A ladyboss is a woman that is that is comfortable in her own skin and mind, as well as sure of her own professional and personal path. A ladyboss is an independent thinker that’s driven to make their dream a reality.

Amy from Naveda is an icon, to say the least. After chatting on the phone, I realized she is the epitome of this series. Brave, bold, creative, and driven. She’s also brilliant. From career woman to designer and business boss, Amy followed her path with bravery and incredible drive, which has led to the success of her fashion house.

With a graduate degree in marketing, Amy spent 10 years working in the corporate marketing and bisdev world. She has always been creative and artistic, and wanted to fuse her path with those inclinations. In love with the idea of “Building something from nothing” and the following the process from start to finish, she took the next natural step and the plunge and applied to Parsons. She figured if she got in, this would be the sign for her to move in this direction.

She got in! This led to her quitting her job and booking a trip to India, a major hub in the fashion industry, for a month. While there, she booked as many appointments as she could, talking to people in design, textiles, influencing, publishing, and manufacturing. She wanted to immerse herself in the industry, learn what she could, and grow. Through this, she built an incredible network for when she was ready to start her brand.

While enrolled at Parsons, she worked with a fashion brand, all while building her own collection. When she was able to showcase her line at New York Fashion Week, her brand, Naveda, really launched in the fashion world. This led to a showcase at London Fashion Week, and a strong foundation with buyers, and retailers.

The brand has evolved over time, and Amy doesn’t have a favorite item per say. Lately, the brand has been designing and producing accessories. All of the items have very clean and minimal designs with an element of escape. The business includes several segments, including personal styling, ready to wear pieces, and bespoke, custom designed gowns. The brand isn’t trend driven, but rather focuses on sustainable staples that can be investment pieces.

While her work life is busy, she does what she loves and doesn’t mind when work and life overlap. With late nights and early mornings, she makes her passion work.

As someone with a graduate degree in marketing, and a previous career in communications, Amy knows how to successfully build a brand presence on social. She recognizes that there’s huge reach and power in social media, and even teaches merchandizing at local Philadelphia colleges.

Through all this, she learned that you have to have passion, take the jump, and avoid the noise. Being brave and leaving your career to pursue what you love isn’t easy (it was her hardest decision), but you don’t know what’s ahead.

All thoughts and opinions are my own.