Her Story
About Sonji
I've been in the consulting and training industry since April 2019, serving as the Chief Executive Officer of Briason Associates. My main areas of expertise include leading a corporation, executive coaching and training, and leadership management. I hold a Bachelor's of Arts in Psychology from York College, a Master's degree in Psychology from Allen University in Brooklyn, and a PhD in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Capella University. My business is a proud member of the New York Chamber of Commerce and the Southern Connecticut Black Chamber of Commerce. My greatest passion is helping people with developmental disabilities and serving underserved communities. About 10 years ago, I realized that if I had time to make time for other things, I could make time for the things I enjoy doing, and I started traveling beyond the East Coast for the first time. When I'm not working, I love going for walks along trails, spending time with my family, and traveling to the islands and Europe.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Sonji
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to being focused and maintaining integrity. I don't give in to everything that's going on around me, because that's huge. Things start exploding around, and we want to get emotionally attached in there, but it's just staying true to who you are. I take nature walks and let my mind drift into my spirituality. I'm a very spiritual person, Jesus first, God is my evidence. I stay connected with church and a higher being. It's about staying connected with a higher being.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I ever received happened when I began running my own organization. I was on a training, and she said my problem is that I am not my organization, that I am CEO. It was like the just shall live by faith for me in regard to my business. It just gave me a totally different outlook, because I was performing as though the company was me, and I had to do everything. I wasn't managing my people, and therefore, everyone was sitting around waiting for me to do something. Every time something happened, they're waiting for me. That hit me really strong, and I became the CEO, and now I am managing the people, and they're not managing me.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would tell young women entering this field to stay focused, to be fair, and always walk in integrity. Integrity is so important.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I would say the glass ceiling. We have some glass walls or glass rooms that we exist in. Breaking through the barriers of those glass ceilings and glass rooms is the biggest challenge and opportunity.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Respect is definitely the most important value to me. Everyone should be treated respectfully. I can remember being in the industry, and people would get yelled at by the CEO, they would be disrespected by the CFO. Everybody here has grown, we go home at the end of the day, we have families, we have children and grandchildren that honor us and miss us, but then we go on the job, and if we make a mistake, we're treated with such a level of disregard and disrespect. That should never be. I believe that should never be.
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