We were lucky to catch up with Sonia Rivera recently and have shared our conversation below.
Sonia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?
I ran for office (Houston City Council) in 2018, and I came in as the 3rd top vote-getting candidate out of 11, while I was unsuccessful, I had the opportunity to meet so many people whose stories I wanted to share.
Many people I met had experienced great losses the year before as a result of the Harvey Flooding in 2017, then there were those who demonstrated incredible acts of heroism and kindness towards their neighbors in and around Houston. So many people had powerful stories that needed to be told.
I was also attending many meetings, and community events, and discovered new restaurants, and events around the City of Houston that I otherwise would not have known about.
From there “Sonia In The City” was born. It is a very multi-faceted endeavor. I’ve had so many challenges and triumphs and learned so much over the years, I wanted to share the human experience of the people around us.
Since then I have done impromptu interviews with people I meet, sharing my experiences with new food, places, events, restaurants, social causes, community issues, people’s accomplishments, etc.
I also wanted to celebrate the untold stories of people, whether the story was a personal, business, philanthropic, or community success. I wanted to celebrate the people that make Houston great. The unsung heroes, individuals, who would not be recognized otherwise.
On another note, there are also a lot of issues around the city that people around the city that people face every day, so I wanted to give them a voice, and potential resources to help them overcome those issues.
There are many cool people and places to explore not only around Houston but around the world that wanted to share. So in closing “Sonia in the City” is focused on capturing the human experience and sharing it. I love creating, creating anything, newsletters, photo stories, graphics, etc, it all helps me with what I expect will be a lifelong passion project.
Success is not necessarily measured by how many followers you have but by knowing that you made a difference in someone’s life and personal satisfaction.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I believe I have always had a creative streak. In high school, I studied marketing and really wanted to pursue a career in design. Life led me down a different path, I ended up majoring in psychology, and I worked in social services for many years. However, in my professional life, I was always fortunate to be able to put my creative energy to use in various different capacities from event planning to marketing, and later moving into business development strategies. I find that once I master something I am ready to take on a new challenge and master that. My work and my life have been a constant evolution.
I love people, I love creating for people, I love inspiring them, provoking thoughts, and just making them feel good, I love the feeling of having created something that makes people happy and makes life better, or even just brought a smile to someones face.
Anything that I create whether it’s creating marketing materials or helping someone grow their business or their brand is done from a genuine place that I want everyone to achieve their full potential
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
Haha.. My whole life and career have been a continual pivot. I read somewhere once “when things don’t go right..go left.” Life is about reinventing yourself. Pivoting is not a bad thing, We learn what isn’t working and try something different, expand our circle, and expand our knowledge. If you’re the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room!
I married very young and found myself to be a single mom at the very young age of 23 with no formal education. My passion for marketing and design had taken a backseat to create a home. Becoming a single mother forced me to pivot and learn a marketable skill as quickly as possible to support my little family. I found a great job in social services with at-risk youth, I had an amazing supervisor who allowed me to grow, I was given a lot of latitude and I had the opportunity to build programs, plan events, and create opportunities for our clients and programs. Simultaneously I had been volunteering with a professional networking organization where I learned entrepreneurial skills, which gave me the courage to go out on my own and launch my own consulting firm. Through my network I began the consulting began to evolve from youth services, business development, politics, construction, business development, and design.
I say don’t put yourself in a box be willing to change course when necessary, don’t be afraid to try to new things. Oftentimes taking a different path brings you back around to where you wanted to end up in the first place.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I’ve taken many tumbles in life, but I’ve never given up you just have to keep getting up and brushing yourself off. I don’t believe in pity parties, I’ve never had the luxury of wallowing anywhere too long. I was a single mom, I just had to keep going whether I thought I could or not, I was a single mom, who raised 2 children while working full time, and attending college. In the early years, I often worked a second job to make ends meet.
In retrospect, I’ve been very blessed. Often when I thought I had reached the end of the road and thought I could go no further, an opportunity opened for me. I have a very strong faith in God, He has never failed me. Putting God ahead of everything has helped me get through the most difficult things in my life. Going through difficult situations humbles me, it helps me grow my mind and motivates me to get out of my comfort zone and explore new things.
I love to learn and experience new things, it sparks my creativity. I think I do my best work under pressure, and I never give up. I appreciate all the ups and downs that I have had. Every obstacle that I have had has made me stronger, smarter, and more appreciative of the blessings that I have been given.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.soniarivera.us
- Instagram: only1sonia
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoniaRivera4HTX
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/soniariveraus/
- Twitter: @SoniaRiveraUS
- Youtube: Sonia in the City with Sonia Rivera