A great Tony Robbins quote goes, “Passion is the genesis of genius.” Following her passions as a businesswoman is something that Julia Aquino-Serrano knows all about. A successful consulting business, a new book to help women achieve their goals and an exciting new coaching endeavor are all ways in which she is driving positive change for others.
About 10 years ago, Julia saw a great need for businesses seeking growth support and decided to launch her own consulting practice. Today, All Systems Grow supports businesses with up to $100 million in revenue to align their financial and cultural behavior with a strategic vision. She works closely with businesses to evaluate if employees are in the right roles and if a company’s values and strategies work together, among other things. Julia also recognizes that people are at the core of businesses, and therefore focuses on aligning a people-oriented mindset with strategic processes and financial strategies. “You’re shifting the mindset of the entire organization,” she explains. “You create change top-down, so it’s helping leaders shift their mindset along with those below the leadership to shift the way they behave or think or manage themselves.”
Over the course of her career as a consultant, Julia has acquired a wealth of knowledge about effective strategies for growth and is excited to share those insights in a new book titled SheStrategy. Written for a female audience, she hopes to help all women overcome personal obstacles. “It’s to find awareness of the beliefs and thoughts that are stopping you and develop strategies for our life and business. The point of the book is that business is life and life is business,” she says.
Julia is also preparing to officially launch SheDefined, a new coaching business that offers workshops, retreats and coaching sessions to women across the nation. In fact, she recently sponsored the Women Empower Expo in Washington D.C., where she coached 70 women on ways to overcome obstacles and achieve their personal goals.
As a past president and member of NAWBO-Fort Lauderdale for the last nine years, Julia recognizes the immense support she gets from her NAWBO sisters in many different ways. “NAWBO’s connections are helpful everywhere,” she says. “I used a NAWBO attorney for my divorce. I used a corporate partner for my banking. It’s so much more once you’re involved because of the relationships you build. It’s helped in business because you have women’s undying support, the ability to serve on the board to grow yourself and your knowledge and experience. It’s really a place of opportunity for women.”
NAWBO is also a place where Julia feels her voice can be heard. In fact, she’s started a side business making T-shirts with inspirational quotes, some which she uses as an active member of NAWBO. “The very first shirt I made was a quote of a statement I made in my acceptance speech as president of NAWBO: ‘To change the world, you have to use your outside voice,’” she says. “When I get down to the nitty gritty of what I do, I help women find and use their authentic, soul-resonating voice. We spend our lives being and doing what others want. We, at some level, give up our voice because we think we’re doing it to serve others. That’s not the case. In everything I do with women, it’s about helping them find their truth. Speaking your truth is the only way you can live YOUR life versus living someone else’s life.”
Beyond being a successful business owner, Julia also channels her energy to support causes that are close to her heart. After a recent school shooting near her hometown in Florida, Julia has dedicated herself to boosting education and communication among students, parents, and schools about safety at school. Her T-shirt company, Tees For Humanity, also contributes a portion of their profits to support victims of school shootings, cancer, youth empowerment, and more.
As a survivor of breast cancer, she also works closely with those newly diagnosed to help them approach their diagnosis from a perspective of knowledge instead of fear. “I’m doing great. I’m not a victim to it, but it’s still a big part of my path and what I do,” she says. “I feel passionate about it.”