Sonyé Randolph
Attorney, Visibility Coach, Author, Vault to Visible
Greensboro, NC
Her Story
About Sonyé
Sonyé Randolph is an assistant city attorney in North Carolina, where her work spans construction contract drafting and procurement, ethics training for boards and commissions, presenting legislation to City Council, and representing the City in Environmental Court. Her career of over 18 years in government, law, nonprofit management and academia includes disaster recovery assistant general counsel for NC Dept. of Public Safety, housing and community development, civil rights investigation, teaching university-level research statistical analysis, and lobbying.
Across council meetings, boardrooms, legislatures and courtrooms, Sonyé noticed a pattern: accomplished women going quiet in the exact rooms they were most qualified to speak in. When she recognized it in herself, while struggling to finish the children’s book series she co-wrote with her daughters, she built Vault to Visible™. The 21-day system uses breathwork and daily somatic and behavioral practices to help women move past three barriers: visibility, follow-through and wealth.
Sonyé holds a JD from North Carolina Central University School of Law, an MPA from UNC Greensboro with a concentration in community and economic development, and a BA from UNC Chapel Hill in Economics and Public Policy Analysis, and completed doctoral coursework in policy analysis and urban development at UNC Charlotte. She credits her drive to hard work and the community-first values her grandparents instilled in her.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Sonyé
01What do you attribute your success to?
Hard work, combined with a community mindset instilled by my grandparents, who stressed voting, being part of the community and helping out. My first job was at the YMCA, and its motto, “make a difference,” still drives me to ask: did I make a difference in someone’s life today? Especially in government work and in visibility problem solving with women.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Show them who you are. A lot of times we try to mask, but at the end of the day, you have to show up as who you are.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Be you. Come to the table as you are. Know your worth and what you bring to the table, and don’t round the number down or play yourself down. Don’t try to change who you are to fit in.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
In the legal field, as an African American woman, there are not a lot of Black female attorneys, only about 2 or 3 percent. On the coaching side, doing somatic and neuroplasticity work, the percentage of minorities is very low. But I don’t let those things hinder me, because I know what I bring to the table, and my high work ethic is enough.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Authenticity. Honesty. Showing up as who you are and being comfortable with who you are. Knowing that you are enough, with your work and the skills you bring to the table.
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