Paola Meinzer

Posted by TFOCB Studios on March 14, 2022 at 8:00 AM

The Vice President of Tax & Beyond [a full service accounting firm providing a wide range of services to individuals, closely held corporations and nonprofit entities], Paola Meinzer is no stranger to overcoming adversity. Yet, in meeting Paola you’d never know that  through her positive attitude on life.  

“I was raised pretty much by my dad, but then he passed away when I was 12. So, that's where all of the challenges through life started shaping who I am today. I always saw you have two options: the glass is either half empty or the glass is half full. So I was being a very positive person and this placed me in a position to start traveling the world.”

When asked about where she drew her inspiration from, to create a positive outlook for herself, Paola is the first to express her gratitude for her faith.

The Modern Spirituality Podcast

“I really started to get to know God and believe in Him and, and the promises that He had made to my life. I'm very thankful for that because that has shown me and kept me on the right path in life, and also to be very helpful and very positive. If we put our mind to whatever we want, have the right attitude and have the right beliefs and believe in a bigger thing than us. And for me, like I said, it's God.”

Those beliefs led Paola to experience different cultures in her travels to other countries. It’s also what taught her to connect with others in a meaningful way. Leading her to create beautiful friendships wherever she goes. She took those experiences and found an opportunity for herself to use those skills when working for a Fortune 500 company. It was during that time that Paola began to grow her professional network and develop relationships within the community. She goes on to share how, despite loving the experience, she felt something was missing for her.

A Safe Haven

“I was out there doing a lot of community outreach, being involved with different organizations and growing my network, which is very important. Every time I attended these events I was wondering like, okay, so I love this. I'm meeting all these people, but I think that we're missing something. We need a space that is catered for us ladies, Latinas who are like-minded. We need a space where we can come together to really feel welcome; feel like we belong. We love to feel we belong.”

latina pros group photo

It was from that point that Paola set the wheels in motion to create L.E.E.N. or Latinas Executives and Entrepreneurs Network. With the help of other Latina Executives and Entrepreneurs, LEEN creates opportunities for Latinas to come together through social events and gatherings. 

Tune in to hear more about Paola, her journey, and the powerful network she’s created for Latina Executives and Entrepreneurs.

 


 

The Face of Chicago Business Podcast

Topics: Executive Leadership