Top Industry Leaders Embracing Their Intuition & Feminine Spirit

“No matter what we do in our professional lives we are creating a legacy of thinking! As women in the business world it all comes down to money and what you do with it that builds the bridges to a strong foundation. I believe the travel and tourism world makes dreams come true, it’s a happy place and I love that there are so many wonderful women that spend their time and talent helping those that want to spend their hard earned money to relax and refresh. What would life be without the wonderful world of travel, to fill the eyes with the wonder of the creator’s vision is a wonderful thing, thank you to all those that work in travel and hospitality, you are truly magical!”

– Angela Setters Bessard, CEO, The Real Credit Queen

“I’ve had a three-decade love affair with the travel industry. That romance led me to the hospitality sector and then to the front lines of one of the industry’s most popular offshoots – wellness and spas. And guess what? Women have made up the majority of employees in each of those sectors and yet, all these years later…only 4% are in C-Suite positions! How could that be? It’s time we talked about “Mean Girls” syndrome, Ageism and the “shut the door behind you” mentality that have often plagued female executives who actually made it to top tier positions. It’s time to share tools and learn to build each other up, not tear each other down, applaud our fellow females and mentor one another.”

– Kim Marshall, Co-Founder, S’Well the Agency

“I have a strong belief in the value of women in the travel and hospitality industries. Women possess a natural capacity to nurture and care for people, making their contributions in the industry irreplaceable. A diverse perspective is essential for creating an inclusive and welcoming environment for guests, which women bring in abundance. Women of color have historically been overlooked and undervalued in this industry, making it all the more important to promote diversity and inclusion in every space.”

– Jenesis Laforcarde, Founder, The Jenesis House

“I believe that women in the travel and hospitality industry are the refresh to an original. Any industry that is currently male-dominated demands the perspective of women in the top tiers. Period. This is especially necessary in a market where women are leading the charge from the decisions to the doing, and then putting their dollars where they see themselves represented.”

– Founder/CEO, Urban Cowboy Hotels

“I was recently reflecting on the idea that the most important ‘work’ we do isn’t making our sales quotas, the number of meetings we attend, or analyzing spreadsheets of data. It’s fostering connection in our work environments, creating and nurturing relationships that contribute to business results, and empowering those around us to help leave the department, the company, the industry, the broader community… better than we found them. We are fortunate to live in a time where it’s possible to initiate and make change, especially as women. “Finding My Circle of Influence” means using my years of corporate experience as a woman in hospitality and tech to meaningfully connect with other colleagues, both male and female, to hopefully help make this place (and the people in it) a little bit better.”

– Kim Twiggs, Associate Vice President of Market Development, DIRECTV

“A woman who possess self worth, confidence and freedom to choose in regard to their private and professional choices can live a life free of domination and fear. And only when a woman is educated, well informed and empowered she can contribute to the overall development of a balanced society. It is not only important to remind women of their power but it is absolutely necessary and we can achieve this first through education. Invisible it may seem, the power of the modern female has always lied in their creativity, resources and their femininity.”

– Nile Tuzun, Founder & Chief Creative Storyteller, Studio Nilebrand

“I believe that the way we do one thing is the way we do everything. This means that every aspect of our lives, personal, professional and relationships are all connected like blueprints of the same patterns at deeper levels, so healing in one area can help you in all areas of your life. I love that the BLLA is creating an environment where people can break out of the paradigm of the way things have always been done and bring creativity and growth together in the professional world helping people to live better lives and therefore be more connected to their passion, their work and themselves for the highest purpose of everything.”

– Shannon Kim, CEO/Founder, The Beauty Haus