Tracey Saunders

I attribute my success to my parents, who have been huge supporters of me following my dreams. They always told me, even growing up and as an adult, that I can put whatever I put my mind to, I can do it. That stayed with me. When my dad passed in my arms, he literally told me to follow my dreams. I'm 51 years old, and when I stepped out on that stage to design for Roanoke Fashion Week, I was scared, but I was like, you know what? I'm here, I'm gonna do it, I can't go back now. My parents always said I could do whatever I put my mind to, and that has stayed with me. I also surround myself with mentors and ministers - my faith is very strong - and I have individuals who push me but also hold me accountable. My two sons, who are now 31 and 26, have also been my motivation. I raised them as a single mom, put them both through college - one graduated from Fordham College and the other from the University of Tennessee - and I'm blessed that they're amazing young men. The values my parents instilled in me are the same values I instilled in my sons.

The best advice I would give, which I shared when I was featured in the Roanoke Tribune answering 10 questions, is what I would tell my younger self: don't let anything interrupt your dreams or the career path that you're looking to go into. It can be scary, but at the same time, just follow your dreams, no matter what it is. If you have a passion for something, just follow it and don't allow anything to get in the way, because we do allow fear to take over. As I learned with Roanoke Fashion Week, being the first time designing, I did have fear, but then I was like, you know what? I'm already here, I'm gonna do it, and the worst thing that can happen is nothing. It can only go up from there. My son even made a post saying I was so scared and nervous, and he just told me to keep going. And that's what I did, because I could only go up. Just start. Start wherever you are, just start, and that's half the battle right there. My dad always used to say, if you get knocked down, you can get back up, you can dust your shoulders off, and you can start again. He would tell me, what are you crying for? Dust your shoulders off and keep going.

Love yourself. I think sometimes in this world, with social media and everything, you have so many people that look a certain way out in the world, and we look at them like we're supposed to look like them. The self-esteem issue, especially with women, is really hard. I tell some of my girlfriends, no, we're not doing that. Pick your head up, let's keep going. We're all not the same, we all don't look the same. Just be yourself. Stop trying to be what you feel like the world is wanting from you, or what you think the world should look like. We're all beautiful in our own unique way. When people tear other people down, whether it's size, race, whatever it is, I always say we're all God's children. We could be blue, green, yellow, and purple, and it would still be something. So just be yourself and don't worry about what anybody thinks at all. Aim for the stars and don't give up. Believe in your dreams and keep pushing through. We go through life and things happen, and you just have to keep going. You have to keep pushing through. Because someone tells you no, that don't mean that's the end of the world. You still can keep going. That one no, and then it might be 5 yeses, so you just have to continue to just aim for the stars and don't give up.

In the hotel industry, there's always opportunities, but there are definitely challenges. I have two properties now, and having two properties and trying to maneuver through the different challenges that come about is tough. One of the biggest challenges is trying to get the hotels full, because there's so much competition out here. You have individuals who say, well, I prefer Marriott, or I prefer this brand. So you have to really distinguish yourself among the pack, because they're wolves out there. You have to distinguish yourself among the pack. I've only been with the company I'm with now for a year, so it was a challenge at first coming on, trying to get adjusted, trying to maneuver both properties. Now it's like 3 days at one property, two days at the other, and now it seems like I'm really getting my path, I'm getting that footstep of how to maneuver both of them. It takes a little while to get it figured out. But we're finally seeing great numbers, great revenue at both properties, and we're just continuing with the momentum of doing that.

My faith is very strong - that's one of my most important values. I surround myself with individuals, mentors, and ministers who push me but also hold me accountable. Hard work is essential to me. I've worked hard my entire life, raising two sons as a single mom, putting both of them through school - one graduated from Fordham College, the other from the University of Tennessee. I never thought I would be a single mom, but I raised both of them very well and never had any problems from them. I'm completely blessed. Self-love is also incredibly important. I tell my girlfriends all the time to love themselves, pick their heads up, and keep going. The values my parents instilled in me - believing in your dreams, not giving up, working hard, and pushing through when things happen - are the same values I instilled in my sons. I'm that person that everybody comes to, and God placed me here for a reason. I want to see everyone happy, I want to see everyone succeed. I'm all for women empowerment - following your dreams, getting education, not being scared, not living in fear. Just because someone tells you no doesn't mean that's the end of the world.