Power Women: Claudia Valladares On How To Successfully Navigate Work, Love and Life As A Powerful Woman

An Interview With Ming Zhao

You can’t know it all. No one knows it all, even though it may seem that way. You are good at what you do, that is why you are where you are now. Be okay with not knowing everything, learn from others.

How does a successful, strong, and powerful woman navigate work, employee relationships, love, and life in a world that still feels uncomfortable with strong women? In this interview series, called “Power Women” we are talking to accomplished women leaders who share their stories and experiences navigating work, love and life as a powerful woman.

As a part of this series I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Claudia Valladares.

Claudia Valladares is a daughter of immigrants, became a single mom at the age of 19. Her son was her motivation to continue her career in order to be able to provide for him. Claudia is now a c-suite executive at an investment firm and also runs her own blog, Wise Dollar Mom.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood “backstory”?

My childhood story begins with the sacrifice my parents made before I was even born. They came to the United States in their early 20’s, left everything behind in Mexico in order to pursue the American Dream. I am grateful and just in awe of their sacrifice. They decided to come here to give me and my siblings a better opportunity than they had back home. I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for that step of faith.

I had a normal childhood, grew up in a small town where everyone knew each other. My dad always pushed my siblings and me to do the best we could at everything, so my focus was always on school; getting good grades, doing the extra assignments for bonus points, all those things.

Can you tell us the story about what led you to this particular career path?

I always knew I wanted to have a career that involved numbers. Shortly after graduating high school, I started working at a local bank. I thought I would retire at the bank, I was happy there but then a new opportunity came up! My current boss reached out to me via Linked In, I interviewed, learned about the position and the possibilities with this particular career, and the rest is history!

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

One of the most interesting things may have been my career change. I did not expect to ever leave the banking world, mainly because of my fear of change. Not only did I surprise my family and colleagues, but I surprised myself when I made that decision. I felt so much fear and uncertainty, I could not sleep, it was such a hard decision for me. But again, here I am, at a great place in my career!

You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

• Self-awareness has probably been the most important. Growing up, I was always a shy, quiet girl. I would not speak up even though I really wanted to. That followed me into my career, I would just go with the flow, do what I was told, never really speak up because I was afraid. Because of this, I always thought I would be behind the scenes in my career — not in a position where I would make important decisions. I’ve always tried to be aware of my strengths and weaknesses but it wasn’t until I came onto the firm that I realized I was actually able to develop some of my weaknesses and turn those into strengths. The ability to speak up and give my opinion when it came to important matters slowly started to become one of my top strengths.
• Trustworthiness. For any job I’ve ever had, my goal is to give it my best. I was trusted to be part of that company, so I don’t ever want there to be a reason for anyone to think otherwise. Usually, as a new hire you have to work to gain that trust and that’s exactly what I did at the firm. I was always on time, I learned the ins and outs of the company as well as the industry, I learned the company culture, the communication style, and took it upon myself to prove to them they did the right thing by hiring me. They eventually trusted me to handle things on my own, there was no need for someone to constantly check in on me, check in on projects. I was trusted, and I am very thankful I gained that trust.
• Humility. This is a trait many of us forget unintentionally when we take on a new title or position. I try to remind myself consistently of where I came from, how I got here (not just by my own measures), and carry this trait on to other people on the team. No one is ever too important or too good to do a certain job, that is humility, that is servant leadership.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. The premise of this series assumes that our society still feels uncomfortable with strong women. Why do you think this is so?

I believe the uncomfortable feeling comes from not being used to being in the presence of strong women. Women are seen as compassionate, loving. So, when we think of management or executives, most of us think of men in those positions. Strong women make people wonder how managing work, kids, husband, plus whatever else can be done. It is definitely a lot to manage but not impossible!

Without saying any names, can you share a story from your own experience that illustrates this idea?

There have been many instances where people ask what I do for my career and I can sense how it surprises some people, especially those that knew me before I grew into who I am today. One particular situation that I will never forget was when I was pregnant at 19. I saw someone I knew while I was out shopping for my baby, the person looked at me to say hi, saw my pregnant belly, looked back at me, and shook their head in disappointment. That happened almost 10 years ago and I still remember that moment so vividly. They probably haven’t even thought about this since. This particular person has expressed how proud they are of me, how I’ve come so far, and all these good things. We get seen as vulnerable and incompetent but it’s up to us to use those challenging times to empower us.

What should a powerful woman do in a context where she feels that people are uneasy around her?

This is where self-awareness comes into play. We can usually sense when there is uneasiness in the room. We can carry the conversation so these people can start to feel comfortable.

What do we need to do as a society to change the unease around powerful women?

I believe that as women start to embrace their strengths, society will come around and understand that. It will take time, just like with everything else.

In my own experience, I have observed that often women have to endure ridiculous or uncomfortable situations to achieve success that men don’t have to endure. Do you have a story like this from your own experience? Can you share it with us?

Fortunately, I have not experienced any ridiculous or uncomfortable situations. I pray that our society is able to accept and embrace strong women. There is no need to ridicule or make anyone uncomfortable.

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by women leaders that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?

Competence. Oftentimes people don’t believe women are competent to have a position that is typically held by men.

Let’s now shift our discussion to a slightly different direction. This is a question that nearly everyone with a job has to contend with. Was it difficult to fit your personal and family life into your business and career? For the benefit of our readers, can you articulate precisely what the struggle was?

In the beginning, it was very difficult. I was a single mom for almost 8 years, during that time I went to college and worked full time. When I finally graduated college, I jumped right into my career. I had to hustle and show my abilities, show that I was hungry for growth. Typically, when you’re in a c level position, your job is not 8–5, you work lots of after hours. So I had to do that while also being a mom. Going to soccer practices and games, after school functions. It was a lot. Now, I’m married and my husband helps me out so much! I’ve learned to step back a little and not let work absorb my everyday life.

What was a tipping point that helped you achieve a greater balance or greater equilibrium between your work life and personal life? What did you do to reach this equilibrium?

One evening, my son asked if I had to work or if I could play with him. That hurt. You don’t realize how it’s affecting the people that surround you until they speak up. I realized then that even though work was important, my family always came first. I set boundaries for working after hours. There are still times where I have to work past five but it’s definitely not as intense as it was at the beginning.

I work in the beauty tech industry, so I am very interested to hear your philosophy or perspective about beauty. In your role as a powerful woman and leader, how much of an emphasis do you place on your appearance? Do you see beauty as something that is superficial, or is it something that has inherent value for a leader in a public context? Can you explain what you mean?

I believe in the “dress for success” motto. If you are in a leadership position, or if you are not, always try to dress your best. It shows that you value your position and also care about your company. You are immediately treated with a little more respect if you are dressed appropriately.

How is this similar or different for men?

This area I believe is the same. When men or women dress nicer, it gives them a little more sophistication and respect than if they just showed up in very casual attire.

Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. Based on your opinion and experience, what are the “Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Powerful Woman?” (Please share a story or example for each.)

1. Perseverance. We all go through different things in our life, it is up to each individual to determine the outcome. Use those challenges and obstacles to empower you. I became a single mom at 19, had no career, I was a college dropout. I could’ve left my situation at that, continue with what was I doing, and just work but I decided I wanted more for my son and our future. I started working full-time and decided to go back to college.
2. Follow your own timeline. Don’t compare yourself to others, whether you finished college within 3 years, 10 years, or you didn’t go to college, that is your story, your life. Focus on your personal growth, focus on your career, don’t compare your story to someone else’s. You are the author of your own story. It took me 7 years to get my bachelor’s degree, it was hard to be in those classrooms, I felt like I did not belong. I had to constantly remind myself that at least I was there, trying. It was okay to be a non-traditional student, I just needed to finish.
3. Be comfortable being uncomfortable. Do things out of your comfort zone! As much as we hate to be in uncomfortable situations, it helps us take a step forward in our careers. I was pushed out of my comfort zone by my mentor so many times, and at the time I thought it was the end of the world, but looking back I am so thankful. I would not be where or who I am today if it wasn’t for that. There are so many stories for this one… My mentor made me talk to people I did not know so I could come out of my shell, that was terrifying and very uncomfortable for me.
4. It is okay to fail. Take it as a lesson. It is only a mistake if you didn’t learn from it. It’s okay to be hurt about it for a bit but get back up after that and move forward. You cannot let that hinder your growth. I was a college dropout, didn’t think I would go back to college but I did!
5. You can’t know it all. No one knows it all, even though it may seem that way. You are good at what you do, that is why you are where you are now. Be okay with not knowing everything, learn from others.

5 Things Video — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oqwzaR29Q8

We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

I would love to sit down with Kendra Scott or Sara Blakey! I truly admire their stories, how they created and built their businesses. I would love to hear their journey, what obstacles they went through, and how they overcame those.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.