Career Advice from 5 Kickass Latinas: Jennifer Lopez, Sofía Vergara, Gina Rodriguez and More

Want to be a Girl Boss? Sofia Vergara, Jennifer Lopez, Salma Hayek, Gina Rodriguez and Eva Longoria share their best professional advice.

01 of 10
ABC's "Modern Family" ATAS Emmy Event - Arrivals
(Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)

Sofía Vergara knows that fear is no friend to success. The Modern Family actress and savvy business woman told People en Español that being powerful starts from within.

"Being successful in the business world depends a lot on having a good personal life in order to grow, focus and not lose your drive," she said. "You can never let yourself be intimidated by people with bad energy. You have to live without fear of being ridiculed and dream big."

02 of 10
2016 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Graydon Carter - Arrivals
(Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/WireImage)

Vergara urges women to find inspiration and humor in everything. "There are examples of success and passion, sources of inspiration, in every corner. If you make it a point to talk to people and discover all the positive things in the world, you can learn every day," she added. "Having a good sense of humor, choosing to laugh every day regardless of what is going on in life, inspires me to enjoy everything more."

03 of 10
People's Choice Awards 2017 - Red Carpet
Christopher Polk/Getty

The Puerto Rican actress, singer, producer and entrepreneur says meditation is key to balancing her many roles. “It was almost like my brain, for the first time in my life, felt like ‘Okay, you bit off more than you can chew,'" she realized last year after she started meditating. She now puts 20 minutes aside in the morning and evening to get centered and stay focused.

04 of 10
Tidal X: Brooklyn
Shareif Ziyadat/FilmMagic

Gratitude is also key to her sustained success: “I’ve always been a hard worker,” Lopez said. “To be at a point in my career where I’ve been in it for 20-something years and be getting the opportunities and me having a moment...where I get to, as an artist, do all the things that I love to do still and on the level that I’m doing them, all of it feels like such a blessing.”

05 of 10
69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards - Arrivals
Gregg DeGuire/Getty

Being educated and unafraid to speak her mind have been crucial to Gina Rodriguez's success: "Get an education. The one thing that nobody can take away from you is your education," she told Cosmopolitan. "I'm here, I'm present, I'm a contributor to society, I deserve to be part of this conversation, I have an opinion, listen to me roar."

06 of 10
2017 Los Angeles Dance Project Gala
Vivien Killilea/Getty

The Jane the Virgin star says the old adage--hard work pays off--is true: "Hard work and dedication and perseverance and being good to people does win. It does matter," she told Buzzfeed.

07 of 10
Kering Talks Women In Motion At The 70th Cannes Film Festival
Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty

Salma Hayek says it's important to be a team player: "The most beautiful form of power is unity, supporting one another, working together and succeeding together," she told People en Español.

08 of 10
Alexander McQueen : Front Row - Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Spring/Summer 2018
Francois Durand/Getty

The Mexican actress admits that being a groundbreaker requires resilience. "The biggest obstacle is changing someone's belief system. They didn't think that a Latin actress could have leading roles, it was inconceivable," she said of making it in Hollywood. "The most difficult thing was breaking down the barriers of an established ideology."

09 of 10
70th Anniversary Red Carpet Arrivals - The 70th Annual Cannes Film Festival
George Pimentel/WireImage

Eva Longoria is a master of time management. "If I'm not moving forward, I'm moving faster forward," she told CNBC. "My schedule is like rocket science."

10 of 10
"The Killing Of A Sacred Deer" Red Carpet Arrivals - The 70th Annual Cannes Film Festival
Dominique Charriau/WireImage

The Mexican American actress, producer and business woman loves to multitask. "I prioritize," she said. "I do conference calls while I'm driving. I do all my reading while I'm flying. I'm very efficient with my time."

Related Articles