A Note from the Founder

This post is part of a short reflection series for Women's History Month.  I’m sharing for women navigating questions around work, balance, and what success looks like in different seasons of life.

Over the years, I’ve worked across corporate, nonprofit, and entrepreneurial environments. Each offered something valuable—and each came with trade-offs that aren’t always talked about honestly.

In the first post, I share how I think about choosing between these paths with intention. In the second, I open up more personally about how entrepreneurship found me during a season shaped by uncertainty, caregiving, and the need to prioritize my own health.

My hope is that these reflections offer clarity, reassurance, or simply the reminder that you are not alone in asking these questions.

Post #2 in the Series

Entrepreneurship was never something I set out to do.

I didn’t wake up one day with a business plan and a dream to “be my own boss.” What I had instead were moments of uncertainty, corporate mergers, restructuring, and financial decisions made far beyond my control that resulted in entire departments being shut down.

Like many women, I did everything right. I worked hard. I stayed committed. I delivered results. And still, I learned the hard truth that stability inside an organization can change overnight.

Entrepreneurship didn’t come from ambition—it came from timing.

It showed up when I needed to be present for my aging parents. When appointments, advocacy, and simply being there mattered more than another meeting on my calendar. It showed up when my own health demanded attention, after years of pushing through, postponing rest, and putting myself last.

That season forced a realization I couldn’t ignore anymore.

We’ve all heard the airplane analogy: put your oxygen mask on first before helping others. I understood it intellectually for years. I just never practiced it.

Like many women, I was conditioned to carry responsibility quietly, to keep going, to be dependable, to absorb stress so others didn’t have to. Entrepreneurship slowed me down enough to see that sustainability is not selfish. It’s necessary.

This path hasn’t been glamorous or linear. It’s required discipline, boundaries, and a willingness to listen to myself in ways I hadn’t before. But it gave me something I didn’t realize I needed so badly: permission to design my life around what mattered most in that moment.

If you’re standing at a crossroads, whether because of change you chose or change that chose you, know this: sometimes the path you never planned for becomes the one that allows you to breathe again.

And that, too, is success.

Read the companion post:  Choosing Balance: Corporate, Non-Profit, or Entrepreneurship-Lessons I've Learned Along the Way

About Angelica Urquijo and The Imagen Group:

A proud graduate of the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business, Angélica also pursued specialized studies in Marketing, Public Relations, and Broadcast Journalism at UCLA. Beyond her professional work, she is deeply committed to mentoring Latina entrepreneurs, empowering

minority-owned businesses, and advancing equity in underserved communities. At her core, Angélica is a connector, storyteller, and advocate. She leads with gratitude and vision, ensuring that every campaign The Imagen Group touches not only achieves its goals but also leaves a lasting social impact. Learn more: www.linkedin.com/in/angelicaurquijo

www.theimagengroup.com