Her Story
About Sophia
I started my career in marketing with my college degree in the field, and it's been a passion of mine for nearly 25 years. I've worked in marketing across different countries and locations, both internationally and regionally, which taught me so much about cross-cultural communication and how to do business in local environments while amplifying business impact through community connections. I pursued my bachelor's degree in Marketing in the UK, followed by a master's degree in Business Management and Cross-Cultural Communication. In 2023, I officially launched CEO Mindset Institute after years of doing this work as a side business while in the corporate environment. My company serves small business entrepreneurs and immigrant entrepreneurs, helping them build, scale, and globalize their businesses in the U.S. This mission resonates deeply with me as an immigrant myself. I want to help my niche market not only from a business perspective but also through leadership coaching, which I've been doing for over a decade. I'm certified as a professional coach by ICF and as a Jack Canfield methodology trainer. What drives me is helping people build their legacy - not just about money, but about confidence, identity, and well-being from different perspectives. I leverage my professional skill set in marketing combined with my personal identity as an immigrant to be a unique point of contact for the community I serve. Right now, my company is growing with 5 to 10 people working on a project basis, and I handle everything from operational tasks to high-level strategic planning, networking, implementation, and optimization.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Sophia
01What do you attribute your success to?
I believe success is about bringing positive impact to the community, to society, and to the country where I live and where I originally came from. I may not be at the level of someone like Elon Musk, but I sincerely admire his mission to help the world be a better place and help people live better every single day. I have a big heart for this work. For me, success means building a legacy for my family, honoring my generation, and bringing positive impact to my next generation and my kids. Money or numbers are just something, but we are here in the world and there's something that will last forever. That's what success looks like for me. It's about helping my niche market of immigrant entrepreneurs not only build their businesses but also build confidence, identity, and well-being from different perspectives. That's the most meaningful achievement - helping them build their legacy.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
First and foremost, try to embrace, accept, and love who you are as a person, no matter what kind of family, educational, or living environment brought you to where you are. Fully acknowledge that and shine up as the person who you truly are. Let yourself be the movie star on the stage for your own life and for your family. Everybody has a different journey and different life lessons to go through. For me, it took a long period of time to really, truly see myself and then shine through. Based on the traditional Asian educational background, people are more humble, and sometimes that drives us to a place where we lack confidence and find it hard to stand out for ourselves. I literally feel it's important to acknowledge and recognize yourself as a very unique person, identify yourself as the person you want to be, and build that confidence. We have a lot of experience and there's deeper meaning to being part of the community and society. It's not about grabbing attention because we're too humble to be the star, but we need to voice out loud and stand there to help people.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The most important values to me are authenticity, reliability, and courage. Even when I was in the corporate setting, my supervisor, who is now the CMO of the company, recognized me for having courage as a key character. I think that's part of me and it's the way people identify who I am deep down.
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.