Today we’d like to introduce you to Yerika Ortiz.
Hi Yerika, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My name is Yerika Ortiz and I am the founder and owner of The Female Hack (https://thefemalehack.com/).
Twenty-five years ago, I came to the states seeking refuge from domestic violence. I was only 16 years old when my mother and I fled from Puerto Rico. Every single day I am thankful for my mother and this country for giving me a hopeful future. My family and I had no choice but to start over and build a new life.
I’ve always had a dream to work for myself, and when I was studying, I had an even bigger urge to work for myself. As a graduate of Tarleton State University, single mother & divorcee, I had to make my dream of making a platform for single parents,and travel a reality. I’ve had different jobs throughout my life, but everywhere I worked, I felt there is more out there for me. Needless to say, I’m ambitious. I have traveled extensively abroad. As a very passionate, and opinionated person, I always had a way of rocking the boat wherever I went. I have a voice and I will use it too! Yeah… This statement is not very loved by bosses. Throughout the years, I learned, I could not work somewhere or for someone who doesn’t appreciate my ideas,creativity and insight as a woman and single mother.
Where did my urge to start working for myself start? I have always been a venturous person and I like to do my own thing. My degree in laboratory applied science has given me the opportunity to dive into epigenetics and the marvels of how the body heals itself! As a teenager & young adult, staying fit, mind, body, heart, and spirit have always been an internal goal. One day after looking online for single-parent resources, I was shocked to see how fragmented this niche is! I had to become my best advocate in life as a woman and single mother. I am also passionate about advocating for single parents, their personal wellness goals, and legacy to do better while traveling with their children though life and the world.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There have been many challenges in seeing this platform endeavor through. As a solopreneur and breaking free of the 9-5 mentality. Not all employers are truly aligned on really supporting single parents and the many challenges they face. Let’s take a look at this past year alone. More than half of front-line workers were women with children according to PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, in a 2021 NPR interview. Indra Nooyi was promoted to CEO in 2006, not long before the mortgage crisis-fueled the Great Recession. It is estimated that more than half of the companies going under a financial crisis employ women for varying reasons, with the main being most men would not take such positions.As a result women have fewer choices and less opportunity to advance based on their gender.
As Nooyi steps aside, the company is highlighting her strong financial results. Shareholder returns rose 162 percent between December 2006 and December 2017. And the company’s net revenue has grown from $35 billion in 2006 to $63.5 billion in 2017.
Nooyi is a rare minority female CEO in the business world. As of May, according to Fortune, there were just 24 female chief executives of Fortune 500 companies!
Nooyi said she has had to bear a different level of scrutiny than male CEOs and that figuring out how to help more women climb the ranks remains a huge challenge: “How are we going to attract women who are more than 50 percent of all college graduates who are getting all the top grades? How are you going to attract women to the workforce, where we need them, but allow them to balance having a family and taking care of aging parents, because they’re all part of a sandwich generation today, and still allow them to contribute productively to the workforce? I don’t have an answer to that. It’s got to be a concerted effort on the part of governments, societies, families, companies — all of us coming together.”
(NPR https://www.npr.org/2018/08/06/635949879/pepsico-ceo-indra-nooyi-is-stepping-down-after-12-years )
In my career as a Laboratory Med Tech, I have seen how women are always given lead roles with extra managerial/ supervisor responsibilities and unequal compensation for said responsibilities. We saw this across the board in healthcare & essential workers. Which is why after the pandemic, women have been slower to return to the workforce. Finding the right fit for this platform has also proven a challenge because of how fragmented this social issue really is.
As I welcome every obstacle as an opportunity to learn, I keep finding ways to improve my own wellness and successes as a single mother in addition to coaching other single parents with yoga and ways they can also implement success in their personal growth with mindful movement, and travel.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The Female Hack?
In my youth I was geographically displaced running away from a life-threatening home environment. My purpose became to adapt and survive. As a single mom to two daughters after divorce my purpose became to be a beacon to my daughters & single parents in mental health awareness, self development, and travel.
The Female Hack (TFH). Where to start! 😊 Learning quickly that pivoting isn’t a choice, it’s a need. Then figuring out how to adapt, cope and actually enjoy my experience as a single mom changed my life and the life of my girls. I became a certified yoga instructor and wellness advocate in 2018.
Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and yoga instruction.Helping change the lives of other single moms who needed a little push to not only keep it together but to pull it off with poise. My background and studies are in Clinical Laboratory Science. So the TFH startup has been very exciting!
I have a unique life story which has left me with nothing but the desire to help others identify their weakest point & tackle them to achieve a paradigm shift for themselves and their children. I’ve been working for 10+ yrs in laboratory, Oncology & genetics, general laboratory and compliance. I have tons of epigenetics research and self-testimony that attests to achieving self-regulation, yoga and congruence tactics. My endeavor is in its infancy.
My goals for the business are to assist a nonprofit organization that helps single mothers travel, expand & create great experiences with their children, and to secure apprenticeship programs globally for young people.
What is needed: wellness advocates to support this brand & tribe which understands single parents needs in a post covid era and travel.
I offer private consultation in yoga, life coaching, and budget traveling with children to driven & ambitious single mothers and single parents with vision.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
In life, the quality that has served me the best has been gratitude & resourcefulness. Practicing gratitude daily for the small and big things always seems to cure the blues for me. Success can’t be achieved without resourcefulness and a grateful heart. These two qualities help you in changing your perspective when tribulations arise and seeing them as learning opportunities.
Contact Info:
- Email: thefemalehack@gmail.com
- Website: thefemalehack.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefemalehack
Image Credits
Images by: Yerika Ortiz
