I grew up poor and undocumented. I created a beauty brand that generated $2 million in sales in a single day.

"And yet, my bank account only had a few hundred dollars in it. I felt trapped in a relationship with my romantic partner because I didn't think I had the financial or emotional resources to leave. That's when I realized that, despite building a successful company, trauma from my past was still holding me back. With a friend's help and encouragement, I left my relationship and took control of my company's finances - and it changed my life."

"For me, the trauma was generational. My mom was an entrepreneur in the Dominican Republic. She was an orphan who ran a farm and a day care center. Eventually, she made enough money to invest in real estate. When I was a toddler, we moved to the US. We were undocumented, and life was very, very, very difficult. My family never taught me to dream big: They just told me to get a job that paid enough to cover rent and food."

Gisselle Hernandez founded Glamlite and built it into a multimillion-dollar cosmetics business while overcoming personal and financial obstacles. She grew up undocumented after moving from the Dominican Republic, experienced generational trauma, and received little encouragement to dream beyond basic stability. She dropped out in ninth grade, later earned a GED, and enrolled in community college to pursue nursing before returning to design and entrepreneurship. Despite generating millions in sales, she once had only a few hundred dollars in her bank account and felt trapped in an abusive relationship. With support, she left, took control of company finances, achieved financial independence, and now works to break cycles of abuse and poverty.

Read at Business Insider