First Lady’s IMPERIA Summit Inspires Women Leaders
A Vietnamese woman reflects on the impact of First Lady Melania Trump’s IMPERIA summit, highlighting women’s economic power and collective success.
2 min read
On September 23, I had the extraordinary honor of attending First Lady Melania Trump’s launch of IMPERIA and of being her guest at the Opening Bell ceremony at the New York Stock Exchange.
A Symbol of American Enterprise
The setting itself was remarkable. The New York Stock Exchange is one of the great symbols of American enterprise — a place synonymous with ambition, capital, risk, innovation, and the creation of economic opportunity. But what I will remember most about that morning was not the building, the bell, or even the history surrounding us. I will remember the women.
Women Who Build
I found myself in the company of women who have built businesses, led organizations, created jobs, taken risks, made difficult decisions, and turned ideas into realities. They came from different industries and different backgrounds, but there was something unmistakable shared among them: a belief in what is possible and a willingness to do the work required to make possibility real.
Personal Journey and Mission
Being among these women was deeply moving. I was born and raised in Vietnam, where I was lucky to be part of a family that inspired me to appreciate and respect the contributions of others and to follow my own dreams. I was nurtured by inspiring elders around me — including women — and those relationships fueled my mission to build Signal Health Group (which delivers home health care services to clients around the country), along with two not-for-profit organizations that provide resources, opportunities, and mentorship to veterans. Yet I never imagined that pursuing my heartfelt mission to bring quality care to the elderly, veterans, and others in need would lead me to be recognized by the First Lady of the United States.
Collective Opportunity
IMPERIA brings together female CEOs, founders, innovators, entrepreneurs, and C-suite leaders around the economic power of women. But being there made me realize that its significance goes beyond titles or balance sheets. It is also about what happens when accomplished women recognize one another, learn from one another, and decide that individual success can become collective opportunity.
Women’s Economic Influence
For generations, much of the conversation about women and achievement understandably centered on access — being permitted into rooms where consequential decisions were being made. The conversation I heard at IMPERIA felt different. It was about what women can build once they are in those rooms, whom they can encourage, and how they can use their influence to create opportunities for others.
Source: PJ Media
