Spotlight Series: Celebrating the Super Moms of Sono Bello.
𝘑𝘰𝘪𝘯 𝘶𝘴 for this 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪-𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘞𝘦'𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘯𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘳!
Meet Alayah Salvatori who is a Licensed Practical Nurse and current Practice Manager in Portland, OR. She has been with Sono Bello for 7.5 incredible years. She is a strong and influential leader who knows the value of family is always first.
What are you most proud of about being a working Mom?
I am proud that I have been able to continue progressing my career while also being engaged and present in my daughters life. Being a single Mama is not easy, but Sono Bello has allowed me grace and flexibility. This has allowed me to flourish as a strong leader, and a present loving parent. I love that I can show my daughter that she can have a career and family and that we don't have to compromise one to have the other.
What kind of support do you find most helpful from the workplace and/or your manager?
Last year I was pregnant with my daughter. I was extremely anxious about how the pregnancy would impact my ability to progress professionally and what I would do when my pregnancy would inevitably impact my work. My supervisor Nicole Bradshaw was so supportive throughout my pregnancy. She allowed for me to be a real human experiencing very real changes in my body and ultimately my whole life. She allowed me to vent, she was understanding on the days I was so nauseous I couldn't get out of bed, but also allowed me the opportunity to do a stretch assignment that allowed me to professionally grow. I was never thought of as less because of my pregnancy but was heard when I had hit my limit. This type of support and kindness is something I will never forget. It's rare to have this type of support from your employer and I and am so thankful for it.
How do you promote transparency and challenge societal norms to support working parents (and yourself) in openly communicating about expected and unexpected family events?
Family is first. We work to care for our families and my team knows that if their family needs something, that comes first. We will always figure out a way to make it happen whether it's making it to their child's state basketball game, or a team member needing to modify her hours because she is going through the IVF process with her partner. We have created a culture where we take care of each other and communicate those needs- it is nothing to be ashamed of! We are able to lean into one another to support our relationships at home, and this type of culture is not common in other work places. We are women for women.
What words of encouragement do you have for other working Moms?
My team is full of passionate, incredible, hardworking mamas. They truly inspire me every day to be my best self. We go to work and give 100% and go home and give another 100%. Sometimes it’s easy to feel like you are never giving enough to your career or children- it’s never perfect but give yourself grace and take the time to be present in each moment.