October 22 2019

Boss Lady Spotlight: Jacqueline Rodriguez

Armoire Everything, Meet Our Members Boss Lady, Jacqueline Rodriguez, Member Feature, professional style, Style advice

At Armoire, we’re casting a spotlight on some of the notable, powerful boss ladies in our community, and what being a boss lady means to them. Read on to learn all about Armoire member, Jacqueline Rodriguez.

Her Life:

Past:

I’m the proud daughter of Salvadorian immigrants and was born and raised in Los Angeles, California! #westcoastbestcoast

Present:

I now live in Washington, DC with my boyfriend and our four plants. I currently work at a think tank where I am educating and helping policymakers on Capitol Hill develop a national paid family leave policy. In my free time (what little I have), I’m gramming about sustainability and fashion. A friend and I are working on launching an upcycling fashion startup in effort to reduce the amount of clothing that ends up in our landfills. You can check us out on Instagram at our.restore!

Future:

Hopefully I’ll be working one day as Chief Marketing Office of my own business. If not, the goal is to move back to California or Latin America to lead social or issue-based campaigns as head of marketing and communications.

Her Career:

How she’s redefining women who work:

Just being my unconventional self! I believe it’s important to model what you value in a workplace and create your own ideal work culture. Sometimes that means being bold and taking initiative. Despite having entered a very traditional field of policy and politics in DC, I am unapologetically myself in how I approach my work.

I want everyone, not just women, in similar 9-5 settings to know that there is life outside of work. Work-life balance is achievable! In fact, better work culture is something that should be enjoyed by workers across all fields and demographics. If more business and government leaders focused on the health and happiness of workers, not just productivity or profitability, we would have more sustainable business practices. That’s ultimately what drives my personal pursuits, policy work, and existence.

Her biggest challenge:

The politics! Knowing that ultimately having a national paid family leave policy can help millions of workers (especially low-income) balance work, family, and personal medical care is what inspires me to push through.

Her secret to a work/life balance:

It’s important to me to align my natural energy levels to my productivity efforts. Thankfully, I have the flexibility in my job to not work for 8 hours straight, but in chunks throughout the day. I like breaking my work day into hour or two-long intervals and taking 10-15 minute breaks in between. During those breaks I move around or walk away from my desk. This keeps me from getting bored and allows me to be naturally productive.

I am also extremely forgiving and flexible with myself. If I didn’t finish something on my to-do list, that typically means it’s not a high priority and can wait till the next day. Otherwise, I communicate with my team and ask for more time. All in all, I believe that your working style, hours, and location shouldn’t matter as long as you are meeting your deadlines, owning your work, and being reliable. We’re all human after all!

What she wishes she knew 5 years ago:

Who you are is far more important than who you are not.

Her advice:

Imposter syndrome and the belief that we are inadequate are just stories we tell ourselves when others fail to relate to us, understand us, or see us. Show up as yourself and shoot your shot! You’ll only get what you want when you show up as your authentic self and say exactly what you think, believe and can do.

Her Style:

Why she uses Armoire:

I love Armoire’s focus on sustainable and female-run brands. I highly value elevating and investing in sustainable and women-owned businesses.

Her favorite part:

The customer service! Armoire’s sustainability and female empowerment offering of sustainable reeled me in, but the customer service is what has me hooked.

How does Armoire fit into your life as professional working on federal policy?

Before DC, I was working in start-up environments where I could dress very casually and creatively. Once I pivoted and began working directly with policymakers on Capitol Hill, I needed to dress more formally. I felt very constrained by the existing work wear options for women. Most were not budget-friendly, and those that were lacked quality and variety. As the free-spirit and unconventional Angeleno that I am, I wanted something that didn’t mute my style or break the bank, but was still business appropriate.

Moreover, I wanted something that was ethical and sustainable, given my work on labor and gender-equity issues. This happened to be when I discovered Armoire and instantly became hooked!I can always dress the part without breaking the bank, giving up my sense of self-expression or sacrificing my values.

Boss Lady Go-To:

The Nicole Miller Black ¾ Tie Waist Jumpsuit It’s amazing and so versatile! I’m so glad I can rent it, since it’s outside of my typical budget.