Boss Ladies | Hugette Montesinos-Rodriguez
Photos c/o Janel Kilnisan and Yesica Laver Flores
She may be one of the most colorful, free-spirited, soulful, grounded women I know. These images will give you a peek at how spirit-filled her life is, but wait until you thumb through her magazine, DisFunkshion. It has a message of purpose, hope and adventure to women. Connected through mutual friends, we've been pen pals and phone buddies for the last 7 years. Hugette has a deep soul, and she dives right in on your first meeting. I cannot wait for you to get to know her.
Hugette, you inspire us to dream more vivid dreams, and boldly step into them!
XO,
Kat
Growing up I really wanted to be
A marine biologist
My most-used emojis are
Kiss face, flamenco dancer, pineapple
My go-to order at a coffee shop is
Iced vanilla Chai with soy milk
I don’t know how I ever lived without
Pandora radio
One thing people don’t know about me is
I'm full Hispanic. (half Venezuelan, half Cuban)
My real life hero is
My mother! She has always been the best example of a strong woman who conquers all, yet she maintains an unceasing tenderness toward life and humanity. She is one of the kindest, most loving people I know! She's a full-time volunteer at numerous cancer organizations, where she collects goods and resources for patients and speaks life into patients' lives.
What I love about my work is
Merging my creative spirit with a purposeful mission to restore women!
The hardest thing about my work is
Wearing so many hats. Particularly the administrative part – which is not my favorite!
How I got started with my current career
I’ve always been an avid reader. One day while I was a bookstore I prayed I'd have the privilege of creating something like the magazines I held in my hand -- but with a message that could exhort women toward a higher standard of living. I also wanted to encourage women by highlighting just how special each and every one of us are!
The dumbest thing I did when I was starting out
I thought I would figure things out more quickly than I actually did. Every single day is a lesson, a discovery, and a building block for what’s next.
My typical day looks like
I go to Starbucks every single morning and spend about an hour reading and journaling as my spiritual devotional time. After that I work on the day’s tasks, which may include emails, graphic design, editing articles, producing shoots, going to photo shoots, traveling, conference calls, interviews, etc. I like to cook dinner for my husband and I every day. About 3-4 times a week I do something active, like going to Zumba or surfing with my hubby.
I used to think success meant
Making a living doing what I love!
My current definition of success is
Finding joy in every part of the journey!
An example of when I had to push through my fear was when
We were asked to go national and at the time we were only printing a few copies as a local Hawaiian publication. We didn't have the funds and I didn't know how I was going to provide enough magazines to distribute nationally, but I walked forward in faith!
I know my work/life balance is out of sync when
When I don't get my morning devotional time or time with my family. This doesn't happen often because I'm very particular about time management!
The last time I created something I was proud of was
Today! A blog post!
I wish I could tell my younger self
Chill out girl! Everything has it's timing!
The legacy I hope to leave is
She made the world a better place and offered a space of belonging to all women.