We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sheena Katz. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sheena below.
Sheena, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with talking about how you serve the underserved, because in our view this is one of the most important things the small business community does for society – by serving those who the giant corporations ignore, small business helps create a more inclusive and just world for all of us.
The essence of my personal brand is empowerment of underserved communities.
This comes to fruition in many forms;
(1) On the professional side, my business partner and I are launching Vital Force; a performance-wear brand built to support female strength athletes.
(2) On the philanthropic front, I’m on the board of 4S Education Foundation; a non-profit foundation providing mentorship and resources to higher education.
(3) On the passion front, I’m currently a co-host of Pilipinx in Wellness; a podcast promoting health and well-ness for the Filipino community.
Sheena, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
As a Libyan born Filipina largely raised in Los Angeles and over 17 years of corporate entertainment media sales experience, I believe I offer a unique point of view and valuable insights.
I’m most proud of maintaining a diverse portfolio; becoming a shareholder in heart-led businesses, sitting on the board of purposeful non-profit foundations, a patron of the arts, mental health advocate, and as an advisory board member of various start-ups.
As a consultant, I offer a tailored approach to meet brand objectives by leveraging specialized knowledge and experience in media-marketing.
How’d you meet your business partner?
My business partner (Luna) and I met through a mutual mentor; she was an athlete looking launch to an apparel brand and I had consultative business/marketing insights to share.
Upon hitting it off and learning about her brand’s mission to empower women, I knew I wanted to be bigger part of the movement and help bring this vision to fruition.
Fast forward to today and we are in the research and development phase of Vital Force; a performance-wear brand built for female strength athletes (e.g., Powerlifting, CrossFit, Wrestling, etc).
Women have historically been underserved in these communities we are proud to be a brand that empower these athletes.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
The pandemic was a traumatic time for all of us.
For me, the isolation was particularly challenging because it was the first time I was living on my own; i was previously married and lived with roommates other times. So 2020 the first full year that I was living solo.
While most people were hunkering down with their families, I did not have that option; my dad was living in another country, my mother and I are estranged, and family members close by were all first responders (healthcare workers). I had to endure the worst of the pandemic alone, which took a toll on my mental health.
But it was in the depth of my isolation that I was able to find power in solitude; being able to pull yourself out of a pandemic-induced depressive state is not an easy feat, so being able to do so empowered me to want to do more. To live a heart-led life, to work towards a purpose — which to me is the empowerment of underserved communities.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sheenakatz.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sheenakatz/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheenakatz/
