Linda 🌻

Company : “Hey we’re bringing everyone back to office you get pizza parties and snacks.”

Employee: “But we prefer remote and flexible work and not having to commute 1-2 hours every single day.”

I remember a company I worked at that forced every employee back to office 5 days a week. It was especially difficult for full time parents as they relied on the flexibility for childcare.

The company’s justification was renting out a bigger headquarter that had a basketball court, gym, and that they would pay for better food and snacks.

Me : “I can buy and throw my own pizza party because remote work gives me so much time and money back” 🤷‍♀️

There’s no office perk that outweighs remote work 👩‍💻🍕

#remotework

My current Director told my team that she loves my LinkedIn posts and to check out my page if they ever had time.

I’ve worked with directors in the past who felt threatened that I had a voice outside of work. Directors who would be passive aggressive with me or call me out on what I choose to write on LinkedIn.

I’m very thankful I have a leader who respects and supports their employees to have a voice in and out of the workplace.

Directors who feel threaten by your voice only want you to be below 👇 them.

Directors who empower your voice, want to see you go above 👆 and beyond limits.

I don’t feel qualified to be here.

Amazon is one of the toughest and hardest jobs I’ve had in my career.

All of the people that are on my team have 5-10 years of experiences and I have barely 3.

I feel out of place, lost, confused, and the imposter syndrome is kicking in big time.

What’s on my resume doesn’t necessarily help me here, but all I’ve got is a positive attitude, the willingness to learn, and be adaptable.

Having a kind team and coworkers who helped take me under to patiently train me, teach me, and encourage me that they all started where I was too and it takes time but I’ll get there.

I don’t know if it’ll get easier but I know I’ll get better.

If this has taught me anything is that 90% of jobs can be taught and that most candidates can do the job if given the opportunity.

The resume with the experiences doesn’t matter as much as who the candidate is, off paper.

If you weren’t ready you wouldn’t be given the opportunity to begin with.

Remember growth happens when you do things that you aren’t qualified to do, that are outside of your comfort zone, and that push and challenge you 🚀

Look what finally came in the mail ✈️ 🧳

I was never allowed to have a passport growing up, and now at 24 I finally got one :)

My mom is scared of life. She raised me to be scared of the world. She never let me out of her sight growing up, never let me travel, never let me explore, never let me have friends.

I was telling my therapist that even after I moved out I was finally free, but I was putting off getting a passport because of how much she traumatized me. My therapist told me to feel the fear and do it anyways that just because my mom didn’t want to live life doesn’t mean I have to do the same.

I’ve only been traveling within the United States on the weekends and it has been freeing to know I can. Now I have my passport, I can’t wait to book a destination later this year and go out of my comfort zone.

“Feel the fear and do it anyways.” 💥

I worked as a cashier at Wholefoods before I landed my first job in recruiting.

I had been unemployed for 5 months and my savings were being drained.

No company would take me because I was either under-qualified or over-qualified.

Wholefoods gave me a chance when no one else did and they set realistic expectations.

They knew this was a temporary job for me and supported my schedule to allow me to interview for other companies.

When I gave my two weeks, everyone cheered me on.

To the companies who give a chance on overqualified candidates or giving them a temporary position to make ends meet, you’re the real heroes ❤️

I got three of my weaknesses targeted when I interviewed with a company in the past. The hiring manager sure knew how to tear me down.

#1 I see you have a 6 month gap on your resume.

#2 I see you do not have a college degree.

#3 I see you barely have any relevant experience.

He told me, “Sorry, but I know you will not make it here and it would be a red flag to hire you because you will not last.”

The job description said “Entry Level, we will train.”

Well I am glad I didn’t listen to him, because I was hired for the same company under a different team. I got promoted within 1 month where it took most people 6 months. I hit the quarter bonus under a year where other peers hadn’t. I made the leadership board for #1 recruiter 6 months straight.

He was right. I didn’t have all the things that other applicants probably had, but it shouldn’t have mattered because it was entry level.

If you choose to discriminate against candidates for not meeting certain qualifications that weren’t required to begin with, you are missing out on a large pool of applicants with transferable skill sets that will excel in the role. All they need is a chance. Give it to them, you’ll be surprised at how much someone can accomplish if you just believe in them. ❤️

I once interviewed for a company who told me they really wanted me to join their team. Then I didn’t hear from them for 2 weeks after the second round. I got a phone call randomly and before I could even say anything, “Just want to make sure you are still committed to us before we proceed further.”

I set them straight and said, “You went dark on me and took two weeks to get back to me. I am not desperate to chase after you. Respect goes both ways.”

The hiring manager went silent for a minute and when he spoke he said, “I’m sorry, I dropped the ball and I promise I will do better. We can get you to the final round as soon as this week.”

I declined because I didn’t appreciate the arrogance. I didn’t appreciate the disrespect. I didn’t appreciate the games. I didn’t appreciate the fact that they wanted me to beg them for a job. I want to work for a company that will have mutual respect for me as I do for them.

The level of effort should be the same on both sides. 🤝

There is no shame in being Open to Work :)

When I was a recruiter I always reached out to people who had their open to work on first.

What a better way to let recruiters and hiring managers know you are looking for work.

There’s a stigma that that says that candidates who have their open to work on are desperate which is so far from the truth.

Being open to work is a sign you’re ready for the next opportunity and companies or anyone who discriminates or makes you feel bad for that doesn’t deserve you as a candidate nor as an employee 💚

The most necessary work requirement is not salary, perks, or office parties.

It’s a kind manager.

The saying where people don’t leave bad jobs, they leave bad leaders is true.

They leave bad cultures that affect their mental health.

They leave cultures that make them relieved on Fridays and scared on Sundays.

I used to leave my former companies not because of pay or the work. It was because of the culture and leadership and how my mental health was never supported.

Now I’m the #1 fan of Lockheed Martin where I get 4 day work weeks, remote work, kind leaders, no micromanaging, and supportive environment that puts employees mental health first.

Great cultures start and end with great leaders 🌟

Hire the underdog.

Anyone can be taught the skills, but hire for attitude and potential instead.

There’s this misconception that the experience that someone has on their resume will determine who they are, but potential is found and developed along the way.

All the jobs I got hired for required some form of experience and if I didn’t have the hiring managers that chose to give me a chance based on me as a person vs what I had on my resume I wouldn’t be where I am.

As a previous recruiter, I’ve seen so many candidates that didn’t match the job description go on to become managers and advance in their field all because they were said yes to.

The underdog hires are hungry for the opportunity and have so much potential to exceed in the role.

There is no candidate that can’t be taught.

Hire the underdog, they won’t let you down.

I recently saw a Tik Tok where a girl was crying in her car because a recruiter shamed her for not having experience for an entry level role.

This girl had been out of college for 2 years, but has not been able to find a job in her field because of the market, entry level roles requiring 3-5 years of experience, and not having any experience.

I used to be in her exact same spot. I didn't have a degree and it made it 10x harder as well. I was just a nanny and a cashier and every job that was entry level required 3-5 years of experience, a Bachelors or a Masters, yet said we will train.

If I was lucky enough to get an interview I was often confused when the job description clearly stated no experience needed, we will train yet the hiring team would list my gaps, my lack of degree, and lack of experience as a problem and also go with someone that had 5 years of experience.

I was thankful to eventually meet recruiters and hiring managers who chose to break away from the status quo and give non-traditional applicants a chance. Hiring managers that saw my potential instead of lacks on a resume was how I ended up in corporate as a recruiter.

As a recruiter of 2 years now, I work on a lot of entry level roles and I'm very grateful when I have hiring managers that stick to the belief that entry level is ZERO years of experience.

It is not anyone's fault they cannot get a job, lack experience, or don't have the necessary skillsets. If you are hiring for an entry level role, every candidate should be considered qualified as that is how everyone starts out.

The people in hiring roles right now was once the candidate knocking on doors wanting someone to see the potential they will have in the future.

Be that person. Give someone a chance today 🚀

I love remote work. It has changed and revolutionized my life in more ways than one.

In office:
-Woke up at 5am to get ready for work.
-Left the house by 6:30am to avoid traffic.
-Get to the office by 7:30am and sit in a cubicle all day with loud music, distractions, and anxiety due to being introverted.
-Final meeting at 5:30pm.
-Sit in 1-2 hours of traffic.
-Get home by 7-8pm, eat, go to sleep, repeat.
-Burntout, Exhuasted, and restless.

Remote:
-Sleep in an extra 1-2 hours.
-Get up and make breakfast, and log into work and walk 5ft to workspace.
-Can make lunch, take breaks, hang out with Mango and Molly.
-Flexible work culture and no micromanage.
-Productive and can log off and not sit in traffic.
-Have more time for friends and family.
-Happy, fulfilled, and restful.

Remote work is changing the workplace and I’m all for it 🚀

#remotework

I never forgot a hiring manager I interviewed with. When I had done the initial screening with the recruiter, she had told me, you are most definitely going to get the job. The hiring manager was similar to you in the sense he had no experience and didn't have a college degree.

I went into the interview excited, but the hiring manager didn't give me a chance at all. He just immediately started to list everything I was missing.

“No degree, gaps, no relevant experience. Sorry I see you as a liability.“

And it was for an entry level role.

However a different manager, same company different department was willing to hear me out. She didn't ask me to explain myself. Didn't ask me where I came from. Didn't ask me why I left my past jobs. Instead she asked me, “Why didn't you advance in the interviews with other hiring managers.“

I told her they told me I didn't have what it took. She looked at my resume and then looked at me and told me, “I don't judge people for what's on paper, it's who they are as a person and the potential they have to be that counts.“

She gave me the job on the spot and I signed the offer within the few hours.

That hiring manager set the example and skyrocketed my career into recruiting.

All it takes is one person and she was that one for me 🚀

What I thought was a dead end at the time ended up being a new beginning 🛣

2 years ago was the darkest point of my career. I had left my first corporate job with nothing lined up and ended up being unemployed for 6 months.

I was living with my ex boyfriend and despite paying rent, he acted as though he owned me. It’s amazing how a man thinks he could treat a woman because she wasn’t working. He expected me to clean and do chores while he was at work and wouldn’t talk to me for days if I didn’t.

My dog was sick and his medical bills were depleting my savings.

No job or company hired me because I was either inexperienced, overqualified, or a red flag because of my gaps and lack of degree.

I ended up taking a job at Wholefoods as a Cashier and it saved me. They allowed me to take time off for any interviews I was getting because they knew they was a temporary position for me while I make my next move.

Not long after I got into recruiting and they cheered me on.

The darkest 🌙 moment ended up setting the path for some of the brightest moments to come ☀️.

Don’t give up, the sun makes it way around every corner of the earth sooner or later 🌍

Life got better when I said goodbye to the office commute and got to work remote fulltime.

As an introvert it made me so much more productive and improved my mental health immensely.

I used to work in an office where I had to commute 2-3 hours a day. I would have to leave work early and get home super late.

I never had time for myself by the time I got home because I was exhausted.

When I got to experience working remote the first time, it changed my life.

I got hours back into my day to invest into myself. I got to implement my schedule on my terms. And I was 10x more productive.

Working from home I still was able to meet all my metrics, got a promotion, and got a raise.

Here's to the future of flexible and remote work ✌️

25 Today❤️🌻✨

I never thought I would make it past 20 to be honest let alone 25, but here we are.

I’ll never forget sitting in my therapist’s office at the age of 19 telling them that I just wish I could die, that the world would be better off without me. The amount of pain I was in at that time was insufferable.

I never thought someone like me could ever make it. But life has a way of working out, when you least expect it.

Flash forward 5 years, I accomplished everything I could possibly dream of.

🌻I grew my LinkedIn to 500k.

✨I got into corporate recruiting without a degree at Lockheed Martin.

☀️I landed multiple brand deals and speaking engagements.

💛I launched my mental health brand Creatively Quiet.

🌟I traveled and had so many amazing adventures.

🌼I stayed sober for 1 year from self-harm.

🌙And I met my lifelong friends who became family.

I’m thankful I held on because I would’ve missed out on all the amazing things life truly had to offer.

I’m so grateful for another year and I promised myself the impact I am going to make moving forward is to keep creating a space where mental health is loud and for people to never feel that they are alone.

I hope for those who are struggling that you know you matter and that the world needs your light ✨

There is so much love, joy, and adventures for you to experience, you just don’t know it yet💛

Thank you LinkedIn community for giving me space to have a voice and to show up as all of me. You truly made this birthday so memorable🎂

Here’s to 25 and for all the amazing adventures to come. It truly is just the beginning :) 🚀

_____________


There’s so much waiting for you, don’t give up. Therapy helped me survive and become the person I am today. And sometimes having support goes a long way, you can sign up and get 20% off here: betterhelp.com/linda

#betterhelppartner #ad #mentalhealth

Well it’s official :)

Home sweet home at last🏡❤️

Last year after my lease ended I moved home with my parents, and it was a choice I made because of certain circumstances surrounding work that were just unknown at the time.

So I moved home worked a full time job and worked on my side hustle full time as well.

But it was also the biggest mistake I made because my dad’s an alcoholic and at first everything was fine but then the abuse started again. He would get drunk and throw things at me, degrade me and verbally abuse me, it got so bad most nights I just slept in my car until he was asleep and avoided him as much as possible.

It started to affect every area of my life and the longer I stayed the more fearful I got. Always feeling unworthy and never thinking I could make it on my own. It’s crazy what an abusive environment can do to you.

But hard work really does pay off. I was able to scale my side hustle to six figures in a few months and then applied to an apartment and got approved right away and I never looked back.

I always wondered why I never got to have a safe space but I decided it was up to me to make one for myself.

We really do just accept the love we think we deserve and I decided I deserve better.

The best is truly yet to come and I’m so beyond thankful for the support of kind friends, mentors, and the LinkedIn community :)

Said goodbye to California, and starting over in Austin🚀

To new beginnings🥳🌻🌟

My friend is a new hiring manager at his company and his team is currently hiring. While screening candidates for his department, he came across multiple candidates that had gaps on their resumes.

He called me and asked me for my advice and he was hesitant to move them forward because some of them had 3-4 years of gaps or months where they didn't work.

We had a conversation and I shared my perspective that he shouldn't become known as the hiring manager who discriminates candidates for gaps, but rather one who seeks to understand because you never know what people are going through.

He ended up interviewing a few of those candidates and they ended up getting the job. He came to find that many of those candidates were taking leaves of absences due to layoffs, deaths in the family, full-time caretaker, sickness, etc.

We truly never know what a candidate is going through behind the scenes. A break in a resume, does not mean a break in their potential and skillsets.

Gaps in the past are not reflective towards someone's future and what they are capable of accomplishing 💫

It’s ok to change careers and roles no matter how old you are.

I was a nanny for 5 years. I was a cashier for 5 months. I was a banker for 6 months. And now I’ve been a recruiter for almost 2 years.

A lot of people think that you have to be limited to only one thing in life, but even the sky has no limit. Your potential isn’t tied in what you do for a living everyday, but rather in the choices you allow yourself to have.

I’ve quit jobs after short periods of time because I felt unfulfilled and most hiring managers didn’t take me seriously and said I needed to stay in a career for at least 5 years to be successful.

I’m thankful I didn’t listen to them because choosing to stay stagnant is a choice because uncomfortability is always harder, but offers more rewards.

I feel grateful to partner with companies like
Notion, who give creatives a single space to think, write, and plan all in one. It has different templates for organizing, customizing, and creating all in one.

You can find a link to my Notion template for 30+ job boards and websites ranging from remote work, tech roles, and various others here: https://ntn.so/LindaJobs

Pivoting was the best thing I ever did because it led me to multiple job increases, new skill sets, flexible work, and opportunities and experiences I never would have had if I stayed.

I hope you all “Pivot” and never stop until you find what makes you the happiest. Don’t settle because the opportunities are endless.

#notionpartner #sponsored

The job posting for Lockheed Martin at the time had 500 applicants. At first I decided not to apply because I convinced myself I wasn’t qualified or worthy enough.

But then my therapist told me look at everything you were able to accomplish without a college degree, gaps, and your experience at hand so far.

“If you were able to get all those other roles, just by being you, you’ll get this one.”

So I applied and networked and 2 days later I got an interview and then got the offer.

Maybe they won’t select you, maybe they will, but you shouldn’t self-reject yourself before even trying. You never know, you could be the candidate they were looking for all along 🚀

Good leaders trust🤝 they don’t micromanage🔎🔍

My manager told our entire team on the first day, “We hired you because we trust you to do the job. It doesn’t serve anyone to have to constantly look over your shoulder.”

My first corporate role I worked in office and everyone was expected to show up at a certain time, had to do 3 checkins a day with their lead to make sure they were working, and to have to be visible and watched.

And that caused so much fear and stress across the entire team. No one felt like they belonged.

Even though it is the first week here, my manager has already shown that he hired the right people because he trusts them.

It was so nice to hear that we make our schedules because we are an adult. All that matters is that we get our work done.

If you trust someone you’ll let them be, otherwise they are not the right person for your team 🤝

Everyone on my team is aware that I don’t have a college degree. I’m one of the few that doesn’t have one, but did that change how they viewed or treated me? No it didn’t.

 My team’s reactions when I told them I don’t have a degree:

“Wow, your journey is so amazing and inspiring to see how you got into corporate.”

“You are so lucky! You saved $30k in debt!”

“A degree doesn’t determine anything, just look at your work ethic.”

Not having a degree didn’t change how my team viewed me. They never once made me feel out of place or discriminated against me.

They trust me with large accounts, lead meetings, take my ideas into consideration, and cheer me on for everything else I’ve accomplished.

A degree is a piece of paper. 📜 A person is in itself a force. 💥

Companies please stop discriminating against candidates without a degree. They may not have a piece of paper to their name, but they may just have all the other qualities you are looking for if you choose to get past your bias. 🎓

Who and what you want to be now can change and life has an odd way of making things work out just exactly as you need it to. We just never see it at the moment.🌎

At 18 I wanted to be a therapist. I loved mental health and wanted to be a safe space for others. However my entire life fell apart when I became a victim of s**ual assault by many people. Men that I had trusted crossed my boundaries and broke the light within me.

After that I didn’t see a future anymore. I just saw darkness. I dropped out of school because I was too scared to go onto campus. I flinched every time I met someone new thinking they would hurt me. I pushed people away and isolated myself. I used self harm to cope with the triggers and pain. I realized how could I be a therapist and help others when I can’t even help myself.

However, now at 24 I turned my life around. The girl who had no future, ended up creating the brightest one of all. ☀️

I didn’t end up a therapist like I aspired to be, but now I built a community and found my voice through my words and get to inspire others and be an advocate for mental health. ❤️

I realized what those people did to me didn’t extinguish my fire, but just dimmed it, and it was up to me to reignite it, this time brighter and bigger than before. 🔥⚡️

My past was dark, but my future is bright and I want all of you to know, the person you were doesn’t have to be the person you choose to become 🌻✨

#mentalhealth

Having a bed is my proudest accomplishment 🛌 \n\nBefore this, I was sleeping on an air mattress, couch, and in my car most days. \n\nI was living with an abusive alcoholic dad who threw things at me, verbally abused me on a daily basis, and made me terrified to even breathe. \n\nI was always worried that I couldn't afford to move out or make it on my own, but that's what happens when you live in a toxic environment, it was hard to have a positive mindset. It makes you feel that you are incapable, unworthy, or undeserving of anything good. \n\nI worked really hard to build my business on top of my full time job and even though I was successful externally, I was scared to leave. \n\nAnd then one day, enough was finally enough. That it doesn't matter if it is your family. I didn't deserve all of that abuse. I'm a person, not a punching bag. I wanted to be free. \n\nSo when my parents were both at work, I packed up all my stuff and booked a one way ticket to Austin, changed all my information, and I never looked back. \n\nIt's been 1 year now in my new apartment and home. No one throws things at me. No one raises their voice or calls me names. And no one makes me feel unsafe. \n\nIt's true what they say that your environment makes a difference. Not having to be hyperalert, anxious, or fearful everyday makes me happier and has allowed me to become the best version of myself. \n\nNew job. Great friends. New adventures. \n\nNo person or environment is worth your mental health or peace.\n\nYou can't heal in the same environment that made you sick in the first place.\n\nI love my life now. I worked hard to get here and I don't take any moment for granted 🩵

Imagine going through multiple rounds of interviews not to hear anything back 👻

A few months ago I applied for a role that I really wanted and I went through with a 1 hour interview.

They told me that they value applicants and regardless of the result they would let me know.

Weeks went by and silence. Someone else that I knew worked there told me that the position had been filled.

I lost all respect for the team and company.

My current recruiter who helped submit me through multiple positions always gave me feedback whether it was positive or negative news.

I worked with her for months before I landed Amazon.

She was transparent, respectful, and empathetic and we built a very strong relationship because of that.

Candidates aren’t hurt by feedback or a rejection as much as they are by ghosting or no response.

Any news is better than no news 📰

Did anyone ever tell you rabbits 🐇 are my favorite animal because I sure love to job hop :)

When I left my job at the bank I had nothing lined up because it was destroying my mental health and they wouldn’t let me take time off to interview anywhere. So I quit and took a job at WholeFoods to make ends meet so I could have flexibility elsewhere.

Then when I got my first job as a recruiter, within 3 months I was given an offer somewhere else for twice the pay and remote but turned it down because a coworker told me it looks bad to leave a job less than a year.

I ended up staying there a year and it destroyed my mental health and when I left they trashed me to the team.

Then I got my current job and came with it remote work, flexibility, a $30k salary increase, and my mental health has never been better.

Job hopping doesn’t just advance your salary, it advances lots of areas in your life.

Don’t ever settle 🚀

New year, same mental health status ✨

The last month you see everyone talking about their vision boards, goals they have for the year, how they are waking up at 5am and hustling, work hard play hard mentality.

Social media does not ever show the behind the scenes.

The “real“ person behind the camera.

This is me, someone who struggles with depression and anxiety.

I took almost the entire month of January off because my mental health was at its lowest.

It's not how I imagined starting the new year but I've accepted it is what it is.

Feeling behind.

Feeling lost.

Tearing up paper so I don't self harm.

Can't even get out of bed most days.

Externally my house manifested how I felt internally.

And someone who has OCD and needs to have everything in its place, it caused me to feel a lot of shame.

But anyone who struggles with depression knows that it is not easy to do just the “simple“ things like clean your room or even get dressed.

Mental health affects so many people silently, but it's by being loud and vocal about it that the stigma can be changed.

Just a human figuring out that existing is enough :)

#mentalhealth

I had a candidate interview for a position that he was overqualified for, but he was in need of a job and was willing to accept any payrate.

I was working with the client personally and knew the budget the client had.

When the candidate got the job, I asked him what his target pay rate was.

He told me he did not think he had the option. He chose the lowest pay that the client offered. I told him to demand more. He then decided to ask for the highest pay that was offered.

I presented it to the client with my manager and told them we are not going any less. The client gave him the pay he was worth.

I am happy to announce my candidate got the job that paid him $15,000 more than he would have originally gotten.

Recruiters if you know the budget that your company has, it is your responsibility to advocate for the candidate. The pay cut could be a huge difference in their lives.

Because of the pay that was offered to my candidate, it set the tone for each candidate that walked in after. Every candidate was offered the highest pay for the job moving forward, not a dollar less.

#linkedin #recruiting #interviewing

Remote work is more about than not having to sit in traffic 2 hours a day.

Remote work is giving time back to what is most important-your relationships.

With remote work it has allowed to be able to be productive from anywhere in the world and still get everything done with flexibility.

I used to the be the person who would work 60-80 hour weeks in an office and would be afraid to make time off and I missed out on a lot in my personal life especially when it came to my relationships.

Now there’s a balance and remote work has given me that 🚀

Especially being able to take a 4am flight with Jean Kang to fly to Seattle this weekend to spend time with my favorite person Travis Chen :)

Remote work 🧑‍💻 is transformative and offers so many benefits. Theres no going back🌟

#remotework

Where there’s a will there’s a way 🚀

Ran my first full marathon at 26.2 miles after 3 months of training close to 1500 miles.

I’ve never ran over 10 miles in one sitting and yesterday was my first time exceeding 26 miles in one go.

The medal was truly worth it as it’s a testament that even when physically you want to quit, with the right mindset you can accomplish anything.

Here’s to signing up, showing up, and finishing🏅🏃‍♀️

Lets freaking go🎉🍀

To the companies and hiring managers out there,

Please keep in mind that some candidates have to sacrifice a lot when you put them through multiple rounds of interviews.

-Hours spent preparing, time spent commuting.
-Parents having to find childcare for their kids.
-Employees having to use their sick days and PTO.

Just be mindful how much you ask of candidates and please keep their efforts into consideration.

Failure is a part of success.

Not a lot of people talk about their failures, which leads people to assume they skipped it and went straight to success.

I may be working as a recruiter in corporate now with a consistent salary, but it wasn’t always that simple.

My home life was very dysfunctional growing up.

My mom kept my Social Security Card and Birth Certificate hostage. She wouldn’t let me have a bank account, a debit card, get a regular job, or drive at times.

I would be able to secure nannying jobs and housekeeping jobs on the side and would work for 5-10 families a week, 12 hour shifts, and my pay was always cut.

I would come home exhausted and my drunk dad would accuse me of going out to parties or having relationships with men when that wasn’t the case.

Since I wasn’t allowed to have a bank account, I had to find creative ways to hide my money in my room, and most of the time when I was at work, my dad would ransack my room and take what I earned to buy alcohol.

It wasn’t until 21 that I took control of my life and went behind my mom’s back and interviewed for Bank of America and then was able to get ahold of my documents to get the job. After that I had to move out, so be it.

When I took control of my life, everything seemed to fall into place despite multiple years feeling like a failure.

Anyone who thinks that success comes without failure, it’s a shattered reality. You have to fail in order to succeed ⚡️