Today we’d like to introduce you to Sonia Alejandra Saunders.
Sonia Alejandra, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My background is in television. I worked for a local Hispanic television network for a few years, where I was in Marketing and an on camera host. For a very long time, my dream was to be a TV host for a national network, so I went to school and graduated with a BA in Communications and Media Studies.
At 19, I decided to audition for Univision’s reality TV show Nuestra Belleza Latina, which is a mix of America’s Next Top Model and a beauty pageant. The winner of this contest would become Univision’s talent and would earn one year contract with the largest Hispanic Network in the U.S. so it was a way to get closer to my dream.
From the beginning of the audition, I was told I needed to lose a few pounds if I wanted to be successful in this industry, so I did just that. As soon as I arrived in Miami, I began to feel out of place because of what I had been told. I began to compare myself to the women who were tall and thin, and this began to really affect me. I remember one of the contestants told me that production was not going to choose a “Mujerón”, which in Spanish can be translated as a big woman.
That word really haunted me for a very long time, because I began to believe that I would never be able to be successful in TV because of my figure. I ended up placing in the semi-finalists, but I believe that if I would have had the confidence and not listened to all the criticizing about my image I would have made it a lot further.
Fast forward seven years later, Nuestra Belleza Latina came back, but this time they opened their requirements to all sizes all ages and pretty much no limits. It was obvious that will all the women empowerment movements coming out they too wanted to be a part of it. So I decided this was my time to represent all those women who one day also felt they weren’t enough. I went back to the place that once made me feel broken and I decided I wanted to make a statement, so I made a shirt that had the word Mujeron.
The word that once hurt me and made me feel like I was not enough now fueled me to go after my dreams and represent all the women who once felt they were not enough. The second time around Nuestra Belleza Latina was a lot more enjoyable, I didn’t feel out of place, I felt confident about myself and my ability to win. However, again I placed in the top 30 (out of thousands), but I felt like I had closure with the contest and what it had once made me feel.
After arriving home from this contest, I decided that I was not going to allow myself to get down about not making it further. I began to think about what I wanted to represent if I won and decided that I did not need a title for that. I knew I could share my story with other women and that they too needed to share theirs.
I was proud of wearing my Mujeron shirt, but I knew that this was more than just a t-shirt. This needed to become a movement that will help women be sure they could become the woman of their dreams with or without opportunities like Nuestra Belleza Latina.
That is where Mujeron Movement was born, a women’s empowerment community that is focused to help women elevate their lifestyle, embrace self-love and help them discover their inner Mujeron. I invited women from all over town who helped me believe in myself and women who were already helping other women. I honored them through a photoshoot and by sharing their story with our community.
Later, I began to host events where I gave women who were experts a platform for them to teach other women what they were passionate about. We began with a hike with local professional boxer Sulem Urbina who has an incredible story, and a series of workshops followed.
In our first year, we have held a total of 21 events in three different cities, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Together we have learned how to manage our money, how to improve our habits, how to manage our time, how to improve our mindset, how to better take care of ourselves, we have hosted makeup events, hikes, boot camps, coffee chats, and many other topics.
Mujeron Movement became bigger than me, bigger than the community, it was incredible to learn that the women of our communities needed this. They were searching for a community where they could share their stories, where they could be vulnerable, where they could learn, network and most of all come together and support each other.
I am sure that Mujeron Movement would not be what it is today without the collaborations and support we have gotten from our community. It has been incredible and overwhelming to see how many women are willing to support. I am grateful for all the women who have supported us and have showed up for themselves because without them we would not be able to continue doing the events and workshops.
I am looking forward to the future to bring a lot more resources, community and relationships for our community. I am sure that together we will reach so many more women that just like us need this community.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Some of the struggles I have faced during the first year was being afraid to charge for the events. All of the events have come out of my pocket, but it is very important for me to let women experience what we are doing and our free events have allowed us to grow. I know we have a lot of value and in the end, these events are investments, and I feel honored to be able to put together life-changing events that help women grow.
Please tell us about Mujerón Movement.
We specialize in giving women an experience where they discover their inner Mujeron and believe they can become the woman of their dreams. Through our events, our workshops and our community women are inspired to go after their BIG goals. What I am most proud of as a brand is when women have breakthroughs in our events. It is amazing to see women realize that they can be doing bigger things. I love when women leave with something from our events that they can implement into their daily lives to improve their habits and overall their lives.
I am also proud of ending our events with our special gift that each woman receives. We end every event with a special reflection and a flower that includes a messages just for them. Every woman gets a different message and we like to believe it was meant for them to receive that message on that day.
I think what sets us apart is our vulnerability. It is important to share that you do not have it all together and that although some women are experts they too sometimes need to take breaks. I believe women feel identified with the women that collaborate with us and that is what sets us apart.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We have a lot of projects coming up next year. We are launching our membership which will include a lot more than just our events and one on one calls. Our goal is to really give women resources and we have taken our time to develop our memberships because we really want it to be worth your money. We are also working on our podcast, where we will give another platform for women to share their stories and inspire other women. We look forward to continue working on our workshops and events because that is where the real magic happens.
Contact Info:
- Website: mujeronmovement.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mujeronmovement/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mujeronmovement/
Image Credit:
Alma Photography, Life Photography, Justin Wade Orton
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