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Ami Vega is a mother & a celebrity manicurist hailing from Washington Heights, NYC. As the child of immigrants, Ami feared potential judgement surrounding her unorthodox carees choice. It wasn’t until she found the strength to seek support that she realized she wasn’t alone. Because of this realized actualization, Ami has cultivated an uber successful career creating incredible nail art for people from all over the world.
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We've been thinking a lot about the concept of help. WORD is a woman owned business and in our experience, we, along with a lot of our fellow Goddess community, always seem to have a hard time asking AND accepting help. So, we are excited to launch The Thread; a series that examines how and why we do or don't ask for help. We’ve tapped into the hearts of women and asked them to share moments where they’ve asked for help, personal and professional.
We hope this series will encourage you to allow yourself to ask and receive help. Only when we truly surrender to our needs do we begin to heal and grow.
Veronica is a truly passionate and compassionate woman. Some may call her an empath, but best believe, she also takes no shit! Her efforts to make the world a better and more fair place are exhibited through her love for her family, support of her community and fearless ability to have those hard conversations with grace and intelligence. Like many of us, Veronica’s path is complex and filled with many lessons. The work never ends but what matters is that we are doing it. Take a peek below and feel free to reach out to her or leave notes in the comments. Remember, take care of yourself.
Name: Veronica Tolentino
Hometown: Whittier, CA
Career: President at dude. be nice / Founder at Loud
When was the first time in your life that you realized you needed help?
I come from a very large family where I learned at a very young age helping each other and helping others is always necessary. I actually can't remember a time when asking for help or helping others wasn't a necessity.
Where or who did you find support from?
I have a found a new and strong support in myself after going back to therapy and doing some serious self exploration. I feel supported when spending in-person time with the communities I belong to. I find support in my husband, my parents, my brothers and my closest friends.
Has it been difficult to find support in your career journey? Share a story where you’ve felt supported.
It depends on which point in my career we're speaking to! Early on, I felt very lost and unsupported. I've had bosses who spent more time being threatened by my work and personality than investing in my talents. I've had times when I've been my own worst enemy, telling myself I couldn't or shouldn't or that I wasn't good enough. Later, as I learned where to seek support and how to manage my own expectations, I've found it easier to find support. I recently decided to start a new business, and I've been both terrified and excited. When I opened up to friends and close family about the idea, they've lifted me up, reminded me that I was capable and have cheered me on at every literal step of the way. I've been blown away. I have found so much comfort in their words and actions and in the gratitude I've felt.
What advice would you give to someone who is afraid to ask for help?
Ask yourself why you're afraid to ask for help. Then address that. Head on. There are a million reasons we're afraid to ask for help and generally they're tied to parts of our spirit that need some attention. Once you can begin to work to free yourself of that, you'll find it easier to ask for and receive help. I've found that turning the mirror back to me generally provides the answer to any situation.
"I am strong. I am powerful. I am beautiful." This is the mantra spoken in moments of doubt by Ryan Pierce, the brilliant and conflicted character played by Regina Hall in Girls Trip - the cinematic masterpiece of 2017 which I am proud to say I have seen 3 times. No. Shame.
Ryan's character seemed to have it all but we soon find out that like many women, she is struggling to keep it together while secretly battling an internal struggle - be perfect or be real. Thankfully, she has a badass band of hilarious and strong women to help her see the light - life is hard, no one is perfect and you don't have to go it alone. Ugh, Girls Trip is just the BEST MOVIE EVER. If you haven't seen it, get. your. life. honey.
Affirmations are positive, specific statements that help you to overcome self-sabotaging, negative thoughts. They help you visualize, and believe in, what you're affirming to yourself, helping you to make positive changes to your life and career. The idea of affirmations has always been intriguing to me, however, let's be real, I don't actually tell myself I'm great everyday - but I do believe I should. While cliché, the concept that you must be your biggest fan is 100% true. I have my daily routine which brings me joy but maybe it's time to wake up every morning and affirm my greatness. Because I am great and so are you. Yea, that's mad corny but you know what? Positivity is MAGIC and it does work so no shame in this game. Shine on like the Queen (or King) you are.
As part of our community inclusion here at WORD, we talked to a few women about their daily affirmations and while not everyone believes in this type of visualization, it's safe to say that women with purpose are also women with a purposeful practice.
Jessica Flores - Director of LATAM for Musically, Los Angeles
“I am enough
I am capable
I am beautiful
I am worthy
I deserve the best
I do not settle
I am kind
I care ”
Gabi Richmond Laub - Momma + Experiential Marketer at Shopify, Los Angeles
“I don’t really have an affirmation, more just about working out and working so soon after giving birth.
I tell myself my body is strong and I’m working my ass off to show my baby boy what hard work means. I’m doing it all for him.
Kinda cheesy but it works!!”
Vanessa James - Founder of VJMedia. Radio Vet, VO Actor, Curator of Travel & Lifestyle content, Miami
“Brush off the fear V.. Why not you, why not now.. Just go for it.”
” Nothing is by chance”... Embrace and appreciate your blessings and your lessons. ”
Lily Stone - Founder of Red Dot Culture, Philadelphia
“I have this Amy Poehler quote taped up in my bathroom:
’Great people do things before they’re ready.’
Really helps to see it every morning before I start my day!”
Photo Courtesy of Lily Stone
Sadye Campoamor - Mother & Director of Community Affairs at the NYC Department of Education
“I am abundant. I am compassionate. I am kind.
I welcome: mental, physical, spiritual, romantic, and financial success for myself and the ones I love.
I am thankful. I am strong. I am loving.
I will continue to live generously and believe that the universe will be generous with me.”
Katherine Castro - Actress, Los Angeles
“There are three things that always stand out to me. Three quotes:
’If You can dream it you can Do it’
’Where there’s a will there’s a way’
’Leap, and the net will appear’
These are my constant daily reminders”
Ana Flores - Momma + Founder of We All Grow Latina, Los Angeles
“I’m not big on affirmations! I wake up and meditate every morning and then listen to my astrologer’s audios for the day and then take it from there. There’s no one phrase I repeat to myself every day BUT...I do have this I wrote a few weeks ago and put it on a stickie to look at daily:
”Embrace uncertainty with huge certainty”
Photo via Ana's Instagram
Starting your own business is tough as is - starting a business that is morally sound yet still pays the bills? That's Mt. Kilimanjaro right there! So to maintain our sanity (which is a task we must handle everyday, sometimes a few times a day!) we must develop tools for survival. One of these is tapping into our community for advice and support. And let me tell you, our community is bomb.com - there is no better group of people!
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