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Age: 37
Job title: Chief Executive Officer
At work: I am the CEO of Cultiv8 Media Strategies based in Virginia Beach. I started my company because I believe that being understood is a human right, not a privilege. My passion is to help people and businesses share their messages and identities to the community. Throughout my career, I have been privileged to work with a wide variety of local and national clients, including NBC, Comedy Central, Netflix, Hulu, Discovery Plus, Nancy Grace and Balitang America (Filipino American news) as a political contributor. I’ve also been featured on Adobo Nation news. I am a contributing writer for publications such as The Start-up, Innovation and the Princess Anne Independent News.
Home and family: The Navy is a big piece of my upbringing. My father immigrated to the United States and brought me and my mother to Virginia Beach. My husband, Mark Caalim, and I are raising our two children, Mia-Alana and Zeq, to be involved as proud citizens of Hampton Roads while ensuring they stay connected to their Filipino heritage. My family is the foundation of my life, and I can’t begin to express my appreciation for their sacrifices in supporting my career and public service.
Volunteer activities: My passion is advocating for people with disabilities, and I’ve been privileged to speak around the country to a wide variety of community and legislative bodies about the importance of supporting and embracing this valuable segment of our population. I enjoy working with The Arc of Virginia, EveryLife Foundation and Rare Disease Advocates. This passion has created another passion within me for political activism focused on improving resources for those with needs who aren’t able to advocate for themselves.
Inside Business
Motivating factor: My motivating factor is ensuring a good future for our children and those around us dealing with significant barriers to success.
Advice to young people: Success is contagious. Surround yourself with successful people, and recruit mentors for yourself. You cannot succeed without your personal “board of directors” behind you to motivate and cheer you on while being truthful so that you’re not putting yourself in situations that aren’t to your benefit. In return, always “pay it on” by mentoring someone else to help them reach their goals.
Professional goal in five years: I would love to expand Cultiv8 Media Strategies to Europe. I currently work with clients in the United States and Asia. As an advocate, I would like to work on a project to help people with disabilities be able to live independently in Virginia Beach. In addition, I want to create pathways to strengthen public transportation and affordable living.
The one thing I’d change about Hampton Roads: Hampton Roads’ population growth is stagnant and has the lowest growth rate among Virginia’s three large metropolitan statistical areas. As a collection of interconnected communities, we need to focus on ways to ensure each is positioned for sustainable growth over the coming decades. This means ensuring our educational facilities (primary, secondary and higher) are fully funded and prepared to educate our residents — whatever their age, race, income, culture or heritage.
Region’s biggest asset: Our connectivity to the rest of the country and globe. Hampton Roads is the birthplace of Colonial America, has one of the largest and most dynamic U.S. ports and is now the landing site for the world’s most advanced telecommunications cables. We have one of the world’s largest concentrations of military activities and a truly global business community. All of these connections create tremendous opportunities for us not just to participate but to lead in the changes that are occurring everywhere. We can’t afford to miss this leadership opportunity.
Downtime: As a mom-preneur (mother who is an entrepreneur), downtime is a rare find. I love to unplug and read true crime books; I am currently reading “Bad Blood” by John Carreyrou. I occasionally knit or crochet items to donate to others. My absolute favorite things to make are animal hats for newborn babies.
What gets under my skin: Impostor syndrome, which is when a person has the skills and tools to accomplish a goal but is sabotaged by their inner self-doubts.