“Empowering women is important because not all have support” | Fashion, PR, and Influencer Marketing Expert: Meet Natalie Menjivar

Meet Natalie Menjivar, the unstoppable force behind the scenes of public relations, brand/influencer marketing, and fashion. With over half a decade of expertise in crafting compelling narratives and fostering authentic connections, Natalie is the go-to Client Services Manager you didn't know you needed. But her story doesn't end there; she's also spent 6 years in the ever-evolving world of fashion, a journey that began with her earning her Bachelor's degree from the prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and later to hone her skills further, a Master's from Rutgers University . Natalie is not just a professional; she's a powerhouse. Join us as we delve into the world of Natalie Menjivar, where innovation meets fashion, and expertise meets results. Get ready to be inspired!

Miss EmpowHer: What does women's empowerment mean to you? Why is it important?

Natalie Menjivar: To me, women empowerment is all about encouraging women to strive for their goals while being 100% themselves. For the community surrounding each and every woman to lift her up and make her feel loved and appreciated for just being herself as well as all the hard work that she incorporates on a day-to-day basis that not only affects herself but those around her.?

Women empowerment is important because not everyone may have access to a support system nor have been taught to empower themselves, depending on their upbringing. Providing women with resources in order to achieve the lives they would like to live as well as simply just supporting them can be very helpful, especially when it comes to educating girls and women.?

Miss EmpowHer: What advice would you give to other women looking to succeed in your industry? What qualities are the most important and what skills should they focus on developing?

Natalie Menjivar: Think of the big picture! Work created through influencer/social media marketing many times merges into the everyday saturation that viewers encounter through the various social platforms — TikTok , Instagram , Youtube , etc. It's important to strive to create content that will stand out, be relatable and have a strong message/messenger.?

For me, working in social media and marketing is an honor and a terror because both combine have the power to affect someone's life, even if it's in the smallest way possible. For example, I work with clients within the beauty space and assist them in connecting with the best content creators who will be able to execute the promotion of certain products. Not only are my team, company and clients providing their viewers with beautiful and exciting content, but based on trend and relatability, we are also feeding into what our society's beauty standards may be at the time. This may seem like an extreme, but that is why there is a process that my team goes through before presenting to our clients with content creators as we need to seek people who will be able to translate a positive concept through their work, be diverse and able to execute high quality work.

With this way of thinking in mind, it is important to be able to develop the pattern of constantly being in the know of what is happening in current news — whether on a global, national, regional, industry and/or social level. Because social media is global, it is crucial to be curious/eager to learn and have some knowledge behind each level as this will ultimately help come up with the best social strategies and work with those who make the most sense to.

"It is important to be able to develop the pattern of constantly being in the know of what is happening in current news?— whether on a global, national, regional, industry and/or social level."

Miss EmpowHer: Tell us about a woman who has influenced your career and how their guidance has impacted your professional growth.

Natalie Menjivar: There are so many women who I have had the pleasure of following in their careers — whether in person or through social media — and women who I have worked or currently work with who have influenced my career and professional growth. The one person right now who I would like to highlight — mainly because of my current position — would be my coworker, Oriana Recoba-Estomba .

Oriana and I met during our time at our previous employer, where I had the chance to work with her very briefly as I had decided to leave the company around the same time that she was starting. I ultimately ended up recommending Oriana for a position on my team at Whalar , and she got the job! Being able to work with her again at the new company gave me the opportunity to train and guide her for the role and shift in career as well as practice managerial skills that I feel ended up helping me when it came time for my recent promotion at Whalar.

Although Oriana and I were in the same position — previous to the promotion — I feel like she has provided me with so much support and reassurance when I've needed it most and vice versa. She has helped me see and understand how certain projects and situations could be seen from a different point of view. And as for her career, watching her achieve and set goals for herself has been an extra push for me to continue striving for mine.??

Miss EmpowHer: How do you handle work-related stress and pressure, and what techniques or practices do you use to maintain your well-being while pursuing a successful career?

Natalie Menjivar: When it comes to work-related stress and pressure, I really try to not share too much outwardly with my team. When I do address stress or pressure, I attempt my best to present my team with a clear plan to avoid adding more to my worry as well as to provide a solution. This helps me to practice my communication skills, ability to take initiative, problem solve and organize myself.? Because of my minimal communication related to work stress, I find it important to take some self-care time for myself. I usually do this by taking time to celebrate small and/or big wins that may happen during the day or week. Taking random small breaks during the day and treating myself to buying lunch or dinner instead of making it myself are some ways I reward myself for the wins.

"Present your team with a clear plan to avoid adding to worry as well as providing a solution."

Miss EmpowHer: Can you share any lessons or insights you have gained from failures or setbacks in your career, and how you have turned them into opportunities for growth and learning?

Natalie Menjivar: Having had the experience of working in an unstable work environment after post-graduation really provided me with insight — early in my career — to understand and seek what I really need and expect from an employer in the way employees are treated and valued. I felt like that past work experience was a setback for me and my career as I was not trained nor guided properly, when all that time and effort I spent could have been put to good use elsewhere.? When it came time for me to look for new job opportunities, I took the time to understand that an interview process with a company is a two way street, and that I needed to express my interests and needs to future employers to make sure what I was seeking was actually going to be matched through the employee benefits and company culture.? Aside from interviewing and onboarding to a company, I also learned what I would need from a manager, in terms of training, guidance and mentoring, but also what I would need to be able to provide as a manager in the future. Some of these managerial attributes include being a positive person, good listener, team player, delegator — along with many more.

"Understand and seek what I really need and expect from an employer in the way employees are treated and valued."

Miss EmpowHer: Can you share any strategies or tips for building a successful network and fostering meaningful professional relationships that have helped you in your career?

Natalie Menjivar: For people that you currently work with or have worked with in the past, definitely connect with them on LinkedIn ! I also like to connect with people through other social platforms — mainly Instagram — as it allows the opportunity for you to socially stay in the know of what those connections are interested in as well as what they are up to in life.

For people that you have had the opportunity to work with or maybe will work with in the future in your current company, I would suggest dming from time to time, even if it isn't work related. For example, for the holiday season last year, I created on Canva a quick holiday card to easily personalize with a message to send to all my coworkers that I worked with during that year to say thank you for all their help and wish them a happy holiday break. It was a great and simple way for me to share my appreciation towards my colleagues, which also made them feel good!?

Miss EmpowHer: What strategies or tactics do you use for setting and achieving your career goals, and how do you stay motivated and focused on your objectives?

Natalie Menjivar: In my current company, I have the opportunity to have 1 on 1s, mid, and end of year reviews with my managers which allow me the time to chat with them about my career interests and what goals I would like to set up for myself during certain periods of time. Based on their experiences working with me, they are able to provide me with constructive feedback on what I am doing well and what I can improve on as well as where they can see me going with my career. I also have the opportunity to ask them questions related to their careers as well as current positions to get a better understanding of what I may need to go through in order to reach my goals.

Once goals are set during these meetings, I like to keep folders for each year to collect positive feedback that I receive from coworkers, clients and content creators that I work with, along with other forms of recognition that I may receive for the various projects I work on. Once it is time for review season, going through these folders really helps me to prepare a strong self review by summarizing what I have done and what I have done well in order to request recognition through new project assignments, raises and/or promotions.

Miss EmpowHer: What motivated you to choose your current career field, and what do you find most fulfilling about your work?

Natalie Menjivar: I actually studied Fashion Business Management for my undergraduate and graduate degrees in order to ultimately work in fashion marketing or public relations. I always thought at some point I was going to have to work with social media because a lot of my fashion marketing and PR internships — at the time — had included me working with content creators to promote products.

When I graduated with my Master's degree, my goal was originally to find a position within the fashion industry. However, with the rise of the Covid pandemic, I did not find many available opportunities within fashion — which made me switch gears to want to find a job in marketing and/or social media.

Social media has been an interest of mine since Instagram first came out. I have been blessed with personal branding opportunities to create content on a nano-scale for different beauty, fashion and accessory brands. So when Whalar provided me with the chance to work behind the scenes on different social media campaigns with their beauty clients, I couldn't turn down the offer.

What I find most fulfilling when it comes to working in social media is that although I do not create content full-time personally, I still have the opportunity to have a creative job where I can help strategize for campaigns and creator's content. I love seeing the results and reactions that come out of the content I work on with my team, clients and creators because I know and appreciate the amount of work that goes behind each post.

Miss EmpowHer: Can you discuss any specific trends or changes in your industry that you see impacting careers, and how you are preparing to adapt to these changes?

Natalie Menjivar: A change that may affect the social media industry more in the future than right now — at least from an employment level — would be AI! We have been able to see that with AI, content can be easily generated through an algorithm based on research and collected data that can be a blessing and a curse for brands, agencies and even content creators. At its initial and accessible phase — right now — AI has already become a tool that brands use to generate creative ideas for marketing purposes by simply inserting the necessary prompts required. Content creators have also been able to use it for the same reasons along with having it be a part of their content creation and editing. We've even seen AI programs that can even create content of its own!

As someone who works within this technological space, I just like to stay educated and curious about the changes this tool has to offer by exploring content related to AI and listening to seminars or classes, along with other resources that are available.

"At its initial and accessible phase — right now — AI has already become a tool that brands use to generate creative ideas for marketing purposes by simply inserting the necessary prompts required."

Miss EmpowHer: What advice do you have for individuals who are starting their careers or looking to make a career change, based on your own experiences and lessons learned?

Natalie Menjivar: Keep an open mind about your career journey! You might not be presented at first with opportunities within your field(s) of interest, but it's important to just get your foot through the door — whether it's at a brand that you want to work at or a role that is similar to what you are ultimately striving for. There you will have the chance to build experience, make connections, figure out job preferences and share your interest more openly.

"Keep an open mind about your career journey!"

Miss EmpowHer: How do you approach professional development and continuous learning to enhance your skills and stay relevant in your industry??

Natalie Menjivar: At my current company, I am blessed to be able to have a professional development stipend available every year which allows me the opportunity to explore different forms of education — whether through books, online classes, certifications and even events like industry conferences.

Miss EmpowHer: Can you discuss any significant achievements or accomplishments in your career that you are particularly proud of and what you learned from those experiences?

Natalie Menjivar: I think one of the most rewarding and memorable moments for me in my career was having an internship — in the fashion industry — when I was a senior in high school. I don't think a lot of students have the opportunity to experience something like that early on — depending on the school they go to. I came from a specialized high school background where it was mandatory for me to have an internship to graduate. Luckily, my school had a connection to Donna Karan New York where I was hired as a Production Intern.

Through this work experience, I learned so much about work culture and myself — such as some examples shared below — which shaped the beginning of my career, work ethic and goals to come later on in university and work.

• What it was like commuting to work (specifically NYC)
• If I actually wanted to pursue studying and working in fashion
• Building core communication and work skills, usually experienced in a corporate setting

Miss EmpowHer: How do you balance your career ambitions with other aspects of your life, such as family, hobbies, and personal well-being?

Natalie Menjivar: I really focus on separating work and life in a timely way by usually logging in and out of work on time and not focusing on work during the weekends or on vacation. This may seem like a simple method, but at times, it can be harder than you think because of social media which I use for both work and my personal life.

Miss EmpowHer: Are there any specific books, podcasts, email newsletters, thought leaders/influencers, or training courses/programs that you would recommend for personal or professional growth?

Natalie Menjivar: I love supporting content creators outside of work and would recommend checking out the below for different aspects.

• Anything Goes by Emma Chamberlain for Personal Growth
• Jay Shetty Podcast for Personal Growth?
• College Fashionista on Instagram for Professional Growth

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