day. I never talk down to any of the other employees. I always encourage them and let them know we're here to support each other. Some people make it, some people don't, but we're all here to support each other. Being a good leader is about having other people's backs, being there to listen to them, and not making them feel any less than you. I think everybody should be treated equally. If somebody did something wrong, you tell them what they did wrong and show them how to do it right, but you don't put them down and make them feel any less. I feel like by doing that, I get so much more done and get so much more out of people when they feel that I'm on their team. I want people to feel like we're on the same team and that I'm here to support them and have their back.