Tagline
Started from the bottom, now I’m here: A Guatemalan-American teaches how to find success as a woman in the tech world in America.
Bio for Claudia Miller
Claudia Miller is a sought-after Career Coach for Women In Tech and has helped her clients land fulfilling jobs at a senior level. She also partners with companies and organizations in identifying rising stars within their organizations and providing strategic insights and support in developing a leadership and talent pipeline with a focus on Women and Women of Colour.
Due to her efforts, she’s worked with Top Fortune 500 Clients and has partnered with World Business Chicago in developing a Workforce Development strategy in coordination with the City of Chicago’s efforts to decrease unemployment rates for persons of colour. She’s also the Creator & Host of the ‘Roadmap To The Executive Suite’ podcast.
Due to her client’s success, she’s been featured multiple times in Forbes, MSNBC, and Thrive Global. Business Insider put her on their top global list of Top Innovative Career Coaches. When her straight-A record and extracurricular efforts didn’t help her become successful, she began discovering what helps someone excel in their careers, and she now shares those strategies with women in tech.
Episode highlight
As a Guatemalan-American, Claudia Miller struggled to find her voice in corporate America. Listen in on how she relied on education to rise above her humble beginnings and became so successful that she now teaches other women how to become successful.
Links
- Email: claudia@claudiatmiller.com; hello@claudiatmiller.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claudiatmiller/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claudiatmiller/?inf_contact_key=b4a331f0fa8c27a480f318b6815d523b
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWxmLccVbCHKDRKgjNXz1Rw
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5sD12Uywtp3sI6ofpAOCYV?si=dd8a03e75f344275
- Website: https://www.claudiatmiller.com/
Quotes
- “You can never do the bare minimum and expect success.”
- “I knew I wanted more out of life than just my husband and kids.”
- “How can I multiply that and give women more power and control and opportunities out there that allows them to live the life they want to?”
Takeaways
Childhood Incidents
Claudia was born in Guatemala and has 3 other sisters. Her family moved to the USA when she was diagnosed with a chronic blood illness which could be better managed there. She worked very hard in school, and credits academic decathlons with teaching her time management, preparing her for college applications and earning her a full scholarship for her bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
Her parents separated, after which she lived at a homeless shelter for women. She worked hard on her studies because she knew education would help her out of these hard times. “I didn’t want to become a statistic”, she notes. This experience sharpened her grit, work ethic, and perseverance. However, overworking made her illness flare up, so she now works smarter, not harder.
Influential groups
Claudia’s Latino background taught her that women should not speak up, which shows up in not negotiating one’s salary or selling one’s personal brand. She was the first in her family to graduate from high school and had to learn to navigate those skills in the corporate world, reaching out to other professionals and accessing information through all possible sources.
She grew up in a mostly Hispanic and Polish urban neighbourhood in Chicago but was exposed to a lot more diversity in college. She was glad to discover new cultures, which expanded her way of thinking. To this day, she seeks out circles which can inspire her to push herself to achieve more and better in her life.
Temperament and Personality Influences
Claudia claims she has always had an ambitious, Type A personality.
Cultural Epiphanies
Since Claudia had been surrounded by messages of staying humble and quiet and getting married and having kids, she had to reframe her money mindset in a way that would enable her success. She had only watched Spanish-language media growing up, so felt left out when others at college discussed some aspect of the popular culture she had never experienced.
Moving out of her home to go to college was a big cultural change for her family since it is uncommon to leave Latino households unless it is for marriage. It was difficult to have the conversation with her mother to move out, but she is grateful to have the resources to have moved out, since many Latinos, even today, live with their parents past the age of 18.
Advice to an Employer
Claudia is very solution-focused so only works with clients she knows she can help. “I already have a lot of confidence in them, whether they feel confident or not”, she shares. Her clients being open, communicative and willing to work to get results brings out the best in her and helps her help them. She is motivated to help women have the opportunities that she didn’t have growing up.
More Great Insights!
Claudia coaches women in tech to land fulfilling roles in an average of 90 days, with an average of 56% in salary increases. If you are looking for the next role where you are paid what you deserve, reach out to Claudia through her website to ask questions, or on LinkedIn, where you can also access career advice for free.
Extro
Claudia Miller grew up in a household that told her she should keep her head down and not speak too much. Today, she helps women speak out and ask for what they deserve in the corporate world, using her experience to grow her career and become successful.
